Making the Connection
As Christians we share certain basic theological beliefs. These beliefs focus on God, ourselves as God’s special covenant partners, and God’s program for creation. In the pages of this book, we have outlined these beliefs in view of God’s overarching goal, which we described as the establishment of an eternal community of redeemed people inhabiting a renewed creation and enjoying the presence of the Triune God. Using the theme of “community” as a guide, we have viewed how the Christian beliefs we share lead to the conclusion that we are “created for community.”
Our exploration began with our foundational Christian belief about God. We believe in the God of the Bible, the One God who throughout all eternity is the social Trinity—the fellowship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This God is the Creator of the universe. And the Triune God created us so that we might reflect his own divine character. Therefore, as we live in fellowship with God, each other, and our environment—as we live as community—we show what God is like.
Christian belief then moves to our human failure. We have failed God. Rather than reflecting the divine love, we exploit others for our own ends or allow ourselves to be exploited. We are alienated from God, each other, our environment, and even ourselves. We stand condemned before our righteous Judge. We find ourselves enslaved to sin. And, try as we will, we cannot remedy our hopeless situation, for we are depraved.
But our Christian belief does not end here. God did not leave us on our own nor forsake us to wallow in our own failure. Throughout history the Triune God has been at work. Central to our faith is the coming of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh (John 1:14). In Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, the Father has provided the antidote for our hopeless situation, which the Holy Spirit applies to our lives through his indwelling presence.
As those who have come to know the life-giving grace of God, we now participate together in the great community of Christ’s disciples. And we anticipate the completion of our salvation one glorious future day when our Lord returns to consummate God’s program for creation. Then we will enjoy community on the highest plane, as we join all creation in glorifying the Triune God forever.
In this way, then, the common thread of community has run through our entire discussion. The presence of this thread suggests that our beliefs are not merely a collection of unrelated postulates. In fact, instead of beliefs (plural) we do well to speak of Christian belief (singular), as in the subtitle of this book. At the heart of our faith is a unified vision. This vision focuses on who God is, who we are as the recipients of God’s grace, and what God’s purposes are for creation.
Further, this vision affects life. Of course, it would be possible to speak of Christian belief as a body of intellectual or “heady” statements we hold to be true. Yet to isolate our beliefs into some purely intellectual realm would be to misunderstand the point of believing. Instead of simply confessing our common faith, we must act upon our faith. We must allow the central vision of our faith, as outlined in these pages, to spill over into life.
Actually, it simply cannot be otherwise. If we truly believe—if we acknowledge that the biblical vision is true—Christian belief will not be content to remain solely on the intellectual level. If the Christian vision of God, ourselves as God’s creatures, and God’s purposes for creation truly shapes the way we view life, it will also begin to color the way we live. As we come to view God, ourselves, and our world in the light of the Christian gospel, this vision will not only mold how we think, it will also come to expression in how we speak and how we act. It will restrain us to measure our words and season them with divine grace. It will embolden us to testify forthrightly in speech and conduct to the reality of the God who has called us into his family. It will motivate us to live in a manner that brings honor to the God whom we confess with our mouths.
Above all, the understanding of the Christian vision outlined in these pages—focusing as it does on the central truth that we are created for community—should motivate and stimulate us to respond to God’s call to community in every aspect of our lives. It should draw us into fellowship with God by leading us to pray more effectively and to seek to reflect with greater clarity the character of the Triune God. At the same time, this vision ought to draw us into fellowship with one another, as our awareness that community lies at the center of God’s intention for us begins to shape our actions toward others and even toward the universe around us. Finally, this vision should lead us to a new sense of personal identity, as we discover that living in fellowship with God and others is the pathway to finding our true selves.
In short, “head,” “heart,” and “hand” are forged together in an unbreakable chain. What begins in our head will soon find its way into our heart and eventually come to be expressed through our hand. Consequently, as we come to clarify and understand the foundational vision that comprises Christian belief, our intellectual reflections ought naturally to rekindle our devotion to God, leading to a renewed vitality in our service in the name of the one who “loved us and gave himself up for us” (Eph. 5:2; see also Gal. 2:20; 2 Thess. 2:16). Thus, as we discover anew that God created us for community, God’s Spirit will lead us to desire even more sincerely that the light of God’s Word shine through us to others to the praise of the Triune God.
Jesus bids us shine with a clear, pure light,
Like a little candle burning in the night;
In this world of darkness, we must shine. . . .
Jesus bids us shine, first of all for Him. . . .
Jesus bids us shine, then for all around,
Many kinds of darkness in this world abound;
Sin, and want, and sorrow— we must shine.1
Mastering the Material
Having Read This Epilogue, You Should Know: