The Case for Kingdom Theology (Part 6)

The Case for Kingdom Theology 

(Part 5) –OR– The Miraculous Redemption of Creation.

The miraculous redemption of creation is a statement that can raise a few eyebrows. This is not some kind of new age theology or something like that. It simply means that from the beginning, all that God created, God called good. Then God put humans in place to rule and reign over creation. With that in mind, what was lost in the fall was not just human innocence, health, and freedom but the innocence, health, and freedom of all creation. Consider that human sin brought death to creation, because human sin was more than just two people’s private fall. Adam and Eve were rulers over the earth, and their sin was an abdication of the right to rule over God’s creation. Consider the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8.19-24a

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.

Reflect on those words, “… the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” All of creation is waiting to be set free, all of creation is longing, all of creation has been subjected to futility and is waiting just as the human soul longs for redemption. Therefore, creation also waits for that day when humanity will be redeemed, not just in the Spirit, but in the flesh. 

If the “green thing” and all the political stuff that goes with it bothers you, don’t let that keep you from getting this point. Simply read, all of creation awaits that great day, when all is revealed, and our bodies are redeemed. It is a beautiful picture of God’s restorative power, of his ability to redeem anything and everything that he has made and called good.  It is also a powerful reminder to every believer that sin is not a private, personal issue.  

Looking from a Kingdom perspective at the issue of redemption, keep in mind that throughout the Old Testament leadership was always held to a higher standard. Every prince, king, priest, or ruler of God’s people was held to a higher standard. Even their offerings were more costly. Looking at the collateral damage surrounding the fall and redemption of humanity, Adam and Eve’s actions are far reaching because they were the de facto rulers of creation.  Thus the far reaching effects of redemption include the restoration of everything damaged by their sin. (The implications of this for harmitology are huge.) 

Thus, the kingdom perspective on redemption is not limited to the redemption of humanity, especially as central as it is to the biblical narrative, but rather a more grand restoration of all God’s creation with humanity as the crown jewel. However, this more grand and inclusive kingdom perspective does beg questions about human stewardship of the earth like creation care, the treatment of animals, etc. As well, such a perspective also challenges the notion that it is acceptable to consume the earth because you think its all going to burn anyhow (2 Peter 3.10). That’s not just bad hermeneutics, but from this perspective, it’s bad theology. These points obviously need more in-depth development to address all the issues. 

The Case for Kingdom Theology (Part 5)

The Case for Kingdom Theology (Part 5)–OR–The glorious redemption of humanity 

At the core of the gospel is not only the restoration of God’s rule & reign but also the redemption of humanity.  It is this two-fold understanding of the gospel pulls the entire biblical narrative together. Without the fall of humanity there would be no loss of God’s rule and reign over creation, and without God’s rule and reign there would be no means of redeeming humanity. 

Yet, some have suggested that the Apostle Paul’s focus on redemption is a different gospel from that of Jesus’ kingdom of God narrative in the gospels, but such a view looks at the pauline passages regarding redemption in isolation. 

In contrast, a more holistic view of redemption in the Bible begins with creation in Genesis 1. In the creation account of Genesis 1.11-25 each kind reproduces seed after its own kind, until we get to man (v. 26) made in the image of God. While never stated implicitly, the implication is that we are of his kind, and thus man is set over the garden to rule and reign over God’s creation (v. 28). Likewise, the fall is not simply one of sin and death but a change of humanity’s status. Adam and Eve are no longer are masters but those who are being mastered. So the fall of man was not just about a loss of relationship with God, but in change in status. This is further illustrated by the new striving between man and woman, that she would desire to rule over him but he would dominate her (Genesis 3.16). 

The fall is not unidimensional. Despite reductionist efforts to limit the fall to a need for forgiveness, the idea of restoration in the Bible includes the redemption of man’s relationship with God, but also with other human beings (male and female, slave and free) in Galatians 3.28 and with the earth and the beasts in it (Romans 8.19-24), which will be explored more in the next article. 

The central point for this post is that our redemption includes our ruling and reigning with God (2 Timothy 2.12; Revelation 2.26-27, 5.10, 21) and one cannot be separated from the other.  The scarlet thread of redemption that runs from Genesis through Revelation is also the thread of the kingdom. 

Inspired Revelation

“. . . then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” (Genesis 2.7)

One of the most notable differences between the creation account in Genesis 1.1-2.3 and Genesis 2.5-25 in that in the second creation account God uses the dust of the earth in the creation of man. Up to this point creation had been ‘ex nihilo’ meaning that God spoke it into existence out of nothing. In the creation of man God creates ‘ex partum’ he forms man out of that which is already created, out of the dust. Something else that God does different too is that God put his own breath into man. The symbolism is unmistakeable, man is god-breathed, the inspired revelation of God, about God. Inspiration is a word thrown around all too loosely these days, but it literally means the breath of God. When God said that he created man in his own image and likeness, he was already saying something about humanity’s unique status. So it should be of no surprise that we are uniquely the inspired revelation about God, that we uniquely reveal the character, heart, and nature of God in a way that nothing else in creation does. Even what we do has a way of making statements about God, even when those statements are wrong. For instance the classic, but poorly reasoned, cliche, “If God is so good how can there be so much evil in the world.”  My response to  my fellow image bearer is look in the mirror at yourself, as the jewel of creation, and ask yourself why do you do evil. When you figure that out, then you will know why there is evil in the world.

So then, as the inspired revelation of God, our lives either speak of God’s glory or our own fallen condition, either of which still point to God. Either because we are like him, or our lives declare our need for him.   But what else might our lives say about God?  If we continue through Genesis 2 we can read about our dominion over the earth and all the creatures within and we can certainly see how Psalm 82.6 might declare that as children of God we are like gods over the earth, and then we can look at our footprint on the earth and ask to what degree has God been glorified by our actions? Or not?  We can read about the creation of woman, the implied intimacy of that relationship and ask to what ends has marriage declared the glory of God? And to what ends have we proved that the justice of God and the final judgment been provoked by the way we have treated others created in God’s image?

What does it mean for you and I as human beings to be the inspired revelation of God? What does it mean that we get to make known who God is? What are the implications of that? What are the implications of living in a way that does not glorify God, in a way that makes false statements about who God is? What does your life, your actions, your words, your family connections, and the treatment of your animals, possessions and spouse tell the world about God?

We are the most beautiful reflection of God, when we are most human. We are least like God when we run on animal urges and selfishly use, consume, and abuse everything that God has given us here in his creation, from resources, to animals, to other human beings. Why not be a great revelation?