The Christian faith is a relational faith. What I mean by that is that its foundation is not in personal religious observance, and its genuineness is not measured primarily by adherence to a set of individual practices. At the end of the day, the substance of our faith is validated by how we interact and relate to the people and world around us. At its core, Christianity is a relationship between us and the Heavenly Father that has been enabled and made possible by Jesus. But the way we evidence the genuineness of this relationship is in how we interact with the people and world around us. If you want to know if I’m a Xian, don’t ask me. Ask my wife … my kids … the people I interact with in my job. How I relate to them is the truest measure of the substance of my Christianity.
Because Christianity is a relational faith, that’s why, in the New Testament, you’ll find a number of statements that contain the words “one another”—serve one another … encourage one another … love one another … accept one another … submit to one another … bear with one another. How we relate to each other is the sphere where our faith is lived out.
Which gives me cause for great concern. In this polarized environment, many of us who profess faith in Jesus are not relating to those who have a different political opinion than us in God-honoring and Christian ways. We are reflecting and displaying the polarization in our culture instead of being refreshingly countercultural. Not that we won’t have a difference of opinion or disagreement on deeply held issues. But how we relate and refer to those who are not on the same page as we are says much about the substance and significance of our faith.
As I thought about this, there are three “one another" verses that I think speak very profoundly to how we should interact and relate to those with whom we profoundly disagree:
First … “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought” (1 Cor. 1:10). To “agree” in the biblical sense doesn’t mean you try to convince them you’re right and they’re wrong. To agree in the biblical sense has to do with realizing there’s a basis for our unity that transcends whether we see eye-to-eye on a certain issue. To be united does not mean we think alike on every matter. To be united means we have the same goal—to be an effective agent and representative of God’s Kingdom.
That’s the argument Paul is making in the last half of Ephesians 2 when he talks about how Jesus has become our peace and broken down the wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile. That was perhaps the defining dividing issue of that day in the church; it tended to divide people into “us” and “them.” And what Jesus said was in essence, “Guys—there’s something much more basic than whether you’re a Jew or Gentile that should be the foundation of how you relate to each other. Jesus has forged a oneness between us that transcends all that.”
The message for us—the point we need to realize—is that the world is not going to be convinced of the validity of Jesus by the logical substance of our arguments or the force of our opinions. They will be convinced of the validity of Jesus by the example of our lives ... the depth of our love … the way we relate to them. And the place to begin living it out is with those with whom we disagree. When our disagreement about these secondary things strains or causes the relationship to suffer, we have undermined our witness and sabotaged our spiritual credibility.
Second … “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24). What the writer to the Hebrews was saying was, in your relationships with others, don’t make it your goal to convince them that you’re right. Make it your goal to bring out their best self and help them become more fully the person Jesus wants them to be. For the fact of the matter is we can’t simultaneously convince folks that we’re right and try to draw out their "best self.” We can only do one or the other. It’s very simple—if my purpose is to convince you that I’m right and you’re wrong, you’re not going to be come away from that exchange "spurred on towards love and good deeds.”
Granted—that doesn’t mean we don’t have opinions. It also doesn’t mean we never raise the topic or talk about these issues. What it means is that we prioritize the relationship over our “rightness” and we engage in a discussion in a very civil and God-honoring manner.
And finally … “All of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble” (1 Peter 3:8). To live in harmony and love as brothers speaks of getting along with those who whom we disagree. It means being courteous and respectful in our difference of opinion. Which means, if we’re followers of Jesus, we are Christian first. That is our primary identity! We are not Republicans or Democrats … conservatives or progressives … hawks or doves—at least not primarily. Those allegiances are secondary. As Christians, we are defined first and foremost by the one whose name we bear. And that which we claim to be our underlying foundation and leading sensibility in life is also to be our unifying reality.
With the presidential election right around the corner, we are going to have plenty of opportunity to hear divisive and alienating talk during the next few weeks. But regardless of which way we plan to vote—for those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus, lets relate to those who don’t see eye-to-eye with us with courtesy, civility, and respect. That way, I believe we’ll testify to the eminence and kingship of Jesus regardless of how the electoral college turns out. For He truly is the hope of the world!