Against The World, For The World!

Over the last few days I've been reading through unfashionable by Tullian. It's definitely an interesting read and it's aim is to communicate to the Christian that we are absolutely supposed to be in this world (John 17.15 & 18), as Jesus Himself prayed to the Father, but we are definitely not supposed to be acting or living like this world.

One of Tullian's main ways of describing this through the book is, "we're to be against the world, for the world." We are to be against the world, by the way we live for Christ, and by living this way we would actually give ourselves an opportunity to allow the world to see this Christian distinctiveness in us. Living against the world would also serve to our benefit for being a true witness of Christ and the gospel.

But he does take a sharp turn in the book when he starts addressing that the Great Commission is more than just leading people to Christ and making disciples, by being unfashionable. He says that the holistic approach to the Great Commission is 'cosmic renewal'. He quotes Michael Wittmer saying,

"the corrosive curse of sin rippled out to destroy the entire world: human society, the animal kingdom, and even the ground itself began groaning beneath the weight of sin."

And because of this act of cosmic treason against God it 'diseased all of God's creation', and because of this God is on a mission to redeem not just man, but all of creation to Himself.

Tullian adds,

"So while God's original plan for people to build an earthly culture for his glory may now be corrupted by our attempts to build an earthly culture for our glory (like another tower of Babel), the mandate itself remains intact."

That is the mandate for us 'to build an earthly culture for his glory'. So because of this 'cosmic redemption plan' of God, it's not only good news for the sinner, but in essence it is 'cosmic good news' as well for all of 'sin diseased' creation.

So as God redeems us, He then redeems us to do something and that something is to fulfill a cultural mandate that God established with Adam & Eve. This mandate is to continue until Christ returns by establishing a culture that brings Him glory.

It's been a little while since I've read Heaven by Randy Alcorn, but it does have a similar ring to it. When addressing the issue of everything being renewed not destroyed, he even quotes Alcorn, "We will be the same people made new and we will live on the same Earth made new."

I'm a little more than half way through the book and I'm looking forward to seeing him really bring everything together. In addition, I'm looking for specific ways and strategies that he has begun, in his own life and ministry, for this work of 'cosmic renewal'.

I've really enjoyed his emphasis on living counter-cultural and not for the sake of being an isolationist or even living the sin of self-righteousness, but so that the world could actually have something to look at and call it Christian and it actually be Christian.

How refreshing that would be in today's culture!