Elizabethan poet, minister, and scholar John Donne was the first to use the phrase “no man is an island” in his Devotions – Meditation XVII written in 1624. Humans like to think they don’t need others, but they do. They need other people and they need God.
In the beginning God said let us make man in our image. (Genesis 1:26) After man was made he went on to make him a companion because he said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18)
God did not create us to be alone. The Bible is full of relational concepts. Every time the Bible says do this or that to one another, it’s talking about building relationships. We are told to…
- be at peace with one another (Mark 9:50)
- honor one another (Romans 12:10)
- be kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
- forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32)
- love one another (John 13:34, 35)
- don’t judge one another (Romans 14:13)
- accept one another (Romans 15:7)
- serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
- encourage one another (Ephesians 4:18)
- pray for one another (James 5:17)
The list goes on and on. These scriptures would be hard to fulfill in total isolation. You see, true Christianity is about our relationship with God and our relationship with “one another.”
God is all about connectedness. We are connected with others and we are connected with God. And through that connectedness we are expected to interact and build relationships.
God models this for us through the Trinitarian relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is further exemplified in the grace filled gesture of making salvation available for all mankind so we, too, can enter into that relationship. That’s good news for us!
No man is an island because God made us that way. It is not good for man to be alone – more convenient maybe, less messy maybe, not as stressful maybe – but definitely not good.
