No, God created us to be dependent creatures. Yes, we are dependent. ( It’s quite humorous when we act like we’re these autonomous and independent things that need nothing and no one. The reality is that these people who are so called "independent" place their trust in the power of work and the dollar bill more than God.) Part of worship is recognizing who we are in relation to God. So we must recognize our dependency in order to live lives that are pleasing to God...
It is irresponsible of us to act like we need nothing in this world but Jesus. It is even more immoral to act like we don't have a responsibility to helping our brothers and sisters out. We can't use the excuse that "God will meet their needs." Yes, God has created a means to supply our needs. But that means is quite oftentimes me and you. We cannot simply be sponges that suck everything up. We must give back and pour out.
I think my friend has a point worth noting, however I must disagree with the explanation of this point.
Jesus is sufficient. Every need we have is met in Him. He's the beginning and the end, as well as everything in between. It must be this way (as Jesus Himself claimed to be "the way, the truth, and the life..") We were created to live completely dependent upon Him. That's how we can not only survive but thrive in the midst of persecution in isolation (not that I've personally experienced this). He is enough.
Now, as for us living in community (not just spiritual but physical as well), Jesus lives through us to meet the needs of those around us. The crucial point to embrace here is that He is the One meeting the needs - He's using our bodies to do so but He is the life in us, the motivator in us, the giver through us...it begins and ends with Him for if we live, it's Christ living in us living through us in this world.
My friend is correct: We are dependent beings. We are completely dependent upon Christ for life, provision, protection, acceptance, identity, and love. We tell our children often that God is always with them and will always take care of them...even if when they experience discomfort, physical harm, or feel all alone. The reality is they are safe and secure in Christ.
I see the reality of this in the biblical account of Paul and Silas in prison. They may have physically been in chains but they were free, protected, and secure...full of life, peace, joy, love, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and at rest. How was this possible? It wasn't because they were meeting each others needs but rather finding their entire life in Christ. Their starting point was not this physical reality but instead their spiritual reality.
Bill Loveless says, "When we become believers in Christ, we are no longer human beings having a spiritual experience but instead have become spirit beings having a human experience." Christ has changed everything! He's done it and He is always enough. We don't just cling to His death for us but also to His resurrected life given to us to live in us so that we now may truly live.
This isn't merely semantics to me. In my opinion, my friend is responding to abuses he has seen in the Christian sub-culture to this phrase: "the sufficiency of Christ." He accurately explains that it would be "irresponsible" of us to use Jesus as an excuse for inactivity at injustice. It is precisely because of Jesus that we would act on behalf of others! However, I wouldn't describe it as us acting but rather Jesus Himself acting through us...expressing His life that He is living in us through us to the world around us.
Our starting point must always be Christ. Not just as the One turn to when we need help but at every moment. He is life - He alone is life. For us to carry the idea that we are taking care of others does not lead to Christ but to ourselves. If Christ isn't our recognized Source of life and way of living this life then it is ourselves - and our flesh will carry that straight to pride. We will be able to look to others and see how much better we are at social justice, evangelism, or whatever standard we choose to focus on at the time.
I value my friend and enjoy reading his thoughts...I am almost always left thinking more about what he writes. It's for that reason that I write this post.
May we "fix our eyes on Jesus" and allow Him to be our everything so that He may live through us in our communities and world. He is enough and it's His desire for us to experience His full life and for others to see His full life through us. However, this cannot be achieved through human effort or self-determination. He's the Giver, we're always the receiver. As we receive from Him, He begins giving through us to others - while never ceasing to give to us as well.
I'd love to continue the discussion with any else (and my friend) if so desired.
Grace and Peace.
