Abundant Life
I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.
Jesus, John 10:10
In the marketplace of ideas, I can't think of any religion or philosophy more life affirming than Christianity, both qualitatively and as a rule. As a rule, followers of Jesus are prohibited from taking the life of a fellow human for any reason, excepting just war and the possible carrying out of state sanctioned justice. But the Biblical record goes beyond prohibition to promotion of life for ourselves and others. As the framers of the Westminster Larger Catechism put in in Q & A 135, followers of Jesus are to promote "all careful studies, and lawful endeavors, to preserve the life of ourselves and others ... comforting and succoring the distressed, and protecting and defending the innocent." It is this ethic that stands behind so much of what we value about America, our justice system, our historic welcoming of displaced people, large efforts of philanthropy, etc...
Qualitatively, when Jesus speaks of abundant life, he speaks of a life that thrives because it matches the purpose for which it was created. When humans are in step with Jesus both the example he set for us and the commands he gives, we find that all benefit. This past Wednesday, we noted in our conversations on God's plan for sexuality how author Glynn Harrison put it in his book, A Better Story: God, Sex and Human Flourishing: "It’s time to recover our confidence that the Christian vision for sex, marriage and family also conveys social and relational goods that can bring blessing and flourishing to all. We need to be ready to share what we ourselves have found to be true for the sake of children in need, because a culture of strong marriages brings stability to their emotional and psychological development, alleviates poverty and enhances educational outcomes, and to do so for the sake of the poor more generally too, because it is they who bear the brunt of the collapse of marriage. We do it for the sake of women, because the Christian vision of men who love their wives as Christ loves the church condemns outright the abuses of psychological control and aggression, and for the sake of young men, because in the Christian vision their days of being Peter Pan are numbered. And we need to share what we have found, for the sake of all whose lives have been hollowed out by pornography, promiscuity, trafficking, and by the fruitless pursuit of self-fulfilment. We have been given life for the world and we cannot keep it to ourselves." Life for the world! I couldn't have said it better.
I share these thoughts this week as we seek to live out our callings as Christians in society. Each of us, wherever life leads: our schools, neighborhoods, families, sports leagues, and this coming week at the polls; each of us always has the opportunity and responsibility to promote this abundant life. The good news is that Sunday as we return to Ephesians 3:1-13, we will listen in as Paul speaks very pastorally about what it means to not lose heart as we carry out this high calling.
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash