The importance of plural
Though salvation is an individual matter, we cannot ignore the preeminence of the life of the church. The importance of this is reflected in the Lord’s Prayer:
In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. – Matthew 6:9-13
Each one of the requests in this model prayer is made in plural.
- We direct our prayer to the father of all of us
- We ask for forgiveness for the sins of all of us
- We ask for protection from temptation for all of us
- We ask for deliverance from evil for all of us
This prayer shows that once we receive salvation we must put aside our natural selfish thoughts and move to a way of life that is based on a unit consisting of all the members of the Church of Jesus Christ. The model for communication with God does not contain a single instance where a person turns to God as an individual. It is clear that God wants us to take care of each other (the plural) as if we were one.
From this moment on let us learn not only to pray, but to live our lives recognizing the importance of the church as a unit composed of all believers.
that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. – John 17:21
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