“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:19-20)
For the last several weeks we’ve mostly been looking at reasons why we need to share the gospel from an individual perspective: it’s relevant, inclusive, simple, empowered, and life-changing. And let’s face it, the individualistic perspective is the one we tend to gravitate towards. But there’s another perspective of the gospel that we often neglect–what the gospel is doing around the world.
When we read the Scriptures, it’s easy to individualize it, spiritualize it, and put it in the same mental category as fantasy. It happened a long time ago in a far away land. Almost sounds like “Once upon a time…” But things change when we realize that the events described in the Bible actually happened. As J.R.R. Tolkien described it to C.S. Lewis, Christianity is so compelling because it’s the true myth. And because it’s true, the gospel message is earth-shattering.
It is. It’s an earth-shattering message. I like to think of it along two scopes–the cosmic scope and personal scope of the gospel. The cosmic scope of the gospel is this: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. The entire biblical story is often told along these lines. The Good News of the gospel isn’t something new. It’s older than when Jesus was walking the Earth 2,000 years ago. The gospel message spans all of history. God laid out His plans for redemption before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).
Then there’s the personal scope of the gospel, which starts with God. Before creation, God existed in relationship with Himself as the Trinity. Then God created man in His image. And here’s where it gets interesting, the cosmic scope and personal scope of the gospel meet in the God/man Jesus Christ. And through Him we have redemption and restoration (Ephesians 1:7).
While what Christ accomplished in the spiritual realm is earth-shattering enough, the life and ministry of Jesus shook the world. Historians can’t deny that Jesus turned the world upside down and was the most influential person in history, and rightly so. God really did create this world. He really did insert Himself in the events of history. He really did humble Himself, became a man, died for our sins, and rose again to redeem mankind. He really is coming again.
That, my friends, is earth-shattering.