Perfecting Your Purpose: 40 Days to a More Meaningful Life by David D. Ireland

Author:David D. Ireland
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Religion, Christian Life, General
ISBN: 9780446561198
Publisher: FaithWords
Published: 2006-05-02T22:00:00+00:00

Building a Just Community

The forming of an exemplary community was in God’s heart when He invited Moses to “come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their [the Israelites’] instruction” (Exod. 24:12). Community is not so much a place as it is a shared experience among a certain group of people. Experiencing community means experiencing a sense of belonging. True community practices inclusivity, realism, and commitment to one another. It is a safe place; it is a group that can fight gracefully against common foes. To build a theocratic community, people must answer two questions: (1) Why are we together? and (2) How are we to be together?

The first question (Why are we together?) speaks of a common vision that should grip the hearts of the members of the community in such a way that they share their lives with one another. The answer to this fundamental question forms the bedrock of a theocratic society that says, “When I pursue a vital relationship with my God, I simultaneously pursue a vital relationship with all those who serve my God.” We are together to build a community that honors the Lord Jesus Christ. We are together to demonstrate how to love one another. We are together because we have experienced the common salvation established by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. The question of why we are together must move each member of the community to the core.

The second question (How are we to be together?) speaks to the issue of justice, laws, equity, and treatment of each member of the community. The English scholar C. S. Lewis accepted Jesus as his Savior after many years of searching through philosophical and intellectual studies for the truth about God. Once he was born again, Lewis was able to look back and recognize that people make moral judgments about other people’s behavior all the time. In his book Mere Christianity Lewis argues that there must be a strong foundation, however, from which to pass judgment on a person’s behavior, whether better or worse. He defends the universal concept of fairness. In other words, if a universally acceptable standard of fairness can be employed across generational and national lines, societal behavior could be judged. 1 God presented this premise of fairness to Moses.

The Israelites were to live according to the Ten Commandments. This commitment to God’s moral code would ensure fairness, justice, equity, and fulfillment for each member of the community. As is the case with any community, individualism is the greatest enemy. Individualism is the preoccupation with the freedom of individuals to make their own decisions, live the way they want to live, and believe that anything that violates this view of life is wrong. A life based on individualism can never create a joyous family, a loving community, or a just society. This life is only after the things that bring pleasure to “number one,” even if it means death and displeasure for everyone else.

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