09/04/20 DLG FB NOTE... SUCCESS AND FAILURE ARE BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE 07/26/1

09/04/20 DLG FB NOTE... SUCCESS AND FAILURE ARE BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE 07/26/1

GOD'S PLAN

God deals with humanity on both an individual and a corporate level. God created man (Adam) from the dust of the earth, then He made woman from Adam's side. From that time God's relationship with the human race has been both individual and corporate.

I am using the word “corporate” in the basic sense of “body.” The "body" may be the husband/wife union in marriage (Adam/Eve), the parent/child relationship in family (Adam/Eve/Cain/Abel), the extended family relationship of grandparents, siblings, uncles, aunts and cousins (Terah/Haran/Abram/Sarai/Lot), group relationship found in tribe and community (Abraham/Isaac/Jacob/his sons, Babel/Sodom, Israel/Judah) or the redemptive relationship in the Church. Marriage, family and Church are God's ideas and institutions

THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SIDE OF BEING HUMAN

There are some blessings and cursings that can only be realized by individuals and some that can only be realized by bodies of people.
There are some obligations, opportunities that are strictly personal and some that are corporate.
There are some successes, failures experienced only by individuals, and others that are only experienced by groups of people.

God has destined us personally to be answerable only for our own sins, but He has designed us corporately to share as victims or victors, based on other people's actions. Not only do our actions have personal consequences for us, they have corporate consequences for others, thus the idea, "No man is an island."It is a challenge to attain and maintain a balance between private and public productive performance. While God expects us to reach our full potential as individuals, He also requires us to live in peace with one another. When a marriage, family, church is living according to God's will and by God's grace, this unimaginably beautiful community becomes a reality.
This will be demonstrated on an international level during the earthly reign of Christ, when He returns.
This will be the eternal norm when there is a New Heaven, New Earth and New Jerusalem.

PREPARING FOR SUCCESS/FAILURE

This is why it is important for people to learn early that they are not only responsible for themselves, but they are responsible as part of a social structure (marriage, family, church).
This is why it is important for young brides and grooms to learn teamwork and mutual support concepts early in their marriage.

If interdependence is not understood and achieved at an early stage of a relationship, the individuals and the relationship will begin to suffer loss and failure and they will be plagued with negativity throughout their lives.
This is why it is important for people to be under the authority of wise leadership and for them to seek out that leadership and submit to the counsel of that leadership. The refusal to seek and accept sound counsel will result in personal and corporate failure, temporal and eternal loss.

AS SEEN IN CREATION AND THE CREATOR

Finally consider this. We see both the individual and corporate idea in the natural world, the institutions of God and the the nature of God.

Creation

All of life is built upon the individual part, but is related to all other parts. This is true on the mega scale of the universe and the micro scale of the atom. The far reaches of the universe impacts and influences life on earth. Our entire universe is interdependent.God refers to the human body as an example of this concept. The body is made up of individual parts, but each part has a relationship, connection, to the other parts.

Relationships

The husband and wife relationship is said to be "one flesh" and the local church is one body, made up of various members.

Deity

There is only One God, though there are Three Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. When we interact with and respond to God we are relating to One God in Three Persons. God deals with us as only One God, but He relates to Himself and to us as Three Persons. He (They) is (are) perfect in unity and in purpose.

THE FALLEN HUMAN CONDITION

God created us to be individuals who can relate to one another in perfect unity and harmony. Sin has brought dissonance to the human race, but redemption restores us to God's plan. But remember, the longer we are out of tune with God, the more discord there will be in our lives, privately and publicly.

ABERRANT BEHAVIOR

It is called sickness when parts of the human body are not functioning properly.
It is called family dysfunction when members of a family do not properly relate to one another.
It is called crime and anarchy when a society does not submit to authority.
Likewise, when a local body of believers does not properly interact it is an indication of soul sickness, spiritual dysfunction, and rebellion against God.

CHOOSE YOUR PATH CAREFULLY

During the early days of the automobile, people drove in well-worn ruts rather than on maintained, modern roads. When going from one community to another, a driver might be reminded, "Choose your rut carefully because you are going to be in it for a long way." This is good advice for the journey of life. Choose your path carefully, because you are going to be in it for a long way." You will have to deal with the terrain, through which the path takes you, and the thugs, who wait in ambush. And remember, the path takes you to a specific destination, whether you want to go there or not.
This is why we need a road map (the Bible).
This is why we need a guide (the Holy Spirit).
This is why we need to travel in a group (the local church).
It is possible to live for Christ when no one else does, but it is not possible to fulfill all of our ministry without the other members of the body of Christ.