Chapter One
In the Beginning, God: The Theological EvidenceWhatever community exists as a result of God's creation, it is
only a reflection of an eternal reality that is intrinsic to the being
of God. Because God is eternally one, when he created in his
image, he created oneness. Gilbert Bilezikian, Community 101
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Yours is an awesome responsibility.
Soon we will conclude our closing arguments, and you will render the
verdict. Our society trusts fallible men and women with decisions like the
ones you now face. Soberly and objectively, you must review the evidence.
Our arguments are not evidence; you must judge our closing statement
to determine how you view the evidence. The verdict will rest with you.
But we believe there is clear and convincing proof for building a church
of small groups. We'll begin by reviewing the theological evidence for
community."
The arguments from theology-that is, the study of God and his person
-prove beyond doubt that God's nature is communal. Our theological
analysis will show you why God's communal nature requires you to
respond by building community-for yourself and for your church.
The theological case depends on three basic ideas. First, God exists
in community; he has forever existed as and will into eternity remain three
persons in One. Second, God was incarnate in Christ Jesus, whose transformational
relationships offer a model you cannot ignore. Third, Jesus
dreams of oneness for all Christians, which is why you must move your
church toward his vision.
The God of Community
You've read Genesis 1:26: "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our
image, in our likeness'" But have you noticed its remarkable expressions
of plurality? These thirteen words include three references to God's
unique nature. Note the references to "us" and "our," which proclaim
the core doctrine of the Trinity. At the same time, God's singularity is a
core doctrine of the church universal. As Deuteronomy 6:4 says, "Hear,
O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." In other words, God
begins Scripture and the creation story with the theological idea of plurality
within oneness.
The creation account provides us an amazing window into the
nature of the community of God, in whose image we are created. This
plurality of beings comes to consensus to create humans in their image.
They create in their collective image, which, in part, is a community-bearing
image. It is not enough to say God is interested in community or even
obsessed with community. God, rightly defined and understood, is community.
The doctrine of the Trinity is complex. Orthodox Christians have
for generations accepted that God is Three in One, but few of us think
much about it. This seemingly enigmatic doctrine of the Trinity, however,
has massive implications. As Gareth Icenogle explains:
The small group is a generic form of human community that is transcultural, trans-generational and even transcendant. The call to human
gathering in groups is a God-created (ontological) and God-directed
(theological) ministry, birthed out of the very nature and purpose of
God's being. God as Being exists in community. The natural and simple
demonstration of God's communal image for humanity is the gathering
of the small group.
Did you catch that? "God's communal image for humanity is the
gathering of the small group." The entire Bible proclaims that God
(expressed singularly) exists from all time and for all time in community
as the Trinity (plurality). This Trinitarian doctrine begins with the creation
account, where all three persons of the Trinity are present. When God created
the world, "the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters" (Genesis
1:2). John describes Jesus as the agent of Creation: "In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God Through him all things
were made; without him nothing was made that has been made" (John
1:1-3). Since God himself lives and works in community and since we are
created in God's image, then we too are created in and for community.
You cannot come to understand the true nature of God unless and
until you accept that he is not simply an individual. God is, in every sense
of the word, a "group" as well. In the biblical framework (see, for example,
Matthew 18:15-20), whenever "two or three come together" in
God's name, they together have an ability to act in concert for the good
of themselves and others. Something unique happens when individuals
work together. So it is with God in the Trinity. Without an ounce of sacrilege,
we might call the Godhead the first small group!
I (Bill) never fully understood this until I heard Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian
first preach on community. He was one of the first theologians to present
not only the powerful triune nature of God but also the relational aspects.
If you want a vision for the kind of community that Gilbert shared with
us, then read Community 101. Gilbert describes the community as both
vertical and horizontal-just like the bars on a cross. They meet in the
center, and true community is born when we experience God and all of
his fullness and his people in all of their fullness.
In God there is the identity of the One, and yet there are Three in
One. There is distinctive individuality. God exists in community. This picture
of the oneness of God shatters our independence.
The Community Gene
Let's dig deeper into the statement "Let us make man in our image."
What are the implications of being image bearers, ones who bear a likeness
to this community defining God?
It is clear what this does not mean. We are not triune deities. (Only
a schizoid person says, "I am God, and so am I"!) So we know our image
bearing must mean something other than a direct, one-to-one correlation
of God's community likeness.
Some might suggest that while God is indeed three persons in One,
bearing his image refers to having eternal souls, as distinct from the rest
of the creation. That seems an unlikely understanding. If the intent of the
passage was to distinguish humans from the rest of creation, the statement
among the persons of the Trinity might be more like this: "Let us
make man unlike any other creation so far. Let us give him a distinctive
spiritual dimension and existence, so humans are unique among the created."
But that is not what God says.
In constructing humans, God trumped all his design work. He performed
a kind of crowning creative act we don't often grasp. Sure, he gave
humans a soul dimension, a spiritual existence that distinguishes us from
plants, animals, and other created elements. Then he did more-much,
much more. God chose to embed in us a distinct kind of relational DNA.
God created us all with a "community gene," an inborn, intentional,
inescapable part of what it means to be human.
This "relational DNA" or "community gene" helps explain why
churches need small groups. People don't come to church simply to satisfy
spiritual needs. They come to us internally wired with a desire for connection.
They see church as a likely place to discover God's involvement
in creation and in their lives. Their hunger for togetherness is an
inescapable mark of humanity. If we treat this hunger casually, we subtly
deny the truth of creation. However, when our churches own the responsibility
to move people into relationship, we validate the nature of the God
whose image we bear. We are created in God's image; therefore, we are
created for community. It's part of being an image bearer of God himself.
Community Transcends Culture
You don't have to be a Christian or churchgoer to understand that
people need each other. Prisoners know the pain of being behind bars,
away from the community of normal life. They view "solitary confinement"
as even worse. Being subjected to extended aloneness kills the
spirit, introduces insanity, and destroys a person.
Senator and former Vietnam POW John McCain describes the elation
he experienced when he was reunited with fellow prisoners after a
horribly long and brutal separation:
I was overwhelmed by the compulsion to talk nonstop, face-to-face
with my obliging new cellmate. I ran my mouth ceaselessly for four
days One of the more amusing spectacles in prison is the sight of
two men, both just released from solitary, talking their heads off
simultaneously, neither one listening to the other, both absolutely
enraptured by the sound of their voices.
(Continues.)
