When I think of the idea of redemption, I think of God's grace, because that is the only way to be redeemed. There is no effort we can make to get it. I often wonder what it would be like to live before the fall of man. The strangest thing to me is that as Plantinga points out, Genesis 3:7 says, "The eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were naked." Just that alone would completely change our world today. Clothes seem to be a given in life, although that is probably just because our parents clothed us as children. It would be weird to think nudity was normal today (unless you live in a nudist colony of course). That world seems so far away today; it just doesn't seem possible that everything and everyone could live in harmony and everything would be perfect. Would we need any education? Would we live in houses? Would we have an economy? Would we have any technology at all? I have absolutely no idea how any of that is possible while still living in perfect harmony.
Thankfully, even though our world is fallen, we have a Creator who loves us enough to save us from our sins. In my opinion, people think that they have to earn God's grace. We think that by doing a certain number of good deeds and "working for the Lord" will somehow punch our ticket into Heaven. Although we can convince ourselves that we are worthy of God's grace by that thinking, we are dead wrong. The only way to do that is to accept Christ as your Lord and savior (even though that sounds very cliche). We all need to forget about keeping track of our spiritual lives and think about what actually matters, after all Christ did say that nobody comes to the Father except through me.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think there could still be progress without corruption, if only humans were not still corrupt. I've always sort of had the image in my mind that the new earth would be something like how this old earth should have been, except we wouldn't have any reason to be ashamed, we'd help our neighbor, and (in rather hippie-ish sorts of terms, which is not at all intended) we'd live in peach and harmony, loving one another not because we are simply so wonderful, but because we are called to love. What would be different is that it wouldn't be such a burden to obey anymore. And with that, I think we'd achieve much.
ReplyDeleteBut perhaps I'm thinking a little too far ahead. All I want is to be with God; whatever else comes is just added bonus, totally undeserved.