The Bible paints a picture of us as individuals—each a unique and special creation—but also as parts of a whole. No one person can accurately image God by themselves. Sola fide may be a thing but sola gaudium (joy) isn’t. Sure, the heart knows its own delight. But the fruit of the Spirit is always exercised and dependent upon community. This is why John says here that their (apostles) joy is tied up with their (audience) obedience to Christ—the Christian community
The Difference Between Parasitic and Symbiotic Relationships
If my joy is tied up in your joy because of a parasitic relationship, then this is far from healthy. Consider the pastor which Guinness mentioned who was afraid that people in his Christian community would soon leave. This is likely a parasitic type of relationship. This pastor has his own identity wrapped up into Christian community. In this way “their joy is his joy” in an incredibly unhealthy way. The sheep are ultimately there for him.
But there is a way in which Christ has united two different organisms into one body. That’s the nature of the church. This is a symbiotic relationship. In this way your joy is tied up with my joy. To deny this is to deny the vital companionship which Christ has purchased for us. And it is this type of symbiotic joy to which John speaks.
If I need the joy of another in a parasitic way then I am always going to be a danger to a Christian community. I need them in the wrong way. But if I believe I don’t need others for my joy to be complete (in a symbiotic way) then I’ve also missed the mark on Christian community. We need one another as a brain needs a heart and a heart needs a brain. We don’t need one another as a tick needs a host. This difference is subtle but vital.
This article about Christian community originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
