I have mentioned this notion in a few of my blogs, the ‘enlightenment’ along with the invention of the printing press were two human ideals that literally changed the perspective of the bible. Today I want to talk about just the Enlightenment.
In his essay ‘What Is Enlightenment?’ (1784), the German philosopher Immanuel Kant summed up the era’s motto in the following terms: ‘Dare to know! Have courage to use your own reason!’
Statement’s like this were beginning to be heard all around europe in the 1600’s and 1700’s as opposed to the previous sentiment of ‘we are all here,together’. It is this that changed a plethora of things in the world including life as we know it, it changed the scientific world, the rulers of the nations, the philosophers, the mindset of all citizens, the one that probably didn’t realize that it was being changed was the world of religion.
This changed the focus of ‘life’ as we knew it. It was the individual who now could take control of his own life, by choosing what mattered to him in all aspects. But………… this was a caveat to the christian realm of theology and to also ‘see’ the narrative of God’s story. It took the ‘corporate’, ‘Body’, ‘People’ out of the equation of God’s story and changed it to Joe,john,sally,betty, jen,susy, doug,ken, george, debbi,jose,fredrick,troy,dan,martha,etc.
You wonder why this would change the story? It did. For reference, Read the Old testament. Find me where you see the names of the people in Israel, do you see any of them being called out individually as being outcast, or being thrown out of their tribe of Judea? The example that you will see is an individual as a leader(Christlike figure) such as David,Joshua,Moses, and Abraham as the representative of the Body of God.
This Shadow of the real thing has gotten lost in the New Covenant as the ‘Way’ God wanted us to go. We are His people as said in these verses. 1 Peter 2.10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
1 Peter 2.9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
This is the language that God uses throughout the old testament. A Corporate Body. It continues thru out the New testament! Let us relook at this in a People sorta way!!
The Eternal Purpose 