Chapter 11 | Context for the New Creation

This next section focuses on the need to understand the work of Christ and the will of God from the perspective of the original authors. This is best achieved by working from the presuppositions of those authors of Scripture with the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit. It challenges one to view the work of God, past, present, and future, from the mystery revealed in Christ. Although this may conflict with the traditional view we’ve been taught, it’s an essential process in growing in the wisdom of the Lord.

By addressing the presuppositions we hold, we move both thought and discussion to a deeper and larger context, closer to the underlying will and purpose of God. In the end, it is on the consistent, reliable, and trustworthy will of God that our wisdom must be based. His faithfulness and commitment to complete what he has started must be the basis for our thinking, the foundation of our understanding.

Consider the Context

Before we can go into depth about presuppositions, we must first discuss a primary element which frames them, context. We often read or are reminded to exercise care when reading or applying scripture so as not to take it out of context. As a blanket statement, without full definition, that instruction is only marginally useful. As we continue to define context, one might conclude that such instruction borders on the negligent. This is because the scope of context can range from the narrow to the infinite. The sooner we recognize this, the sooner we’ll be able to analyze any thought framework properly and bring it into alignment with the intentional and purposeful will of God as we know it at that time.

 

Context is everything – literally. Yet, context can always progress from micro to macro. If we stop and consider this, we can conclude that we’re always taking things from scripture out of context. Why? Because there’s always a larger or related context to consider. Here are some examples ordered from micro to macro.

• Specific word meaning
• The verse/sentence
• The paragraph
• Within the book
• The idea the author was intending to convey
• Within the subject/topic as it spans multiple books/authors
• The time period
• Geographical context
• Historical context
• The author’s own presuppositions
• God’s originally inspired idea or thought

 

Besides these general contexts, there are also thematic contexts. These are derived from topical themes that progress through the entire Bible and span thousands of years, impacting multiple people groups, and are recorded by multiple authors. They’re important because they bring us closer to understanding the larger context of God’s underlying idea, thought, or intent. Here are some examples of thematic frameworks:

• God’s creative work
• The covenant(s) made with God
• The kingdom(s) of God
• God’s Redemptive work
• God’s Righteous Judgment
• The Mystery of God
• Chaos and Cosmos
• Suffering and Sacrifice
• Obedience and Deliverance
• The humble and the proud
• The Prodigal Parable for Humanity
• Revelation, Repentance, and Reconciliation

 

Some of these thematic frameworks have larger scopes than others, and can be divided further into sub-themes as well. What’s important to realize is the depth and breadth of the context as it applies to all of Scripture.

As overwhelming as this may seem at first, I only point it out in order to illustrate the lenses available to us when seeking to understand the will and intent of God as derived from the pages of the Bible. It has been my experience that many of the divisions among denominations arise from an incomplete understanding of a subject because a larger context has been overlooked, or by failing to consider how the subject aligns, or contradicts, with the other thematic frameworks.

Extending the Context

As Christians and committed followers of Christ, we are challenged and encouraged to take on the mind and thinking of him who has called us out of darkness and deception and into his marvelous light and truth.[1]

Taking on the mind of Christ does not happen instantly. Nor is it something that occurs only once. This is a process of relearning that occurs over a lifetime. Fortunately, God designed it that way, and gives believers an additional resource to help in the process; his Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit – our access to God

If as believers we’re to grow in the mind and character of Christ, it becomes important to understand the process and the role God’s Holy Spirit has in it.

I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Matthew 3:11)

 

John the Baptist recognized the distinction in the purpose for the two baptisms;[2] one a baptism of water, the other a baptism of the Spirit of God. The first baptism of water is necessary to die to sin, what Paul calls entering into Christ’s death.[3] This water baptism, the evidence of our initial repentance, satisfies the death required by God’s righteous justice due to our disobedience.[4]

 

The second baptism in the Holy Spirit does what the first baptism can’t. It allows God to lead us into obedience to Christ, to take on the mind of Christ, as we learn to live in his righteousness and sanctification. This changes our mind over time, from living as a slave to disobedience to living as a slave to God and his righteousness, which ultimately leads to eternal life.

Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
(Fourth Gospel 3:4-6)

 

Here, we can see that Jesus Christ affirms, in his discourse to Nicodemus, what John the Baptist taught. Our birth into Christ requires two baptisms; one of water, another of the Holy Spirit. If we were left with only the water baptism into Christ’s death, we would gain little since our attitude toward God and our previous state of disobedience would not change. The baptism in the Spirit is a necessary change that enables us to dwell and grow as children of God and co-heirs with Christ.[5] It’s the Spirit of Christ in us that enables us to grow in character and produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit.[6]

 

Notice that Christ also makes an important distinction, one we need to understand. He distinguishes between that which is begotten and born of the flesh with that which is begotten and born of the Spirit. This might seem clearer if we look at verse six in the NIV translation.

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. (Fourth Gospel 3:6 NIV)

 

We can see the distinction Christ is making between the process of procreation in the flesh with that of procreation in the Spirit. The flesh can only procreate mortal, fleshly beings. The Spirit, however, can produce a spiritual, imperishable being. The apostle Paul teaches the same contrast in 1 Corinthians 15, yet adds an important piece about how the process works. He shows how the resurrection from the dead is the point of transition for the majority of believers, the point where they are fully birthed by the Spirit into the glory and likeness of Christ.[7] He shows that in the process of humanity’s creation into the children of God, it starts with the natural (physical) but ends with the spiritual. And the person who bridges the chasm between the two is the last Adam. Notice in what way the image of the man of dust is incomplete when compared to the image of the man of heaven.

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
(1 Corinthians 15:42-50)

The Role of the Holy Spirit

In all this, the Holy Spirit plays a key role in the creative work Christ is completing in each of us. Let’s look further into this role by continuing with the contrast Christ made between the flesh (the physical) and the Spirit of God. Again, we can look to Paul’s writing on the subject.

For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:11-14)

 

Here Paul goes beyond the contrast between flesh and the Spirit of God to clarify the difference between the spirit of that person and the Spirit of God. From this, we can glean some valuable insight:

• The spirit of man is unique to the man. We could say it’s like the mind; part of the man, but an immaterial part.[8]
• This spirit of man is incapable of perceiving the wisdom and knowledge of God without the divine Spirit of God because they are spiritually discerned.
• It is only through the Holy Spirit that one is led to acknowledge Christ as Lord and to be moved to speak accordingly.[9]
• A clear distinction between the natural person and the believer in Christ is that the believer in Christ receives God’s Holy Spirit specifically so they can discern divine wisdom and knowledge.

 

If we read more in 1 Corinthians 2, we can see that it is by the power of his Holy Spirit that God reveals his wisdom.

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

nor the heart of man imagined,

what God has prepared for those who love him”-

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. (1 Corinthians 2:6-10)

 

Here are some of my observations as well:

• It’s a secret and hidden wisdom that is not known by those without God’s Holy Spirit, and they are unable to perceive it.
• This mystery of God was ordained before the foundations of the world.
• Mortal man, even with the spirit of man in him, is unable to see, hear, or consider in his heart the work God is doing.
• It is only by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit that we can begin to perceive this divine wisdom.

 

Let’s look further into Scripture to identify additional roles fulfilled by God’s Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:21 – Men are led into understanding by the power of the Holy Spirit. What assurance do we, who are the recipients of that Spirit, look for?

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

 

Now the great gifts of God are not intended to be only received and kept to ourselves,[10] but to bear fruit in us for the benefit of others.[11] For who are the benefactors of the wise character that Christ possessed? Was it not the world? Are we not to grow in the same character and likeness?

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-11)

 

Hebrews 10:11-18 – The Holy Spirit bears witness to the work of Christ and the means by which he will achieve it. Those who were once enemies, but have been called to Christ in this age, are merely the firstfruits of his salvation.[12] All enemies will come under Christ’s rule and his righteous judgment during his thousand-year reign on earth.[13]

Titus 3:4-7 – The Holy Spirit is the link (the guarantee) between God’s will for us and Christ’s fulfillment of that work.[14]

 

2 Timothy 1:13-14 – It is by utilizing and nurturing the Holy Spirit within us that we can guard the blessing and promise of God entrusted to us.

Ephesians 1:11-14 – We are marked (with a seal) by God with his Holy Spirit, who is the guarantor of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it in the resurrection to life.[15]

 

Ephesians 3:1-6 – Only through the Holy Spirit can we understand the deep wisdom of God revealed by the mystery of God in Christ.

 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – From God’s perspective, you are now the temple of his Holy Spirit. We become slaves of God’s righteousness, purchased by Christ to glorify God. Are we not compelled to live accordingly?[16]

 

2 Corinthians 13:14 – Fellowship with the Holy Spirit is a thing to be desired, whether personally or among the brethren.[17]

 

Hopefully, we can begin to see how God’s Holy Spirit can greatly extend the context of Christ’s work in us and in the world. Because it searches the deep things of God, the Holy Spirit can lead us to recognize subtle connections in scripture that reveal the depth, and width, and length, and breadth of God’s knowledge and wisdom. A knowledge and wisdom that leads to eternal life.[18]

Seek to Understand the Purpose, Process, and Methods

As our learning shifts from the natural to the spiritual and divine things of Christ, one approach that can lead us deeper into the depths of God’s wisdom is to consider the process and methods God is using to achieve his will and purpose. In the following example, we’ll see a basic premise which guides Paul’s understanding of God’s work in Christ for the descendants of Jacob (Israel). In Romans 11, Paul makes an unconventional claim about disobedient Israel, whose branches were broken off from the olive tree, regarding their final redemption.

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,

he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;

“and this will be my covenant with them

when I take away their sins.” (Romans 1:25-27; Isaiah 59:20-21)

 

We’ll go into greater depth on the numerous topics referenced in these two verses later, but for the moment, let’s focus briefly on one – in this way, all Israel will be saved. The claim that all Israel will be saved out of their current state of disobedience has been building since Paul began contrasting his people in Romans 8 and 9 with those called into Christ Jesus. It isn’t until late in chapter 11 that he brings the contrast and connection between the two to a close.

 

The clue to how Christ will achieve this begins with Paul’s quotation of Isaiah 59, where the implication of another covenant for Israel and Judah is raised. This was later detailed by the prophet Jeremiah.

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

 

Some observations:

• They shall know the Lord in a way they had not known him in the past.
• They will not look to laws written on stone, but will have the law of the Spirit of God written on their hearts.[19]
• They shall enter a new covenant where their sins are removed.[20]

 

It is inspiring to see the very same method of redemption, being extended to a chosen and faithful remnant in Israel now, will also be extended to all of Israel in the future.[21] This reveals the power of God’s mercy and grace as revealed in Christ our Lord and purposed for those he once called out of Egypt, and will call again from among the nations. [22]

 

Yet there remains a process being applied to disobedient Israel and the method used to bring them to this new covenant and the glorious redemption it promises. To see that, we must look to the prophet Joel. He shows us the process used by God and his methods to turn disobedient Israel back to himself as promised. It involves one of the themes mentioned earlier; revelation, repentance, and reconciliation.

Joel 2:1-11 – introduces the Day of the Lord and the army of the Lord

• His army is a great and powerful people, the likes of which have never been seen
• They advance like a powerful army drawn up for battle
• Before them, the people are in anguish
• They burst through the weapons and are not halted
• The earth quakes before them, and the heavens tremble
• The Lord leads his army, and they execute his word

Joel 2:12-17 – the Lord’s call to repentance

• Return to me with all your heart
• Rend your hearts and not your garments
• Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful
• Call a solemn assembly and gather the people

Joel 2:18-27 – the Lord has mercy on his people

• The Lord says to his people – Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.
• You shall have plenty to eat and be satisfied
• You shall praise the name of the Lord your God
• You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel
• You shall know that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other
• Never again will my people be put to shame

Joel 2:28-32 – the Lord will make with them a new covenant

• I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh
• Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved

 

God will use the correction of his wrath to show the futility of worshipping the false gods they left him for. In their repentance, he will pour out mercy upon them, and lead them into a covenant of peace where true righteousness dwells: the Lord is our Righteousness!

Once they’ve entered the new covenant in Christ and his righteous judgment, they will find, as those in Christ at that time know, the glorified end that awaits them when they ultimately receive their inheritance in the kingdom of God. The reason this process is important to understand is that it goes beyond the future redemption of all Israel and Judah and proves to have implications for the nations of the world as well.[23]

A Greater Context

What we’re seeing here is just one example of the insight Paul was given into the mysterious work of God in Christ; what scripture calls the mystery of God. It’s the revelation of this mystery that leads Paul into a greater understanding of the work God and his Christ are engaged in; a larger context. In fact, it’s one of the largest contexts noted earlier; God’s originally inspired idea or thought. For Paul, this single connection point enabled him to see God’s unfinished plan for disobedient Israel reach a major milestone by the work completed thus far by the Lamb of God, the Root of Jesse, the Lion of Judah. From it comes some presuppositions which form the heart of Paul’s writings. I’ll note some briefly here, and go into greater depth in subsequent chapters.

Paul’s Presuppositions

1. The plan for the New Creation in Christ was established before the foundations of the world were set in place.
2. Humanity and Creation were subjected to futility in hope. That hope is Yeshua the Christ.
3. God’s Righteous Judgment ends in mercy, not wrath.
4. The last Adam succeeded where the first Adam could not, nor was he equipped to.
5. The supremacy in Christ reaches from before the first creation to beyond the new creation, the new heavens, and the new earth.
6. The physical creation comes first, then the spiritual new creation.
7. Death and Resurrection are a means to glorification and an integral part of the new creation.
8. A primary goal of God’s work in Christ is to lead many sons and daughters into the maturity of Christ through the obedience of faith.
9. The covenant in Christ, what we call the new covenant, isn’t only intended for those called in this age, but for all Israel, all nations, and all ages.
10. Because disobedient Israel is offered this new covenant after the Day of the Lord, it partially reveals the work of Christ during his future, earthly reign.

 

It’s worth taking a moment to consider the impact of these ideas to which Paul was exposed and convinced. They will be the focus of subsequent chapters, along with many others we’ll discover in the process. What’s important to note is that they exist and how they’re arrived at. By the time the reader reaches the end of this book, he/she will be equipped with a broad range of coherent and interconnected presuppositions from which a more unfiltered view of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will emerge, a gospel that leads us to the new creation in Christ.