Is God alone enough?

Hopefully this isn't completely incoherent...

A friend and I got into a heated debate the other night over the question of whether or not God alone is enough to satisfy our deepest, most fundamental needs.

I was contending that yes, He is enough. Christ is the only one who knows us on the deepest level, more intimately than we even know ourselves. He is the only one defined by his unconditional love, a love that delights to fill, satisfy, and delight us. His sufficiency will never be matched by any earthly relationship--even a husband and wife will never know each other fully or be able to fully meet each other's needs. Though I certainly look forward to getting to know my husband for the rest of our lives, and while I wait for that season with eager and often impatient anticipation, I know, experience, and usually believe that I already have all I need because I have Christ.

My friend contends that Jesus alone is not enough, because He created us to live in community. His argument is that we are fundamentally designed to function best when we're functioning with one another, and that for those people intended for marriage, they will only find completeness and contentment once they have entered into that marriage relationship.

As this friend is a discontent single person, I find it easy to be extremely cynical and write off his argument as that of a man who just needs to know Jesus more, and who will receive a shock when he finds marriage less satisfying than he imagined. But asking around, I've found that many people agree that Jesus alone isn't enough to meet our needs and fulfill our desires. They say that we need not only Jesus, but each other.

So I'm rather confused. On the one hand, I get where they're coming from. I've experienced that life is better when it's lived in community. I know what it is to pretend the blanket wrapped around me is God's arms, and I know the much greater satisfaction of having real arms wrapped around me and thanking God that they are His surrogates. I know the sweetness of prayer and conversation with God, but there's something I (dare I say) prefer about having a conversation with another tangible person--listening, watching, speaking, and responding in ways I almost always understand. Community, when it works, is awesome and fulfilling.

On the other hand, we speak, sing, and pray together about the sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Certainly He is sufficient to pay for our sins, sufficient in grace, and in mercy, and in love. I guess the question is in the wording: does God meet all of our needs, or does God provide for all of our needs? Is He Himself enough for us, or is He-plus-what-He-provides enough for us? In this case, is Christ enough, or do we need Christ-plus-Community?

Maybe it's a moot point, because with one comes the other. Except... not always. There are loads of times when the community bit falls through. We're not perfect, we mess up, and this living-in-community often feels like trial and error. So what then? If God Himself is not enough for us, then where are we left in the times that community fails?

I know what it's like to have the community bit not work out, and that's why I believe that it has to be God and God alone that is enough. Because when God's the only one there, He makes it okay. Sometimes he provides the community, but sometimes He doesn't, and we are called to rejoice in either circumstance. Whether or not we have friends, whether or not we have lovers, whether or not we have fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers--we have Christ.

And Christ is enough.

...isn't He?

pensive

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures


Many thanks to those that have come alongside me in the last few days, even when I've been unable to express my need.

And Hallelujah to our faithful God! Thus far the Lord has helped me. I look forward to seeing what is next.