Individual vs. Collective

Introduction

American is a country that has promoted the rights of the individual from its very beginnings.

Some of the excesses of this can be obvious but some have charged that an individualist mentality in our relationship to God is rotten to the core.

Conversely, the collective mentality is offered as a superior and comprehensive way of viewing our relationship with God.

Certainly, God does deal with collectives.

But is it the primary way He deals with men?

How do we balance these two notions or more importantly, how does Scripture balance them?

The Accusation

God deals with men in the collective and so we should take responsibility for and “repent” of collective sin (Ex. 20:5-6; 34:6-7; Num. 14:18-20; Ezra 9:6-15; Neh. 1:4-7; Dan. 9:1-19).

If we are guilty of Adam’s sin, we are also responsible for all the sins between Adam and ourselves.

I won’t really be dealing with this accusation since we don’t (or at least shouldn’t believe this).

I’ll leave the Calvinists to try and work that one out.

If we enjoy the advantages created by sins of previous generations, then we are participating in their sins.

The Consequences

People are identified by collective identity and not as individuals.

Responsibility shifts from the individual to the collective.

This works in two perverse directions.

Individuals who make bad choices are not responsible for those choices, the collective is responsible.

Individuals who make good choices in a bad environment cannot separate themselves from the wickedness around them. They will be judged corporately and not individually.

Repentance must be perpetual.

Because the sin is collective, it is not enough to repent and move forward.

The sin remains in the culture (even if only historically) and so the repentance must be perpetual.

There is no absolution unless that society is completely destroyed.

We must trace every asset back to its origin and if it has ever passed through wicked hands, we cannot possess it.

There is a balance to be had here.

But taken to the extreme, this is an impossible doctrine and one that is never applied consistently.

The Truth

The story of all humanity begins in individual terms (Gen. 3:9-19; 4:6-7).

The destruction of all humanity is punctuated by an individual escape from that judgment (Gen. 6:8-9).

It is appropriate to recognize the collectives we belong to.

This means recognizing the characteristics that associate us with those identities (1 Cor. 9:20-22).

It also mean recognizing our responsibilities within those collectives.

Families

Churches

Communities

States, nations, etc.

The answer to being a part of an evil collective is to not behave like they do (Tit. 1:12-13).

Even in a collective where we have actual responsibility, there is room for individual distinction (Rev. 3:4).

We will ultimately stand in judgment in absolute individual terms (2 Cor 5:10).

We must have some balance on enjoying blessings from wicked origins (1 Cor. 10:25-29).

Conclusion

There is a real perverseness that in the name of justice, individuals are being blamed for things they have not done while other individuals are exonerated for things they actually did.

I am not calling for a rejection of all collective identity or responsibility. But it must always come back to the responsibility of each individual within that collective.

You may live wickedly in the midst of a righteous collective.

You may live righteously in the midst of a wicked collective.

It always comes back to God asking each individual to give an account.

Are you ready to make an individual account?