Seeing the Concepts of “The Shape of Understanding” More Concretely

By Project Arctos

A few years ago, a friend once argued I could not believe in truth because truth is inflexible. This might be true if we think of truth as a set of immutable rules, but what if truth is found in the person of Christ?

In Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV), we read of Christ:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

All things were created through Christ and for Him, and in Him, all things hold together.

When I think of famous U.S. holidays, I think of holidays that remind us of thankfulness, love, generosity, and freedom. These are powerful holidays, in my opinion, because they reflect the person of Christ. This isn’t saying that Christ is just a vague positive feeling (see the idea of MTD, Moral Therapeutic Deism), but that we can see the outline of Christ in what is truly good.

Reflect:

Why is this important?

Sheep & Wolves

Byron describes how sheep and wolves have similar biology and similar contexts, and yet their “good” comes at the price of the other. A sheep’s good is to eat, live, reproduce, and avoid wolves. A wolf’s good includes eating to survive, which means eating meat. In the human realm, it might be the intersection of people fleeing their countries for safety but running into another country which wants to control the flow of new people coming in for both order and safety. Both have valid concerns but both come at a price to the other.

Reflect:

Do you think these opposing goods can be true of people in other ways (both in extreme and less extreme ways)?

Can we have completely opposing ideas of what is good?

Can Christians have completely opposing ideas of what is good? If so, can we see the form of Christ behind those ideas?

How do we lift up Christ and “let Him do the drawing” in these contexts and situations?

Co-Belligerents

Francis Schaeffer, theologian and philosopher, once coined the term “co-belligerents”, this idea of people fighting against a common enemy, even if they have different beliefs.

Reflect:

Are there ways we can see the person of Christ where we have overlapping concerns in different ethical/moral battles and not only join with others but also help people see Christ first?

Unsolvable Problems

Author and therapist Dan Wile once wrote that in finding a long-term partner, you will be choosing a set of unsolvable problems, times where you disagree with others on fundamental levels. This applies to both marriage and church communities. This could be around church governance, church discipline, what’s included in a service, or many other areas.

Reflect:

How does seeing the person of Christ, the form of Christ in all these things, lead us in these situations?

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