God’s creation reaches beyond imagination or comprehension. He called the universe into existence. He spoke; it happened. Light. Earth. Sky. Water. Land. Vegetation. Creatures. Sun, moon, stars. Humanity.
He created a garden in Eden and gave it to the man and woman to work it as a holy and sacred ministry. Paradise was born as the beautiful harmony of this world sang its chorus to the Almighty; God and humanity danced in tandem. God never claimed his creation was perfect. But as a smile broke across his face like the rising sun, he said, “It’s very good.” Grace at its easiest.
But good gave way to bad. Sin began destroying all the “good” God had accomplished. Pride. Jealousy. Anger. Murder. Revenge. Social injustice. The world wasn’t simply deflating slowly over time. Sin, not only entered the world (Rom. 15:12), but had exploded and the fallout was a falling from the greatest height of grace.
Humanity’s history is filled with the evidence of a fallen world. On the world stage, we see it at its worst. World War I’s Battle of Somme lasting over five months, has become known as the bloodiest battle in history. A combination of strategic missteps coupled with a compact battle field using unprecedented modern weaponry led to a million soldiers’ deaths (the irony is that many believed the modern weapons would shorten war, not lengthen it). Or what about ruthless dictators refusing to serve the people they lead. Instead, to keep control they inflict harsh living conditions and any dissenting voice is eliminated. Syrian ruler Bashar Assad used chemical weapons against both civilian and rebel populations, killing some 1500 people. Or when we see slavery’s racism, forced relocations and carrying out genocide, we are seeing a world not just deflated, but completely and utterly fallen.
On the personal stage we experience anger, hostility, lying, boasting, abuse, unfaithfulness, dehumanization, apathy, jealousy, hatred, lust and the list is endless. The worst is that we’ve perfected the art of justifying our sinful behavior and believe we’re saintly in our own sin.
But just as death entered the world through one man, life was restored through one man (Rom. 5:12-19).
Jesus’ resurrection reaches beyond imagination or comprehension. White robes. Fresh water. Past sins erased. Freedom’s walk. Guiltless. Death is supposed to be the final word. On that (Easter) Sunday morning sin lost its grip and death had no hold. Death was silenced. In the distant voice you can hear, “I am making all things new” (Rev. 21:5). New. Like God was creating at the beginning. Now God is recreating. New. Like a garden place where God and humanity share in tandem. New. Like a choral sound that actually sounded like a familiar tune with a new twist.
So God comes to us and sees that we’ve broken his world. Instead of shame, guilt and punishment, he says, “I’m working on a new world, and it will never deflate, break or fall (Rev. 21:1).
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)