Dear Cornerstone Family,
Last week in Sunday School, we considered how holding together the key biblical-theological categories of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration establishes proper expectations for and wise Christian engagement with culture.
We said, in short, because of the original goodness of creation, it’s right for us to have a deep love for, care of, and engagement with creation and culture, eagerly embracing all that accords with biblical Christianity. But because the fall is a pervasive reality, infiltrating every aspect of creation and culture, we must, at the same time, be wise, cautious, and even suspicious at times in our engagement with creation and culture, ready to reject all that is out of step with biblical Christianity.
Further, because the reality of redemption is afoot, we have confidence to labor for truth, beauty, and goodness (righteousness) in the world with the expectation that God will advance His kingdom and use our endeavors as He pleases. But because the final restoration/consummation is still in the future, we work with humility and hope knowing that Christ will return and make everything right, but we won’t see the complete removal of sin and its effects until that happens.
Now, I didn’t say this last week, but it needs to be said. If we hold these four biblical-theological truths and allow them to increasingly control our thinking and engagement, we are increasingly kept from the polls of naïve triumphalism and faithless cynicism. Let me unpack that.
Naïve triumphalism thinks, “If all Christians pull together and use their collective energies to make a difference for Christ in the world, we will win the culture.” Notice, this thought pattern is confident, knowing the power of the gospel and assurance of the coming (future) restoration, but it underestimates the reality of the fall and the power of sin in the world.
Faithless cynicism thinks, “Sin and corruption are such powerful forces in the world that no matter what we do things are never really going to change.” This thought pattern is humble, keenly aware of the reality of the fall, but it’s missing the power of the gospel to bring about the change God promises.
Both positions above fail to hold all four realities together. But if we hold the four realities together, we’re steadied with wisdom and equipped with love for engaging with the world. On the one hand, we’re humble, because we know we can’t make change happen or bring in the kingdom in our own strength, but on the other hand, we’re hopeful because we know God is redeeming the world and will one day bring everything to rights. Further, we have courage to act because we know God promises to use His people’s efforts to bring about change, but we’re simultaneously submissive and patient looking to God to work in his way and time to bring about the change He’s promised.
Today in Sunday School we’ll go a bit further discussing convictional kindness. In the next few weeks, we’ll explore the practice of speaking the truth in love, making a case for Christian civility. Come and join us as we learn how to bear witness for the gospel in a world at odds.
Your servant,
