God's Story

Why do we say he is reclaiming his creation? We are told that God created this world in which we live. He created it perfectly. At each stage of the creative process God said “It was good”. The pinnacle of his creation was mankind. He created us in his image. We are unique in possessing this attribute – no other creature can claim to be made in God’s image. At the end of this God not only said that what he had created was good, but he said it was very good. God’s formation of the universe was a masterpiece.

However, there was one problem. God’s plan was opposed by Satan. The last thing Satan wants is the creatures of this world honoring and obeying the Creator. So Satan persuaded mankind, represented by Adam and Eve to rebel against the Creator. The stakes were very high because rebellion resulted in calamity for the entire universe. Chaos now rules where perfection once reigned. Sickness, suffering, sin and death now dominate this world; all because of our rebellion. The first few chapters of the Bible show us that every effort of mankind to fix his own mess failed. At one point God is so angry by the state of the world that he wipes out all but a few people. One family is given a fresh start but the seed of rebellion is still there; in the heart of Noah.

God must intervene to restore his creation to its perfect state. No-one else can help. He begins with an outsider called Abram. He calls Abram from his homeland to begin the work. He tells Abram that through him all the nations will be blessed. The work of reclamation had begun. God transforms Abram into Abraham and the nation of Israel. God’s blessing was intended to come through the people of Israel. To some extent this worked, but Israel soon became self-absorbed and forgot that the purpose of its selection by God was that it would be a blessing to the rest of the world. The people of Israel were supposed to be showcase of what people living obediently before God could be. But they failed their God appointed task. So God sent his Son into the world because no-one else could do what was required. God had to defeat, once and for all, the forces of evil unleashed by Satan. Only Jesus Christ could do that and at the same time atone for the sin of mankind. Our rebellion against God had consequences. Not only was the world subjected to destructive forces, but our rebellion had incurred God’s anger. That had to be appeased, and only one who was not part of the rebellion and sin could do that. That one was Jesus Christ. The key fight in this cosmic war took place on the battlefield of the cross. What appeared to be a resounding victory for Satan turned out to be his ultimate undoing. Jesus rose from the dead, having atoned for our sin and rebellion, but also destroying Satan’s most powerful weapon - death.

The crucial battle has been won, but the war is not yet over. And this is where you and I enter the story. Through people like you and me, God is reconciling and reclaiming men and women back to him. He wants to have his chosen people from every nation and people group, throughout time, so that one day, when he is ready, he will restore the creation back to its perfect state. Those he has redeemed will be present. That’s when Christ will return and there will be a new earth and a new heaven. There will be no evil - with its attendant suffering and destruction - because God will have defeated Satan and his armies.

The amazing thing is that God has chosen us to make his plan of redemption, reconciliation and reclamation known to the world.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us (2 Corinthians 5:18 -20).

The big question we face as people living on earth is, are we part of God’s story? Or are we trying to write our own stories that will ultimately end in tragedy?
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