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NOTES
When you walk outside at night to see the starry sky, to feel the grass under your feet, to hear the tree branches rustle in the wind . . . You’re experiencing glory. But don’t be fooled. You’re also experiencing agony.
Throughout the Bible, the writers create images of nature rejoicing and praising God. The trees clap their hands in gladness, the seas roar with thunderous applause to God, the mountains lift their voices in praise to their maker. Wonderful imagery. The world and our universe isn’t a god. The whales and rain and stars are not to be worshiped. But they are magical and majestic because they display the power and character of their creator. They inspire awe because they all point to the one, true God.
Yet, we also find other imagery that isn’t so happy. The apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8 wrote this, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons [or children] of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it. He 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.” So when you experience the majesty of creation, you’re not only hearing a tune of rapturous praise, but you’re also hearing a groaning ballad of hope, an agonizing waiting to be remade.
In this series, we’re contrasting heaven-aimed Christianity with new-creation Christianity. And if you hold the assumptions of heaven-aimed Christianity—that God intends to take Christians to heaven to be with him there forever—then it’s near impossible for you to make sense of a statement like this one. You have explain it away or, more likely, just pass right over without giving it much thought.
But here’s why this passage is important. It plainly means that the earth as we now experience it isn’t perfect, but it will be perfected by God in the future. Just as lust and pride and envy corrupt our souls, just as cancer and age destroy our bodies, the thorns and weeds, the hurricanes, the droughts, the blizzards, the heat waves—they all corrupt the earth. Now, Paul isn’t arguing for climate activism. He’s talking about issues that have been around since the fall of Adam, issues that can’t be fixed by anything other than a massive outworking of God’s power.
Paul is saying the earth will not always act as it does. It will be far more conducive to life and happiness than we can even imagine. That’s the hope and teaching of new creation Christianity. God will not wrap up the books on his creation project and file it away in the library of heaven. God will remake the earth according to Paul. But it won’t happen until Jesus-followers receive their new bodies. In other words, it won’t happen in this stage of history. It will occur in a future stage. For now, Jesus is remaking hearts, he’s restoring souls. And that work of restoration, displays his power to remake all things. That work of restoration seals his promise to remake those who follow him. Thank you for listening. I’m Aaron Massey.