Going It Alone: The Tragedy of Ignoring God’s Design
© 2012 Dick Wulf
Genesis 2:18 is so ignored in Christian life that it is as though it has been removed from the Bible.
Genesis 2:15-18 ESV
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Genesis 3:6 ESV
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
God’s Design of the Human Race: Interdependent Creatures
Genesis 2:18 : "Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Genesis 2:18 implies more than it says. There are a few conclusions we can draw that are absolutely critical to the church. They tend to be lost in societies that exalt individualism.
1. All people need the help of other people. The more difficult the task, the more help from others is needed.
Mankind was created to be strong together, to depend on one another for success in relationship with God and to do whatever He asks of them. Adam and Eve, and all people thereafter, were specifically designed to be inter-dependent rather than self-sufficient.
God purposely designed Adam to be incomplete, even though he was without sin. Adam would have to have a helper to be strong and capable for God's work. Eve was then created to be Adam's helper. She, too, was perfect -- yet incomplete -- and would need Adam's help. Alone, each would be perfect, yet incomplete and vulnerable. Only TOGETHER were they perfectly complete and completely perfect. Only TOGETHER could they obey God and be successful.
2. God, although all-sufficient, did not want humans to be sufficient with Him only and mandated that people must be interdependent to do His will.
God could have said to Adam, “You and Me, we’re going to do great things!” But, instead he in effect said, “You need a helper of your own kind in addition to Me, because I want it that way.” This is not as strange as it seems.
The Bible is full of evidence that God wants, and often demands, interdependence. Adam and Eve, if they had helped each other when Satan tempted, would have been able to resist the forbidden fruit.
God required others to hold up Moses’ arms (Exodus 17:8-13) to save lives and win the battle. Inverse evidence comes from the history of King David, a man after God’s own heart, who when alone without anyone to help committed adultery, deception and murder. (Much more on this in the article Extensive Biblical Evidence for God's Insistence on Interdependent Faith.)
Note in Genesis how passive Adam was. The whole terrible conversation preceding the first sin was between Satan and only Eve. Evidently, Adam forgot his help was needed for Eve’s obedience. We follow in his footsteps - all the time.
Christians Should Desperately Resist Going It Alone
Our culture tells us to strive for self-sufficiency. Christian leaders and authors correctly point out that we are to be in complete dependence upon God. What is left out is that complete dependence upon God includes the interdependence of believers on one another. Because God set it up that way.
Because God designed it this way, you don’t want to face whatever life throws at you alone without other citizens of the kingdom of God. You should easily see how this includes difficult marriages, family problems, shortage of money for necessities, rebellious kids, personal tragedies, the need to be a caretaker for a demanding family illness, and helpless situations.
You also do not want to be alone for God’s assignments. Being a godly husband, wife, father or mother is bigger than one person can do alone, at least to God’s specifications. Spouses are called to help their husbands or wives overcome damage from previous life experiences. This most certainly requires more courage and insight than a husband or wife possesses alone.
And, you definitely don’t want to face the temptations of the devil alone. If Adam and Eve had trouble with him even when they were perfect and without sin, what chance do you figure you have alone and without help?
Hardly Anything Worth Doing is Not Done Alone
Rock climbers are smarter than Christians, it seems. They do not go up a rock alone. They probably would like to hang on that rock alone with nature, but they know better. Or they should. One rock climber from Colorado went out alone and had to cut off his own arm to survive. If someone had been there with him, he would still have his arm.
The following are some of the most important things to pursue, and they all must not be done, cannot be done, alone.
God’s Design of the Human Race: Interdependent Creatures
Genesis 2:18 : "Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Genesis 2:18 implies more than it says. There are a few conclusions we can draw that are absolutely critical to the church. They tend to be lost in societies that exalt individualism.
1. All people need the help of other people. The more difficult the task, the more help from others is needed.
Mankind was created to be strong together, to depend on one another for success in relationship with God and to do whatever He asks of them. Adam and Eve, and all people thereafter, were specifically designed to be inter-dependent rather than self-sufficient.
God purposely designed Adam to be incomplete, even though he was without sin. Adam would have to have a helper to be strong and capable for God's work. Eve was then created to be Adam's helper. She, too, was perfect -- yet incomplete -- and would need Adam's help. Alone, each would be perfect, yet incomplete and vulnerable. Only TOGETHER were they perfectly complete and completely perfect. Only TOGETHER could they obey God and be successful.
2. God, although all-sufficient, did not want humans to be sufficient with Him only and mandated that people must be interdependent to do His will.
God could have said to Adam, “You and Me, we’re going to do great things!” But, instead he in effect said, “You need a helper of your own kind in addition to Me, because I want it that way.” This is not as strange as it seems.
The Bible is full of evidence that God wants, and often demands, interdependence. Adam and Eve, if they had helped each other when Satan tempted, would have been able to resist the forbidden fruit.
God required others to hold up Moses’ arms (Exodus 17:8-13) to save lives and win the battle. Inverse evidence comes from the history of King David, a man after God’s own heart, who when alone without anyone to help committed adultery, deception and murder. (Much more on this in the article Extensive Biblical Evidence for God's Insistence on Interdependent Faith.)
Note in Genesis how passive Adam was. The whole terrible conversation preceding the first sin was between Satan and only Eve. Evidently, Adam forgot his help was needed for Eve’s obedience. We follow in his footsteps - all the time.
Christians Should Desperately Resist Going It Alone
Our culture tells us to strive for self-sufficiency. Christian leaders and authors correctly point out that we are to be in complete dependence upon God. What is left out is that complete dependence upon God includes the interdependence of believers on one another. Because God set it up that way.
Because God designed it this way, you don’t want to face whatever life throws at you alone without other citizens of the kingdom of God. You should easily see how this includes difficult marriages, family problems, shortage of money for necessities, rebellious kids, personal tragedies, the need to be a caretaker for a demanding family illness, and helpless situations.
You also do not want to be alone for God’s assignments. Being a godly husband, wife, father or mother is bigger than one person can do alone, at least to God’s specifications. Spouses are called to help their husbands or wives overcome damage from previous life experiences. This most certainly requires more courage and insight than a husband or wife possesses alone.
And, you definitely don’t want to face the temptations of the devil alone. If Adam and Eve had trouble with him even when they were perfect and without sin, what chance do you figure you have alone and without help?
Hardly Anything Worth Doing is Not Done Alone
Rock climbers are smarter than Christians, it seems. They do not go up a rock alone. They probably would like to hang on that rock alone with nature, but they know better. Or they should. One rock climber from Colorado went out alone and had to cut off his own arm to survive. If someone had been there with him, he would still have his arm.
The following are some of the most important things to pursue, and they all must not be done, cannot be done, alone.
Being the Body of Christ
Getting ready the Bride of Christ for the wedding
Fighting as the Army of God
Being a holy temple
Functioning as the People of God
Implementing the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven
Getting ready the Bride of Christ for the wedding
Fighting as the Army of God
Being a holy temple
Functioning as the People of God
Implementing the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven
How misguided is it when we spend so much time alone, loving our solitary and non-interactive pursuits? How much time does a soldier in war get to spend in R and R (rest and relaxation)? Not much. How much time does a good citizen of heaven spend doing the work of the kingdom rather than just studying it? A lot. How can the parts of a Body not interact with one another or realize that the functioning of one part affects, negatively or positively, all the other parts?
Privacy, Autonomy, Independence All Can Lead to the Most Horrible Things
Have you ever thought that privacy might not be a biblical value except for private hygiene?
Many Christian leaders have tried to have an independent, autonomous life, and it has all but destroyed their personal life and their ministry for God. Alone, they have not been able to resist greed and sexual sin.
If this does not sound any warning alarms, think of how privacy and autonomy lead to the most horrific things all the way from pornography to serial killing.
Every Christian should be helped by other Christians to live for God. This includes that he or she identify anything that could or does dishonor the Lord - and bringing other Christians in to assure that it does not happen. Likewise, those in a Christian’s inner circle of faithful friends, spouse and family need to offer such help and always be on the ready, asked or not, to give that help.
If you will study our list of the Togethers of Scripture at ChristiansTogether.org, you will see how we need to leave behind our individualistic Christianity and get to work.
Privacy, Autonomy, Independence All Can Lead to the Most Horrible Things
Have you ever thought that privacy might not be a biblical value except for private hygiene?
Many Christian leaders have tried to have an independent, autonomous life, and it has all but destroyed their personal life and their ministry for God. Alone, they have not been able to resist greed and sexual sin.
If this does not sound any warning alarms, think of how privacy and autonomy lead to the most horrific things all the way from pornography to serial killing.
Every Christian should be helped by other Christians to live for God. This includes that he or she identify anything that could or does dishonor the Lord - and bringing other Christians in to assure that it does not happen. Likewise, those in a Christian’s inner circle of faithful friends, spouse and family need to offer such help and always be on the ready, asked or not, to give that help.
If you will study our list of the Togethers of Scripture at ChristiansTogether.org, you will see how we need to leave behind our individualistic Christianity and get to work.
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If you are concerned about the same things we are, we invite you to join our Advisory Team. This means that we will occasionally send you emails asking your thoughts about an issue we are thinking through. If you would like to be a part of our team, please email Dick Wulf at Dick@Wulf.com and let him know of your willingness to help.
If you are concerned about the same things we are, we invite you to join our Advisory Team. This means that we will occasionally send you emails asking your thoughts about an issue we are thinking through. If you would like to be a part of our team, please email Dick Wulf at Dick@Wulf.com and let him know of your willingness to help.
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Copyright 2012 Dick Wulf, Colorado, USA
Copyright 2012 Dick Wulf, Colorado, USA