Who’s in? And who’s out?

We create groups out of people. It’s a habit I naturally fall into.

  • Us versus them
  • Good versus evil
  • Cool versus uncool
  • Smart versus dumb
  • etc

But what’s the point, which groups actually matter and what might life look like if we didn’t?

What’s the Point?

The reason I do it is it makes me feel better about myself.

If there’s a group that’s bad, or worse then me, that’s a plus for me. I feel better that I’m in the “winning” group.

So it’s a mecnanism where I can feed my ego. It’s my selfishness on full display as I interact with the world.

What Groups Actually Matter?

But some distinctions are helpful.

As I was thinking about this, two groups came to mind as actually being useful for disciples.

  • Divine v. non divine
  • People that have believed in Christ and those that haven’t

Recognizing that I’m not divine is supremely helpful. I avoid any illusions that I’m special, or am an exception to all the rules. There is only one God, with his Son and the Spirit, and then there’s the rest of us. We are all in the same predicament. I’m not better then my neighbor. It helps me remember that I’m human, and not the best gift to our world since sliced bread. It’s humbling.

Then people that have believed versus those that haven’t. This can very easily slip into us versus them mentality. Devloping hostility for those not saved. But that isn’t useful and not what I’m getting at.

The purpose of knowing is to expand the “people that have believed” group. We’re always welcoming people into that group. We want it to get as big as it can.

What Could Life Look Like?

Instead of creating artificial groups, what if I really saw the world in light of the two groups that mattered?

First, I think that’d be freeing for me. I would no longer have to keep up the pretense because I wanted to stay in some group I’ve made in my mind. If it’s cool v uncool, or smart versus dumb, I have to always at cool or smart otherwise should I be in that group? It creates pressure and expectations that I can’t consistently meet.

Second, I’d begin to see other people different. I stop mentally unqualifying people because they’re in the wrong group. Or stop putting people on pedestals because they’re in a group I want to be in. It leves the social playing field. We’re all in the same group.

Third, I think it’s more honest to scripture. In his sermon on the mount, Jesus commands us to respond differently to tense situations.

  • If someone asks you to carry his stuff a mile, I willfully go 2 miles.
  • Give to the one who asks. Don’t look down on the poor or needy, but give to them.
  • Even turn your cheek. If someone slaps you, offer them your other cheek.

It’s not an explicit “don’t create groups”, but these are the types of scenarios that create us versus them in our lives.

I think we lose sight of how radical Jesus’s call in our lives are. Too often Jesus looks like me, talks like me and cares about the things I care about. But Jesus’s call is the cross, there’s no room for my selfishness or ego there. I want to be committed to obedience, even though I’ve got a lot of stuff to work through.