Theology from 30,000 Feet: Lesson #2

Revelation in the Beginning

The basic approach to Biblical Theology is to see the whole Bible as a progressive, unfolding revelation of God that is structured like a narrative or story. We can understand the entire Bible as God’s revelation of Himself. This revelation did not come all at one time or just to one person. Rather, there was a gradual unfolding of God’s revelation taking place at various times and in various ways (Hebrews 1.1-2). We can trace some of the epochal periods of God’s revelation of Himself within human history. There are several critical periods of revelation in which God was opening His will and His plan for the world. Not all periods of revelation were the same. God does not change, but how He speaks and what He reveals to mankind is somewhat different during each epoch of revelation history.

The first stage of God’s revelation is found in the first eleven chapters of Genesis. The human condition is described in vivid detail in these chapters. By understanding how the world began, we begin to understand the world today because the principles are universal. “The question of where we come from and where we are going is one of the elementary challenges of life. Perhaps it is THE question of life. Only when we get an answer to it do we learn who we are” (Helmut Thielicke). The first eleven chapters of the Bible contain the account of creation, the account of what happened in the Garden of Eden, and then the aftermath.

Creation and the Creator

The first two chapters of the Bible are the account of creation. The main feature of this account is the glory and goodness of God. God speaks the world into existence out of nothing. God creates the raw materials and then He begins to build a world. He brings light where there was only darkness. He sets the cycles of day and night. He fills the earth with plants and animals.

He then pronounces it good. Creation is rich and beautiful. At the center of that world is the very presence of God Himself. The Bible teaches that everything begins with God and life has meaning only with God Himself as the central consideration. This picture of God in Genesis directly contradicts the mythologies of the ancient pagans whose deities cared little for mankind. The ancient pagans also worshiped creation instead of the Creator. The creation account in Genesis is a case against idolatry in all its forms, both ancient and modern. The central claim of the Bible is that there is one God who created everything and who is the only proper object of our worship and devotion. Creation is the foundation of all Biblical revelation.

Genesis contradicts the secular materialism and atheism of the modern world. The secularists understand the implications of the creation account in Genesis and have done much to try to discredit and dismiss it, often in the name of science. Christians need to understand that behind all the talk about science and the theory of evolution is an agenda to remove God. Modern secularism does not need or want a God to exist. The materialists reject any supernatural explanation for the world. God has been removed from the secular worldview so other explanations for the world must be found, such as evolution. Secularists see their worldview as a rather liberating thing. If there is no God, then there can be no overarching meaning to life that everyone is bound to accept. This means that we are free to create our own meaning. The idea of creating one’s own life and finding meaning for yourself, apart from any outside influence, is a major theme in modern life. The freedom to choose one’s own destiny is the most precious idea to modern people and anything that threatens this autonomy and freedom is considered dangerous.

The first two humans are placed in a beautiful garden. Everything they need is provided for them abundantly. Man is made in the image of God. This means that he is God’s steward who is to rule the earth for God and under the authority of God. The image of God means that man is on the earth to represent God’s rule on earth just as God rules in Heaven. And mankind is blessed with all the mental and creative capacity to govern the creation. But the Creator is never far away, and He even walks with the man and the woman in Eden in some anthropological form. Man was not created to be a slave of God, as in the pagan myths, but sort of like a partner. Man was to care for the creation and develop it or cultivate it. The resources are abundant. The natural world is like a beautiful gift that is ready to be opened and explored. The creation was meant to be used but not abused by mankind. The very first job was tending the Garden of Eden. Work was not a curse but was a part of God’s original design for human life on earth. Just as God had exerted His will in creating the world, mankind was free to take what God had made and form new things out of it. God provided the raw materials for creating human culture and civilization. There is no indication in Scripture that life in Eden was meant to be the final state of the world. God clearly expected mankind to develop the world. The creation is filled with potential. Human history is to be the development of creation’s possibilities with mankind taking the initiative. The world is like a stage that is now ready for a story to be told and a drama to begin.

The Garden of Eden

The account of the Garden of Eden follows creation (Genesis 2.4-3.24). Geerhardus Vos summarizes the revelation of God in the Garden of Eden in four principles: 1. The Principle of Life, 2. The Principle of Probation, 3. The Principle of Temptation, 4. The Principle of Death.

1. The Principle of Life. Although mankind already had a biological kind of life by virtue of his creation, there was a higher quality of life experienced in Eden. This higher life was fellowship with God. The Tree of Life was a real tree. But it pointed beyond itself to a higher reality. Having access to this Tree was a sign of their access to God. They walked with God. The Garden of Eden was a Temple for Divine fellowship. This Divine fellowship is eternal life. Eternal life meant more than just never dying. Having eternal life meant being in fellowship with God. A person who has fellowship with God cannot die.

2. The Principle of Temptation. At this point in history God did not reveal anything about the nature or origins of the Serpent. But we know the Serpent’s nature and intent and that is enough. He is there to tempt the man and the woman away from God. The Tempter is right there to encourage them to throw off the fetters of God. He is crafty, subtle, deceptive. He just wants to have a discussion. But as soon as he starts to speak, he begins to lie. The serpent lies about God. His strategy is to drive a wedge between man and God, creating alienation and even hostility. To accomplish this the serpent makes Eve doubt the goodness of God. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Eve begins to doubt the goodness of God. Why would a good God withhold something good from them? The forbidden fruit certainly looked good. It promised wisdom. And it would make them like God. Was God a cosmic killjoy who just wanted to dangle these good things in front of their eyes while denying them the full experience? At some point she begins to believe that their lives would be better without God interfering with His selfish and pointless commands. The original temptation was for man to become as God rather than accepting his place as a creature.

3. The Principle of Probation. Man’s probation, or a period of testing and evaluation, had to do with the choice he was given either to remain in fellowship with God or take his own path away from God. This choice is symbolized in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Tree of Life is fellowship with God. But there is another way that mankind can choose to go. We should notice that God’s command not to eat from that other tree was completely arbitrary. In other words, God had to give them a command that had no other reason behind it other than God Himself. They were to obey God’s command just because it was God. God defines the meaning of life. One of the great errors of the modern world is thinking that we get to define what life is all about. We think we get to decide for ourselves what good and evil means. But it is not so. God was using that tree to create a moral arena. The forbidden fruit was something other than God and His will which created a crisis of choice. Every time they saw that tree, they would have to make a choice between God and something else. The tree was an objectification of a moral decision. What was at stake was their fellowship with God. They could choose uninterrupted fellowship with the Creator or go their own way. Life is like a road which suddenly diverges, making us choose a path. Somehow people manage to convince themselves that every road is good and eventually leads to the same place in the end. That there is a real choice between good and evil is a rather unpopular notion.

4. The Principle of Death. When mankind chose his own path, there was an immediate alienation from God which resulted in his spiritual and eventual physical death as well as expulsion from Eden. Oddly enough, the Serpent seemed to be right. They did not immediately fall over dead. But the process of death had entered the world. Even the creation itself was affected by mankind’s sin. Death is a separation of man from God. There is no option where we can enjoy all the blessings of God without God Himself, though this has perennially been what fallen man has sought. We can be free from obeying God, but there is a price for this freedom. Death should not be viewed as a punishment, but as the inevitable result of being separated from God. We are creatures. We depend on God. Breaking that relationship is a matter of life and death.

After they ate from the forbidden tree, they experienced shame and alienation from God. There is nothing in the account that states they were ashamed in each other’s presence. Their nakedness does not seem to just be sexual embarrassment. They are ashamed to be seen by God. Their nakedness is a new awareness of themselves in the presence of God. They do not feel adequate to stand before God. The relationship with God was instantly changed. They were now afraid of God. They tried to cover themselves. They no longer wanted to be in fellowship with God. There are any number of ways we can try to avoid God. Some people reject the existence of God. The real reason for atheism is moral, not intellectual. If God is not there, then we can have no moral responsibility to obey Him. Philosophy is an escape from God. In every Age there is an attempt to philosophically redefine the meaning of life. Behind it all is just the desire to go our own way rather than having to submit to God. Materialism is an attempt to escape from God. If we are just biological machines living in a world formed by chance, then we can do as we please without any accountability.

God would not leave them alone, which is what they wanted. He made them come out and face the facts concerning what they had done. This shows that God’s desire is to be gracious while also making us face the truth about our condition. Unfortunately, the man and woman are not willing to face the truth. The man blames his wife, and indirectly blames God for what happened. The woman blames the serpent. When we look back at what happened in Eden, we see ourselves. We see all the wrong choices we have made. We too have been rebellious. We wanted to be the Master. We have tried to cover for ourselves, to hide from God, and maybe even blamed someone else for our evil actions.

God uses this confrontation for some extremely important revelations about His plan and the future of the world. To the Serpent, the first words concerning redemption are given. The Serpent’s head will be bruised by someone coming out of humanity (Gen. 3.15). The work of redemption will be God’s, but it will come through the seed of the woman. The Serpent’s work will be undone. The Serpent had successfully turned the man and the woman against God. Redemption will consist of people being brought back to God and reconciled to Him. Rather than seeing God as the enemy, the Serpent will be opposed by those who are being redeemed. Those who were overcome by the Serpent will become participants in his defeat. The world will become a cosmic battlefield where a decisive war will be fought. God has already announced the outcome of the conflict and the Serpent will not have the last word. In some sense the rest of the Biblical story will be about how God is fulfilling His promise in Eden to bruise the Serpent’s head.

There are serious consequences for the disobedience in Eden. The woman will suffer pain in childbirth and will also suffer under her husband’s domineering authority. Sin does not just drive a wedge between God and man, but also between human relationships. Mankind’s original place of ruling over creation is also interrupted by sin. The creation was under man’s dominion and so the creation must also suffer the consequences of man’s sin. A curse of corruption and death is placed on the creation itself. The earth will no longer submit to mankind’s rule. The man will have to work the ground for food, but the earth will now be cursed and will not cooperate with him. The man will literally work the earth until he returns to the earth. All his efforts will be ultimately frustrated. Man will spend his days in toil, only to die and lose all that he had worked for during his lifetime. The specter of death will haunt all human life, dashing his hopes and separating him from everything he loves in the world.

The man and the woman are then removed from Eden and access to the Tree of Life is blocked. This was a merciful thing. We do not have to endure life in a fallen world forever. The Tree of Life disappears and is not found again in this world. Human history now goes in a very different direction. The future is outside of Eden, away from the presence of God. Sin results in banishment, alienation, and homelessness. The human family must now make its way in a world that is hostile and difficult. That fellowship with God that was once possible in Eden is gone. God is there, but His presence is much more mysterious and remote. Outside of Eden it will become possible for mankind to forget about God completely and act as if He does not exist. Before escorting them out of Paradise, God provides for their nakedness. Mankind is not completely alone in the world and without help. God is still there, and He is still providing for man’s needs.

East of Eden

After Adam and Eve are expelled from Eden, we immediately begin to see the effects of sin on the human family. “Hence, before the work of redemption is further carried out, the downward tendency of sin is clearly illustrated in order that subsequently in the light of this downgrade movement the true divine cause of the upward course of redemption might be appreciated” (Vos). Adam and Eve’s offspring display a tendency toward wickedness. This is illustrated in three incidents: in Cain’s murder of his brother Abel, in the wickedness of the world leading up to the Flood, and in the building of the Tower of Babel.

Not only do these accounts illustrate the spread of sin in the world, but also the care of God for the world. God is there during each of these evil events to both bring judgement and show mercy. God is not distant and uninvolved in human history. He is always there to make sure the world does not descend into utter chaos and darkness. Despite human sin and rebellion, God never deserts the world or completely leaves humanity to its own devices. The absentee God of modern thought is not the God of Scripture. God did not leave the world to run on its own according to natural laws. God is sustaining creation and guiding human development. The sovereign hand of God is working in the world. God has a purpose for human history and is guiding things in the direction He desires. Most people in the world do not see God’s hand at work. But these chapters of Genesis prove that God is always there, albeit behind the scenes at times. The main actor in human history is God. God’s works against the dark backdrop of human depravity. These three accounts are not just isolated occurrences but teach us about a pattern throughout the history of the world.

Cain and Abel

Cain and Abel bring their offerings to God. The Lord is pleased with Abel’s offering, but he rejects Cain. We are not told why the offering of Cain was particularly objectionable to God, but it no doubt had something to do with the heart of Cain and his attitude toward God. God warned Cain directly about his behavior. Rather than repenting of his wickedness, Cain seeks to do away with his competition in Abel. The first murder in human history was over religion. Abel becomes the first righteous man to suffer persecution and death. He will not be the last. The murder of Abel is a sign of things to come.

When confronted by God Himself, Cain refuses to take responsibility for his murderous actions. God does not kill Cain but sends him away in yet another act of banishment and alienation. The pattern of sin is repeating itself. Cain is acting like his parents in Eden and receiving the same penalty for his sin. This is a graphic illustration of how sin has caused alienation between people and other people, not just between people and God.

Cain and Abel represent two kinds of people in the world. Cain is a child of the Devil and reveals the murderous nature of his spiritual progenitor. Abel is a righteous man who worships God acceptably yet suffers unjustly as a result of his faith and devotion. This division of humanity becomes a major theme in the Bible. God has always had His people and there have always been people who live in opposition to God and His will. The history of the world is the story of these two societies. There are two cities living side by side in the world: the city of man and the city of God. “I classify The Human Race into two branches: the one consists of those who live by human standards, the other of those who live according to God’s will. I also call these two classes the two cities, speaking allegorically. By two cities I mean two societies of human beings, one of which is predestined to reign with God for all eternity, the other doomed to undergo eternal punishment with the Devil” (Augustine). It is important to notice that God is not only working with the righteous people like Abel but is also involved with the wicked men like Cain. No person is outside of the care and the judgement of God, even if they do not acknowledge Him or submit to His will. God will continue to use wicked men and nations for His own purposes.

The Flood

Cain’s violent murder is not an isolated event. The world becomes so filled with violence that God is sorry he created mankind and is grieved at the wickedness of the world. God’s tolerance comes to an end and He destroys that early world by a great flood. But a full end will not be made. God saves a man named Noah and his family from the Flood and starts the human family over through Noah’s three sons. “For even though the subject is that of catastrophe and downfall, God can never be a God of the end of things. He always bestows beginnings. God is positive. His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3.23). One must only learn to see. And ultimately, faith is nothing else but seeing that this is so” (Helmut Thielicke). God makes a covenant never to destroy the earth again with water. Until God’s purpose is fulfilled, the earth will remain. The rainbow was chosen by God as a sign of His covenant promise.

The Flood is a graphic illustration of God’s involvement in the world, both with acts of mercy and salvation and acts of judgement. The account of the Flood is also a microcosm of the entire plan of redemption and the story of the Bible. Just as Noah stood out among the wicked people of his generation, the people of God will always be different in a wicked world. God cares for Noah and his family, helping them through every stage of the ordeal, and bringing them through the catastrophe to see a new world. Noah’s relationship with God and the salvation God worked for Noah is an example for all times of how God works with His people. Salvation comes from God. His people must trust, patiently wait, and obey God’s word. When it finally started raining, Noah was glad that he had trusted God!

The Tower of Babel

When the earth is beginning to be populated again after the Flood, it becomes obvious that the sinful nature is still at work in mankind. The people come together and in a great show of solidarity decide to build a city with a tall tower. Their agenda is to make themselves powerful and secure, but God is not a factor in their plans. “Unity was to afford the possibility for founding a gigantic empire, glorifying man in his independence of God” (Vos). The Tower of Babel is a manifestation of mankind’s desire to ascend to the place of God. God comes down to see this project and cannot allow it to continue. There is a bit of Divine sarcasm here. The thing that seems so great to the builders of Babel is so unimpressive to God, He must leave His heavenly throne just to be able to see it properly! What seems high and strong to men is nothing to God.

The world makes its plans without considering God and what God wants for the world that He made. Mankind wants to usurp God and rule the world for its own ends. This is something that God will simply not allow. All of mankind’s plans will fail. Only the Divine purpose will succeed. What men do or seek to do is not the theme of human history. God’s plan for the world is the real theme of history. A secular historian’s account of Babel would read very different from the Biblical account. What might have looked like a great failure to men was really a successful judgement of God. What looked like a good thing to men was not the will of God for the world.

The judgement of God is confusion which results in disunity and the builders of Babel are scattered. But the spirit of Babel will endure in the world when men come together to fulfill their own desires without God in their thoughts. “Always the trend is the same: wherever God has been deposed, some substitute point has to be created to bind men together in some fashion or other” (Helmut Thielicke). The world seeks redemption through its own work and ingenuity. Unfortunately, the plans of men do not include the living God. Human civilization will always try to find a way to recapture the blessings Eden, but it will always do so without God and so it will always fail. The book of Genesis shows us that mankind wanted to have this autonomy and independence from God from the very beginning of human history. By understanding the first section of Genesis we come to understand the modern world. While the unity of mankind might seem like a good goal, and a unified world is often held up as an ideal of the Modernist agenda, if this unity is in opposition to the will of God then no good thing can come from it. History is strewn with the wrecks of other towers like Babel.

The Biblical account gives us revelation about the principles that will govern the unfolding of human history. History will take a dark path that is only redeemed by the ongoing plan and presence of God. We get the idea that if God had let the world go, mankind would have self-destructed. But God did not let the world go. He has a plan for redeeming His creation. The first stage in that plan of redemption will begin with the calling of a man named Abram.

Theology from 30,000 Feet: Understanding the Whole Message of the Bible (Introduction to Series)

Most of us have had the opportunity to travel by air and get a glimpse out the window of the plane. Your perspective of the world is quite different when looking down from an altitude of 30,000 feet! Even if you are afraid of heights, getting that awe-inspiring perspective is worth it.  We see more details on the ground, but the view from 30,000 feet has its own advantages. That view from 30,000 feet is the idea we are using for this series of lessons in theology.   

It is a common problem in the Church that we often get small tidbits and brief glimpses of Divine truth without seeing the whole picture of God’s revelation to us. And just as some people get scared of flying, there are Christian people, and even whole denominations, who get nervous about theology. It can be difficult to understand sometimes. It is known to cause conflicts. It is also known to be dry and academic. But theology is the knowledge of God. This knowledge of God is the whole point of the Bible and the reason why Christ redeemed us. Knowing God is eternal life (John 17.3).

How can we know God? Obviously, God must reveal Himself if we are to know Him. Christians believe that the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself. So, we must read and study the Bible to know God. Everyone has a method for reading the Bible, even if the method is implicit rather than explicit. It is always better to be explicit about how we read and understand the Bible. There is nothing wrong with having a method if we humbly rely on the Spirit of God and are willing to admit our limitations and repent of our mistakes. We must never exalt our theology above Scripture. And a theological method is no replacement for faith, obedience, and the Holy Spirit.

There are two basic theological methods: 1. Biblical Theology, and 2. Systematic Theology. Please understand that there should be no conflict between these two methods. Both methods are going for the same thing. Both methods have their strengths and their limitations. We need both methods in order to build our theology and draw out the teaching of Scripture.

What is the Biblical Theology method? It is unfortunate that this method has been called “Biblical Theology” because it implies that other methods are not as Biblical. But this is not the central claim of this method. All theology must be Biblical. With this method we are trying to understand the Bible as a single revelation that unfolds much like the plot of a story. We do not mean that we only read those sections of Scripture that are narratives while neglecting the other genres. You cannot build a theology that neglects large portions of Scripture. Rather, we look at the whole Bible as an unfolding revelation and we fit all the various parts of Scripture into this framework. We do not seek to impose a framework on the Scripture, but to understand the framework that is suggested by the Scripture itself. Biblical Theology points out that this framework is something like a story or a drama. The method of Biblical Theology seeks to uncover the Bible’s own narrative framework rather than studying topics or going verse-by-verse through individual books. Our goal is not just to understand what the Bible says on a single topic, but to understand the single topic of the entire Bible. And we do not study the Bible just to understand individual books, but how each book contributes to the whole Book.

Understanding the Bible as story will also give us a greater appreciation for history as the sovereign plan of God rather than just a random, meaningless series of events. Christians have a specific view of the meaning of history and this view differs greatly from a pagan view. History had a definite beginning and will have an appointed end. And God is there from beginning to ending. A pagan view of history is cyclical, much like the endless repetitions of nature or a dog chasing his tail around and around for no good reason. It is extremely powerful for us to find meaning in our own lives by seeing the meaning of God’s story in Scripture.

A story is the setting or the background of life from which we construct meaning and significance for everything. Stories are more than just a form of entertainment. Stories explain something about the meaning of life. Imagine you are standing at a bus stop and you overhear a man saying: “After I got out of there, I went home and put the money under the rock by the back door.” What is going on? You must know the story of the man who is saying these words. Different stories will change the meaning of this statement. Did he just leave some cash for his daughter at home? Has he recently been released from prison? Story provides the context or the background by which we make sense of the things we encounter in the world around us. Different stories give life different meanings. And there are many different stories about what human life means.

Most people in the modern world believe that there is no single story that explains everything. “They would argue that a true account of the world can’t be found; that individuals and communities must be content with the separate meanings to be discovered in their own more modest and limited stories. A commitment to pluralism often implies that we should not even look for any such overarching story, one which could be true for all people, all communities, all nations – for to find such a thing would imply that not all stories are equally valid” (Craig Bartholomew & Michael Goheen). Behind this way of thinking is relativism, or the belief that no truth claim can ever be considered absolute. The essence of pluralism is the belief that each culture, nation, or ethnic group has its own, unique story about the world.

Stories provide the framework for how we form our worldview. “Human life, then, can be seen as grounded in and constituted by the implicit or explicit stories which humans tell themselves and one another” (N.T. Wright). Stories help us make sense of the world and our place in it. Of course, the Bible does not claim to just tell one story among many, it claims to tell the story of the entire world. In other words, the Biblical story is the true story about the meaning of life on earth. The Biblical story is one, big story which is supported and fleshed out by many smaller stories. Before we focus on any single story in the Bible, we should have an awareness of the larger story. All the smaller stories in some way contribute to the meaning of the larger story. When we do not understand a certain part of the Bible correctly, it is often because we have not understood the larger story.

The basic approach to Biblical Theology is to see the whole Bible as a progressive, unfolding revelation of God that is structured like a narrative or story. We can understand the entire Bible as God’s revelation of Himself. This revelation did not come all at one time or just to one person. Rather, there was a gradual unfolding of God’s revelation taking place at various times and in various ways (Hebrews 1.1-2). We can trace some of the epochal periods of God’s revelation of Himself within human history. There are several critical periods of revelation in which God was opening His will and His plan for the world. Not all periods of revelation were the same. God does not change, but how He speaks and what He reveals to mankind is somewhat different during each epoch of revelation history.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2.8-9; 3.1-13, 22-24)

Everything God created was good. That is God’s assessment of His creation. It is VERY good! The word “good” is the repeated word throughout the first chapters of Genesis. Creation is not evil, creation is good. Mankind was the crown of creation, made in God’s image to rule over what God made. God put the first human couple in a garden that He had made for them. Everything they needed was there, including access to God and the source of eternal life. The Tree of Life was there in the middle of the garden of Eden.

But there was another tree there in Eden: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God had given them one restriction: they were not to eat from that Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This tree becomes crucial to the whole story. In fact, if we understand the meaning of this tree, we will understand the entire Bible. If we understand this tree, we will understand the true nature of reality and the whole meaning of human life on planet earth. It is just that important! The Garden of Eden is about us and our lives. We were there in Eden, in the bodies of Father Adam and Mother Eve, and we are part of the story. All the real issues of life are seen there at the beginning. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was the incarnation of a spiritual reality. Physical objects are often used as spiritual lessons. We can derive three lessons from this Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil:

This tree is a lesson in the difference between good and evil.

Here was the first temptation and the first sin. Here mankind would learn the difference between good and evil and pay a terrible price for that knowledge. This knowledge was not intellectual, but bitter experience.

Because God is Creator, He has the right to set boundaries for His creatures. Furthermore, God has the right to define the meaning of life in His world. One of the great errors of the modern world is in thinking that we get to define what life is all about. We think we get to decide for ourselves what good and evil means.

God was not being an ogre. He had already said they could eat from any other tree in the garden. God has richly and abundantly provided for their needs. There was just one restriction in the middle of a thousand freedoms.

But why have any restrictions? Some think God was creating the problem. In fact, the command does seem rather pointless. Was there something wrong with that tree? Was its fruit poisoned or magical? God was using that tree to create a moral arena with choices that had to be made between two alternatives. The forbidden fruit was something other than God and His will which created a crisis of choice. Every time they saw that tree, they would have to make a choice between God and something else. The tree was an objectification of a moral decision. The word and the will of God was the defining quality of that tree in the garden of Eden. God’s command had nothing behind it other than God Himself. They were not to eat from that tree simply because God said so. Their obedience would have to be completely free of anything other than a desire to obey God because He is God.

What was at stake was their fellowship with God. They could choose uninterrupted fellowship with the Creator or go their own way. There was no arrangement possible where they could get rid of God and keep the things they wanted. You can get rid of God, so to speak, but with Him goes the source of everything good. It is not that we just shouldn’t try to live without God, we cannot live without God. All the things we try to fill our lives with eventually betray us in the end and break our hearts.

This tree is a lesson in the consequences of moral choices.

The true nature of reality is like a road which suddenly diverges, making us choose a path. Somehow people manage to convince themselves that every road is good and eventually leads to the same place in the end. That there is a real choice between good and evil is a rather unpopular notion. Not everyone who chooses the wrong road will perish in the end. It is possible to be put back on the right road. But the choice of ways is always there before us.

God spoke directly to Adam and Eve in Eden. His word was clear enough. The Tempter is right there to encourage them to throw off the fetters of God’s word. The serpent seems to come from nowhere. He just slides into the story without any back story or explanation. But we know something about his character. He is crafty, subtle, deceptive. He just wants to have a discussion. But as soon as he starts to speak, he begins to lie. The serpent lies about God. His strategy is to drive a wedge between man and God, creating alienation and even hostility. To accomplish this the serpent makes Eve doubt the goodness of God. Imagine that you have a close friend. Another friend who is perhaps jealous, suddenly suggest that your friend is only in the relationship to ask you for favors. You may not believe it at first, but the well has been poisoned. You are now going to closely listen to everything your friend says trying to discern his or her intentions. Your trust has been destroyed. That is the serpent’s strategy. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Eve begins to doubt the goodness of God. Why would a good God withhold something good from them? The forbidden fruit certainly looked good. It promised wisdom. And it would make them like God. Was God a cosmic killjoy who just wanted to dangle these good things in front of their eyes while denying them the full experience?

We see how temptation works: first there is a lie that leads to a thought. Then there is a look at the forbidden thing. With looking comes a desire. Then the hand reaches out and takes the forbidden thing. This process of temptation must be short-circuited at some point or the effect is something like the falling of dominoes. The consequences are unavoidable. In the heat of the moment we seldom stop to seriously reflect on the consequences of our choices. We can find many examples of this in Scripture besides the original sin in Eden. The people of Israel refuse to enter Canaan according to God’s command and end up wandering in the wilderness. Moses becomes angry and strikes the rock instead of speaking as God commanded him and is denied entrance into the Land. King David enjoys a night of passion with Bathsheba, covers his adultery with murder, and then watches his own family implode. We could all give similar testimonies of our own failures and the consequences that followed. At some point we begin to believe that our lives would be better without God interfering with us and we take life in our own hands. Evil is the result of these choices.

The actual transgression does not make a difference, it is the nature of sin that brings the catastrophic result. I recently saw a video of an elephant in a parade, surrounded by a crowd of people. The animal suddenly become angry or afraid and bolted. It threw its rider to the ground and began to trample the people in its path. Nothing could stop it. That one act of disobedience in Eden released a monstrous evil into the world. Or, as the Apostle Paul said, “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin” (Rom. 5.12). It was the opening of Pandora’s Box.

There are certain laws observed in nature. And there are also spiritual laws. A spiritual law that we learn in Eden is that God is the source of everything good. Without God there is nothing but death.

Sin, and all the evil that comes from sin, is not just a legal issue. There is more to sin than breaking the rules. Sin is personal. Sin is an act of cosmic rebellion against the Creator of heaven and earth. It is the rejection of God and His glory. When we sin, we are rejecting God as God and putting ourselves in the place of God. The original temptation was for man to become as God rather than accepting his place as a creature. That choice is what brought evil into the world.

This tree is a lesson about our critical connection to God.

If God is God, then our relationship to God is not an optional thing, as if we can truly be independent and self-sufficient. We are creatures. We depend on God. Breaking that relationship is a matter of life and death. God is our Creator, not our helper or motivator. There can be no casual approach to God.

The difference between good and evil is absolute because God is absolutely God. We do not discuss the nature of good and evil apart from the nature of God Himself. Good and evil are not abstract concepts. At the center of our lives is a choice to come to God or go our own way. That is the choice between good and evil. We cannot escape the reality of God, even in the daily details of life. We may hide from God, but He will find us out. “No creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4.13). Our lives will be eternally defined by what God sees when He casts His gaze upon us. And if that causes us to fear, then we are beginning to be wise and acknowledge the reality of our situation and the monumental choice that is before us everyday of our short lives.

There are any number of ways we can try to avoid God and the reality of this choice between good and evil.  Some people reject the existence of God. Atheism is not nearly as common as we think. But atheism is not as intellectual as we think it to be. The real reason for atheism is moral, not intellectual. If God is not there, then we can have no moral responsibility to obey or submit to Him.

But there are many more people who hide from God in religion. Religion can make us think we are better than we really are. Remember how that Pharisee thanked God that he was not like other men. But God sees through the religious fig leaves we try to cover ourselves with.

In every Age there is an attempt to philosophically redefine the meaning of good and evil. It is called “freedom” the “new morality” or being “progressive”. Behind it all is just the desire to go our own way rather than having to submit to God.

The popular notion that Hell is just a myth is nothing but a disguised attempt to hide from God and redefine the meaning of good and evil. People say they are being merciful or tolerant, but what they are really trying to do is relieve us of the responsibility of choosing between good and evil.

Materialism is an attempt to escape from this moral universe. If we are just biological machines living in a world formed by chance, then good and evil is just a temporary state of mind or social condition without any lasting meaning. The sun will eventually burn out and the earth will freeze to death. End of story. If there is no moral significance to life, then there is no significance to life at all and we should not be lashed to such questions about good and evil as we journey towards oblivion. If there is no real good and evil, no true choice between two diverging paths, nothing touching eternity, then there is no true significance to human life.

Conclusion

When we look back at what happened in Eden, we see ourselves. We see all the wrong choices we have made. We too have been rebellious. We wanted to be the Master. We have tried to cover for ourselves, to hide from God, and maybe even blamed someone else for our evil actions.

But God did not abandon mankind in Eden, and He has not abandoned us. His mercy and goodness are evident everywhere we look in this world. God has been patient with us. He has provided for our needs even when we were sinful and hiding from Him. Even His stern discipline was designed for our ultimate salvation.

God gave a promise there is Eden that one day a man would be born who would defeat evil (Gen. 3.15). And so, into this story came the Son of God. He became like one of us and was tempted. The Devil tempted Jesus to take matters into His own hands and go for what He wanted for Himself. But Jesus refused to do His own will and chose to submit to the will of His Father. He is the Second Adam, the beginning of the New Creation. He came so that we could be made new creatures fit for the New Creation that is coming.

When they had taken from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, their access to the Tree of Life was blocked. The next time the Tree of Life shows up is in the book of Revelation in the New Earth. The Seed of the Woman promised in Genesis came and bruised the serpent’s head. He died on that evil tree so that we can have access to the Tree of Life. When He comes again all evil will be banished and the world remade. And we will again eat from the Tree of Life in the paradise of God.

This world is not paradise. We still must go out and face evil. The serpent is still slithering around, spreading his lies. And we often find that our own desires are contrary to what we know to be good. Everyday we must say no to the world, the flesh and the Devil. We do these things knowing that the power of Christ is at work in us.

Developing a Christian Worldview: Transformed by Redemption (Part 2)

In the previous lesson, we talked about the important link between the Kingdom of God and God’s plan to redeem creation. When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He preached that the Kingdom of God had come to earth. He then demonstrated the power of the Kingdom through many miraculous signs. These displays of Kingdom power and authority were meant to show that God’s Kingdom was breaking through. Just like the Allies made a beachhead at the D-Day invasion that signaled the beginning of the end of the Second World War, the ministry of Jesus signaled the beginning of the Kingdom of God and the redemption of all creation.

In this lesson, we will continue to explore the meaning of redemption by looking at how the ministry of Jesus was the beginning of the end of Satan’s kingdom. Satan had to be defeated and his power over humanity broken if we were going to be set free from all the effects of sin and death. We will then discuss what redemption means for humanity, or what God has in mind for redeemed people. But everything always begins and ends with Jesus. There is no talking about redemption without talking about the Redeemer! It was Jesus who defeated the Devil. And Jesus is the beginning of the redeemed humanity. No matter which aspect of redemption we are talking about, it all depends on Jesus. Christians see the world differently because we see who Jesus is and what He came to do. Christianity means coming to know, to love, and to follow a person. In the process, our view of everything else is transformed.

The Defeat of Satan

The Gospels record the ministry of Jesus. As soon as Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, He went out into the wilderness and was tempted by the Devil. The result of this temptation was the utter defeat of Satan. For the first time in the history of the world, Satan’s temptations of a human being were unsuccessful. This was just the beginning of Christ’s ministry. Satan’s kingdom would continue to experience defeat after defeat. The Kingdom of Darkness that had ruled the world was being shaken to its core. The final defeat of Satan’s kingdom is still to come. In the New Creation, Satan and all his allies will be permanently excluded. But the coming of Christ into the world was the beginning of the end of Satan’s dominion over creation. This fact is a major aspect of the message of the four Gospels that tell the story of Christ’s earthly life. The second coming of Christ will be a mop-up operation as the decisive battle was fought and won by Jesus, who is now reigning victoriously in Heaven with His Father.

Jesus Himself explained what He was doing to the Devil’s kingdom. Jesus’ earthly ministry was like binding a strongman to then rob his house (Matt. 12.28-29; Mk. 3.27; Lk. 11.20-22). Satan is obviously not equal to God. There is no Dualism in the Bible. However, the Bible is very clear that Satan did effectively establish a rival kingdom on earth in order to challenge the purpose of God. From the very beginning, Satan directed his attacks at those God had made in His image and placed over the creation. When the door was opened, Satan came in and set up his operation. Satan effectively turned humanity against God, spreading his own rebellion from heaven to the earth. God Himself had told the serpent in the Eden that a human being would eventually defeat him (Gen. 3.15).

The Gospels seem to be showing us the fulfillment of God’s promise about the seed of the woman crushing the serpent’s head.  Jesus had come to rob Satan’s house. Just like a dangerous animal is put on a chain to limit the damage it can cause, Jesus had come to bind the Devil, limit his power, and then take back what had been stolen. A famous preacher named Gardner Taylor once said in a sermon that the Bible is about a God who is out to get back what rightfully belongs to Him. The Devil was an interloper who had taken over what God had made. The Son of God had landed on earth to take it back.

During His ministry, Jesus exercised power over every aspect of the Kingdom of Darkness (Matt. 12.28; Lk. 8.28; 13.16; Acts 10.38). All of Jesus’ miracles clearly demonstrated who was really in charge. The unclean spirits, or demons, immediately recognized who Jesus was and had to submit to His commands. The possession of people by evil spirits was a forceful display of Satan’s domination over human life. Jesus expelled the demons from the bodies and minds of their victims, giving an awesome display of Satan’s demise. A greater power than Satan had arrived and even the mere presence of Jesus was usually enough to send the demons into hysterics. Everywhere Jesus went He almost effortlessly beat back the Kingdom of Darkness, using only the authority of His word. Wherever Jesus goes, the Kingdom of Darkness is defeated. This truth is powerfully shown in C.S. Lewis’ Narnia stories. When Aslan comes to Narnia to release it from the control of the White Witch, all it takes to break her evil spell that always made it Winter, but never Christmas, is the presence of the great lion. When Aslan comes to Narnia, it is Spring again! There can be no doubt about Jesus’ victory and Satan’s defeat. “Satan has done his worst, but Christ has bested him” (Al Wolters).

Because Satan has been so soundly defeated, there is nothing that can stop the redemption of all creation. Anyone can be saved from Satan’s dominion and brought into the Kingdom of God (Col. 1.13). Jesus came to rob the Devil’s house, which means we were rescued! The Devil was holding us captive in his house until Jesus came to bind the Devil and rob his house. 

How did Jesus do that? Jesus rescued us from Satan’s dominion by taking away the Devil’s tools. The only way to completely weaken the Devil was to remove sin and its effects. This means that the point at which the Devil was rendered powerless was when Jesus died. It was at the cross that the serpent’s head was crushed. By sacrificing Himself, the power of sin was broken which made it impossible for Satan to hold us in his grip. Sin is what kept us under Satan’s dominion. By releasing us from the power of sin, Jesus has also released us from Satan’s dominion. Jesus simply removed the doors of Satan’s house so that the prisoners can walk out and be free! 

So complete was Jesus’ mastery over the Kingdom of Darkness, even the disciples could be sent out with authority do the same damage to Satan’s kingdom that Jesus had done! Christ’s victory over Satan becomes our victory as well. When Jesus rose from the dead, He gave instructions to His disciples about going out into the world and preaching the Gospel. He reminded them that He had been given all authority. Their effectiveness doing many of the same things that Jesus had done was because Satan had been defeated and bound. Everything that happened in the book of Acts could take place because of Satan’s defeat at the hands of Christ. The very existence of the Church in the world is proof that Jesus beat the Devil! Satan is a defeated enemy. We can participate in the Devil’s defeat as we wrestle against him and his remaining Powers of Darkness. And we do so with hope and confidence in the victory of Jesus over Satan.

The Renewal of the Image of God

The first stage of the coming of God’s Kingdom was the incarnation. The Son of God was to come into the world as a human being. A man had to redeem man. Remember that man was created in the image of God, which meant that mankind was to be God’s representative on earth and rule creation under God. But when man rebelled against God that image was marred and distorted. Sinful man does not perfectly represent God’s will on earth. God’s plan of redemption included the restoration of the Divine image in man. Redeemed men will properly image God. It is not possible for a single man or woman to completely image God. This image will be reproduced in a whole body of redeemed people. The renewal of the Divine image required a second Adam who would inaugurate the new humanity. This new humanity would be transformed and empowered by the Spirit to reflect the Divine image once again.

The Second Adam

Humanity fell in Adam. This is something difficult for modern people to understand because of our individualism. But it is possible for a single person to represent a whole body of people who stand in solidarity with him. This is called federal headship. Adam is the federal head of humanity. All of Adam’s people are like him. To be human means to be like Adam, our federal head. Just as Adam was disobedient to God and died as a result, all of Adam’s children are likewise sinners who suffer death. We bear the likeness of our federal head. If God was going to redeem mankind this situation had to be reversed. There had to be a second federal head in which the image of God could be renewed. There had to be a second Adam. Christ is the Second Adam (Rom. 5.12-19). Christ is the federal head for another body of people in which the Divine image is restored and perfected. Where Adam failed and fell, Jesus succeeded. Redeemed humanity began with Jesus. So, we see why it was necessary for Jesus to live a perfect life that was pleasing to God in every way. He was showing us what the new humanity looks like.

Jesus is the perfect image of God (Col. 1.15; Heb. 1.3; 2 Cor. 4.4-6). The Son of God has always shared perfect unity with God the Father, but Jesus perfectly imaged God as a man on earth. This was the necessary ingredient for the redemption of humanity. For humanity to be redeemed there had to be a man who perfectly imaged God on earth. The Son of God could not have redeemed us by remaining in heaven. The new federal head had to be a human being to redeem human beings. As much as we need to stress the deity of Christ, we must not let go of His humanity. It was His humanity that redeemed us. The Word becoming flesh is the point of redemption. So, now there is on record a man who perfectly imaged God on earth. This accomplishment paved the way for the creation of a new, redeemed humanity.

The New Humanity

The Church is the New Humanity. (We are using the term “Church” here in the broadest possible meaning; the Church is not just a local congregation meeting together for worship, but all those who are in Christ.) All those who are in Christ, or who stand in solidarity with Christ rather than with Adam, are members of the New Humanity. People who are in Christ have made a critical transition from being under Adam’s federal headship to being under Christ’s federal headship. In the world today there are two humanities: one that belongs to Adam and one that belongs to Christ. One is fallen and one is being redeemed. Adam’s humanity is doomed to die. Christ’s humanity is destined for eternal life. The only humans who have hope for a future are those under Christ’s federal headship. Everyone in Adam is obsolete and destined for the eternal scrapheap. At some point, we must resign from Adam’s headship and join ourselves to Christ. This transition from likeness to Adam to likeness to Christ is what redemption/salvation is all about.

Christ is only the first of a new humanity. We shall bear His image (Rom. 8.29; 1 Cor. 15.49; Heb. 2.10-11; 1 Jn. 3.2). God’s goal in redemption is to make millions and millions of copies of His Son. This is really the whole goal of Christianity. Everything that we do is to contribute to that goal. All the religious activities and denominational structures in the world mean absolutely nothing unless people are being made more like Christ. That is God’s purpose and there can be no deviation from it. All those in Christ will be like Christ and nothing in this world can stop that from happening. There is no possibility that God’s plan of redemption might fail. That train has already left the station and the destination is certain. The Church’s business is to assist or partner with God in the process of making more and more people more and more like Jesus. The whole plan of redemption has now been revealed. We know what God is up to and we can either get on board or be left at the station.

God is redeeming a body of people who will bear the image of His Son. Christianity is not individualistic. We image God together. There is no way that each of us can individually reflect the Divine image. It will take a community to do that. This is a difficult lesson for those so influenced by Western Individualism. We are taught from a very early age that we must be individuals and that everything we need is within ourselves. This way of thinking is contrary to the Gospel. We need to belong to a community to be complete individuals. God’s original plan for humanity was to be a community and this is also true of the redeemed humanity.

It is a serious mistake that reflects a misunderstanding of the Gospel for people who claim to be Christians who remove themselves from the community of believers. Obviously, the Church in the world has not yet been perfected. But human failures do not negate the Divine purpose. The fact that we are still in a state of imperfection means we need a community to help us address those imperfections and weaknesses. And we must also still face the hostility of the unredeemed world. Christians are people being redeemed out of a world that remains hostile to God. We live in a state of warfare and the New Testament often uses military metaphors to describe the Christian life. “We must struggle together in discerning how to respond as authentic Christians to the secular culture in which we live – this culture with its deeply ingrained, often distorting effects on human life” (Walsh & Middleton).

We need community because we are still growing in His likeness (Eph. 4.13). Christian community facilitates growth. The whole point of the Christian life is to grow up into Christlikeness, which is a process that never stops while we are still in this world. God has given us several concrete ways to grow in Christ. The spiritual disciplines of fellowship, worship, Scripture, and service are ways that we can actively pursue likeness to Christ. Christians are not going to perfectly reflect the image of Christ, at least not yet. But there should be growth in a certain direction. Often this growth seems slow and accompanied by many setbacks as the flesh or the old man still hinders us. Sanctification is a process by which the old ways are put to death and a new kind of life takes the wheel. There will be times of failure and sin. But when we do fail, we confess our sins and we continue working on conforming our lives to Christ. This is not legalism. We are not earning salvation we are working out the practical implications of our salvation. The legalist works out of fear of punishment. The believer in Christ works out of love for Christ and a desire to be like Him. There is no better witness to the world than a community of people who are striving together to be more like Christ. Of course, the world hated Christ and it will also hate those who are like Christ. But the ministry of the Church is to image Christ in the world. All we have to offer is Christ. If we image Christ, then those who want Christ will see His likeness in believers and be drawn to Christ.

The Power of the Spirit

Christianity is not moralism. There is a real, spiritual presence and power that is actively transforming believers into the image of Christ. When Jesus was preparing to give His life on the cross, He prepared His disciples to be without His physical presence. Jesus was going to give His life, rise from the dead, and then return to be with the Father in Heaven. But the disciples were not going to be left alone. Jesus was going to send another helper from heaven to be with the believers. That Divine Helper was the Holy Spirit who came to the Church on the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost was a significant stage in redemptive history. The gift of the indwelling Spirit had not been offered under the Old Covenant. But in the New Covenant, which was put into effect when Jesus died, the Holy Spirit is now given to all believers (Acts 2.17-18; 38). 

In some mysterious way, the Holy Spirit dwells in us and is with us always. He is the source of power for the Christian life. The Christian's life is lived in the power of the Spirit like a sailboat is made to move by positioning its sails to catch the wind. The New Covenant is marked by a transformation by the Spirit (Jer. 31.33; 2 Cor. 3.8-9, 18). We are not left to try to reform our own lives. While our participation is certainly required, it is the power of the Spirit that makes us new and facilitates growth in Christlikeness. The Law was only an external demand to change our behavior. The Spirit is a transformational power. It is the Spirit that creates the New Man after the likeness of Christ (Eph. 4.24; Col. 3.10). It becomes the believer’s responsibility to live constantly under the influence of this new man rather than the old man of sin. When we need help understanding how to please God in every situation and every aspect of life, it is the Spirit who gives wisdom for our living (Eph. 1.17; Col. 1.9-10). Of course, we have the Scriptures to give us wisdom and guidance. But the Scripture usually gives us principles rather than specific instructions for every life-situation. That is why we need the Spirit as well as the guidance of the Scriptures. The Spirit will always work in harmony with the Scriptures to light our path in the darkness of this present, evil world. 

Finally, we know that there is much more about redemption to come. It is the Spirit that is the pledge of the future inheritance (2 Cor. 1.22; 5.5; Eph. 1.13; 4.30). In other words, the work of the Spirit in our lives now is just the beginning or a little foretaste of future glory. The process of redemption begins in this world. But when we see Jesus, we will be like Him completely and the plan of redemption will be finished. When all of God’s people stand before Him transformed into the image of Christ, that will be what the New Testament calls “glory.” That eternal “weight of glory” is the goal of redemption that all of God’s people are looking forward to with hope and eager anticipation.

Developing a Christian Worldview: Transformed by Redemption (Part 1)

The second component of the Christian worldview is acknowledging the Fall. God’s good creation was soon subjected to sin and all its effects. There is no part of creation that was left unsullied by sin. And if the story ended there then there would be a reason for despair. But the Biblical story does not end there. The Bible, and therefore the Biblical worldview, offers hope while still being realistic about the human condition. God has overcome sin and all its consequences. The answer to the human condition is not something devised by mankind. Our only hope was for someone to come from heaven to earth to redeem God’s fallen creation. This great redemption has been accomplished in Christ, is now being proclaimed in the Gospel, and will be consummated in the future when Christ returns to renew the earth.

Perhaps the most important lesson to learn about God’s redemption is that it is cosmic in scope. God is going to restore the whole of creation, not just some part of it, and not just the souls of men and women. Redemption means a return to an original state of goodness and wholeness that existed before the Fall. We are not talking about replacing the creation but renewing it.

Redemptive History Unfolds

The account of the Fall gives the first clue to God’s redemptive purpose (See Gen. 3.15). The promise was given by God that Satan would be defeated by a human being who would eventually be born. The Bible identifies that person as Jesus Christ who was born of the Virgin Mary during the reign of Caesar Augustus in the little town of Bethlehem. In the person of Jesus, the God of creation would enter the fallen creation to redeem it. The story of the Bible is history, not philosophy or mythology.

But the Redeemer did not enter the world immediately after Adam and Eve had sinned. God prepared the world for the coming of His Son. This took many centuries and some important developments that give us the context for redemption. The Old Testament is the backstory to the coming of the Redeemer. God would form a new nation through whom the Redeemer would come. This special nation that God Himself created was the people of Israel. This special community began with the calling of a single man named Abram and a promise that God made to Him (Gen. 12.3). Israel became a nation while being enslaved in Egypt. God redeemed them from slavery and brought them into a land that He set aside for them. The redemption of Israel from slavery and their placement in a special land was all a picture of the cosmic redemption that was coming through Christ. The history of Israel is a long and difficult story that is filled with human failure. But through all of it, God never deserted the promises that He had made about redemption. Although there was a clue given in Eden about redemption, the promise God made to Abram is really the beginning of God’s plan and becomes the main storyline of the rest of the Bible. Jesus is both the seed of the woman promised in Eden and the seed of Abraham. Through Jesus, Satan would be defeated and the entire world blessed.

One of the ways to understand the unfolding of redemptive history is to look at the various covenants that God made. Redemption is covenantal because God never did anything without making a covenant. Many theological thinkers have said that understanding covenant is the key to understanding the entire Bible, and this may be true. God has always related to mankind and revealed His will through a covenant. Some theologians have taught that there is really a single covenant of redemption that began in Genesis 3.15 with the promise about the seed of the woman. However, this tends to downplay the important differences between the covenants that God made and the special role each covenant had in God’s plan of redemption. To be sure, there was always a single plan of redemption. But there were several different covenants within that single plan.

The covenant with creation was made after the Flood (See Gen. 8.2-9.17). In this covenant, God promises never to destroy the earth with another flood and the stage is set for the unfolding of redemptive history. The world will eventually end, but not with a catastrophic flood, and not before God has completed His plan of redemption.

The covenant with Abram (See Gen. 12.3) is arguably the most important covenant in Scripture. The same covenant promises were repeated to Isaac and then to Jacob. It should be noted that this promise provided for the formation of Israel, but the blessing that was promised would be cosmic and not limited to just Israel.

The covenant of the Law was made with Israel through Moses. This covenant involved the revelation of God’s Law to Israel and the statement of Israel’s special purpose as a holy nation. This covenant was neatly summarized by the commandments (See Deuteronomy 5).

God promised that He would one day make a new covenant that would replace the covenant of Law made at Mount Sinai (Jer. 31-31-34). This new covenant would be very different from the covenant of Law and would involve the recreation of the people’s hearts and minds. This new covenant is the fulfillment of the covenant promises that God made to Abraham (See Gal. 3) and was sealed by the blood of Christ; the final, cosmic sacrifice for sin.

The Meaning of Redemption

In Scripture, there are several words that teach us about God’s plan to restore His fallen creation. All these words imply a return to an original state of goodness and wholeness that had been lost (Al Wolters). For example, the word “redemption” literally means to buy and set free. A person who had once been free and was then enslaved could be redeemed and given freedom again.

There are several other words in scripture that describe God’s restoration of creation. Reconciliation means to make peace. Reconciliation is needed to restore a relationship that was interrupted by disharmony, alienation, and enmity. When the reason for the alienation is removed, the peace and fellowship are restored. Renewal means to make something new again that had fallen into disrepair and brokenness. The thing that is made new can then be used as it was intended in the first place. Salvation is a medical term that means to heal from sickness. A person who is ill receives treatment and is saved from the disease that resulted in pain, handicap, and eventual death. Regeneration means to bring life and utility where there was once death, corruption, and atrophy.

All these words describe was God is doing for His fallen Creation. He is making it new and whole again. He is not throwing it away and starting over but salvaging what has been wrecked. The restoration or redemption of creation began when Jesus came into the world and it will be finished when He returns. Just as God took many centuries to prepare the world for the coming of Christ the first time, there will be a gap of time between the beginning of redemption and the culmination of God’s recreation of the world. It is important to understand that redemption does not mean replacement or that something completely new and different is being introduced. Instead, we understand that “grace restores nature” (Al Wolters) and returns the world to what God intended it to be. This does not mean that we will return to the Garden of Eden. There is no doubt that the process of redemption will mean an upgrade and greater glory.

Through Christ God has already, at least in principle, reconciled all things to Himself (Col. 1.20). In other words, wherever sin has gone, redemption can go. Everything may now be redeemed and reconciled to God because Christ’s work has been complete and thorough. Christ has been victorious. There is no part of the world today where there is not at least the possibility of recovery from sin’s effects. Therefore, Christians are always hopeful about the world. We know what sin has done but we also know what Christ has done. The good news of Christ’s victory does not produce Christians who want to hide in a bunker or escape the world in a secret rapture. The “doom and gloom” mentality is produced by a limited view of Christ’s victory over sin and Satan.

The Coming of the Kingdom

“The restoration of creation and the coming of the Kingdom of God are the same” (Al Wolters). To be clear, the final victory of Christ is going to come only when He returns to earth from heaven. We do not want to have a view of redemption that leaves out our hope for the future and the completion of God’s plan of redemption. What we see is that the Kingdom of God is coming in two stages. The first stage was the coming of Christ into the world as a man to offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin and then to rise from the dead and ascend into heaven. The second stage is the coming of Christ from heaven back to earth where He will put away all remnants of evil and regenerate the earth itself. The Church exists in the now and the not yet of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom has come, but there is more to come. Let’s look at each stage in the coming of the Kingdom.

Stage One: Incarnation

The Kingdom could not come to earth until the King arrived. God had always reigned over the earth from His throne in Heaven. But now the Son of God was coming to earth to reclaim His disputed territory. The Gospel accounts are very much like a king who goes into a region that had experienced rebellion and disorder to reestablish his authority there and restore order. The kingdom comes when the king arrives on the scene. The incarnation is when the Son of God became a man and came into the world Himself to establish God’s Kingdom on earth.

Kingdom means authority. To be even more precise, a kingdom is what happens when a king exercises his authority. A kingdom is more than just a geographical area with boundaries, a kingdom is happening when there is a personal act of ruling by a sovereign who exercises authority. There must be more than just words for a kingdom to exist. There must also be a show of force and power. Jesus came to show that the Kingdom of God was coming to earth in power. The Kingdom of God coming to earth in Christ is “the central theme of the whole New Testament revelation” (Herman Ridderbos). The Kingdom is certainly the theme of the Gospels and the ministry of Jesus. Jesus was God’s chosen agent, or Christ, who was sent into the world to establish the Kingdom on earth as in heaven. The earthly ministry of Jesus is often overlooked in favor of the story of His birth and then His atoning death and resurrection. But it was Jesus’ earthly ministry that clearly demonstrated the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Not only did Jesus preach or announce the coming of the Kingdom of God He demonstrated this fact by performing all kinds of miraculous signs that pointed to the inbreaking of the Kingdom. All of Jesus’ miracles were samples of Kingdom power and the restoration of fallen creation. Jesus demonstrated Kingdom power over demons, diseases, natural elements, and even death itself. Wherever Jesus went the kingdom of God was proclaimed and then demonstrated.

After suffering, dying and being raised from the dead, Jesus then ascended into heaven where He has received all authority from God the Father. Christians are people who acknowledge the fact that Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth. The New Testament has much to say about Christ’s ascension into heaven. The Gospels record the physical ascension of Jesus after the resurrection. The rest of the New Testament unpacks the meaning of that event.

The book of Hebrews and the book of Revelation both have much to teach us about Jesus’ ascension and current reign in heaven. Hebrews teaches us that Jesus is our great High Priest who has gone back into heaven to be in the presence of God for us so that all the blessings and benefits of His atonement can be mediated to believers. The book of Revelation shows us that Christ is indeed reigning in Heaven over all the enemies of God who are now directing their evil fury at those who believe in and follow Christ on the earth. But all the efforts of the Dragon and his allies are brought to nothing and Jesus destroys all His enemies in the end while bringing His people safely into the New Creation.

The Bible teaches us that heaven and earth are now two separate realms. But it is helpful for us to think of the universe as a large, two-story house. The earth is the lower level. When Jesus ascended into heaven He just went upstairs. A more Biblical illustration is found in the structure of the Tabernacle and the Temple. Remember that there was a Holy Place and a Holy of Holies. There was a curtain separating those two rooms. When Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple was symbolically ripped apart to announce the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New. When Jesus went back into Heaven, He pierced the actual veil that separated heaven from earth. He is reigning there with the Father, interceding for the saints, until God makes all His enemies His footstool (See Psalm 2; 110; 1 Cor. 15.24-28).

Stage Two: Consummation

Not everyone was healed when Jesus was here on earth because the fullness of the Kingdom was not going to come immediately. There would be an interlude before the final restoration of all things. Jesus will return to consummate His Kingdom, put down all remaining enemies to His reign, and usher in the New Creation. Until He comes again, the two Ages overlap. The Old Order and the New Order of the Kingdom of God are both occupying the world. The creation itself is still subject to the Old Order of sin and death. There is still a rival Kingdom of Darkness that claims the world. It is no wonder the Church must be prepared for persecution and mistreatment in the world. And each individual Christian must wrestle with the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. This situation will not change until the Lord descends from heaven the second time. And we should not confuse the coming of the fullness of the Kingdom with anything other than the coming of Jesus, not even the Church. The Church is herself waiting for the Kingdom. The Church is not just another movement to make the world a better place. Jesus is coming to recreate the world, not make us comfortable in a fallen world.

There is a now and a not yet aspect to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom has come because Jesus has come. Yet, the people of God are still instructed to pray “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” A good illustration of this is seen in a little history lesson from the Second World War. When the Allies invaded the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, the war was all but over. As soon as the Allies established a beachhead there in France, it was the beginning of the end for the Third Reich. However, D-Day was only the beginning of the end of the war. There were many fierce battles to be fought as the Allied armies marched toward Germany. So, there was D-Day and then there was V-Day. Likewise, when Jesus came into the world, the Kingdom of God was coming to earth to establish a beachhead. Yet, the cosmic conflict between God’s Kingdom and Satan’s Kingdom rages on. We often see signs of the Kingdom of God advancing in the world. But we can also still see the counterattacks of the Kingdom of Darkness. The New Testament does not teach that the Kingdom of God will slowly grow and take over the world. Rather, the battle lines ebb and flow constantly. Sometimes the kingdom of God makes an advance. But then the Kingdom of Darkness launches a new attack. The only thing that will bring the war to a conclusion is the arrival of the King on the battlefield. The final book of the New Testament, the enigmatic book of Revelation, gives the outlines of this cosmic conflict and its conclusion. The first book of the Bible, Genesis, tells us about the fall of creation. The last book of the Bible shows us the redemption of creation.

We must remember that redemption does not just mean saving the souls of people for some ethereal, spiritual existence somewhere else in the universe. The idea that redemption means permanently leaving this earth to live in a kind of bloodless, bodiless existence in a completely spiritual, ethereal world is more akin to Greek mythology and philosophy than to Biblical revelation. Redemption means the rebirth of this planet where God’s redeemed people will live in His presence forever. Just as God’s people must be born again to enter the Kingdom, the whole creation is destined to be born again. Perhaps because of the lingering errors of dualism and Gnosticism, we tend to ignore what the New Testament is really saying about redemption. The people of God can look forward to having new, redeemed bodies for eternal life in the new, redeemed earth that is saturated with the presence of God. The earth itself will be purged from evil and all the effects of sin. There will be a cosmic renewal. The sin-sick world that we know now will pass away, but it will not be annihilated. It will pass through the fires of God’s judgment and be purged, just like the ancient world was purged by water (See 2 Peter 3). The true, eternal home of the people of God is not some far away, spiritual heaven, but a New Creation (See Rev. 21-22).