Incurvatus in se

At Neighbourhood we try not to use fancy terms just for the sake of it. But this one I find really helpful.

Homo incurvatus in se.

Or, humanity curved in on itself.

It was Augustine, back in the 4th century AD, who came up with the phrase. And it’s the idea that as humans, we are curved in ourselves. Created to love God and love others, sin has turned us inwards. We have removed our gaze from God and placed it firmly on ourselves.

We are curved inwards.

Put another way, we are selfish gits.

We have made life to be all about us.

And taking our gaze off God and placing it on ourselves doesn’t just affect the vertical (us and God) – it also affects the horizontal (us and others).

I mean, you only have to look at Genesis 3 to see how sin starts to corrupt the horizontal.

Adam blames Eve.

Their ongoing relationship is to be marked by tension and conflict.

The very next chapter, Cain kills his brother.

You get the idea.

Homo incurvatus in se.

I find it a very powerful image.

I’m not going to point fingers at others. I only need to look at myself.

I see the sinful inwardness that marks my life.

I know the sinful self-obsession.

I’m aware of my natural inward gaze.

Left to myself, I, Simon, am a selfish git.

There. I said it.

But I know too the joy of the Gospel – the good news of all that God has done and is doing in and through Jesus.

You see Jesus uncurves me.

He’s dealt with my sin.

He’s died my death.

He’s borne my burden.

And he has conquered the grave.

I have been set free.

My natural self….my by-nature self…has died with Jesus.

It no longer has the last word.

All that kept me curved in on myself has been dealt with.

Put another way, Jesus is straightening me out.

He is like a spiritual chiropractor, correcting my posture, teaching me, helping me, to live correctly.

To live with my gaze on Him, and not myself.

Helping me to learn to love others.

Being spiritually straightened out is not quick. In fact, it takes a life-time.

It’s not painless – confronting and turning from sin can actually be quite painful.

But it’s beautiful.

To know God’s Spirit at work in your life…

…applying the person and work of Jesus to your life.

You see, the Gospel isn’t just intellectual. It’s practical.

If the gospel is something about being straightened out, then that’s a reality to experience and not just a truth to mentally agree with.

It’s something that is earthed in everyday life.

Worked out in the ordinary.

And in community.

Yes, community.

With one another.

Ekklesia. Fellowship. Body-life. As part of a church family. In belonging.

I can only learn to live an uncurved life alongside others.

I can only learn to take my gaze off myself and learn to love others….with others.

We’ve said it before…but the one another verses in the New Testament. You know…pray for one another; serve one another; offer hospitality to one another; forgive one another….you know, those verses….we can actually only live out those verses with one another.

Try one anothering by yourself. You can’t do it.

The work of being uncurved is a work of loving community.

It’s a work sustained by loving community.

Nurtured by loving community.

Encouraged by loving community.

At Neighbourhood we value being a loving community. We want to be a community of Jesus-followers, who are together learning what it is to live uncurved lives.

Ordinary people. Following Jesus. For the good of the world.

Thank-you for loving me and bearing with me as Jesus continues His work of uncurving me.

Love you family.