The Individual and His’ Society
By Bishop J. L. Payne, D.D.
The Philosopher Carlyle said, “To understand man, however, we must look beyond the individual man and his actions or interest, and view him in combination with his fellows.
It is a baffling experience to catch a glimpse of the contrast between what human life might be in this world and what it actually is? The circumstances and limitations imposed by nature, the vast network of evil which we are caught in all reflect the inherent wrongness in human life which corrupts and destroys. This evil lurks about the soul of every individual, the traces of evil can only be denied by those who are self deceived. There are destructive forces at work in our society which leads to exploitation and war. These diabolical forces at work seek to pollute the heart of every person alive. Even though we may be their tool or victim, these forces could not go on without the consent of our own desire and attitude toward them.
The problem is a moral man in an immoral society. The problem of the relation between individual and social morality has been hammered without reservation in Reinhold Nicebuhr’s book, Moral Man and Immoral Society. In his book, Reinhold does not really maintain the thesis that man as such is moral but the title is an exaggerated way of calling attention to two contrasts, both of which are undeniable: the contrast between the behavior of most of us in their intimate relationship and the policies that we practices when in the groups to which we may belong. There is a contrast between the honest, loyal motives, which often prompt us as individuals, and what we practice policies as a group and the destructive results, which follow from our group actions.
It is important and necessary from this standpoint to scrutinize carefully the concept of A Moral Man, trying to do good, act good, say good and be good, and at the same time creating a system and practice in society that’s Immoral, deceptive and destructive.
From this Point, I ask, “what is our case?” Every society is built upon human nature and is the product its faith in God, heredity and environment. In many ways, each society will differ from every other society; but when the question is ask about our case, one of the fundamental answers is, society is a moving force of human beings that are much the same in all times and countries. Human nature is always the same. Men and women are all of one species, there are diversities with many varieties.
The Philosopher Aristotle stated, “It is evident that the state of society is a creation of nature, and that man is by nature a political animal (being). And he who by nature and not by mere accident is without a state or society, is either above humanity or below it; he is the Tribe less, lawless, heatless one – an outcast who is a lover of war; he may compared to a bird which flies alone.”
Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ gave the world a great truth, faith, order and belief. Of necessity, His teaching had local coloring and many incidents were local; many of his saying were addressed to local prejudices and temporary condition of the nation of Israel. With profound insight into human nature, Christ touched brought about universal answers and gave to us a way out of many of our human dilemmas.
The prime social fact in his day, and since His daily walk, is that of the inter-relations of men and women, and their interdependence upon one another. No person can live to himself alone; his every act is bound to have influence upon others and his own acts are largely determined by his relations to others. Jesus lived and worked, and his life and work gave to us a social thought, uncovering of the Holy Ghost forces and power through His Word to change society.
Many great men have affected profoundly the history of the world. Jesus changed the fundamental nature of human society. Christ’s work was primary social. We can understand His work by understanding His spiritual message and mission and the methods which he employed. It is important that we view the problem of Jesus’ work in society. The principles Jesus employed in His day over 2000 years ago were not confined to just local, transient and personal society of His day, but was a universal to our day and time. In Jesus’ day, condition of living were vastly different, but human motives were largely the same as now. Jesus doubtless lived in a mud or plaster hut, probably slept on the floor or crude bedding. Christ ate porridge from a common dish with other members of the family, and knew the keenness of desire for many things which we should consider necessities of life; but He also saw clearly the overwhelming power of temptation, if opportunity offered for the gratification of selfish desires. But in the midst of all this, Jesus Christ adopt the altruistic spirit of self – sacrifice that made a demand upon everyone of His followers to render true self- sacrifice service to their fellow man and to their society.
Jesus lived at a time of political and religious unrest, and his physical dwelling in a home among people living near the outskirts of Judea. They were subject to Roman rule, also the Hebrew race in it various religious sects, the Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, Zealots which all represented different degrees of political disaffection and bitterly different interpretations of this old religion.
Christ knowledge of the human heart was a source of power. He felt the joys and sorrows of others; He understood their weaknesses and their capacities for good. He was full of sympathy and desire for service. Yet this tender consideration for others harbored not one moment of weakness. Christ personality was gracious, winning, good and caring to those able to understand Him. He was irresistibly attractive and at the same time was capable of flaming into a vehement denunciation of those who were hypocrites misleading others and who from selfish hearts and lives turned their eyes away from the supreme light of God’s Word.
Jesus was sure of Himself. He knew that His insight had pierced to the heart of life and that he was one with God. Jesus had tremendous self-confidence in his own personality and was intellectually dominant to others around Him as the Hebrews who made a claim of an intellectually dominant race. Having studied the highest teaching of the prophets and knowing His own deeper and truer conceptions of what a divine relations of man’s with God should be, Christ was one with his father; seeing with clear vision God’s purpose for the development of man. He felt no hesitancy, no self – distrust. His self-confidence became so perfect that it was a matter of obtrusive self-consciousness.
Christ
mission was His life. Men saw the meek and lowly Jesus, but felt also His
colossal strength, and the powerful foundation of self-trust. They felt and
experience His superhuman and divine strength in all things He faced. Jesus was
a light to men; in men his character lies the appeals to the human’s need and
to man purest motives, his pure and profound concern for that which is his best
holy in him. Christ fills men’s highest conception of goodness, purity and
power. Jesus’ character in His earthly walk was a full revelation of God to
man.
Christ
laid the pattern and other for a real leader who would save His people and a
leader who inaugurate a more exalted life for men in any society. With His keen
insight into the deepest roots of men’s motives and actions, Jesus pondered
the lives and characters of those who were false prophets and revealed the
causes of their failures. They have not the spiritual insight into the truth of
real existence; nor do they recognize the greatness in human service. Christ
revealed man inhumanity to each other and the degenerate human heart with its
continual weakness and sin. In 1 John 1:9, the Apostle declares, “This was the
true light, even the light which lighted every man coming into the world.”