The Destructive Nature of Individualism

I heard a guy once talking about how, less than a few decades ago, families had one radio in the living room where, at night, they would gather and listen together.  As time passed, that radio was replaced by the television, which, if watched alone, became rather inconvenient.  Remote controls were not around then; therefore, you watched with others in hopes that they would get up to turn the channel.  I remember being the "remote" as the youngest of the family.  

As televisions became more advanced (with the invention of remote controls) and affordable, homes now had multiple televisions in multiple rooms.  Couples, who used to talk at night, now found themselves watching a guy talking on the Tonight Show.  The kids were snuggled in their rooms as well, watching whatever.

Then, we went from just a few channels on those televisions (I remember having channels 3 through 13), to having well over one hundred.  This served as a magnet (and still does), drawing children from the games of the streets and back yards, to their rooms in the middle of the day.  

Now television is taking the back seat to the handheld device.  iPhones have taken our "entertainment centers" from the living room to our palms.  We can watch whatever wherever we go.  All we need is service and headphones.  The historical progression from very communal activities to very individualistic activity is alarming.  The tendencies are obvious.  We want what we want, and we don't want people to get in the way - that is, unless we allow them to get in the way.

My main point is simple.  Individualism has skewed the way we understand both God's saving and sanctifying purposes, as well as sin's purposes to divide and destroy us.  Sin blinds us so that we cannot see past our own appetites (individualism), nor can we see how our appetites are intrinsically tied to others (community).  In the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Edmond, being so enslaved to his appetite to the Witch's turkish delight, cannot see how the Wich means to get at his siblings as well - through his appetite!

We think our sin only affects us, and, if we can handle the repercussions, we have every right to indulge.  This is individualisms curse.  Edmond alone craves the turkish delight, but, in the craving of his belly, there is the killing of his siblings.

Individualism also blinds us to our inabilities to kill our sins.  It traps us into thinking we can conquer it alone.  And it causes us to neglect the use of God's primary means of murdering sin - His Church.  By the Father's decree, and through the Son's mediation, and by the Spirit's power, we must confess how our sins have affected others (chiefly God Himself - Ps.51).  From there we embrace Christ by faith.  Now, in communion with God, we are afforded a wonderful community, who is both affected by our sin, but who also shows us what redemptive love looks like.  The community we hurt becomes the community that heals us.