Community = A people with a shared identity and mutal responsibility The Bible helps us think about community well: God is, as the Triune God, a community in Himself, existing perfectly, eternally. Humans have been made in His likeness and created in community with Him and each other. Sin has affected human community so that we are naturally set against God and each other. Israel was formed by God as His set apart community, but they failed to live faithfully as His people and demonstrated their need for salvation. The Gospel announces who Jesus Christ is and what He has done in order to save people from their sins, and anyone who believes in Him is brought into community with God and His people. The Church and Community What is the church? Matthew 16:15-19; John 10:14-15; Romans 9:22-26; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13,27 The church is the body of Jesus Christ… 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 What does the church have to do with community? Romans 15:7-13 Ephesians 2:11-22 Jesus Christ has fundamentally changed community dynamics: Colossians 1:1-2,15-20 Colossians 2:16-19 Jesus Christ and His body, the church, are necessary for my growth: 1 Peter 2:9-10 Because they are identified as a people, they share in the features of that particular people: How does the church help us in thinking about community?