More Than Evangelists

Recently, I finished reading a book by Benjamin L. Gladd, From Adam and Israel to the Church. I posted on this book awhile ago. It is a very good book. For some, it may be too theological, but I think the overall trajectory of the book is clear and his observations about the image of God in man are important for the believer to understand.

In the final chapter, Gladd sums up how believers can reflect God as kings, priests, and prophets. This "trivium" is well-known in Christian circles, but Gladd reminded me of its importance. For many Christians, the only reason we are on earth is to spread the gospel message, live out the Great Commission (Matthew 28). As believers, then, the only way we image God is by evangelizing.

But is that true? Given the kings/priests/prophets paradigm, I don't think it is, and neither does Gladd. Evangelism is certainly part of our purpose; in evangelism we serve as "prophets." Telling the world about God is what prophets of old did, and we should do that as well. Gladd writes, "The Bible is a storehouse of riches, and as prophets created in the divine image, we should be filled with excitement to learn more about our Lord" and share that excitement and truth with the world. As image-bearers, we need to share God's word with the world.

But we are also kings and priests. As priests, we are called to worship the true God. As Gladd notes, "Unbelievers are marked by worshipping everything except the triune God." He continues: "What characterizes God's people, though, is exclusive worship of him. God created us for his glory - not to glorify ourselves, our possessions, or our accomplishments." To be true image-bearers of God, we not only need to share the Gospel with the world, but we need to treasure God's word in our own hearts. Fathers need to serve as "priests" in their homes, guiding their families to grow in the love of the Lord, and raising their children ("Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" Ephesians 6:4). When we sacrifice ourselves for others, we reflect Christ's priestly role. All of us need to value obedience to God and worship of him, not just to prepare us for evangelism, but because by doing these things - by acting as priests - we roll back the effects of the fall and become truer image-bearers of God.

Finally, we are kings. As proclaimed in Genesis 1:28, we are to take dominion of this earth in preparation for when we will reign with Christ over the new heavens and earth (2 Tim. 2:11-12). When we work, we are in the process of taking dominion. When we create, we reflect the creative power of our God. When we are good stewards, we show how we can rule well and take care of what God has given us. When we take care of our families and lead them well, our homes become micro-kingdoms where we reflect the gracious and generous rule of our king, Jesus Christ.

So, while the Christian life is about sharing the gospel, it is not only about sharing the gospel. As kings, we are called to create, work, lead, and enjoy the life that God has given us. As priests, we are called to reflect the sacrificial life of our Savior, and find joy in worshipping him for no other reason than it is what humans were meant to be and do.

The Image and Anti-Image

In Chapter two of his book, Benjamin Gladd digs deeper into the consequences of the fall of mankind. He notes that Genesis 4-5 is paradigmatic for how the godly line of man and the ungodly line begin to interact with one another and fulfill the promise of Genesis 3:15. Cain becomes the poster-child for what Gladd calls the "anti-image" of God. God, according to Genesis 1-2, constructs a cosmic temple, so it's not surprising that those in his image do the same. "But Cain perverts his God-given responsibility as a priest and instead of building a city that brings glory to God's name, he builds a city for the glory of his son Enoch. The habits of the anti-image are beginning to take root."

Gladd goes on to show how the fallen images and redeemed images engage in the world. I find it interesting to see the power of God's image in man and how he enables us to be like him in many ways; on the flip side, how we can use those abilities to work against that image:

"Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. Zillah also had a son...who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron" (Genesis 4:20-22). Humanity is beginning to understand and interact with the created order in new and exciting ways. Here we see the development of farming, music, and manufacturing processes. Genesis 1:28 and Genesis 2:15 somehow linger in the background of these verses. Despite the fall, humanity still possesses God's image. We are created to understand and engage the world around us. Yet, Lamech's wickedness in Genesis 4:23-24 demonstrates that fallen humanity will always contort and pervert the divine calling. Daniel Migliore puts his finger on this tension when he writes, "We human beings are a mystery to ourselves. We are rational and irrational, civilized and savage, capable of deep friendship and murderous hostility, free and in bondage, the pinnacle of creation and its greatest danger."

Not only do I see this tension in all of mankind, but in myself.

A Different Perspective on Cosmology

I'm continuing to read Benjamin Gladd's book, From Adam and Israel to the Church. Gladd starts where, as most people do, with the creation of the cosmos and the creation of Adam. Here is something I found interesting that I never really thought about before when considering the creation of the cosmos: Like the tabernacle described in Exodus, God created the universe to house his glory, as a space for him to dwell with mankind. Or as Gladd states, "The cosmos as God's temple."

The author draws parallels between the language used in building the tabernacle and the temple, and the creation account. He finds language parallels in Genesis 1-2 and Exodus 39-40. Parallels to the building of the temple are also identified:

The outer courtyard of the temple contained the washbasin and the altar, symbolizing the sea and the land (1 Kings 7:23-25; Ezekiel 43:14-16). Moving a step closer to God's presence, the second section of the temple, or the holy place, symbolized the visible heavens and was lined with gold, containing the altar of incense (1 Kings 6:20), the bread of the Presence resting on the table (1 Kings 7:48), and ten lampstand fashioned out of gold (1 Kings 7:49). The final and most sacred section of the temple was the holy of the holies, which symbolized the invisible heavens, where God dwells.

Gladd continues with more comparisons and concludes with a quote from theologian Michael Morales: "The cosmos was understood as a large temple and the temple as a small cosmos."

Gladd goes on to draw more specific parallels between the temple and the garden of Eden, showing how the latter becomes the center of God's activity on the earth: "Much like Sinai, Eden ought to be understood as a mountain that houses God's glory."

I never made this connection between cosmology and the dwelling place of God. I don't know if Gladd is heading in this direction, but it seems that the trajectory of God's dwelling place is getting increasingly intimate: From the universe, to Eden, to the tabernacle and temple, to Christ dwelling among us, and, finally, to the human heart. I believe a word for this dwelling is the Hebrew word "shekinah," which means "he caused to dwell."

From the beginning - from the opening pages of Genesis - God has been working to bring his glory closer and closer to his people. His desire to be close to us - to dwell with us - has been there from the start and all his actions have been to that end. What a great story. What a great God.

The Nature of the People of God

I'm reading a new book on biblical theology by Benjamin Gladd: From Adam and Israel to the Church: A Biblical Theology of the People of God. The author used to be a dispensationalist, but has migrated to a Reformed covenant theology. Dispensationalism is a popular interpretation of the scriptures that argues that the Bible is organized by distinct dispensations, or strict epochs, unique periods of history. At the heart of dispensationalism is the separation between the Christian church and ethnic Israel, that these are distinct people groups and that each functions within its own dispensation. In other words, God is dealing with ethnic Jews as descendants from the Old Testament narrative in a completely different way than he is dealing with the Christian church. One God, two peoples. Covenant theology sees this differently. One cardinal aspect of covenant theology is that the ONE people of God spans the history of redemption. From Genesis 1-2 to Revelation 21-22, there remains one covenant community. The church is the culmination of God's gathering of his people; first the Jews of the Old Testament who remained committed to his promises of a coming Messiah and then to all people who have faith in Jesus Christ. God does not have a separate plan for salvation for ethnic Jews; there is one salvation through Jesus Christ, and the true Israel is comprised of all of the restored people of God. All of God's people are called to one faith through Jesus Christ. Ethnic Jews are not called to a unique salvation, but to the same salvation as the Gentiles in Christ - the true Israel.

While his change in theology was the impetus for the book, the covenant theology - dispensationalist debate is not its focus. The author's main focus is to "examine the nature of the people of God from Genesis to Revelation through the lens of being in God's 'image.'" His objective is to walk us through the Bible's teaching on what it means to be part of God's family.

This book has 12 chapters. My plan is to pick out something particularly interesting in each chapter and share it with you. Let's see how it goes!