by Craig McKellar
Our starting point, in trying to understand life in general or assessing what we should do with our lives, can be to ask, “What do we believe about this?” and/or “What should we be giving ourselves to?” These are not poor questions in themselves and must be asked at some point along the way. It is just that God doesn’t start his communications with us by giving us a set of ideas in textbook fashion, or a set of principles in point form, to live by. He starts with a story, a story of interconnected relationships, which then progressively unfolds as a journey, from the first beautiful garden on earth where God walked with humans to an everlasting city from heaven with a garden in its centre. The end of this chapter, of earth’s story we find ourselves in and the journey we are presently on, is completed when this heavenly city is joined to the new earth, and we finally dwell with God forever. These two pivotal events are bookends to God’s story and unfolding journey. They are vital to understanding what takes place in between. So, let’s start at the beginning and see if it helps us find better questions we could be asking upfront.
A God of Relationships
When Adam and Eve chose to question God’s best for them, their choice immediately impacted on all their existing relationships in an adverse way. Where they once walked openly and freely with God, they now hid and were afraid (Gen. 3:8-10). Where Adam was once overawed by Eve and they walked together united as a couple (Gen. 2:20-25), Adam now blamed Eve for his wrongdoing (3:12).
Where once everything was given to them for their delight, Eve now blames the serpent for deceiving her (3:13), instead of recognising it was her own desire (3:8) that led her to sin. Where they once walked without shame (2:25), now they would struggle with shadows in their hearts (3:7). Where once they exercised dominion in creation (1:28-30), now they would face hardships in their labour (3:16-19). Four relationships that, if kept in sync with each other as originally intended by God, would ensure harmony, peace and fulness of life, were now fractured and fragile.
These four relationships: with God, with self, with others and with creation, would never enjoy their original freedoms unless God intervened with a redemptive plan. So, God makes a promise (Gen. 3:15), of which the fulfilment awaits an appointed time when the Messiah will appear. And his plan progressively unfolds over the centuries until Jesus makes good on God’s promise. Jesus, as the long-awaited King, ushers in the kingdom on earth and with it, the beginning of a restoration of the four broken relationships that will go beyond what the earth’s first couple knew. This is because God reveals more fully his nature and character by living amongst humanity, as one of us! And we have covenantal promises that we enjoy now as well as further promises of a better future.
Made for Relationship
So, how do these four fundamental and interconnected relationships for all of life go beyond what was experienced in Eden? Firstly, our relationship with God is now more intimate because of Christ. Jesus identifies with our humanity (Heb.2:9-18) and shows us the Father (John 14:6-11), inviting us to experience the same relational joy (John 17:13) and love (17:26) in the present, that they have known eternally. When we choose God’s redemptive way offered through the gospel, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us as a guarantee and deposit of the fulness to come (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:14), when our relationship with God will be unrestricted (1 Cor. 13:12). Secondly, our relationship with self is being transformed inwardly into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18; Col. 3:10), through this first relationship above. Thirdly, our relationships with others means we can now know a supernatural love for one another as a new family in God (John 13:34-35), because His love is poured into our hearts by the Spirit (Rom. 5:5; 1 John 4:7-21). That love spills over into all our other relationships to the point that we are even able to love our enemies and pray for them (Mat. 5:43-44).
Fourthly, we appreciate God’s creation because of our newfound intimate relationship with our Creator (Col. 3:10), and although “all creation is groaning” presently (Rom. 8:22), we have a certain hope of glorious new heavens and a new earth (Rom. 8:18-25; Rev. 21:1-5).
Essentially, the journey we are on and the story we are being written into, started with these four relationships. And these four relationships continue to affect our lives and how we should live. As followers of Jesus, we should understand this better than anyone else. We could say: Who we Are & Why we Exist determines What we Believe & What we Do. The latter is impacted by Where we Live and When we are Alive (our time in history). More about this next time. Therefore, the first questions we should be asking before any others are, “Who are we?’ & “Why do we exist?”