2 Corinthians 3.17-18
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
To summarize, there are four great actions of God that describe the whole of his plan for planet earth.
- Creation
- Fall
- Redemption
- Transformation
A challenge that we face in our generation is that the church has emphasized #2 and #3, but has tended to neglect #1 and #4. The church has traditionally focused on the fall and redemption, but has largely ignored creation and transformation.
One of the consequences of this neglect is the absence of a focused strategy for engaging the culture, doing every-day work, and being agents of restoration. Not surprisingly, engaging the culture and being agents of transformation require hard work, whereas receiving redemption is mostly a matter of “faith.”
But when removed from the context of God’s whole plan, receiving redemption can become very self-oriented and out of alignment with what scripture teaches.
It is critically important to understand that the gospel is more than redemption. Creation and transformation are also essential elements of Christ’s work on earth, and they are a critical part of the gospel message. Being saved from sin is wonderful and important, but it is not the whole story. And we must be careful that we don’t tell a half-gospel. We must not be directed by a half-story. We must not follow an abridged version. We must be faithful to declare and live out the whole story of God’s plan for planet earth.
Christ’s death and resurrection not only save people from something, but also restore people to something. In Christ, God redeems us from sin, restores his image in us, and calls us to be agents of redemption and transformation in the world. Christ’s redemptive work is neither the end nor the goal of the Christian life. Rather, redemption is the beginning of our participation in God’s work of restoration and transformation first in our own lives, and then in the world.
Dallas Willard, in his book, The Divine Conspiracy, describes it this way: “History has brought us to the point where the Christian message is thought to be essentially concerned only with how to deal with sin: with wrongdoing or wrong-being and its effects. Life, our actual existence, is not included in what is now presented as the heart of the Christian message, or it is included only marginally.”
When we respond in faith and receive forgiveness through Jesus, we are given new life, and we are called to live out that new life in everything we do. Nothing is to be held back. No part of our life should go untouched by the transforming presence of Jesus.
Keep in mind that the Christian life is a process of life-long transformation. Spiritual maturity is the result of continuous development and growth. Some describe it as the process of spiritual formation, borrowing from Paul’s admonition to the Galatians: “My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” (Galatians 4.19)
Keep in mind also that the process of transformation is not only personal, but interpersonal and cultural, as well. The Lord calls us to grow personally, AND he calls us to be agents of transformation in our time and place in history. He calls us to be influencers, that is, agents of change, ambassadors, and difference-makers in the sphere of influence he has given to us.
“But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.” (2 Corinthians 10.13)
More tomorrow …
