11 Jun All things new

Posted at 19:13h in Culturally Engaged by

The restoration of all things. When you say it aloud, it seems big, grand, and unattainable. Instead of a banner to hold over the people of God, it more often feels like the disillusioned claim of a disconnected minority.

Anyone who is tuned in to this world can look around and see the many things that seem to be decaying. Politics, society, and even the family order seem to be heading downward. Restoration? It doesn’t seem likely.

And yet, this is the message of the Bible. God’s Word speaks a truth over our culture and our context that is much, much larger than what we can see. Throughout the message of the gospel, the themes of both spiritual reconciliation of individuals and the physical restoration of all creation can be traced. Colossians reminds us that through Christ all things will be reconciled to himself- that through the cross, Christ is making peace. The book of Revelation reminds us, too, that restoration is holistic. God is making all things new. (Rev. 21:5)

 

God’s Word speaks a truth over our culture and our context that is much, much larger than what we can see.

 

There’s a piece of this idea that we often overlook. As God’s people in a broken world, we aren’t allowed to sit back and shake our heads at the sin, terror, and slavery around us and hope that God gets busy fixing it. We are the agents of restoration. We, who have been given new life, who have become a part of Christ- we are the ones to carry out restoration in our world. Consider the words of Chuck Colson in How Now Shall We Live?:

“We are meant to proceed [from salvation] to the restoration of all God’s creation, which includes private and public virtue; individual and family life; education and community; work, politics, and law; science and medicine; literature, art and music. This redemptive goal permeates everything we do, for there is no invisible dividing line between sacred and secular. We are to bring “all things” under the lordship of Christ, in the home and the school, in the workshop and the corporate boardroom, on the movie screen and the concert stage, the in the city council and the legislative chamber.”

From the beginning of time, we have been carrying the responsibility of culture-making. In Genesis, mankind is given the command to fill and subdue the earth. The stewardship of this earth and the people on it has been given to man and, beyond that, to the people of God living in the world. We have not been placed here to simply live a quiet life; rather, we are the ones who are inventing and creating and redeeming in this world. For, in this way, we continue to reflect and glorify our Creator.

Because we are receivers of grace, we must become givers of justice and advocates for the vulnerable.

Does this mean we should be involved in social justice causes? Yes- not for the sake of trendiness, but rather because our God is a God of justice and we have the opportunity to represent Him to the watching world. Because we are receivers of grace, we must become givers of justice and advocates for the vulnerable.

Justice is a fixing of what is broken, a righting of that which is wrong. Yet bringing all things under the lordship of Christ means more than justice. As we help create and live in culture, we must do so with the restoration of all things in mind. In the workplace and in our homes, in relationships and in the public eye, we are called to be a light to a dark world. This means when we are planning our next work project, meeting with a client, or disciplining our child, we do it with the kingdom of God in mind. Our topics of conversation over lunch and our TV choices in the evening must come under the lordship of Christ.

“This is how Christianity is meant to function in society- not just as a private faith but as a creative force in culture. The inner life of faith must shape our actions out in the world. In every choice and decision we make…we either help build a life-giving, peace-loving ethos, or fan the flames of egoism and destruction. (Colson)”

May we choose to open our eyes to the opportunities and responsibilities around us. May God give us the strength to place everything under the lordship of Christ. Let’s pray for boldness, for awareness, and for the wisdom to be the restorers of our culture.
-Megan Gaminde