A Biblical Understanding of Community: How’s the Church Doing?

Community is the weaving of lives into the body of Christ by building each other up, sharing joys and sorrows, caring about the needs of others, and holding one another accountable. Numerous dynamics, functions, apparent educational practices, and religious beliefs make up the concept of community, which leads to its understanding. This article will provide biblical implications of community and its necessity for legitimate, successful, faith-oriented living with each other.

Within Old Testament statements, dynamics and functions of community existed. Words synonymous with the community include nation, body, kingdom, family (tribe/clan), and assembly. God spoke to Jacob and said, I am God Almighty (El-Shaddai); be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body (Genesis 35:11). God repeats the words of the Abrahamic covenant to Jacob. The community of nations God is speaking of is limited to Israel for a portion of the Old Testament (Exodus 12:47); then inclusive of the Kohathites and Levites (Numbers 4:34, 8:9); and finally, the alien becomes the same as Israel before the Lord (Numbers 15:15). It is interesting to note that during this time the community is being bound by God’s issued commands. Numbers 15:15 says the community is to have the same rules for you and the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations yet to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the Lord. The word kingdom is included in the community concept in Jeremiah 33:24 as the Lord rejects the two kingdoms (families) and states, I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them. They will never again be two nations or divided into two kingdoms (Ezekiel 37:22). Numerous times in the Old Testament, God uses kingdom as a reference to His family (2 Samuel 7:13; 16); when 1 Chronicles 17:14 states, I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever. God is restoring Israel as He gathers all of His people into one nation and under the leadership of one king, and it is then that God will cleanse the entire community; they will be His people, and He will be their God. The community, regardless of the word usage (family, body, nation, assembly, kingdom), is bound together because of common tradition. The tradition is that of God (El-Shaddai) and His desire and purposes for his people. The fact that God has chosen Israel as His very own over nations whom he speaks harshly of provides a foundation for community. Part of Exodus 33:13 sums up the dynamics and functions of the community as it states, “Remember that this nation is your people.”

The apparent educational practices involved in the community promote learning. Exodus 33:13 says, “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.” This statement implies that the people of Israel wish to carry on the common tradition of community. The tradition that sets them apart from other nations of people. The request to teach the people God’s ways has much to do with the law that brought righteousness to the community because Israel knew that sin was a disgrace to the people of the community and in the eyes of God. Isaiah 51:4 states, “Listen to me, my people, hear me, my nation: The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations.” Because the tradition of righteousness, justice, and the ways of the Lord were to be passed from generation to generation, three principles appear to be present: 1.) The whole community is to live out and thus model the community lifestyle; 2.) All ages are to share experiences that give meaning to the community, and 3.) These daily experiences provide teachable moments. The word, generations, is amplified in Psalms 145:13, “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. Educational practices in the Old Testament were modeling, sharing experiences, instruction, and justice (discipline) (Proverbs 1:8, 6:20, 23).

The religious beliefs overshadowed all that occurred within the community. These beliefs were the very factors that separated the community from all other nations. Deuteronomy 6:5-7 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about the commandments when you sit at home, walk along the road, lie down, and when you get up.” The implications of these verses and Deuteronomy 11:18-19, “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach the commandments to your children and talk about them when you sit at home, walk along the road, lie down, and when you get up.” These are the very foundational lessons for life and education in the community. It’s about telling stories (eyewitness accounts at one time or another in history) from one generation to another. The faith community sets its sights on carrying on the traditions that set it apart from all others. God and His commandments are at the very foundation of the faith community. God chose the nation of Israel to be the light of the world, where the ways of righteousness were to be learned and lived out of devotion to the tradition of the commanded laws of God.

New Testament statements about community include the following words that have closely related meanings: kingdom, body, fellowship, nation, and partakers. The dynamics of community within the New Testament focused primarily on the spiritual community, other than the religious leaders who spent most of their time trying to persuade people to follow the law of Moses and continue practicing the traditions. However, distinct changes occurred in the dynamics and functions of the community and its synonymous associates. The community has become, more blatantly, the kingdom of God, the assembly of believers that includes men, women, and children, both Jewish and Gentile, as God called people to come from the East and West and North and South and take their places at the feast in the Kingdom of God (Luke 13:29; Mark 10:14; Acts 8:12). Those who wish to be part of the kingdom community are to repent, believe, and produce fruit (Matthew 3:2, 21:43; Mark 4:11). The body is a unit, though made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So, it is with Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12). Paul says his brothers died to the law through the body of Christ (Romans 7:4) that you might belong to another. The word body suggests that through Christ, we belong to the community of faith. 1 Corinthians 1:9 states, God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. 1 Corinthians 10:17 states there is one loaf; we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. Finally, John 11:52 says that the nation and the scattered children of God were to be brought together and become one. Each word (body, kingdom, partaker, fellowship, nation) emphasizes the functions and what is required to be a part of the community. Several passages in the New Testament depict the educational practices that promoted learning. Acts 2:42 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer.” Matthew 4:23 quotes, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom…” The life of the New Testament community should focus on their relationships with God and each other, through which transformation might come. In the New Testament community, love exists within pagan society at large. The Old Testament community was identifiable with each other as a nation with a limited amount of alien interference. The New Testament community functions among pagans. The participants in the faith community experience spontaneity and worship together. Instruction is provided by parents and at the Temple.

Paul asserts that the community is to come together with a hymn or word of instruction, a revelation, to strengthen the church…two or three prophets should speak while the others should carefully weigh what is said; if a revelation comes to someone sitting down, the first speaker should stop and give way to the person sitting down. Everyone can prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged (1 Corinthians 14:26, 29-31). As in the Old Testament, educational procedures centered around the biblical writings. Jesus spent time at the Temple as early as age twelve. The other aspects of education included vocational training. Jesus helped his father in the woodworking shop. When Jesus called the disciples, many of their vocations were also listed, such as fisherman, tax collector, physician, and Paul, a tentmaker. Vocational training and religious instruction occurred with each other on a relational basis.

Within the pagan society, colonies of faith existed for intimate fellowship. Each member shared responsibility for the encouragement and the building up of others. Each drew strength from the others to maintain his commitment to godliness as daily life experienced difficulty in the twisted world (Hebrews 10:23). The New Testament community called for deep involvement by sharing concerns, caring, supporting, and encouraging each other. Each person sought to minister to and help others. Honesty and self-revelation in all ministry situations expressed the love commandment as he sought to meet the needs of others before his own. Christ said to love one another just as He has loved us (John 13:34). As the people were filled and infused with love, the faith community became an experienced reality to them and provided the possibility for maximum spiritual growth. The Greek word PATRIA means the whole family spiritually related to God the Father, the author of their spiritual relationship to Him as His children and united to one another in family fellowship (Ephesians 3:15, 25). God accepts men from every nation who fear him and does what is right (Acts 10:35). The New Testament community was and continues to be a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that lifts praises until the Lord because believers have been called out of the darkness and into His wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Religious beliefs are that which separated the Body of Christ from the religious leaders and pagan society. This separation and even threat were very evident in that the religious leaders persuaded the pagan leaders to persecute the Body of Christ. Religious beliefs were critical.

The faith community in the New Testament was much stronger than the Old Testament faith community. The Old Testament faith community did not walk away from faith due to any outside influence. Influenced by outside sources, the community chose whether to walk away from their faith. The New Testament community experienced persecution throughout the first century because of their faith. People withstood the test and modeled their commitment to the Body of Christ, glorifying and pleasing God.

The body of Christ is the “forever family of God.” It cares for and loves its members. This same body of Christ is excited about their relationship with Jesus Christ, enthusiastic about their faith, and comfortable sharing their excitement. Their Christian faith is not religious but a lifelong, dynamic, growing, maturing relationship with Christ, the Lord of their lives. These believers are excited about making a difference in their world. They are interested in discovering their gifts and abilities and desire to use them to advance the kingdom. These believers have compassion for the hurting and are working to increase their wisdom, stature, and favor with God and others. They are maturing and experiencing inward joy and peace. These believers express an authentic New Testament community that has received and continues to receive God’s grace.