This past week I walked into a local bookstore and picked up The Next Christians, by Gabe Lyons. Author of the well-known book unchristian, a look into the increasingly negative outlook Americans have held towards Christianity, Lyons addresses this problem in his "sequel" The Next Christians. Its tagline is all but subtle, and reads, "The good news about the end of Christian America." If you're looking for a complete book review, than I'm sorry, I hate to disappoint, but I'm only four chapters in. I do, however, wish to share and explain in my own words what I believe is an incredible observation Lyons makes in chapter four, entitled "Relearning Restoration."
If you've encountered the Gospel in the past, whether in the church or beyond the church doors, odds are that most presentations follow a 3 step pattern:
1. All men (including yourself) are sinners, and are therefore unable to be right with God on their own.
2. God came to earth and died a sinless death so that you might be made right with God.
3. If you accept Christ, you will be made right with God, able to live forever in heaven with Him.
Creation... The "Real" First Step
To start with the fact that humankind is fallen and sinful is to leave out an INCREDIBLE amount of relevant truth that sets the foundation for the Gospel message. Lyons claims that starting with the fall "not only begins with a judgmental tone but also seems to miss some element of truth postmodern seekers have experienced - namely the human compulsion to do good." Indeed mankind is currently fallen, but our message makes no sense until we share the original intended purpose for mankind, as perfect creations of the Creator, made in His image, to glorify Him and watch over what He had made. God is not simply having compassion on those little humans who have always been hopeless, but He is giving "another chance" in His glorious mercy, offering life to those who had it, but chose death.
Restoration... "So I'm Saved, Now What?"
Just as the first "step" of the Gospel is often ignored, it seems that we often jump to the last step, forgetting completely what happens in between salvation and consummation (our eternal life in heaven). In my observation, countless songs and messages in Christian history have expressed this gap, in the honest attitude of anticipating "glory." Paul's words, "To die is gain," serve as a motto among those who look directly to the final judgment after salvation has occurred.
But what if Christ also saved us to something, not just from something? Indeed, Paul says "to live is Christ!" Life on this earth as children of God is not meaningless! Paul tells us that we are not simply saved to a life in heaven, but we are saved to good works! Within the event of salvation comes the beautiful process of restoration. Every day we are being sanctified, that is being made holy, advancing God's kingdom on earth. Jesus' prayer was that God's work be done "on earth, as it is in Heaven." This restoration occurs by following in those good works that Paul speaks of, the ones that have been ordained for us to do.
Let me end with this illustration. To simply long for heaven and curse the suffering of the world is to leave the scene of a shipwreck in an empty lifeboat. You've been fortunate enough to find an empty lifeboat in the midst of the carnage, as others can do nothing but yell and flail about, searching for anything that might possibly keep them afloat. The wind is bitter cold, the rain is pounding, so you cling to your salvation, and curl up to wait out the storm, not aware that there is work to be done all around you. Many souls are hanging in the balance, and many seats in the lifeboat that have yet to be filled.
Proposal.
I hope the exploration of these often neglected elements of God's Gospel message are inspiring, encouraging, and motivating in your own walk with God. Remembering creation as the foundation reveals beautiful truths about God's plan and purpose for His creation, and reminds us of the glorious way we came into being. Recognizing God's process of renewal within us enables us to witness God's plan being accomplished every single day we live. The Gospel is not merely concerned with what Christ did, and what God will later do, but also what God is doing this very day in all of us. I propose we not only take a hold of this ourselves, but let it characterize how we spread the Gospel in our lives, through both word and deed.
Brian
The comment about Creation is really important to emphasize because so often we forget about it. Total Depravity (which we encountered at the Fall) doesn't mean that we are as bad as we could be; it means that every dimension of our lives is tainted by sin. Thus, our relationships with God, self, others, and creation is broken.
ReplyDeleteThus, at 9/11, we saw a glimpse into both worlds. We saw the horrible evil that man can do & we saw the very best in people (those who sacrificed their lives to save others). This is entirely appropriate to suggest, in light of both the Fall and Creation.
Have you ever encountered Chris Wright's model of Creation-Fall-Redemption-Consummation? It is such a great model, which takes all of Scripture into consideration when describing our life as Christians.