all relationships are shaped by an allegiance to God, and they thrive and grow. Sin, however, places human community within the context of an allegiance to other gods (comfort, control, material things, power, success, approval). This radically alters the agenda we have for other people. In this context, my affection for other people is never an end in itself, but a means to an end: getting what I want
So true. Relationships function under the rule of the relational Triune God.
