Uniqueness

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.