Over the last couple of weeks I have defined culture and related the implications of the Fall upon culture through the disobedience of Adam. Serving as sin’s gatekeeper, Adam’s defiance opened the door for sin which has flooded the earth and entered into the heart of every man, woman, and child, and, even subjugated the entirety of creation itself to its evil throes.
Although this is the case, we discovered that the presence of sin did not abolish cultural activities or mankind’s cultural urges. However, what sin did do is distort all of humanity, creation, and, consequently, every cultural activity that proceeds from mankind.
What we are about to discover is that God not only reconciled His chosen back to Himself, but the redemptive work of Jesus Christ restores all of creation, including cultural activities!
Colossians 1.19-20
From these two verses we read, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (italics mine).
What stands out in these verses is this simple point: Christ not only reconciles people to God through faith in Him, He also reconciles creation itself.
Many have taken theses verses to refer directly to Christ’s saving work on behalf of humanity, since the word reconcile (Greek: apokatallasso) is used solely in terms of Christ reconciling people to God.
The following will serve as a brief reason why this is not the case at all.
What does it mean to reconcile?
The English verb, reconcile (Greek: apokatallasso), is derived from a combination of two words: re – again, and conciliate – make friendly. So, when you combine the two together you get “to make friendly again.” In other words, reconcile carries with it the idea of people being on friendly terms again after a dispute or estrangement.
Even though the verb reconcile/reconciliation – as found in the Greek – is used in relationship to humanity being reconciled to God in a salvific sense (Colossians 1.22; Ephesians 2.16; also see Romans 5.10; 1 Corinthians 7.11; 2 Corinthians 5.18-20), this does not mean that the meaning of word is restricted to the salvation of men and women alone.
Then who, or what, can be reconciled?
The context of Colossians 1.20 makes it poignantly clear that Christ redemptive work on the cross is not only applicable to mankind, but to all of creation. “The ‘all things’ of verse 20 occurs five other times in the context,” begins Douglas Moo, “and in each case the referent is the created universe.”
He goes on to say, “And, of course, in this context, Paul goes on to specify that the scope of ‘all things’ includes things on earth or things in heaven. The neuter form (Greek ta…ta) and the parallelism with verse 16 make clear that all created things are included” (The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, pgs. 134-135).
The scope of redemption is as great as the scope of the Fall and the effects of sin: it embraces humanity, creation, and cultural activities (Albert Wolters, Creation Regained, pg. 72).
As I said in my previous post, the effects of sin have permeated the entirety of God’s good creation and have caused it to be estranged from Him, to the point that it is groaning for restoration (Romans 8.20-22).
So, just like mankind, the reconciliation of creation has not yet occurred in the fullest sense, restoring everything to their original state before the Fall. No need to worry. The reconciliation of those for whom Christ died and everything in the world will be culminated in His return and completely made right again with God (Isaiah 52.6-10; 65.13, 17; 2 Peter 3.12-13; 1 John 3.2; Revelation 21.1-8, 22).
Since I’m writing in particularly about cultural activities, I would like for you to see the tremendous implications that Christ’ redemptive act has upon cultural activities themselves.
Practical Implications
Time, nor space, will allow me to address the scope of these implications, but the following will serve as a sufficient example:
Marriage should not be avoided by Christians, but sanctified. Emotions should not be repressed, but purified. Sexuality is not simply to be shunned, but redeemed. Politics should not be declared off-limits, but reformed. Art ought not to be pronounced worldly, but claimed for Christ. Business must no longer be relegated to the secular world, but must be made to conform again to God-honoring standards (ibid., 71).
Your involvement within cultural activities is not to be shunned, minimized as unimportant, or lived apart from Christ’ rule over them (Unless these activities are in direct violation to God’s Law). Your role within cultural activities is as vital as a Pastors role in the local church.
This is why Wolters went on to say that the distortion created by sin in creation and culture needs to be opposed everywhere:
In the kitchen and the bedroom, in city councils and corporate boardrooms, on the stage and on the air, in the classroom and in the workshop (ibid., 73).
The work of a creation and cultural reconciler is not left to the paid professionals. This work involves every man, woman, and child that considers themselves to be a Christian. The Gospel creates new people (2 Corinthians 5.17) and its demands encompass all of life, not just Sunday morning (Matthew 28.18-20).
As Christians we play a pivotal role – right here and right now – in directing every cultural activity in submission and obedience to God.
With this in mind, let us briefly look at life as a reconciler.
Living as a Reconciler
In 2 Corinthians 5.18 we are told that, “God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” Although the context of this passage speaks of our role in sharing the Gospel with others and encouraging them to be reconciled to God, I believe that based upon the implications of Colossians 1.20 that we too are to serve as reconcilers of God’s creation.
First off, don’t think that I mean creation or cultural activities need to be saved, or that a new society can be perfectly recreated. This is not the case at all.
What I am saying is this: creation and culture are to be subjected to God’s sovereign rule, commands, desires, and values. Jesus Christ lays claim to it all (Ephesians 1.20-21). Speaking on this same accord, Abraham Kuyper remarked, “There is not one square inch of the entire creation about which Jesus Christ does not cry out, ‘This is mine! This belongs to me!’”
Practically speaking, there are two general ways that we are to live our lives as reconcilers: cultural creators and cultural redeemers.
Cultural Creators
Since God’s original command to create culture was not abrogated by the Fall, these activities are to continue today. From starting and raising Godly families, to beginning new businesses, making new art, planting new churches, schools, hospitals, and conducting new scientific research. As Christians we are called to continue God’s command creating culture (I hope that you don’t take this as creating a Christian sub-culture, alone).
Cultural Redeemers
Not only are we to create culture, but we are to redeem culture as well, beginning where we find ourselves today. We see this no clearer than in 1 Corinthians 7.17-24:
Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches…Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called…So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.
Whatever cultural activity you find yourself in when called of God to believe in Jesus Christ as your savior, it is in this position that you are to remain. The position that you find yourself in is the very position that God has assigned and called you to fulfill. From this passage above, it is quite clear that God has a purpose for you where you are at and not some undisclosed point in the future.
So, are you an actor, actress, artist, businessman or woman, comedian, educator, farmer, journalist, musician, politician, trash collector, or trucker? If so, this is where the LORD has assigned and called you to serve and it is in this capacity that the LORD has asked for you to remain – not indefinitely – to serve as a cultural redeemer.
As I’ve said earlier, this is accomplished by directing everything in submission and obedience to God. Does the business you are associated with honor God, or do they look to exploit customers? Do your comedic routines exalt God and encourage others, or are they filled with mockery? Is your educational philosophy built upon humanism and evolution, or does it derive from a Christian worldview?
At this point, it’s important to reiterate a quote from my previous posttaken from Albert Wolters, “To the degree that these realities fail to live up to God’s creational design for them, they are misdirected, abnormal, or distorted” (pg. 59). In whatever way that cultural activities do fail to live up to God’s designs, they need to be directed towards this end once again, not further away by abandoning our role and responsibilities.
The main point that I’m trying to make is this, many people live under the guise that certain activities – such as those listed above – are somehow non-important and to be avoided. This is not the case at all. Moreover, due to prevailing cultural influences, the role of Christianity in shaping the culture is being pushed to the sideline, demonized as evil in some cases, mocked by many, and abandoned in large part by the church.
I hope that over the last three weeks you have seen that all forms of culture were not done away with in the Fall, but rather distorted by the entrance of sin. It is for this reason that Christ needed to reconcile creation and culture itself to its original and good purpose. If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, this is the work that He has called you to carry out upon His behalf.
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