The Beauty of Salvation (5)
… having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. Ephesians 1.9, 10
Early in my Christian life I read a little book by J. B. Phillips entitled, Your God is Too Small. Phillips examined some of the typical views of God that existed in his day—Cosmic Cop, doting Grandfather-in-the-Sky, and a few others—and explained that if our God is any of those, then our God is too small.
The book is dated, but the idea is still at large. We must take care lest we find ourselves preaching and teaching a “too small” God, a God Who forgives and saves but is only able (or willing) to store up the best of His grace for the then and there. A God Who gives up on His original plan to have a creation that is “very good”, that reflects the perfection of His being and attributes through its combined and interlacing beauty, complexity, immensity, and bounty. A God Who became Man, Who was, by His life, death, and resurrection, only able to redeem the souls of His people, the rest of their culture and all creation condemned to the flames.
Yeah, those would be examples of a too small God. And if we’re preaching a too small God, we’re teaching a too small salvation as well.
David Bentley Hart’s take on the work of Jesus, and the salvation that entails, explains the teaching of Scripture concerning what the writer of Hebrews referred to as our “great salvation (2.3): “Christ affects a recapitulation, an ἀνακεφαλαίωσις, that refashions the human after its ancient beauty and thus restores it to the Father. As the Logos who is at once the very likeness of the Father and the true measure of creation, without contradiction, the Son is himself, in a sense, the ontological analogy between God and creation, the Word that comprises and permits endlessly many words, the infinite measure who allows all the measures and proportions of creation to speak of God, as instances of his glory…”
How are created things to speak of God and His glory? By what means are souls, people, cultures, societies, and creations to begin being restored to God? Or the beauty of language and literature? Of justice? Only through those who, being saved to such a great salvation are equipped to live it in every aspect, facet, and moment of their lives.
In short, we are short-changing the people of God unless our preaching and teaching fits them to seek the Kingdom of God and the restoration of the world in all our life and work.. We do not expect to recreate the original conditions that existed before the fall, but to remember them, to recall them, to recover a measure of them for the life of the world and, by so doing, to point ahead to the new and better and fully remade world that is to come.
A great salvation beckons everyday people to everyday greatness in every aspect of their lives. Is the God, and is this the salvation we are teaching?
Being disciples and making disciples
We cannot make disciples if we don’t know what we’re trying to achieve. How shall we think about disciples and discipleship, except as God presents these in His Word? This is Dr. Mike McQueen’s starting-point for disciple-making. Listen in to my conversations with Mike by clicking the tool bar or the link at the top of this issue of Pastor to Pastor.
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are considering the place of culture in the Kingdom economy. Our Read Moore podcast finishes up working through The Gospel of the Kingdom, looking for the true Gospel of the Lord. In our Crosfigell teaching letter, we begin a study of Coemgen of Glendalough. And in our Scriptorium column we begin unpacking the teaching of Paul in Ephesians 6. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
The Ailbe Bookstore: You can learn more about the Kingdom of God in our book, The Kingdom Turn. Order your copy here in book form or here as a free PDF. You can also order my new book of poems, Never Too Late, issued by Wipf and Stock’s Resources imprint. Click here.
Resources for Shepherds: Stuart Kellogg reviews The Ten Books That Screwed Up The World (And 5 That Didn’t Help); and A. D. Labuschagne reminds us to trust in God no matter what: “If there is one thing I have learnt from looking at the life of David it is that we all go through ups and downs – but God never fails.”
Coming in November: We will be offering a resource for measuring your church, in a wide variety of facets, against the church in the New Testament and the following couple of centuries. This resource is for anyone who wants to help their church realize its full potential as a sign and outpost of the Kingdom of God. This is part of our ReThinking Church Project. Watch this space for more news about this effort.
From the Celtic Revival
Coemgen (498-618)
Our twice-weekly teaching letter, Crosfigell, focuses on what we can learn from the period of the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800) and the saints who led the way in that great season of revival. Coemgen, or Kevin, of Glendalough was a reluctant leader:
One time when Coemgen was reciting his hours, he dropped his psalter into the lake; and great grief and vexation seized him. And the angel said to him: “Do not grieve,” said he. Afterwards an otter came to Coemgen bringing the psalter with him from the bottom of the lake, and not a line or letter was blotted. The angel told Coemgen to go to teach and preach the Word of God to the peoples, and not to hide himself any longer.
– Anonymous, Life of Brendan of Coemgen (I)
Anyone who loves the Word of God as Coemgen did must not hide his light under a bushel—or, as in Coemgen’s case, in a hillside cave between two lovely lakes. We shouldn’t need an angel to tell us to be faithful witnesses to Jesus and teachers of His Word.
Resources from the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800 AD)
Our bookstore includes a variety of free resources to help you understand and benefit from these great forgotten saints. Our book, The Celtic Revival: A Brief Introduction, provides an overview of the period, while Living to Rule gives us a look inside the disciplined life of Irish monks and missionaries. Theology of the Celtic Revival: Foundations, will ease your mind about any unorthodox views among the leaders of this movement. And our book, Lives of Irish Saints will introduce you to some of the less well-known men of that period. All these are free at our bookstore, and you can share them with everyone you like.
T. M. Moore
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
