Biblical Spirituality E-Book

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Theology in Community
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 635

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

What is spirituality? For some, it means nothing more than vague self-improvement pulled from the latest best-selling self-help book. For others, it refers to some generic religious practice. Shedding life-giving light on what often remains ill-defined and unclear, this book sets forth a vision of biblical spirituality—"a renewed sense of the momentousness of being alive in God's world as God's people are led by God's Spirit through God's Word unto godly, Christlike character." With careful exegetical work and theological reflection, the contributors—pastors and scholars such as Christopher W. Morgan, Paul R. House, Nathan A. Finn, and Gregg R. Allison—address spirituality from the perspective of the Bible, exploring topics such as the Trinity, divine sovereignty and human responsibility, the "already" and "not yet," and the church. This book also addresses practical questions about spirituality related to the workplace, disciplines of the body, and more.

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“As people created in the image of God and called to be like him in holiness, it is imperative for us to align how we live with what God has revealed and his purposes for us. Therefore, the gospel and the biblical witness should be the starting point for any understanding of spiritual formation. This volume does a superb job of grounding spirituality in the full range of biblical teaching. It lays an indispensable foundation.”

Clinton E. Arnold, Dean and Professor of New Testament Language and Literature, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University

“For some, spirituality is driven by technique; for others, it is the pursuit of direct and unmediated connection with the divine; for still others, it is a label that covers experiences of the ill-defined numinous. Indeed, today’s ‘take’ on spirituality perfectly reflects the personal autonomy found in Judges: everyone does that which is right in his or her own eyes. To think clearly about spirituality as it emerges from serious Bible study, however, is to enter a world where one really does grow in knowledge of the living God, but by the means God has ordained, by the power of the Spirit, with transformed conduct the inevitable result. Christopher Morgan and his colleagues have enriched our grasp of biblical spirituality by their biblical, theological, and historical probings.”

D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; Cofounder, The Gospel Coalition

“Spirituality is a contemporary buzzword. Surprisingly, even some atheists speak of their spirituality. There is even a book with the title A Little Book of Atheist Spirituality. How important, then, is this book which presents a biblically based, theologically deep, historically informed, and practically helpful Christian examination of spirituality. A galaxy of fine scholars take the reader through the Old and New Testaments, great themes such as holiness, and the heritage of evangelical spirituality, and explore the practical implications of biblical spirituality. A rich feast!”

Graham A. Cole, Dean, Vice President of Education, and Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; author, He Who Gives Life and The God Who Became Human

“Humans are deeply spiritual beings. It’s why we seek out a greater sense of purpose and the meaning of our existence. All around us today, people are pursuing spirituality. Chris Morgan has compiled a timely and essential guidebook to true biblical spirituality that can be found only with Christ at the center. This is not an easy journey, but it is essential if we are to live a life that brings glory to God.”

Kevin Ezell, President, North American Mission Board, The Southern Baptist Convention

“There are many books on spirituality, but this one stands out because it takes in the entire range of the biblical canon. Written with scholarly depth and a practical bent, this volume is a great addition to the growing literature in the field. I highly recommend it!”

Timothy George, Founding Dean, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University; general editor, Reformation Commentary on Scripture

“As Francis Schaeffer taught us, the Lord’s work must be done in the Lord’s way. In every generation, therefore, we face no more urgent question than the meaning of true spirituality. The excellent team of scholars writing in Biblical Spirituality combines academic gifts with personal wisdom to show us, from the whole of the Bible, how God has put his glory on the whole of life. Is there a more wonderful reality for us to consider together?”

Ray Ortlund, Lead Pastor, Immanuel Church, Nashville, Tennessee

“This biblical theology of biblical spirituality is the best I’ve read. As a bonus you get a survey of various forms of spirituality in the Christian tradition, especially within evangelicalism. If you want to see how biblical theology works and what biblical spirituality is, read this book.”

Donald S. Whitney, Associate Dean and Professor of Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life and Praying the Bible

“As one who has spent my life helping people with the practical side of spiritual growth, I am deeply grateful for a strong and clear guide to the theology of growth! Your own growth and the growth of those you lead will be strengthened by the truths in Biblical Spirituality.”

Tom Holladay, Teaching Pastor, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, California; author, Putting It Together Again and The Relationship Principles of Jesus

Biblical Spirituality

Other Crossway Books in the Theology in Community Series

The Deity of Christ (2011)

Fallen: A Theology of Sin (2013)

The Glory of God (2010)

Heaven (2014)

The Kingdom of God (2012)

The Love of God (2016)

Suffering and the Goodness of God (2008)

Biblical Spirituality

Christopher W. Morgan, editor

Biblical Spirituality

Copyright © 2019 by Christopher W. Morgan

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Nathan A. Finn, “Spiritualities in the Christian Tradition” (chap. 8), adapted from Spirituality for the Sent edited by Nathan A. Finn and Keith S. Whitfield. Copyright © 2017. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press, P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA. www.ivpress.com.

Gregg R. Allison, “Spiritual and Embodied Disciplines” (chap. 9), adapted from NorthStar Theology by Gregg R. Allison. Copyright 2017 by Sojourn Community Church. Used by permission of Sojourn Community Church.

Cover design: Studio Gearbox

Cover image: Magdalene in the House of Simon the Pharisee, by Giuseppe Tortelli, oil on canvas / Mondadori Portfolio / Electa / Adolfo Bezzi / Bridgeman Images

First printing 2019

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the authors.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-4788-1 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-4791-1 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-4789-8 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-4790-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Morgan, Christopher W., 1971- editor.

Title: Biblical spirituality / Christopher W. Morgan, editor.

Description: Wheaton : Crossway, 2019. | Series: Theology in community series | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018050404 (print) | LCCN 2019014496 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433547898 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433547904 (mobi) | ISBN 9781433547911 (epub) | ISBN 9781433547881 (tp)

Subjects: LCSH: Spirituality—Biblical teaching.

Classification: LCC BS680.S7 (ebook) | LCC BS680.S7 B525 2019 (print) | DDC 248—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018050404

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2019-05-29 01:47:30 PM

To Shelley and Chelsey,

I could not be more blessed as a husband and dad. I love you!

Contents

List of Abbreviations

Series Preface

Acknowledgments

Contributors

 1  A Trajectory of Spirituality

Christopher W. Morgan and Justin L. McLendon

 2  Shaped into the Creator’s Image: Spirituality and Spiritual Formation in the Old Testament

Paul R. House

 3  New Creation: Spirituality according to Jesus

Charles L. Quarles

 4  Tensions in Spirituality: Spirituality according to Paul

Benjamin M. Skaug and Christopher W. Morgan

 5  Integrated Spirituality: Spirituality according to James

Christopher W. Morgan

 6  Holiness in the Biblical Story

George H. Guthrie

 7  A Heritage of Evangelical Spirituality

Anthony L. Chute

 8  Spiritualities in the Christian Tradition

Nathan A. Finn

 9  Spiritual and Embodied Disciplines

Gregg R. Allison

10  Spirituality and Our Work

Gregory C. Cochran

Selected Bibliography

Name Index

Subject Index

Scripture Index

List of Abbreviations

AB

Anchor Bible

BBR

Bulletin for Biblical Research

BECNT

Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

BDAG

Bauer, W., F. W. Danker, W. F. Arndt, and F. W. Gingrich. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature

BDB

Brown, F., S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament

Bib

Biblica

BibInt

Biblical Interpretation

BSac

Bibliotheca sacra

CBQ

Catholic Biblical Quarterly

CTR

Criswell Theological Review

EvQ

Evangelical Quarterly

IBC

Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching

Int

Interpretation

JBL

Journal of Biblical Literature

JBQ

Jewish Bible Quarterly

JETS

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

JSNTSup

Journal for the Study of the New Testament: Supplement Series

JTS

Journal of Theological Studies

LCL

Loeb Classical Library

LNTS

Library of New Testament Studies

LQ

Lutheran Quarterly

NAC

New American Commentary

NICNT

New International Commentary on the New Testament

NICOT

New International Commentary on the Old Testament

NIDOTTE

New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis

NIGTC

New International Greek Testament Commentary

NIVAC

NIV Application Commentary

NSBT

New Studies in Biblical Theology

PNTC

Pelican New Testament Commentaries

SBET

Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology

SBJT

Southern Baptist Journal of Theology

ThTo

Theology Today

TJ

Trinity Journal

TLOT

Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament. Edited by E. Jenni, with assistance from C. Westermann. Translated by M. E. Biddle. 3 vols.

VT

Vetus Testamentum

WBC

Word Biblical Commentary

WCF

Westminster Confession of Faith

ZECNT

Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

Series Preface

As the series name, Theology in Community, indicates, theology in community aims to promote clear thinking on and godly responses to historic and contemporary theological issues. The series examines issues central to the Christian faith, including traditional topics such as sin, the atonement, the church, and heaven, but also some which are more focused or contemporary, such as suffering and the goodness of God, the glory of God, the deity of Christ, and the kingdom of God. The series strives not only to follow a sound theological method but also to display it. Chapters addressing the Old and New Testaments on the book’s subject form the heart of each volume. Subsequent chapters synthesize the biblical teaching and link it to historical, philosophical, systematic, and pastoral concerns. Far from being mere collections of essays, the volumes are carefully crafted so that the voices of the various experts combine to proclaim a unified message. Again, as the name suggests, theology in community also seeks to demonstrate that theology should be done in teams. The teachings of the Bible were forged in real-life situations by leaders in God’s covenant communities. The biblical teachings addressed concerns of real people who needed the truth to guide their lives. Theology was formulated by the church and for the church. This series seeks to recapture that biblical reality. The volumes are written by scholars, from a variety of denominational backgrounds and life experiences with academic credentials and significant expertise across the spectrum of theological disciplines, who collaborate with each other. They write from a high view of Scripture with robust evangelical conviction and in a gracious manner. They are not detached academics but are personally involved in ministry, serving as teachers, pastors, and missionaries. The contributors to these volumes stand in continuity with the historic church, care about the global church, share life together with other believers in local churches, and aim to write for the good of the church to strengthen its leaders, particularly pastors, teachers, missionaries, lay leaders, students, and professors.

For the glory of God and the good of the church,

Christopher W. Morgan

Acknowledgments

God has made us to love him and to love and live in community with one another. I am grateful for the people that God has placed in my life to shape me and my thinking. There are too many to mention all of them, but I want to express gratitude to those who have made an impact on this project:

Dr. Tony Chute and Dr. Greg Cochran, for your friendship, partnership, and leadership in CBU’s School of Christian Ministries.

Gary McDonald, for sharing life together and excelling in grace and generosity.

SoCal Baptist Ministries, Phil Kell, and the California Baptist Foundation, for your wonderful generosity and support.

Dr. Milton Higgins, for your warm love, prayers, and generosity.

Dr. Ron Ellis, Dr. Chuck Sands, Kent Dacus, the trustees, and the administration at California Baptist University, for your vision and support.

CBU’s School of Christian Ministries’ faculty, for your friendship and your resolve to exalt the Lord, serve churches, and invest in students.

Maigen Turner, my administrative assistant, for your positive attitude, proficient work, and eagerness to help.

Students at California Baptist University, for your desire to grow in God’s Word to serve his church.

Lydia Brownback and Elliott Pinegar, for your superb editorial help.

The whole Crossway team, for your encouragement, service, and work to bless God’s people.

Contributors

Gregg R. Allison (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), professor of Christian theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Anthony L. Chute (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), associate dean and professor of church history, School of Christian Ministries, California Baptist University

Gregory C. Cochran (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary), director of applied theology and professor of theology and ethics, School of Christian Ministries, California Baptist University

Nathan A. Finn (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary), provost and dean of the university faculty, North Greenville University

George H. Guthrie (PhD, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary), professor of New Testament, Regent College

Paul R. House (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary), professor of divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

Justin L. McLendon (PhD, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary), assistant professor of theology, Grand Canyon University

Christopher W. Morgan (PhD, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary), dean and professor of theology, School of Christian Ministries, California Baptist University

Charles L. Quarles (PhD, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary), research professor of New Testament and biblical theology, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Benjamin M. Skaug (PhD candidate, Gateway Seminary), senior pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Highland, California

1

A Trajectory of Spirituality

Christopher W. Morgan and Justin L. McLendon

“A prominent feature of our times is the robust revival of spirituality.”1Bruce Demarest is right, and we do not have to look far for reasons to explain this renewed interest. Whether it is a reaction to society’s downward moral and ethical spiral, dissatisfaction with formal religion, the lingering residue of postmodernism, or a host of other factors, we are witnessing a renewed interest in all things spiritual. For some, spirituality means the latest self-help literature or a generic sense of self-improvement through diet, exercise, meditation, or some sort of spiritual contemplation. Others think of major religious traditions or, more commonly, a Western synthesis of these traditions into innumerable spiritualized alternatives that can be viewed in either religious or nonreligious terms and practices.

But what does the Bible say about spirituality? How should we begin discussing the matter of spirituality with biblical and theological focus? The answer is more difficult to ascertain than we might first suppose. Talk of spirituality can be vague and loose, detached from Scripture while appearing biblical, and so clarity is crucial as we consider formation and our spiritual journeys. D. A. Carson insightfully links true Christian spirituality to the gospel, urging us to work outward from that center.2 Our understanding of spirituality must have its roots in the gospel, its moorings in biblical theology, and its focus in theology. These theological roots do not create a cold, lifeless orthodoxy unengaged with the Spirit’s active work in our daily lives but actually ground the life-transforming work of the Spirit in the Word while protecting the legitimacy of our spiritual longings and practices. Carson highlights the moral and ethical necessities of living by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16) and of understanding how the Spirit enables and empowers us to live purposefully so that we can approach what Carson calls an “all-of-life approach to spirituality—every aspect of human existence, personal and corporate, brought under the discipline of the Word of God, brought under the consciousness that we live in the presence of God, by his grace and for his glory.”3J. I. Packer proposes similar bearings:

I want to see a focused vision of spiritual maturity—the expansion of the soul is the best phrase I can use for it. That is, a renewed sense of the momentousness of being alive, the sheer bigness and awesomeness of being a human being alive in God’s world with light, with grace, with wisdom, with responsibility, with biblical truth.4

Indeed, we seek biblical spirituality, “a renewed sense of the momentousness of being alive in God’s world” as God’s people led by God’s Spirit through God’s Word unto godly, Christlike character—all for God’s mission by God’s grace and for God’s glory.

The Bible portrays this spiritual pilgrimage widely and often, referring to it as walking with God, walking in God’s ways, worship, holiness, obedience, discipleship, following Christ, life in the Spirit, maturity, and sanctification. The Bible portrays our spiritual pilgrimage as requiring grace-given faith, love, growth, diligence, repentance, prayer, commitment, intentionality, and discipline. Our spiritual pilgrimage is depicted as personal and as life together in the body of Christ. Our spiritual growth is also gradual, as Paul prays that the love of Philippian believers would “abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Phil. 1:9–11).

As the Bible relates these truths, it offers us something of a trajectory of our spiritual journey. Beginning with man’s being created in the image of God and culminating in the ultimate glory of God, the trajectory of our spiritual journey develops

the image of God: created for spirituality

fallen man: the distortion of our spirituality

Christ’s saving work: the basis of our spirituality

new life: the beginning of our spirituality

the triune God: the source of our spirituality

Christlikeness: the goal of our spirituality

love: the focus of our spirituality

the church: the community of our spirituality

ordinary life: the context of our spirituality

indwelling sin and temptation: obstacles in our spirituality

the already and the not yet: tensions in our spirituality

Word, prayer, and church: means for our spirituality

reproducing disciples: the mission of our spirituality

the glory of God: the ultimate end of our spirituality

the grace of God: fuel for our journey.

The Image of God: Created for Spirituality

The story of our spirituality can be found only within the biblical storyline, which starts suddenly: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Already in existence prior to matter, space, or time, the eternal, self-existent God creates the universe and all that exists. God “creates, says, sees, separates, names, makes, appoints, blesses, finishes, makes holy, and rests.”5 God creates out of nothing, forms it according to his purposes, and fills it with plants and animals. God is not like other gods of the ancient Near East. Gordon Wenham observes: “God is without peer and competitor. He does not have to establish his power in struggle with other members of a polytheistic pantheon. The sun and moon are his handiwork, not his rivals.”6 The true God is not the sky, sun, moon, water, trees, animals, or anything else created; God creates them, and they are subject to him. The creation is neither God nor a part of God; he is absolute and has independent existence, and creation has derived existence from him and continually depends on him as its sustainer (cf. Acts 17:25–28). The transcendent Creator is a king who accomplishes his will by his word and names the elements of his creation (Gen. 1:5).

The Creator is also personal. On each day of creation God is personally involved in every detail, crafting them in a way that pleases him and benefits his creatures. On the sixth day, he personally creates man in his own image, breathing life into him. The personal God has made humans to be personal as well, with the ability to relate to him, live in community with one another, and have dominion over creation. As Carson reminds, “We are accorded with an astonishing dignity” and have “implanted within us a profound capacity for knowing God intimately.”7 By creating us in his image, God distinguishes us from the rest of creation and establishes that he is distinct from us—we are not gods but creatures made in his image.

God’s goodness is reflected in the goodness of his creation and reinforcedin the steady refrain, “And God saw that it was good” (1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25; see also 1:4), even “very good” (1:31). Material creation reflects God’s goodness, which is evident also in his generous provisions of light, land, vegetation, animals, and “creeping” things. These are blessings given for humanity’s benefit, as are the ability to relate to God, fertility to procreate, and authority to use the abundant provisions for man’s own good. By the seventh day, God has finished his creative work, rests, and blesses and sanctifies the day as holy, as a Sabbath to be kept. In doing so, God displays his joy and satisfaction in his creation, his celebration of completion, and he commemorates this special event.8

Genesis 2:4–25 focuses on God’s formation of man and woman and his provision of the garden of Eden as a place for them in which to live and work.9As Allen Ross summarizes, “God has prepared human beings, male and female, with the spiritual capacity and communal assistance to serve him and to keep his commands so that they might live and enjoy the bounty of his creation.”10 Man is formed from the dust of the ground but is more than dust—his life comes directly from the very breath of God (2:7). In planting the garden and moving man there, the Creator and covenant Lord provides a wonderful and sacred space for humans to enjoy a harmonious relationship with him, each other, the animals, and the land. The garden highlights God’s presence with man. God establishes the terms for living in his presence and graciously puts forward only one prohibition: man shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Contrary to what might be expected, man is allowed to eat of the tree of life (which confers immortality) but not of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (which gives access to wisdom), “for that leads to . . . an independence of the creator incompatible with the trustful relationship between man and his maker which the story presupposes.”11 Because God’s generosity to man is so abundant, his prohibition would not seem difficult to accept.

God lovingly notices that “it is not good that the man should be alone” (2:18) and generously meets man’s need by creating woman as a complementary and intimate companion united with himfor life together. Genesis 2 ends positively and, given the beliefs of ancient Israel, surprisingly: “The man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (2:25). In the garden, nakedness is not reason for shame but points to the man and woman’s innocence and the unspoiled delight they have in each other.12

The good God creates a good world for the good of his creatures. Humans too are created good and blessed beyond measure, being made in God’s image, with an unhindered relationship with God, and with freedom. In the beginning, God creates humans in his image and designs them for spirituality—to enjoy a loving and personal relationship with the covenant Lord, as well as holistic relationships with themselves, one another, and creation.

Fallen Man: The Distortion of Our Spirituality

Against this pristine backdrop, Genesis 3 recounts a tempter who calls into question God’s truthfulness, sovereignty, and goodness. The tempter is “crafty” and deflects the woman’s attention away from the covenantal relationship God has established.13 Sadly, in 3:6 she saw, she took, she ate, and she gave, which culminates in “he ate.” Wenham observes that the midpoint of 3:6–8, “and he ate,” employs the key verb of the narrative, “eat,” and is placed between the woman’s inflated expectations for eating (good to eat, delight to the eyes, and giving insight) and its actual effects: eyes opened, knowing they were nude, and hiding in the trees.14 The contrast is striking: the forbidden fruit did not deliver what the tempter promised but brought new dark realities warned of by the good and truthful covenant Lord.

This initial act of human rebellion brings divine justice: “They sinned by eating, and so would suffer to eat; she led her husband to sin, and so would be mastered by him; they brought pain into the world by their disobedience, and so would have painful toil in their respective lives.”15 Collins adds:

There are small ironic wordplays. . . . For example, in Genesis 3:5 the serpent promises that the humans’ eyes will be opened and they will know something, while in verse 7 it is fulfilled: their eyes were opened and they knew something—but it was just that they were naked! . . . Similarly, there is a play between the use of the root r-b-h in 3:16 (“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing”) and its use in the commission of 1:28 (“Be fruitful and multiply”). Whereas procreation had previously been the sphere of blessing, now it is to be the area of pain and danger.16

The consequences of their sin are suitable and shattering. The couple feels shame, realizing they are naked (3:7). They sense their estrangement from God, even foolishly trying to hide from him (3:8–10). They are fearful of God and how he might respond (3:9–10). Their alienation from each other also emerges, as the woman blames the serpent, while the man blames the woman and, by insinuation,even God (3:10–13). Pain and sorrow also arise. The woman experiences pain in childbirth, the man toils in trying to grow food in a land with pests and weeds, and both discover conflict in their relationship(3:15–19). Even worse, the couple is banished from Eden and God’s glorious presence (3:22–24).

How they wish they had listened to God’s warning that if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would “surely die” (2:17)! And die they do. They die spiritually, and their bodies also begin to experience gradual decay that will lead ultimately to their physical death, as God’s judgment states: “To dust you shall return” (3:19).

Most devastating of all is that these consequences befall not only Adam and Eve but extend to their descendants as well. Robert Pyne describes the dismal scene:

Standing together east of Eden [Adam and Eve] each felt alone—betrayed by the other, alienated from God, and confused about how it had all come apart so quickly. . . .

The children were all born outside of Eden. . . . None of them ever saw the tree of life or had a chance to taste or reject the forbidden fruit. At the same time, none of them enjoyed marriage relationships without some degree of rivalry or resentment, and they inevitably ate bread produced by the sweat of their brow. Born in a fallen world, they knew only the curse, never Eden. Still they knew that this was not the way life was supposed to be. . . .

Adam and Even sinned alone, but they were not the only ones locked out of the Garden. Cut off from the tree of life, they and their descendants were all destined to die.17

So, in the beginning, God created a good cosmos with good humans who enjoyed good relationships with him, themselves, one another, and creation itself. But then sin entered the picture and brought disruption and alienation in each human relationship—with God, oneself, one another, and creation. Yet humans are still in the image of God, blessed by God, and commanded to be fruitful and multiply as recipients of God’s presence, promise, and grace.

Nevertheless, in Adam sin entered the picture and has brought disruption and alienation in each of our human relationships—with God, self, one another, and creation. Adam sinned not merely as the first bad example but as the representative of all humanity. In its contrast of Adam’s and Christ’s representation of us, Romans 5:12–21 stresses that in Adam there was sin, death, and condemnation. In Adam was the old era, the dominion of sin and death. Note the outcomes of Adam’s representative trespass:18

“many died” because of his sin (v. 15);

his sin “brought condemnation” to all (v. 16);

“death reigned” over all human beings (v. 17);

all people were condemned because of his one trespass (v. 18); and

by virtue of his sin “many were made sinners” (v. 19).

Note also four particular effects resulting from Adam’s sin and representation:

many/all were made sinners (v. 19);19

many/all died (v. 15);

condemnation is upon all (v. 16, 18); and

death reigned over all humans (v. 17).

Thus, in Adam all are sinners; all die; all are under the domain of death; all are condemned.20 Because of the fall, our spirituality is distorted and our relationship with God is now characterized by hostility, guilt, and condemnation.

Christ’s Saving Work: The Basis of Our Spirituality

Thankfully, sin is no match for God’s grace, showcased especially in Christ’s saving work.

“Christianity is a rescue religion,” says John Stott, and the totality of Christ’s work, from eternity past to our future hope, supports every aspect of our spirituality.21 Christ’s saving work refers to “all that Christ did when he came to this earth ‘for us and our salvation,’ all that he continues to do now that he is risen from the dead and at God’s right hand, and all that he will do when he returns in glory at the end of the age.”22

In the fullness of time, God the Son entered human history to “redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:5). Our advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous, knew no sin, yet he became sin so that “in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21; cf. 1 Pet. 2:22). He offered himself as our propitiation, defeating our sin through his substitutionary death and triumphing over death through his victorious resurrection.23 We are sons and daughters of the risen and exalted King, and “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” Our collective cry is in praise to God for Christ’s victory over sin and death; we are no longer slaves but sons and daughters, heirs of God (Gal. 4:5–7). As Paul claims, “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Rom. 8:34). Paul’s “more than that” acknowledges Jesus’ work on both sides of the empty tomb. His sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, exaltation, and more ground our spirituality, including such blessings as justification, forgiveness, righteousness, peace with God, and “access by faith into this grace in which we stand” (Rom. 5:2).

New Life: The Beginning of Our Spirituality

Christ died for us—the ungodly, sinners, his enemies—that we might be right with him and have spiritual life (Rom. 5:6, 8, 11). Note the outcomes of Christ’s representative work:

his grace and gift abounded for many (v. 15);

his grace brought “justification” whereas Adam introduced “condemnation” (v. 16);

instead of death’s reigning, believers now “reign in life” by virtue of the grace of Jesus Christ (v. 17);

the righteous act of Jesus Christ brought “justification and life” for all (v. 18);

through Christ’s obedience the many are now “made righteous” (v. 19).

In Christ there is righteousness, life, and justification. In Christ there is a new reign, marked by grace and life. In Christ, the spiritually guilty find righteousness; the spiritually dead find life. In Christ, grace abounds—in our justification (5:12–21) and in our sanctification (6:1–14).

All journeys have a beginning, and our Christian spirituality begins with this new life in Christ. Jesus assures that all who hear his word and believe have the eternal life he grants, which leads to a passing from death to life (John 5:25). Jesus’ words to Nicodemus underline our need for this new life: “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. . . . Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:3, 7). To be born again means to receive new life in Christ, as John Murray explains:

God effects a change which is radical and all-pervasive, a change which cannot be explained in terms of any combination, permutation, or accumulation of human resources, a change which is nothing less than a new creation by him who calls the things that be not as they were, who spake and it was done, who commanded and it stood fast. This, in a word, is regeneration.24

Put similarly:

Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.25

With repentance from sin, and faith in Christ, comes our justification, in which God, through the sinless life, substitutionary death, and bodily resurrection of Christ, forgives us of our sin, grants Christ’s righteousness to us, and judicially declares us righteous. In Christ, our sins are forgiven, our status is righteous, and our new identity is formed: we are the children of God, adopted into God’s covenant family as heirs of the kingdom.26

The trajectory of our spirituality begins with our own spiritual death. God acts on our behalf, for our good and for his glory, to rescue us through Christ and his saving work. He gives us new life/birth in Christ, fosters our repentance and faith, declares us righteous in Christ, and adopts us into his family. But God’s work on our behalf has not concluded. Using familial language, Peter expresses God’s purpose to sanctify us: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Pet. 1:14–16).

This sanctification is both definitive and progressive. Definitive (or initial) sanctification is the Holy Spirit’s work of setting sinful men and women apart as holy in Christ, constituting them as saints. Paul addresses the Corinthian church, certainly not the epitome of holiness, as “those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” (1 Cor. 1:2). The Corinthian believers were “washed,” “sanctified,” and “justified”—past tense (6:11). We already are holy as saints. And yet we are growing in holiness and must rely on the Spirit to live up to our new identity. This is called “progressive sanctification.” Thomas Schreiner relates the two:

For Paul, then, sanctification usually refers to the definitive work by which God has set apart believers in the realm of the holy in Christ Jesus. This eschatological work is accomplished at conversion, so that believers can be said to be holy or sanctified in God’s presence. Still, Paul recognizes the need for growth in holiness and that transformation is a process (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18), since complete sanctification and holiness will not be granted until Christ returns. Believers are already holy in Christ, and yet the fullness of that holiness will not be theirs until the day of redemption.27

So the trajectory of our spirituality begins with our new life in Christ, received by faith, in which we are born again; are justified, adopted, and made holy; and increasingly grow in holiness. This work, from first to last, is a triune work of love.

The Triune God: The Source of Our Spirituality

Ephesians 1 praises the Father for heaping spiritual blessings upon us: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (1:3). God is the source of all our spiritual blessings. He has blessed us to the praise of his “glorious grace” (1:6) and for his “glory” (1:12, 14). This passage celebrates the work of the three persons of the Trinity in salvation. The Father’s election leads to our holiness and adoption (1:4–5). The Son’s redemption brings our forgiveness (1:7). The Father seals believers’ union with Christ by giving us the Holy Spirit as that seal, guaranteeing final salvation (1:13–14). All three persons work to save us, and they work in harmony. The result is continuity in God’s people: the Father chooses, the Son redeems, and the Spirit seals.

Notice how Paul stresses that all this occurs in Christ. Every spiritual blessing is in Christ (1:3). We are chosen in Christ, holy in Christ, and adopted in Christ. Our redemption is in Christ, our forgiveness is in Christ, the purpose of God’s will is in Christ, and final cosmic reconciliation is in Christ. Our inheritance is in Christ, our hope is in Christ, and our faith is in Christ. God has blessed us “in the Beloved” (1:6).

What Christ has accomplished for us is now applied to us through our union with him. The Father is the author of salvation, the Son the redeemer, and the Holy Spirit the one who joins people to the Son in salvation. The Father plans salvation, the Son accomplishes it, and the Spirit applies it to believers. The Spirit is thus the person of the Trinity who unites us to Christ. Union with Christ, then, is the Holy Spirit’s work of joining believers to Christ, so that all his saving benefits become ours.28

The Holy Spirit is our daily help as we live out the realities of our union with Christ. We need a grand goal, proper motivation, and solid content on which to build our lives. But more fundamentally, we need life, which comes from the Spirit’s uniting us to Christ. And we need the power that flows from Christ’s life, which the Spirit also links to us. The New Testament portrays the power for Christian living in three ways. First, it simply calls it “power.” Paul prays for the Ephesians to know the “immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe” (1:19). He extols this power as that which raised Christ from the dead and which he now exercises at God’s right hand, above all things and with everything under his feet (vv. 19–23). It is no wonder that Paul describes God’s power as the “working of his great might” (v. 19).29

A second way in which Scripture speaks of the power driving the Christian life is as enabling grace. We underestimate God’s grace by limiting it to initial saving grace (Eph. 2:8–9), because grace is also our ongoing power to serve God. Paul asserts, “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). This initial saving grace made Paul, at that time an enemy of Christ, into an apostle. Paul states that he worked harder than any of the other apostles and then clarifies, “though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (15:10). God’s enabling grace energized Paul to serve the Lord and bear fruit (15:11). Paul also speaks of enabling grace when he tells of his experience of receiving a thorn in the flesh so that he would not become puffed up (2 Cor. 12:7). Paul asked the Lord three times to remove the thorn, but God denied his requests, explaining, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (12:9). “Grace” is parallel with God’s “power,” and it is God’s grace that fortifies Paul to overcome despite weaknesses. Because of God’s enabling grace, the apostle can say: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (12:10).

A third way of viewing the power we need to live for Christ is to speak of the power of the Holy Spirit. The New Testament often associates the Holy Spirit with God’s power. The same Spirit who empowered Jesus in his earthly ministry (Acts 10:38) also worked as he made atonement (Heb. 9:14). The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 1:4) strengthens us to live for him. The same Spirit who applied salvation to us by enabling us to embrace the gospel (1 Thess. 1:5), regenerating us (Titus 3:5), and justifying us (1 Cor. 6:11), gives us power to serve Christ.

The empowering Holy Spirit works both inside and outside of God’s people. He works within to grant spiritual gifts to us (1 Cor. 12:11), enabling us to grow in holiness (Rom. 8:13), to “abound in hope” (15:13), and to gain strength and encouragement (Eph. 3:16). The Spirit also works outside of us to deliver us from difficult circumstances (Phil. 1:19), to empower us for witness (Acts 1:8), and to produce fruit from our evangelistic efforts (Rom. 15:18–19).

The Father providentially guides us as his people through difficult circumstances in order to build holiness into our lives; he disciplines us “for our good, that we may share his holiness” (Heb. 12:10). In unparalleled love, the Son of God died on the cross to sanctify us: “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,that he might sanctify her” (Eph. 5:25–26). As we have seen, the Holy Spirit plays a major role in sanctification: “God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13). In love, each Trinitarian person works to promote our holiness.

Although God alone initiates salvation due to our spiritual helplessness, it is clear that we have an active role in the Christian life. Jesus exhorts: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4). Paul urges us “by the mercies of God . . . to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom. 12:1). And Peter admonishes: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8).

Our spirituality, therefore, is the work of the Trinity in and through us. Paul commands us to “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). But the Christian life is not a self-help project, as Paul’s next words show: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (v. 13). God is the Lord who saves, keeps, and works in us. Yet we labor for him who saved us by his grace. And we do so by his mighty power, “struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within [us]” (Col. 1:29).

Christlikeness: The Goal of Our Spirituality

Our triune God breathes spiritual life into us. We who were alienated are now united to Christ, the perfect image of God, and in this union we know and love him. Union with Christ is a legal, judicial, and actual union producing life. In our union with Christ, we echo in our embodied state our purpose to image Christ through worship and devotion, through word and deed. Ivor Davidson notes:

Responsible Christian talk of salvation is inseparable from responsible Christian talk of God. To speak rightly of God is to speak on the basis of God’s initiative in turning towards us; that turning is God’s restoration of fellowship with us, his overcoming of the distance that has come to exist between estranged creatures and their creator. The genesis of this movement lies exclusively in God’s mercy, in the majestic goodness with which God determines that the alienated should not be forever lost, that those who have chosen death should not perish, that all things should find their due end in relation to their maker. In the gratuitousness of his outreach, God bestows not mere data but himself, enabling us to know him as he is, establishing the conditions within which creaturely apprehension of his character can and does occur.30

In our union with Christ, he is at work in and through us to cultivate and change us into people who reflect his character and his ways.

Thus the goal of our Christian life is Christlikeness, and our ambition is to conform to the image of Christ. Romans 8:29 stresses that God’s purpose is to conform us to this image of his Son. Second Corinthians 3:18 elaborates: “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

In The Disciplines of Grace, Jerry Bridges comments on Romans 8:29 and 2 Corinthians 3:18, unpacking Paul’s reference to our being transformed and conformed to Christ and not to the world:

Both words, transformed and conformed, have a common root, form, meaning a pattern or a mold. “Being transformed” refers to the process; “conformed” refers to the finished product. Jesus is our pattern or mold. We are being transformed so that we will eventually be conformed to the likeness of Jesus. Sanctification or holiness (the words are somewhat interchangeable), then, is conformity to the likeness of Jesus Christ.31

Bridges offers a practical test we can employ to determine if we are growing in our transformation: we evaluate Jesus’ character against our own actions as we pursue Christlikeness.

Such Christlikeness is immensely practical. God’s grace teaches us to “renounce ungodliness and worldly passions” and to pursue “self-controlled, upright, and godly lives” as we await the “appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11–13). Christlikeness, or godliness, is the goal: “Train yourself for godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7).

Christlikeness is also intensely personal. Indeed, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). When the Spirit unites us to Christ, he gives new life, which produces fruit—a display of our new life of goodness. He produces in us Christlikeness/godliness. By connecting us to Jesus’ obedient life, substitutionary death, and bodily resurrection, the Spirit produces the very character of Jesus himself. To be sure, he is always the Creator, and we are always the creatures; he is always the vine, and we are always the branches (John 15). As such, in Christ our lives are increasingly characterized by his character and life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, etc.

Further, Christlikeness is ecclesial. When Paul spoke to the church at Ephesus, he stressed traits that God’s people should embody over the totality of their lives. These marks—unity, universality, holiness, truth, love—communicate and reflect God’s goodness, which is why such attributes are sometimes called God’s communicable attributes. The church bears these marks precisely because the church displays God’s goodness in its collective pursuit of Christlikeness. And while God’s perfections cannot be fully communicated to or through creatures, through his gracious self-communication and self-condescension the church can still truthfully and genuinely display our great and glorious God.32

The marks of God’s “display people” characterize both the church as a whole and also the local, visible church. And while the marks already do to some extent characterize the visible church, we are exhorted to maintain unity, to live in accord with holiness, to teach truth, and to embody love. We are to live up to our high calling, and in so doing we showcase God. As such, the marks of the church both display who we are as the church and how we are to live accordingly. Ephesians regularly points to this already/not yet (and indicative-imperative) aspect of the church. As the church, we already are the fullness of Christ (1:23), and yet we long to be filled with the fullness of Christ (3:19) as we seek the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (4:13).33 As the church, we already are the one new humanity (2:14–18), and yet we are to attain unto a mature humanity (4:13) and put on the new humanity (4:20–24). As the church, we already are under our head, Christ (1:22–23), and yet we are to grow up into Christ, who is the head (4:15). As the church, we already are one, united in Christ (2:12–22; 4:1–6), and yet we are to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit (4:3). We already are holy (2:19–22), and yet we walk in holiness, put on the new humanity and holiness, become more and more holy, and one day will be ultimately presented to Christ as holy (4:20–24; 5:2–21, 27). As the church, we already are grounded in truth and built on Christ as the cornerstone, with the apostles and prophets as the foundation (2:19–22), and yet we are to teach truth, speak truth in love, walk in truth, and stand firm as an army with truth (4:5, 11, 14–15, 21; 6:10–18). As the church, we are glorious now, as the fullness of Christ (1:22–23), and yet one day we will be presented to Christ as glorious (5:25–28). Thus, as the church, we are the community of God’s people living in the already and not yet. We display God and the realities of the new creation. We are currently marked by godliness—goodness, unity, holiness, truth, and love—and yet we increasingly pursue godliness as well.

Love: The Focus of Our Spirituality

As we have seen, new life in Christ is the beginning of our spirituality, the triune God is the source of our spirituality, and Christlikeness is the goal of our spirituality. Now we turn to the focus of our spirituality: love.34 In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul points to his readers’ highest spiritual aspirations and then turns the tables on them (vv. 1–3). To experience spiritual gifts beyond measure, to have faith that leads to miracles, to know truth as exhaustively as it can be known, to give everything to the poor, or to be willing to die as a martyr for the gospel—to reach all of these, but to do them without “having love,” is worthless: “I am nothing” (v. 2); “I gain nothing” (v. 3). Even radical spirituality without love is worthless.

Then, in verses 4–7, Paul points us to true spirituality, which at its core is true Christian love. He does not so much define love as describe and personify it as a person who thinks and acts. And though the content of this passage is indeed suitable for wedding ceremonies and the like, Paul originally wrote this to address real-life problems of the Corinthian church. He warns that the Corinthians’ approach to religion is warped and portrays love as what is “central, characteristic, and irreplaceable in biblical Christianity.”35

Indeed, from the other parts of the letter we find that the clear failure of the Corinthians was their failure to love. Some were impatient and unkind, filled with jealous ambition and egos, and puffed up. They insisted on their own way and were argumentative and resentful. Some rejoiced in wrong rather than in righteousness (chap. 5). Others promoted themselves rather than seeking to promote the good of the overall body. Instead of humbly serving others, they humiliated others. Instead of transcending the social class system, they highlighted it. Instead of following Jesus’ example of service, love, and sacrifice for the good of others, they used the symbol of his sacrifice for self-promotion. Instead of viewing their spiritual gifts as a God-given means to strengthen the church, they boasted of their superior knowledge and spirituality. As David Garland notes, “Although the gifts of the Spirit are conspicuous in their assembly, their lack of love is even more conspicuous.”36

So Paul describes love by its response to others in the church. If we truly love, we will be:

patient: we will endure suffering and difficult people (6:7);

kind: we will be tender—Paul often links kindness with forgiveness (Eph. 4:32);

not jealous/envious: we will want the best for others, not wishing that the successes of others were only ours (1 Cor. 3:3);

not boasting/vainglorious: we will be unpretentious, not promoting ourselves so that others would praise us (1:17; 2:1);

not proud/puffed up (4:6, 18, 19; 5:2; 8:1): we will be humble, not arrogant;

not indecent/shameful/rude (5:1–2): we will be pure, not immoral;

not insisting on our own way (10:24, 33; cf. Phil. 2:3–4): we will be generous, not self-seeking;

not irritable: we will be long-suffering, not given to fits of anger;

not resentful/keeping records of offenses: we will have a forgiving spirit and be not easily offended (1 Cor. 6:7: “Why not suffer wrong?”);

not rejoicing over injustice: we will support justice, not wrongdoing;

rejoicing in the truth: we will delight in and endorse truth;

bearing all things: we will put up with all things;

believing all things: we will be generously trusting, not suspicious or cynical (this does not mean we are gullible);

hoping all things: we hope for the best and are not pessimistic about others;

enduring all things: we will persevere in love.

These descriptions show that the particular expressions of our love will vary to meet the needs of the context. In the context of frustrating circumstances and people, our love appears as patience. In the context of the successes of others, love does not allow us to envy but leads us to rejoice with those who rejoice. In the context of our own successes, love restrains us from self-promotion and leads to humility. In the context of someone’s sin against us, love appears as forgiveness and not as a keeping track of wrongs. The Bible depicts our love for others as expressed also in sharing the gospel, caring for the poor, helping the marginalized, building the faith of others, promoting unity in the church, teaching truth, correcting error, urging repentance, and more.

These descriptions of love in 1 Corinthians 13 affirm the emphasis on love as desiring the good of others and as giving of ourselves for their sake. Such love provides focus and clarity to the trajectory of our spirituality.

The Church: The Community of Our Spirituality

Some of the people we love misunderstand our love, reject it, or even despise it. God uses this to teach us more love, particularly developing our patience, forgiveness, and endurance. Thankfully, though, most in the body of Christ receive our love, appreciate it, return it, and even pass it on by loving others. We can rejoice, knowing not only that the loving God loves us and transforms us by his love into people of love, but also that his very love is extending to us and leading to our love to him as well as to our love for others. The God of love also loves others and transforms them into people of love, and his very love extends out to others and leads to their love for him and even to us as well. God’s love has ripple effects. His very love is extending to us through the love of others, and his very love is extending still to others through our love. And on and on it goes, as the God-glorifying process of his self-giving love spirals forward in and through his people!

As such, the church is the community of our spirituality. Herman Bavinck stresses the communal aspect of Christian spirituality, explaining that we are “incorporated in a great whole, taken up into a rich fellowship . . . [as] a member of a new nation and citizen of a spiritual kingdom whose king is glorious in the multitude of his subjects.”37 Dietrich Bonhoeffer speaks similarly: “Christian community is not an ideal we have to realize, but rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate. . . . The ground and strength and promise of all our community is in Jesus Christ alone.”38

Ephesians helps us see that as the church, we are one new people, a new humanity, a people called to display God to the world.39 We are the new creation in the image of God, called to reflect Christ and embody God’s character (2:14–16; 4:13, 24). As the church, we are composed of believers who were alienated from God and through the saving work of Christ have been united to Christ (2:1–10) and reconciled to each other (2:11–22). As the church, we preach Christ not only to humanity in the verbal proclamation of the gospel but also to the entire cosmos through the visible display of unity (3:9–12). Bryan Chapell explains:

This grafting of the redeemed is so amazing that it was God’s intent to use it to display his wisdom to the heavenly beings. Thus Paul’s words create a celestial stage to display the wonders of grace. . . . In union with other sinners made perfect, and as members of one body, we who come from every tribe and nation, people and personality, are on display as a church before the heavenly hosts as a testimony to the wisdom of God. . . . Just as Paul’s sin makes the grace of God more apparent, the uniting of sinners in the body of Christ makes the grace of God more brilliant—even to the hosts of heaven. By our unity in Christ’s body, the church, we are preaching to the angels about the power, wisdom, and glory of God who made us.

This is the apex of Paul’s thought about the church. . . . Here we learn that the church is intended not only to transform the world but also to transfix heaven.40

As we showcase God’s eternal purpose of cosmic unity to the world, we demonstrate that the kingdom of God has already broken into history. God’s eternal purpose of cosmic reconciliation is not perfectly realized yet—sin and injustice still occur. Yet sin will not have the last word; disorder and division will not last forever. Although the present age can still to some extent be characterized as “not the way things are supposed to be,”41 God will bring about a new creation.

What is so striking is that God’s new creation is already underway in the church. The church is the firstfruits of the ultimate new creation still to come. As the firstfruits, we are both the genuine reality of the new creation and also the foretaste of more to come. Thus, as the church, we are the new humanity, new society, new temple—a new creation. We are a foretaste of heaven on earth, a genuine embodiment of the kingdom, a glimpse of the way things are supposed to be, and a glimpse of the way the cosmos ultimately will be; we are a showcase of God’s eternal plan of cosmic unity.

Thus, Paul asserts the fundamental unity of the people of God: there is one God, one Lord, one Spirit, one body, one faith, and one baptism (4:4–6). As the one body of Christ, we are to live out our high calling of oneness and to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (4:3). This unity exists amidst a very real diversity: “Grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (4:7). Paul elaborates that this means that God has given the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (