No Solitary Religion – The Social Nature of Faith
We're into the 5th week of Lent, and I want to share this week another essential part of the Wesleys' teaching, which is their focus on Christian community.
In our day there has crept into the church a very individualistic approach to faith, in some cases. There are those whose faith journey is just between them and Jesus, and they never let anybody else become a part of it.
The Essential Social Nature of Faith
But this is certainly not New Testament Christianity. And it's certainly not the way John Wesley set up the Methodist movement in those days – he was strong on community and the social nature of our faith. Listen to what he writes in a sermon called 'Upon Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount, IV': "Christianity is essentially a social religion, and to turn it into a solitary religion is indeed to destroy it. When I say this is essentially a social religion, I mean not only that it cannot subsist so well, but that it cannot subsist at all without society, without living and conversing with other men."
Powerful words. Without living and conversing with others, the essence of our faith is actually destroyed. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see solitary Christians trying to live out their faith alone. In fact, listen to the words of the writer to the Hebrews: "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another." (Hebrews 10:24-25)
The Risk of Community
I remember how those words were shared around during the COVID days by those who believed that churches were wrong to stop meeting during the lockdowns. But I think the point of this verse is more to speak to those who prefer not to gather with other Christians – who let church politics, church complications, or church hurt keep them from meeting up with their spiritual brothers and sisters. The writer says don't give up meeting together like some have. Keep spurring each other on and encouraging each other.
Christianity is no solitary religion. It's not meant to be just 'me and Jesus'. It's meant to be social – even though that results in difficulties and hurt. Jesus gathered 12 men around Him knowing full well that one would betray and one would deny and all would desert Him. The disciples later gathered together knowing full well that this would mean some hurt at some points. But they kept meeting. Because that's what families do.
Is it time for you to find a church again, to take the risk of being hurt and go anyway? I think it is. Because friends, in the end, Wesley was right: Christianity is dead if it is not social.
