I have some people in my circle who are vehemently opposed to the term personal savior. I am not opposed to them, I actually agree, but sometimes the comments are said so strongly and with so much emotion behind them that I don't want to even listen. This is similar to the idea of legislating morality. What I mean by that is that this is just a term representing what's underneath. If we attack the top instead of going deep inside to the root(s) of the problem we might as well stand on a street corner with a sign stating our opinion.
This is not what bothers me so much though. We need a personal relationship with God. For those with a lesser understanding the term personal savior could interchange with personal relationship with savior. Until you have a personal relationship, you may not know the difference.
I read some stories when I was young about missionaries who went deep into the jungle searching for some unreached people group to witness to. Sometimes it was a man by himself and others were families. I came to a place where I wanted to be like them. No, not the jungle part. I want the part where they can be away from their church, their Godly community, and still maintain an active living breathing relationship with their creator. That's what I seek. And to a great extent I have found it. It is a personal relationship with God. Not religion. No religion anywhere to be found. Just me and God. To everything there is a season. I really enjoy going to Coth on Sunday, listening to Bruce and/or Jason and being surrounded by God's people, but there are many other times when I can't. I have loved my table discussions with those in the pastor's class Wednesday nights and my Tuesday Bible study with Paul and Carol. Other Bible studies past and I'm sure those to come. Buuut, if I were to live and exist solely off of these times I would still not be growing. Really I'd be dying. No, in order to live I have to have a deep personal relationship with the one who made me. Who understands me in the dark places. It is this deep intimacy between me and my savior that all of the other things of my life need to flow. Not that they do now, not that they ever will, not all of them anyways, but more now than yesterday, and more tomorrow than today.
Community is critical. Community is where my faith becomes faith. It is here that faith grows hands and feet and commits itself to action. Where others' faith is consummated by reaching into my life with action. Without others faith is not faith but merely thought. But all things must come from somewhere. There must be roots underneath. Those roots are my personal times with God. Quiet time reading, praying, being still, glorious nature, Sunshine. Yes, I capitalized sunshine. It's that important. Music. Yet all this could be confused with personal savior. The foul here would be to inadvertently tell one who doesn't know the difference that community is all important and one's personal relationship with God is not as important as or even worse, not what God wants. That it's a bad thing. I don't say this to stir up the poop pot as my wife would kinda say, but because we could easily offend someone who doesn't understand the term. Just some food for thought. Sometimes we are too quick to throw our terminology around and not quick enough to throw our theology around. We need to give a why and not just a what. Thanks.
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