Social Covenant
By Anthony Casperson
11-19-22

If you look at many modern tabletop RPG books, you’ll often see something mentioned about how the game utilizes a social contract. Those gathering to play agree to several specific actions/interactions with others.

For instance, since these role-playing games often have one player take on the role of game master (or equivalent name for the role), there is built into the social contract an idea that the other players buy into the world and the general story set before them.

Basically, while the GM might give the freedom of choice that leads to three or four different options for the players to choose from, none of these players will decide to dismiss every option and instead head into an entirely different location where absolutely no prep work has been done.

As a social group, the players all agree that they want to have fun. And thus agree—whether verbally or implicitly—to some standard of actions that leads to this outcome. As well, if one or more people step outside of that agreed upon standard, then some sort of discussion/intervention is required.

Social contracts also differ from table to table. What might seem like an appropriate joke in one gathering of individuals could be considered entirely off limits in another. Even if one person is a part of both groups.

The rules are based off of the relationship. How we act and what we do while engaged in the relationship is entirely defined by the person(s) with whom we engage.

And this is also true of our relationship with God.

Many assume that the various actions that we followers of Jesus do are just laws that we have to perform or else be punished in some way. But truthfully, those holy actions are tied to our relationship with God, rather than some attempt to dodge divine lightning bolts.

This truth can be seen pretty clearly in the words of Leviticus 19.

If there were any book of the bible that could be pointed to as a legal code for some of the people of God, one of the frontrunners would be Leviticus. (Deuteronomy would be another, but it is largely a second giving of the Law written previously. Hence, our sticking with Leviticus.)

In this chapter of Leviticus, God speaks though Moses. We see—in the second verse—the words, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” And then there’s this wide set of actions that the Israelites were called to perform.

But notice that as the verses progress there is one refrain that repeats itself. And it’s not, “…or else.” Rather, God repeats the words, “I am the Lord.” Sometimes with a “your God” added.

He’s not building this social covenant on restrictions that need to be punished if we step over that line. The basis of this standard is built off of relationship with him. A relationship that began before we started “obeying the rules.” And one that is for the betterment of we who step into this relationship with him.

The social covenant with God leads us to the place that he made us for. And it leads to his glory. But it is entirely dependent upon the relationship that we have with him.

The Lord our God who led us out of slavery to sin—who paid the price of our freedom with his blood—has offered us a relationship where we need to take the responsibility to engage with his world as he has made it. These are the terms of our social covenant with him.

Why would we ever want to head off to an area beyond that standard?