Day 15: Formed for God's Family
So now, I'm in the 2nd purpose that Rick's going to describe in the book. But before I got to the actual chapter, I was struck by a Biblical quote Rick used to open the unit: "Christ makes us one body...connected to each other" (Romans 12:15 GWT). Who is the "us" referring to in that quote?
I suppose Rick answers this question early on in the chapter when he says, "The family of God includes all believers in the past, the present, and the future." So, when Rick talked earlier about "God building a family who will ... reign with him forever," did he mean that God's family will reign over all non-believers? And if so, how does Rick define a believer or a non-believer? How does he know that someone who says, "I'm a Christian," really is a Christian at heart? And what about people who are baptized but later fall out of the relationship with Christ and God?
To me, this question is further complicated by the points raised in the prodigal son story. The elder son obeyed his father, but it was for the expected reward and not completely out of love.
And yet, Rick further muddies the waters for me personally by reiterating that "retirement is a short-sighted goal" and that "you should be living in light of eternity [for your eternal inheritance]." Are Christians supposed to be working for a delayed reward? Are they not really working simply out of love for God?
On a tangentially related note, I want to bring up a thought that I've been trying to reconcile with Christianity. I've been thinking a lot lately about what world peace would look like. Does Christianity have room in its doctrine for peace on Earth? Or peace in this life?
But what happens to me in this life and the next if I do not believe in Christ or get baptized? I guess this point answers my earlier question about whether God loves everyone, regardless of their faith. It seem the answer is, "No, God doesn't love everyone regardless of their faith."
Again, this is a very interesting question to me precisely because I find it difficult to peg any one person as a believer or non-believer, especially over the course of time. On my flight from Boston to Los Angeles, I sat next to a friendly man called Gus. I chatted with Gus for a bit, and then I asked him to entertain a series of questions about trust.
Basically, the gist of the interview went as follows:
The reason I take a digression to talk about this experience of mine is that, to me, the basic underpinning of Rick's question is whether one believes that other believers are who they say they are.
If two true Christians, one from San Francisco and one from Boston, who have never met each other find themselves together at the airport before the security checkpoint, how would the scenario I described with Gus play out between the two? If the two introduced themselves as Christians, and the SF Christian asked the Boston Christian to hold on to some luggage while the SF Christian went to the bathroom, how would the Boston Christian react?
I suppose Rick answers this question early on in the chapter when he says, "The family of God includes all believers in the past, the present, and the future." So, when Rick talked earlier about "God building a family who will ... reign with him forever," did he mean that God's family will reign over all non-believers? And if so, how does Rick define a believer or a non-believer? How does he know that someone who says, "I'm a Christian," really is a Christian at heart? And what about people who are baptized but later fall out of the relationship with Christ and God?
To me, this question is further complicated by the points raised in the prodigal son story. The elder son obeyed his father, but it was for the expected reward and not completely out of love.
And yet, Rick further muddies the waters for me personally by reiterating that "retirement is a short-sighted goal" and that "you should be living in light of eternity [for your eternal inheritance]." Are Christians supposed to be working for a delayed reward? Are they not really working simply out of love for God?
On a tangentially related note, I want to bring up a thought that I've been trying to reconcile with Christianity. I've been thinking a lot lately about what world peace would look like. Does Christianity have room in its doctrine for peace on Earth? Or peace in this life?
Point to Ponder: I was formed for God's family.
But what happens to me in this life and the next if I do not believe in Christ or get baptized? I guess this point answers my earlier question about whether God loves everyone, regardless of their faith. It seem the answer is, "No, God doesn't love everyone regardless of their faith."
Question to Consider: How can I start treating other believers like members of my own family?
Again, this is a very interesting question to me precisely because I find it difficult to peg any one person as a believer or non-believer, especially over the course of time. On my flight from Boston to Los Angeles, I sat next to a friendly man called Gus. I chatted with Gus for a bit, and then I asked him to entertain a series of questions about trust.
Basically, the gist of the interview went as follows:
Marty: We've never met or talked prior to this conversation, right?
Gus: Yes.
Marty: Do you trust me enough to hold my luggage? [We're instructed not to do such things by the TSA.]
Gus: Yes, as long as we're in the secure area of the airport, past the security check.
Marty: So outside of the secure area, would you trust me?
Gus: No.
Marty: What if I told you I was American? [Gus is American.]
Gus: No.
Marty: What if I told you I was from the same American state as you?
Gus: No.
Marty: What if I told you I was from your hometown?
Gus: No.
Marty: What if I told you I worked in the same company as you?
Gus: But we've never met?
Marty: No. We're colleagues who have never met.
Gus: Then probably not.
Marty: Is there anything that I can tell you about me that would help you trust me?
Gus: Probably not.
The reason I take a digression to talk about this experience of mine is that, to me, the basic underpinning of Rick's question is whether one believes that other believers are who they say they are.
If two true Christians, one from San Francisco and one from Boston, who have never met each other find themselves together at the airport before the security checkpoint, how would the scenario I described with Gus play out between the two? If the two introduced themselves as Christians, and the SF Christian asked the Boston Christian to hold on to some luggage while the SF Christian went to the bathroom, how would the Boston Christian react?