Wednesday, July 22, 2009

our part now in the new creation

God in Jesus brings in the new creation, and this new creation is a remaking of the old creation in its entirety. Of course humans are at the pinnacle of creation, made in God's image, and in the Incarnation, God becoming human in the unique person of Jesus.

We humans in Jesus are both recipients and agents of this new creation in the world. God uses us in living out and proclaiming Jesus and the kingdom, in the good news that is brought, that Jesus in his death and resurrection is declared to be Lord over all, to begin to impact all things now. All enemies will by and by be put under Jesus' feet, ending with the last enemy, death.

I often wonder how this is worked out, and certainly at the heart of it is the conversion of others to Jesus. But all the works we in Jesus do, are meant by the Spirit to have God's stamp on them, the stamp and act of new creation. A work of God, yet we are involved in that work.

Any thoughts here that might help us?

7 comments:

Maalie said...

>Of course humans are at the pinnacle of creation

Ted, I'm afraid you will never get any biologist (even Francis Collins) to agree with that. All species, including Man, have been evolving for as long as each other. Every species is perfectly and acutely adapted to exploit the environment in which it lives.

There is no "pinnacle" of "creation", it is only our vanity which makes us want to believe that. That is seriously true. each species it in effect its own "pinnacle" of its own evolutionary lineage.

Halfmom said...

It is a rather daunting notion, isn't it, that what we do may have eternal significance? It should give us pause over our words and deeds both I think to ask, as the New Testament instructs, whether they are gold or wood, hay and stubble.

nAncY said...

i might be to tired to have many thoughts to give on this today. i see that maalie has been visiting here...hi maalie.

and hi sweet sue...

Love to you all.

Ted M. Gossard said...

Maalie,
I can buy what you say on a scientific level, although science does not necessarily tell the whole story. In fact I think it does not.

We have the book of general revelation which would include science's contribution, and the book of special revelation which is the Story of God and God's revelation to humans pointing us to Christ.

In this sphere one can make a reasonable argument from various spheres to say that humans have a special place. Indeed all things have their special place. The point is to determine what that is.

In and of ourselves, just as you say, we just do our best. We're lost and do what is right in our own estimations.

Ted M. Gossard said...

Halfmom, Susan,

Yes indeed. It ought to make us tremble, as Scripture tells us that we're to work out this salvation that is ours in Jesus with fear and trembling since it is God who works in us to will and do of his good pleasure. That's where the work of the Spirit comes in, but we must do it, albeit by the Spirit, just as Romans 8 tells us.

And I'm reminded of 1 Corinthians 13 which reminds us that all is indeed in vain if we do not act and speak out of love.

Ted M. Gossard said...

Thanks for stopping by again, nAncY. Your two new blogs are interesting!

:)

Kronos Tiro said...

Lovely bllog you have