We are bound together; we are not just isolated individuals. Instead, our lives are woven together with others. We have solidarity with other people - the choices one person makes affects the lives of others, for good and for bad.
Because much of the pain we endure in life is in the context of relationships, this truth often strikes us as unfair. Why should a child suffer because of the choices of his parents? And on a grander scale, why do we all suffer the curse of Adam’s sin? Why should anyone be judged for someone else’s sin?
In Bound Together, Pastor and author Chris Brauns (author of ‘Unpacking Forgiveness) opens up the biblical concept of solidarity - that one person can represent many and that our lives are necessarily interconnected with the choices others make. In explaining this truth - which raises questions of fairness and justice, he applies, “the principle of the rope.” Grasping this foundational principle sheds new light on marriage, the dynamics of family relationships, and the reason why everyone lives with the consequences of the sins that others commit.
The author shows how the principle of the rope is both bad news and good news, revealing a depth to the message of the gospel that many of us have never seen before and is necessary step to fully understanding our salvation in Christ.