TO BE ALONE

TO BE ALONE:

“Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is like him.’”

The inherently eternally relational aspect of God is the definitive and quintessential core of Christianity. Despite this profound divine revelation, “Let Us make humanity in Our image, according to Our likeness,” the inherently eternally relational aspect of God goes largely ignored, mostly forgotten, and grossly neglected in scholarship, preaching, and daily application.

Consider the god of Islam or the god of Judaism for example. Prior to the creation of the material universe, space, time, or gravity - imagine god as a singular entity (Allah, Yahweh, etc.). The one thing that any singular entity could not be is essentially and eternally relational because nothing else exists to be in relationship with. Therefore, without the eternally intrinsic, essential, and substantive characteristic of relationality - countless other attributes of divinity are rendered impossible, and the so-called "god" is debunked as synthetically fantastic invention.

LOVE: How would a singular entity manifest love? Love of self is not love, but rather narcissism, egotism, and deplorable vanity. The creation of a material universe populated with sentient beings would not be an expression of love, but rather the manifestation of blatant deficiency, malignant insecurity, or a shamefully vile longing for acceptance or reassurance; none of which rings true of a perfect, holy, and sufficient deity.

COMPASSION: As a singular entity, how then would this god be inherently and essentially compassionate? Toward what or whom?

There is a veritable laundry list of relational characteristics (patience, kindness, generosity, altruism, peace, fidelity, unity, et al.) that are inherently and essentially impossible for an imagined singular eternal entity.

How could any divine entity claim to be eternally perfect and omnipotent if adaptation or evolution were necessary to achieve, realize, or manifest love, compassion, patience, kindness, generosity, altruism, fidelity, unity, grace, etc.?

Of what benefit is omnipotence in a vacuum? Of what value is omniscience when nothing exists beyond self? How could this fundamentally non-relational deity convey or express authentic immutability (unchanging in its essential character) under the duress of deficiency in non-relational solitude?

Trinitarian Christianity is frequently accused of being inherently polytheistic, i.e. the worship of multiple gods (Father, Son, and Spirit). This unfounded indictment stems from both an improper understanding of divine unity, and a failure to assess the inherently fatal flaws of essentially non-relational "gods" in theistic belief systems.

To exist eternally and essentially as a singular, non-relational, entity, i.e. to be alone, unveils incoherence and inherent flaws. Therefore, when God said, “Let Us make humanity in Our image (eternally and inherently relational), according to Our likeness (eternally and inherently altruistic)...” The Father, Son, and Spirit implicitly revealed that “It is not good for humanity to be alone.”

In Genesis 2:18, after dedicating the man in the garden of Eden to live relationally with God, relationally with creation, and relationally with humanity (by serving and watching over “her,” i.e. the woman whom God was about to create from the man’s own substance), God explicitly stated, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is like him.” This is not a statement of the supremacy or superiority of males, but rather an expression of God’s inherent and eternally relational character. The same Hebrew word, ezer, (help) is frequently used throughout the Old Testament to describe God Himself:

“Our soul waited for the LORD; he is our help (ezer) and our shield.” -Psalm 33:20

“I am afflicted and needy; hurry to me, God. You are my help (ezer) and my deliverer; Lord, do not delay.” -Psalm 70:5

When we come to the New Testament we see the inherently relational aspect of God most clearly and perfectly in the unique God-man Jesus Christ - the second Person of the Holy Trinity - who, while coeternal and coequal with the Father and Spirit, humbled Himself and took on flesh through His incarnation for the purpose of redeeming humanity unto reconciled unity for the glory of God’s name.

Therefore, when the Apostle Paul - under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit - wrote in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves,” he was not conveying a new concept or revolutionary idea, but merely articulating the essentially and eternally relational aspect of the one true God who is Father, Son, and Spirit - because apart from being inherently and definitively relational existence is fatally deprave, tragically flawed, absolutely selfish, and bereft of authentic life and love.

“Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is like him.’”

My friends, we have been created in the image (inherently relational) and likeness (intrinsically altruistic) of the one true God who is eternally relational as Father, Son, and Spirit. We have been created so in order to reflect and reveal God’s infinite glory, inherent goodness, and overflowing grace for all eternity. Since that is who we are… since that is who and what we’ve been created to be and do… What are you waiting for?

Today is your day to become something more than a singular entity existing to merely extract for personal gain and exploit for selfish profit - all of which inevitably expires, ultimately decays, and tragically lingers on eternally in the form of death and torment as separation from God.

Today is your day - not merely to become an improved version of your decaying old-self, bur rather to become a new relational creation in Christ Jesus and to remain in Him eternally serving as a blessing to all others, watching over, and thinking of them as more important and significant than yourself. In doing so we thereby express the inherently and eternally relational aspect of God in Whose perfectly relational image and selfless likeness we have been created in - both for our benefit and for His eternal glory.

It's not good to be alone because that is not who we were created to be by our God of Trinity.

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com