Christian Fellowship

The Biblical Foundation of Community

Community has been part of the essence of Christian faith since the beginning of the church in Acts 2. In fact, the beginning of God’s solution to the problem of sin came when he called Abraham to be the father of a people through whom the Messiah would eventually come (Gen. 12:1-3). Even during Jesus’ earthly ministry, he was surrounded not only by his twelve core disciples but by a larger group of followers who traveled around with him, including a number of women who provided him with support (Luke 8:1-3).

Challenging Western Individualism in Faith

If you are taking this course, there is a strong chance that you are a “Western individualist.” Without even realizing it, our tendency is to over-emphasize the individual and personal dimension of our faith. We read it into passages in the Bible without knowing it. While most of the references to “you” in Scripture are plural (referring to collections of people), we have a tendency to read them as singulars (that is, about me instead of us).

However, our faith isn’t merely an individual pursuit. It is a collective journey that we are on together. Together, we are working out our way toward ultimate salvation (Phil. 2:12). While our ultimate spiritual destiny is finally a matter of our personal relationship with God, this relationship is embedded in communities of faith. The corporate dimension of our faith isn’t simply an add-on or a non-essential element that can simply be ignored. 

Creation and Community: Insights from Genesis

The story of creation provides us with profound insights into the importance of community. As highlighted in Genesis, God observed, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). This statement, made even before the fall, underscores humanity’s intrinsic need for connection and community. When God expressed, “Let us make man in our image” (Gen. 1:26), the plural pronoun “us” is often taken to reflect the communal nature of God himself. Thus, to be made in the image of God implies an innate yearning for community.

The Role of Community in Spiritual Practice and Growth

Individual spirituality never exists in isolation. Healthy spiritual growth weaves together personal reflection and practice with community interaction and practice. For example, look at the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Virtues like love, patience, and kindness inherently involve others. At its core, Christianity is not just about loving God but also about loving and serving others. It is a call to intertwining our spiritual journey with those of our fellow believers.

The church is not a mere place of individual worship. It is a sanctuary of community. It is where individual faith finds a collective voice. It is a place where believers come together to seek, celebrate, and serve God. The Church, as the body of Christ, provides believers with a spiritual home, anchoring our faith and nurturing our spiritual growth and practice. It is where private faith gets a communal expression, and personal beliefs resonate with collective convictions.

Community as a spiritual practice is like wedding vows. These vows are marked by profound commitment and do not come with an escape clause. Certainly, we as individuals make these vows, but we make the vows together. We embark on a shared journey. The presence of witnesses in a wedding is not just a formality but a reinforcement and extension of the couple’s commitment. Similarly, the Christian community acts as witness to our individual commitments to Christ, supporting, encouraging, and holding each other accountable.

The Gospel of John captures God’s expansive love by stating that “God so loved the world” (John 3:16). It reminds us that the essence of Christianity is not just about individual salvation but also about the redemption of the world. As believers, we are part of God’s grand story to transform the world. Our spiritual practices, while rooted in personal convictions, should resonate with this much broader vision.

Healthy spiritual practices are not a solitary endeavor. They are a blend of personal introspection and communal participation. While individual moments with God are invaluable, they are complemented and enriched by shared experiences with fellow believers. Be it through community worship, Bible studies, small groups, or shared prayer sessions. Community is an essential element in a robust spiritual life.