My friend Bob made a
great observation about a recent post of mine...
... the one where I pointed out that one of the main reasons we don't hear much about the dominion mandate is that ruling and cultivating the world for Him takes responsibility...
... and as sons and daughters of Adam taking this kind of responsibility is something we'd prefer to
avoid.
Well, Bob pointed out another reason worth passing on...
He noted that for generations what we've heard about the gospel has been almost exclusively about individual, personal salvation...
... with little attention given to the larger picture of God's heart for redeeming the
whole world.
This is exactly right.
Yes, individual, personal salvation is crucial... but it's just the starting point.
Because the purpose of redemption is about more than saving souls so they can go to heaven when they die...
It's about bringing God's new creation to the
world... and having His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven... all through the transforming power of the gospel.
And this is something we're blessed to be a part of as we fulfill the callings He's given us in the here and now!
Theologian and author N.T. Wright summed it up well when he
wrote:
"Jesus's resurrection is the beginning of God's new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven."