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ReVision

Integration

Now we need to put it all together.

The Mind of Christ in His World: Part 1 (4)

And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised. Ecclesiastes 1.13

This burdensome task
Solomon was wise because he understood that everything on earth has its proper place in the divine scheme of things – “under the heavens” as he put it. Everything we see or hear, every experience and fact of creation, all of it has a place in the divine economy (Eccl. 3.1-8), and can reveal something about the glory and mind of God.

And God has put eternity in our hearts – the ability to peer through mere temporal reality into the eternal counsels of God – so that we can know Him and His world, using the mind of Christ, if only imperfectly (1 Cor. 2.16; Eccl. 3.11). If you have begun jotting down observations and associating those observations with how God uses such items of creation in Scripture, you’ll be doing the same kind of work Solomon did.

You’ll also probably discover that such work takes time, can be a little tedious, and doesn’t always yield the experience of God’s mind or glory that you’d hoped. Reading creation as a book of divine revelation is hard work – it’s a discipline, and we struggle with disciplines, simply because they are hard work.

But if we keep at it, we might learn, like Solomon, to understand the place of everything in our lives within the divine economy, and see our experience in the world as a means for knowing God and being renewed in His mind. But for this to occur, we’ll need to practice the third discipline of creational theology.

Be bold, but cautious
As we press ahead in our work of creational theology we need to integrate our observations with the Scriptural associations they suggest. That is, we need to reach some conclusions about what we’ve seen or learned. Here we will make bold to offer some concise statement concerning the glory of God which we have discerned in the things He has made and we have observed.

The activity of integration involves summarizing what we have observed in creation and know from the Scriptures, in our own words, so that we make a statement concerning what God has spoken to us about the things we have seen.

We will be bold but cautious here, bold because we’re making a statement about the glory of God or the mind of Christ which we have “read” in some aspect of the creation, and cautious because we understand all such statements are conditional only.

The conclusions we reach about God’s mind and glory, as we integrate our observations and associations, are not to be considered normative. That is, they are not true on the same level that Scripture is true. Rather, they express our heightened awareness of God, enhance or clarify our understanding of Him, deepen our experience of Him, and reflect on His presence with us in more personal and meaningful ways. While we expect everyone to read the same truth of God in His Word, we do not expect everyone to read the same truth as we do from His world.

But that does not mean that the truth we discern about God’s glory and mind in creation is not true or real. It is merely conditional, and not normative.

The world a battleground
Our world may, in many ways, seem out of sorts and wrong – not what God would want it to be. But we may reflect from such observations that “This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done…” The creation groans under the burden of human sin, and that condition of groaning can make it difficult for us to discern the glory of God in His world.

However, God is still bringing His redemptive work to bear on creation as we, His people, take up the good works for which He has redeemed us in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8.19-21; Eph. 2.10). By integrating your observations with Scriptural associations, you train yourself to respond to the “voice” of God as He speaks to you everywhere. That passing thunderstorm over the sun-burnt grass says, “I will never fail you nor forsake you; wait on Me, and do not despair.” The reliability of your office computer and the fruitful work it allows you to produce can speak of the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, Who never sleeps, and Who causes all our work to prosper in His Name.

Your growing sensitivity to the presence of God’s mind and glory in His creation may even lead you to some more conscious and deliberate, hands-on work of creation-keeping, as in gardening, or caring for your lawn, or becoming part of an environmental effort. You will find it difficult to say to yourself, with increasing specificity, “God is speaking to me in creation,” and not expect to take creation rather more seriously.

Once you have matched your observations with relevant Scripture, integrate them into a statement, prayerfully considered, carefully crafted, and boldly set forth, that will be for you a record of how the glory of God has come to your attention in your daily walk with and work for the Lord.

For reflection
1.  Why is it important to try to say something definitive about the observations we have made, and the ways we associate these with the revelation of God in Scripture?

2.  How might such works of integrating revelation in creation with revelation in Scripture serve as conversation-starters with people in your Personal Mission Field? How did Jesus use them?

3.  Make some statement about the observations and associations you have made thus far. What have you seen of God’s glory, or learned about the mind of Christ from the book of creation?

Next steps – Conversation: Share with a Christian friend the work you have done to this point, including your statement of integration about one of your observations. How does your friend respond?

T. M. Moore

This is part 6 of a multi-part series on the Christian mind. To download this week’s study as a free PDF, click here. To learn more about creational theology, order a copy of T. M.’s book, Consider the Lilies (click here).

Brush up on your Christian worldview, and stretch your mind to think about life and the world as Jesus does. Our free online course,
One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview, can provide the categories, terms, and framework for you to begin nurturing a more expansive Christian mind. For more information and to register, click here.

How’s your knowledge of the Bible, as to its primary themes, overall development, and Christ-centeredness? Order a copy of our workbook,
God’s Covenant, and spend 13 glorious weeks working your way through the whole of Scripture, examining key themes and tracing the development of God’s precious and very great promises (click here). Or sign up for our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, and discover the best ways of getting at, getting into, and getting with the Word of God. The course is free and online, and you can study at your own pace and depth. For more information or to register, click here.
The Lord uses your prayers and gifts to help us in this ministry. Add us to your regular prayer list, and seek the Lord concerning whether He would have you share with us. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the contribute buttonat the website, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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