Ephesians 2.8-10
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
We must understand the Christian faith in the context of God’s purpose. Salvation is not the goal of the Christian life; it is merely the beginning of it. God did not save us just to save us. He saved us for a purpose.
God created us for his kingdom. He put mankind on planet earth to live and work in relationship to him, and to reflect his character and represent his loving rule. However, because of Adam’s transgression in the garden, God’s purpose for man was disrupted. Death means moral and relational separation, and it means the distortion of our true nature.
It is helpful to see the big picture of how the kingdom plays a central role in God’s purpose and plan. The chart below provides a strategic view of the kingdom of God. Remember: Jesus did not bring the kingdom to save us; rather, he saved us so that we can serve the kingdom.
Creation… the Kingdom Established
God’s plan was to establish His kingdom on planet earth by living in and ruling through man. God created man in His image and gave man dominion over the earth. God created man to live and work on earth in a way that reflects his character and represents his rule. We were created to be earthly agents of God’s kingdom. Our ability to have dominion and represent God’s kingdom (what we do) is dependent on the presence of his image and life in us (who we are).
The Fall… the Kingdom Rejected and Life Lost
Satan deceived Adam and Eve, and they rebelled against God’s authority. Man chose self-rule. Therefore, man’s relationship with God was broken, and man moved from a condition of life to a condition of death. The image of God in man was distorted. The distortion of the image of God in man resulted in the distortion of the rule of God through man. Man continued to have dominion over the planet, but his actions were now directed by a broken character. Man no longer reflected God’s character and no longer represented God’s kingdom. Life was out of focus.
Redemption… the Kingdom Re-established and Life Restored
The good news is that God loves us and has sent Jesus Christ to redeem us and restore His life in us. When we repent of our sin and receive forgiveness in Christ, we are regenerated. We are moved from a condition of death to a condition of new life. In Christ, we get back the life that was lost at the fall. Through Jesus Christ life is brought back into focus.
Transformation… Kingdom Lived
Redemption in Christ means that we are delivered from the bondage of Satan’s kingdom and transferred to the forgiveness and freedom of God’s kingdom. When we are saved, the rule of God is re-established in us and through us. God returns us to the place for which He created us: bearers of his image and agents of his kingdom. God does something for us in order to do something in us in order to do something through us. Therefore, it is very important that Christians live and work in a way that reflects the love and lordship of Jesus. We are agents of his Kingdom. We are agents of transformation.
It is important to recognize that we have been saved and then called to be agents of the Kingdom in the midst of the present evil age … in the midst of Satan’s kingdom. Therefore, we are engaged in a battle, a cosmic struggle. We are embroiled in a war between the two kingdoms. God will bring full restoration at the Second Coming of Jesus, but between now and then, God has called the followers of Christ—individually and collectively as the Church—to be ambassadors of God’s redeeming and restoring grace in the midst of a broken world.
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1.13-14)
