Have you ever thought about the fact that the gospel is social? That as followers of Christ we are expected to be sociable? Some of us are introverted and use our alone time to recharge while others are extroverted and thrive on being in crowds of people. God made all of us differently and understands that our social circles will all look different, but scripture is clear—we are not meant to do life alone.
Right at the beginning of scripture, in the creation account, God makes this clear. In Genesis 2:18 God says that “it is not good for man to be alone.” And so, even though Adam was walking in perfect communion with God and was surrounded by animals, God saw the need to create Eve and then gave them the commandment to fill the earth. From then on, the survival of society depended on people living socially in community. Even when God destroyed the earth with a flood, He didn’t just save Noah or even just Noah and his wife. He saved Noah’s whole family to be sure that the earth would be able to be filled once again.
Even when Jesus came to this earth He chose to live with a close community of friends. Do you ever wonder how hard it may have been for Jesus to make friends? I mean, of course after he started performing miracles, He had crowds of people following Him and could hardly ever find a quiet place to rest. But what about before that? Do you enjoy being friends with someone perfect? Who never messes anything up? It’s hard to relate to people like that and those aren’t usually the people we choose to associate with. Maybe that has something to do with the misfits that He chose to be friends with. Maybe they related because they also had trouble making friends.
Even though for centuries humankind has depended on living in community for survival, somewhere along the line we became a very individualistic society. We have thrived on showing how much we can do with the least amount of help and we celebrate “pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.”
But what if there is a better way? What if we took scripture like Galatians 6:2 more seriously?
Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
What if we used Hebrews 10:25 as something more than a way to guilt people into never missing church?
Not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.
Take a look at Colossians 3. It starts off talking about the “new man,” which is who you become after accepting Christ. It gives a list of things to “take off” and then gives a list of what to “put on” instead. But there in the chapter is the key to how to do it.
Vs. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Even though the Bible is full of examples of how we should live with each other, let’s look at one more in James 5. James 5:16 says,
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.
It’s hard to see our own sins. It’s hard to be convicted of our wrongdoing if we never see the impact it has on other people. Developing holiness and the power of our prayers depend on us doing life with other people.
Living a holy life can only be done by living in community with other believers. God created His people this way and in doing so we show the love of Christ to those around us. The gospel depends on us living well with others so let’s actively guard against isolation.
By: Cassandra Franklin
