From Individual Salvation to Collective Shalom (Part 1)

The doctrine of salvation has rightly held a place of importance throughout the life of the church. In our present time, Christians of many sorts unfortunately hold to a privatized view of salvation – that God is saving people from a world that is on the path to destruction. The Scriptural view of salvation is far more comprehensive, incorporating the restoration of human dignity, the redemption of the earth, and the establishing of justice as part of God’s reign arriving on earth as it is in heaven. Scripture invites God’s people to this work of shalom through many means, including fellowship with the downtrodden, service, and social advocacy in pursuit of wholeness in our world.

Note: This resource was originally produced as part of a presentation for the Great Lakes Conference of the Brethren in Christ U.S. Its content is targeted at pastors who might have a familiarity with theological concepts but little familiarity with the biblical languages. I will be sharing this resource across three different posts in the coming weeks.

The Scriptural concept of peace is comprehensive in its scope. Although it assumes the absence of warfare and inner turmoil, it goes beyond these dynamics to include thriving communities and full dignity for human beings created in God’s image. In the original languages of the Scriptures, this concept is best described by two terms:

• Hebrew term שָׁלוֹם (shalom): broad range of potential meanings, including a sense of completeness, wholeness, intactness, or welfare.1

• Greek term εἰρήνη (eirene): peace, harmony (in personal relationships & between societies). Used throughout the Septuagint as the translation for shalom. Used in the New Testament.2

Speaking about these concepts of peace, theologian Henri Nouwen writes:

“[God’s] peace doesn’t mean only absence of war. It is not simply harmony or equilibrium. … Peace is shalom – well-being of mind, heart, and body, individually and communally. It can exist in the midst of a war-torn world, even in the midst of unresolved problems and increasing human conflicts.”3

Nouwen’s stress on individual and communal well-being is important. Our modern American context tends to view peace in a negative sense as the absence of conflict. But the Biblical vision focuses on the presence of well-being. An effect of shalom can be the absence of conflict, but it need not always follow. Communities built around the pursuit of peace together can successfully navigate challenges through their commitment to one another, and therefore avoid unnecessary conflict. But there will always be diversity of opinion and perspective within community, and (healthy) conflict should not be avoided. The difference is that disagreement grounded in the pursuit of peace becomes an opportunity to explore ways to move forward in unity rather than enter into hostility.

In addition, American society is obsessed with the myth of the “rugged individualist” who needs no help to actualize their own well-being. The effect of this myth in our society has been an equating of personal/individual well-being with peace, at the expense of communal well-being. By contrast the Biblical concept places communal and individual well-being alongside each other. Individuals cannot thrive without their communities also thriving. And communities only truly thrive in just social circumstances where all individuals can experience well-being.

God’s vision of shalom is found throughout the Scriptures. It is the vision found in the very fabric of creation, which God declared “good” as all things assumed their proper place, the capstone of which was humanity (Genesis 1-2). It is the hope of the prophets who called the people to repentance for their exploitation of the poor, to a world where lion and lamb lay together and where swords are beaten into plowshares (Isaiah 2, 11, 61). We see it in the ministry of Jesus and in calls for the earliest churches to pursue peace and unity with one another. And it is the picture of new creation where the city (which is God’s people) houses leaves for the healing of the nations (Revelation 21-22).

Stay tuned for the next part of this series, in which we will look at how this vision was embraced by Jesus and enacted within the context of his ministry.