Holding Each Other Accountable

January 23rd:

I don’t want to sound like I’m picking on John Edwards but hearing his “revelation” got me thinking about our cultural attitudes toward commitment.

In the church we use the word “covenant” which is a term that has become somewhat passé in 21st century North America. In secular society we use the word “contract” and these two terms (covenant & contract) are similar but there is a subtle distinction that I want to explore.

Technically, both words describe a “formal agreement.” The difference for me is that a “contract” can be between two people, but a covenant almost always involves at least a third. Let me try to illustrate what I’m thinking.

The God of Israel called His people into a “covenant relationship” with Him. There were expectations for both sides and promises were made. But, the final piece of this “covenant” was circumcision (now we’re talking commitment). Circumcision became the visible expression of the covenant. The whole nation of Israel was supposed to carry with them a physical symbol of their agreement and everyone was a witness to it. Let’s move on…

In a wedding, couples make promises to each other in the presence of both God and witnesses. Then they exchange rings. The rings are (as the ceremony says) the “outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, signifying to all the uniting of this man and this woman in holy matrimony.” In this way, the whole world is being given the opportunity to witness this “covenant commitment.” I often say that we are sending newly married couples out into the world to be “evangelists” for commitment.

When we join a congregation (Church with a big “C”) we are often asked (and rightly so) to make a public testimony to our faith in Jesus Christ. This is because we are entering into a covenant relationship that involves us, our God and all those people we call the “church” (church with a small “c.”) The church (and the Church) are supposed to hold us accountable to this covenant promise. The whole thing is reflected in the words of Jesus when he said that our two obligations are to “love the Lord our God” and “love our neighbors as we love ourselves.”

Here’s where I’m headed.
What I often see reflected in the modern Church is a desire for a relationship with God that has room for only two. I think we’re missing something. I admit that I may splitting hairs here, but it seems to me that what we have been offered is a personal relationship with the living God that is made real because of our place in God’s family. It has to run in both directions. If we want to be the best we can be and if we want to be all that God wants us to be we have to be willing to be covenant people.