Consideration:
Over the course of my investigation and reflection upon my
faith and other world views, be they theistic or non-theistic, one (only one as
there are many) of the unique aspects of the God of the Bible and the message
of Jesus Christ that sets itself apart from all others is this:
The vertical relationship between man and God has to be set
right in order for the horizontal relationships between person to person to
function and express the fulfilment in their original purpose.
If the vertical is broken, destroyed, cut off or damaged,
then so to the horizontal. The two are inextricably linked.
To think that one can “work out his/her relationship with
another human without reference to the vertical, though he/she may succeed at
times, is ultimately like a person fumbling around the dark trying to find the
switch.”
What is the greatest commandment? A teacher of religion
asked Jesus, and what did he say: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
soul, mind and strength, and the second is just as important: Love others as
you love yourself”.
Why is this unique? Because Allah is the God and man is his
puppet, Allah dictates and decides on mercy while man is required to fulfil the
law and “hopes” that his good works earn him mercy, because Buddha abdicates
God and a personal God at that – there is no “personal” relationship with the
Creator, Designer or Father, rather the higher consciousness, the impersonal,
none relational consciousness becomes your ultimate reality through a mystic
process of rebirth without the integrity of the original soul or personality
following through with each rebirth. Hinduism requires man to follow rituals,
customs and laws in order to appease the gods, lest they be unhappy, enraged
and full of retribution if the sacrifices and rituals and penance has not been
fulfilled – it is so complicated and contradictory that the gods are at war
with themselves (often) and in as much you would never want to replicate their
behaviour – in fact they act like mere mortals at times. New Age falls into a vacuum of the self
realization that the man is god, to find and “work out” their own
“god-realisation” without an ontic reference – man becomes the god the measure
of all things, self existing without a relationship outside of his own
“god-realisation” – I may as well declare I am god and have found my ultimate
reality and higher consciousness right now… and by the way who are you to tell
me otherwise? !
What does a relationship require? What does a personal
relationship require?
At least 2 persons, with a personality: thought (Intellect),
emotions (feelings) and volition (capacity to make a decision). If any of those
are absent, then a personal relationship can’t exist. Feelings without intellect are like ants.
Volition without intellect is incoherent as how does a person make a free will
choice without the intellect to make them?
If I exist by myself independent of any other person, (God
or human), will my thoughts have any consequence? Will my decisions mean
anything? Who cares if I am happy or sad? There is no other person to validate, reject,
empathise or sympathise with me.
But I read Matthew chapter 5-7, Jesus outlines the
foundation of what it means to be in relationship with God AND our fellowman,
he unpacks the purpose of the vertical in context of the horizontal. What Jesus does is state that he is
fulfilling the law (the way to relate), not abolishing it. If he did abolish it, then it would seem God
was mistaken to set it up. And Jesus showed what the intent and purpose of the
Law was – that actions are one thing, but the heart is what’s at stake, “as a
man thinks, so is he”, “out of the heart, spring the issues of life” as Jesus
said.
This is so subtle yet it actually is so foundational, true
and unique.
For example, my wife knows that if my relationship with God
is working, then my relationship with her will be working because of my
reference to God.
Inversely if a person has no relationship with God, then his
reference of how to relate to another is determined by his own measure, his own
desires and whims. It’s not to say he
will not “get it right sometimes”, but fundamentally, he is making it up as he
goes along. For example, what reference does he have to “love” if his parents
induced hate or prejudice in him?
You might violently disagree with me on this, but I have yet
to find a counter perspective that holds true.
If I am in relationship with God, who has shown me,
demonstrated to me and explained to me “how” to relate, “what” to do, “what” to
say, “how” to think in a personal relationship, in the form of Jesus Christ,
then how can I lie to my wife and think it’s okay? How can I abuse her, neglect her, put myself
first, speak ill of her, have sex or desire other women or men or children –
yet still claim I am in relationship with God? I can not and that is exactly
what Jesus shows and teaches me. What does Jesus demonstrate while being
crucified: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” or in the
Garden of Gethsemane: “Father if there be any other way, yet not my will, but
YOUR will be done”. The vertical
relationship showing how the horizontal relationships should be.
The object of all the other long standing world views like
Hinduism and Buddhism, like Islam and Judaism, like Jehovah Witnesses and
Mormans, or Hare Krishnan or Enlightenment New Age, or Humanism or Atheism, all
require the individual to “work out their own salvation by pulling themselves
up by their own moral bootstraps” as it were. In order to obtain salvation, one
needs to “follow the eight-fold” path, or follow the rituals and sacrifices to
nirvana, or knock on doors evangelising Jehovah or God of the Celestial
Kingdom, or practice transcendental meditation each day to clear the mind and
soul in order to reach an enlightened state…
Though some practices may be useful and helpful for the body
or mind, they can NEVER get you to heaven/nirvana/enlightenment/ultimate
reality/transcendent peace. Why? Because as Jesus states and demonstrates so
well, perfection of mind, body and soul is unobtainable in this life – the
depravity of our heart and mind is always with us and through “works”, we can
never get away from it. Try and make
yourself perfect (by whatever perfect standard you wish to dream up) and you’ll
never get there.
Hence Jesus says, I have not come to condemn, but to save
and to make you a new creation, to give you a new birth with a new heart. And why is that significant? – so that first
our “relationship” with God can be restored first in order that this informs
our horizontal relationships. The vertical reference point to affect and
instruct the horizontal.
“therefore there is now no condemnation for those that are
in Christ Jesus” ‘I will give you a new heart”, “if anyone is to enter the
kingdom of God ,he must be born again” ,“But God, being rich in mercy because
of his great love with which he loved us, even though we were dead in our
sins(failure to keep a moral code), made us alive together with Christ – by
grace you have been saved…. – for grace you have been saved through faith and
this is not from yourselves it is a gift of God. It is not from works, so that
no one can boast”.
Interestingly, much of Christendom (myself very much
included) have this innate desire to want to “do good works” to earn our way to
heaven, or at least say we have “contributed” something toward getting through
the pearly gates, especially so we can say to the man beside us “hey God, at
least I wasn’t as bad as that guy”.
Which is exactly what all other main faiths and world views want to
ascribe to: for the Buddhist: “At least I am on my way to Nirvana through my
right thinking”, for the Hindu: “At least I am making my sacrifices to the gods
every year”, for the Jehovah Witness and Mormon: “At least I am witnessing and
door knocking enough to appease God to allow me in”, for the New Ager or
Humanist: “At least I am seeking out my god realisation or my own humanistic
code to be “good enough” compared to the rest of the word”… and on it goes.
It is a wondrous, simple and beautifully rational act and
structure God puts to mankind, when He states my purpose for mankind is to be
in relationships with Me and others that are made in my image. He then shows
the fallacy of “working” your own way to fixing the brokenness of that relationship
because of a corrupted heart and then demonstrates the way to fix it is only
through the gift of Jesus Christ – grace (unmerited favour, unearned gift).
And finally He wraps it all in Love – because love unbridled, unconditional
without any reciprocation is not love, it is just indulgence and worthless for
the receiver of it and meaningless for the giver.
