Ikon Community

The kind of “gift-community” we discussed in Part 4 would be remarkable in a world of greed, isolation, aggression, and loneliness. It would be conspicuously Godly or “Holy.” In fact, that’s the point. Ultimately, we are becoming eikons of God designed to both imitate Him and become a dwelling in which He lives by His Spirit (Eph 3:22). But what does it mean, practically speaking, to be God’s eikons? What does that look like?

Again, Jesus gives us the answer.

First, in his articulation of the gospel message of the Kingdom (Mt 4:17; Mk 1:14), people are called to enter the Kingdom of God by submitting to God’s rule. Therefore, to be God’s eikons means to be his subjects who live under his rulership.

So becoming God’s eikons means we become people who obey Jesus’ commands.

More specifically, Jesus reveals in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7) what kind of change God’s rulership brings about in us. We will, “turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, and bless those who curse them.” We become the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world,” a preserving and illuminating presence. This is the litmus test for our spiritual condition: our obedience to Jesus.  Scot McNight points out:

“Whether we look at Jesus’ message of the Kingdom or the apostle Paul’s glorious gospel of grace, each is designed to transform life as it is lived in the here and now. Jesus measured people by how they lived because he was concerned with character. In fact, how a person lived showed what they really believed” (McNight:2005:4).

As restored eikons, we are to be people of enduring, attractive Godly character on the outside, because we have been genuinely transformed on the inside. These kinds of people become irresistibly attractive to others who are longing for goodness. This is the difference between between being attractional on the one hand (where you’re trying to draw attention, often through the use of gimmicks, manipulation, and subtle deception), and being genuinely attractive on the other.

Not only will the people of God be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world,” they will be so attractive that the nations will come to them to get the wisdom they need (Isaiah 2:1-5), and they will enjoy a measure of favor in their immediate communities (Acts 2:47).

Being a Christian, then, really is about being a good person – or more accurately, being part of a remarkably good people (Matt 5-7) on the planet; people of true genuine goodness (James 2:14-26) whose faith in Christ enables them to reflect, represent, and embody the character of God in order to participate in His redemption of the world.

That is what Ikon Community is all about.