THE KINGDOM STORY Phyllis Crosby
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Session 1, Essay 1 THE KINGDOM STORY Phyllis Crosby To live faithfully as a follower of Christ, we 1:28: “God blessed them. And God said to must both think and love as a Christian. Tis them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fll the earth requires an understanding of the broader and subdue it and have dominion over the fsh biblical narrative and an ability to use the Bible of the sea and the birds of the heavens and over as an interpretive lens. every living thing that moves on the earth.’” Te overarching narrative of the Bible In Genesis 2:15, Adam is told to cultivate the is comprised of four “chapters”: Creation, Fall, land. Tough one of his responsibilities was to Redemption, and Consummation. Running develop and care for the garden, his work was to through these chapters are the Bible’s four basic extend beyond the garden to the whole created plotlines of humanity’s relationship with God, order. As image bearers of God, humanity was self, others, and the created order. Tis kingdom made to be sub-creators, to rule, to work, and to story provides a conceptual framework or an worship, continuing the creative process. interpretive lens through which the Christian While the word dominion is a bit archaic, can better understand and engage the world. the idea is very important for several themes in the biblical narrative, especially vocation. As image bearers, humanity was created for Creation: Te World As It Ought To Be leadership. Although we all lead in varying Read Genesis 1 and 2. degrees, we all have spheres of responsibility, God created and it was good. He created even if only for ourselves. humankind in His own image and it was very Dallas Willard describes this leadership: good. In Genesis 1 and 2, we fnd humankind “We are made to ‘have dominion’ within an in right relationship with God, with each other, appropriate domain of reality. Tis is the core within themselves, and with the created order. of the likeness or image of God in us and is the We also fnd humankind employed basis of the destiny for which we were formed. in meaningful work. Consider the frst job We are, all of us, never-ceasing spiritual beings description given to humankind in Genesis with unique eternal calling to count for good in 1 God’s great universe.”1 Our culture tends to have a God granted humanity the responsibility fragmented view of sin that keeps us from of being His representatives and stewards fully comprehending the efects of the Fall. in creation, fulflling His divine will. Tis is Sin is ofen viewed as either merely spiritual or meaningful work and an unbelievable privilege. merely systemic. Tose who tend to view sin as And this mandate, given before the Fall, merely spiritual identify sin primarily as guilt. indicates God’s original intent for the world and In this view sin is located in the human heart for human participation in it. and results in a broken relationship with God. While holding individuals accountable for their behavior, this view neglects the corruption The Fall: The World As It Often Is that was unleashed through sin in relational, Read Genesis 3. physical, social, and cultural areas of life. On the other hand, when one identifes Consider the havoc rendered by the Fall. Guilt sin primarily as corruption, one is in danger of and corruption entered the relationship between embracing a merely systemic view of sin. Tis is God and humanity. Innocence was replaced by when the corrosive aspect of sin is understood shame and fear. Genesis 3:9-10 says: “But the and located throughout creation, but especially LORD God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ in social structures. While taking social He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I injustice seriously, this view ofen fails to hold was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’” individuals responsible for sin. Next, blame replaces trust and exposes Guilt and corruption, the twin aspects the corrosion that was taking place in the hearts of sin, are essential to a proper understanding of Adam and Eve that resulted in interpersonal of the doctrine of sin. Embracing either guilt or brokenness between Adam and Eve. In Genesis corruption over the other results in a truncated 3: 12-13 we see that instead of trust there is view of the scope of the fall. blame: “Te man said, ‘Te woman you put Even though human relationship with here with me - she gave me some fruit from the God is broken, the mandate to subdue and rule tree, and I ate it.’ Ten the LORD God said to (take responsibility and lead) the created order the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ Te has not been rescinded; in fact, it was reissued woman said, ‘Te serpent deceived me, and I afer the food (Genesis 9:1-7). Our primary ate.’” job description, given in Genesis 1:28, remains Finally, creation itself is afected by the in place. However, now we live and work in a Fall; both the material earth and the immaterial world that has been marred by sin and there are structure of work sufer brokenness. In fact, opposing forces at work in creation. the corruption of sin touches every aspect of creation: “To Adam He said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree Redemption: The Way The World Can Be about which I commanded you, “You must not eat of it,” Cursed is the ground because of you; God created with purpose and He was not through painful toil you will eat of it all the days surprised or distracted from that purpose by of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles human sin. Foreseeing the Fall before creation, for you, and you will eat the plants of the feld. God planned for the redemption of His created By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food order. He is acting out this plan within the scope until you return to the ground, since from it you and confnes of history, progressively revealing were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will His saving grace. return’” (Genesis 3:17-19). Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection 2 are the central and pivotal events concerning diferent futures available to people. Trough God’s cosmic plan for redemption. Tis Christ, the kingdom of God and a new kind of redemption is touching every domain that has life within His kingdom have been made readily been corrupted by sin including the material and available to humanity. Te kingdom, which has immaterial creation. Along with the redeemed always existed, is now accessible. people of God, Christ’s redemption is for things Dallas Willard explains that the call to like art and industry, work, and leisure. repent because the kingdom of the heavens is Speaking about Jesus Christ and the at hand (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 10:7) “is a call for cosmic scope of redemption, Paul writes: us to reconsider how we have been approaching our life, in light of the fact that we now, in the He is the image of the invisible God, the presence of Jesus, have the option of living frstborn over all creation. For by him within the surrounding movements of God’s all things were created: things in heaven eternal purposes, of taking our life into his life.”2 and on earth, visible and invisible, How can one live within “the whether thrones or powers or rulers or surrounding movements of God’s eternal authorities; all things were created by purposes”? How does the Christian orient his or him and for him. He is before all things, her life to God’s redemptive work in the world? and in him all things hold together. And Tese are questions of lordship, played out He is the head of the body, the church; He within each person’s area of leadership. Proper is the beginning and the frstborn from leadership refects a benefcent life, lived under among the dead, so that in everything the lordship of Christ, bringing all that one He might have the supremacy. For God controls under His lordship. We are to express was pleased to have all his fullness dwell the image of God through our leadership by in him, and through him to reconcile to being sub-creators and cultivators. himself all things, whether things on Before the Fall, lordship was implicit; earth or things in heaven, by making everything that humanity controlled was peace through his blood, shed on the perfectly ordered in subjection to God. But cross [italics added]. Colossians 1:15-20. post-Fall, all spheres of human activity (e.g., vocational, societal, cultural, relational, Paul says that God’s plan for the fullness creational, personal, etc.) are corrupted of time is to unite all things in heaven and earth. and need to be restored. Each individual is Tese “all things” will not be destroyed but responsible to bring all that he or she controls healed and united in Christ: “In him we have back under the lordship of Christ. We align redemption through his blood, the forgiveness ourselves with God’s purposes of redemption, of our trespasses, according to the riches of his starting with self and working outward, by grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom exercising lordship-leadership. and insight making known to us the mystery of Acting for the purposes of redemption his will, according to his purpose, which He set or acting redemptively does not mean that forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, people redeem anything or anybody.