Turning The World Right-Side-Up
Remember way back in Genesis 1 when God created everything? Remember he started with light and proceeded
from there…waters divided, plants and trees, sun and moon and stars, fish and
birds, lions and tigers and bears, and finally His crowning creation, humankind? Remember what he said when he was done? He stepped back and took in the breadth of
all he had made and said, “Behold, it is very good.” Genesis 2 helps us catch a closer look at
what the actual creating looked like.
But then in chapter 3 tragedy hit.
Humankind messed up. We
questioned the “very good-ness” of God and it all broke. Everything God had made “very good,” the
world as it were, was turned upside-down.
God’s plan at that point, and certainly prior to, would be to do whatever it took to alert people to his ultimate reign; to establish his glory and fame as preeminent, and to redeem all that broke, most importantly his crowning creation humankind. Basically, he sought to turn the world back right-side-up.
In Genesis 12, God chose Abraham. “Go…I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” You see the strategy of God and how it ties into his plan to be famous and redeem what broke? “I will bless you…so that you will bless others” and the implication there is that, on the back side of it all, God will be more famous, what broke will be redeemed, and the world will be turned right-side-up again.
In Exodus 1-12, God again with a strategy… “These people I have chosen, you all in Egypt just watch. You’ll see my glory and fame. You’ll see my redemption first hand. You’ll see me turn my world right-side-up.” And of course, off went the Israelites through the Red Sea unharmed. But the world remained upside-down.
Long years of labor laws and regal regulations passed. Judges and Kings led the way…down. Pride among the people. Idolatry among the nations. Prophets declared God’s strategy once again.
The strategy intensified. Same plan…alert the people to His ultimate reign; be glorified, redeem the broken, turn the world right-side-up. But with the prevailing assumption among humankind that what God knew to be upside-down was actually right-side-up; that is, most people didn’t really see anything upside-down about the way things were going, well, the stakes went up. No more Judges or Kings or Prophets. Now it was time for God himself to come and establish his glory and fame, and redeem the broken. Curiously, he didn’t do it as we might have expected, had we been there. He chose the Gospel.
Jesus Christ, son of David, Son of God, came and died for the sin of humankind, was buried and was raised to new life. Oh, he was certainly glorified and his name was famous, and redemption was inaugurated. But the whole thing didn’t yet turn the world back right-side-up. No, along with His glory and fame, came the right now for those who would believe to actually and finally be able and empowered by the Spirit of Christ Jesus himself to make God famous and redeem that which is broken; to actually and finally be able and empowered to turn the world right-side-up.
Jesus said, “You now go and be salt and light.” Then again, basically the same thing stated in the form of a commission, “Go…make disciples…baptizing them…and teaching them…and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” And the early disciples did just that. We have a whole New Testament that testifies to it. Even Paul, as one who apparently felt abnormally born, worked to turn the world right-side-up…even though those looking on thought he was turning it upside-down (Acts 17:6).
…and now it is our turn.
God’s plan at that point, and certainly prior to, would be to do whatever it took to alert people to his ultimate reign; to establish his glory and fame as preeminent, and to redeem all that broke, most importantly his crowning creation humankind. Basically, he sought to turn the world back right-side-up.
In Genesis 12, God chose Abraham. “Go…I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” You see the strategy of God and how it ties into his plan to be famous and redeem what broke? “I will bless you…so that you will bless others” and the implication there is that, on the back side of it all, God will be more famous, what broke will be redeemed, and the world will be turned right-side-up again.
In Exodus 1-12, God again with a strategy… “These people I have chosen, you all in Egypt just watch. You’ll see my glory and fame. You’ll see my redemption first hand. You’ll see me turn my world right-side-up.” And of course, off went the Israelites through the Red Sea unharmed. But the world remained upside-down.
Long years of labor laws and regal regulations passed. Judges and Kings led the way…down. Pride among the people. Idolatry among the nations. Prophets declared God’s strategy once again.
·
Isaiah 60 – “Arise, shine, for your light has
come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory
will be seen upon you. And nations shall
come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” (vs. 1-3)
·
Ezekiel 36 – You’re gonna get a whole new heart,
one of flesh and not stone. You’re gonna
be able to walk according to my law without fault. You’re gonna make me famous and redeem the
earth. “Then the nations that are left
all around you shall know that I am the Lord; I have rebuilt the ruined places
and replanted that which was desolate. I
am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.” (vs. 36)
The strategy intensified. Same plan…alert the people to His ultimate reign; be glorified, redeem the broken, turn the world right-side-up. But with the prevailing assumption among humankind that what God knew to be upside-down was actually right-side-up; that is, most people didn’t really see anything upside-down about the way things were going, well, the stakes went up. No more Judges or Kings or Prophets. Now it was time for God himself to come and establish his glory and fame, and redeem the broken. Curiously, he didn’t do it as we might have expected, had we been there. He chose the Gospel.
Jesus Christ, son of David, Son of God, came and died for the sin of humankind, was buried and was raised to new life. Oh, he was certainly glorified and his name was famous, and redemption was inaugurated. But the whole thing didn’t yet turn the world back right-side-up. No, along with His glory and fame, came the right now for those who would believe to actually and finally be able and empowered by the Spirit of Christ Jesus himself to make God famous and redeem that which is broken; to actually and finally be able and empowered to turn the world right-side-up.
Jesus said, “You now go and be salt and light.” Then again, basically the same thing stated in the form of a commission, “Go…make disciples…baptizing them…and teaching them…and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” And the early disciples did just that. We have a whole New Testament that testifies to it. Even Paul, as one who apparently felt abnormally born, worked to turn the world right-side-up…even though those looking on thought he was turning it upside-down (Acts 17:6).
…and now it is our turn.
I'm interested in the doing part. Personal acts of grace and obedience are important, but there is also "necessarily the formation of a community, a public pattern of life that witnesses to the present dominion of the resurrected Lord of all." (C. Kavin Rowe -World Upside Down). Turning the world upside down has never been welcomed by the world, it is a dethroning of existing powers. Yet I wonder why I experience so little conflict with the world in my life or between the world and my faith community. Should I assume that my American world is already right side up as it should be, or that I/we are not adequately bearing witness to the present dominion of the resurrected Lord of all?
ReplyDeleteJeff,
DeleteKeep your eye on the "Toward A Biblical Theology of Show and Tell" posts. That may move toward what you are querying here. Another thing I have been considering more lately is my particular view of sin. Curiously, I think my view of sin and related persecution is involved in this issue of my experience of conflict with the world in my life. I wonder if we hold a low view of sin. I wonder if we abhor it appropriately. And if we did, if that would generate a conflict with the world such that finally we become either a stench or a fragrance.