God Is All About Making Things New

Just a few days into the new year, we still have an opportunity to focus on making a fresh start, closing the door on 2023 and being excited about some new beginnings in 2024. We might want to continue and build on some of our accomplishments over the past 12 months, but most of us have things we’d like to do differently or take a totally new approach.

Among the “new” things I’d like to be doing this year is spending more time reading and less time on “screens,” whether it be TV or my electronic devices. I want to tackle my stash of books with renewed enthusiasm. Reading requires action; screens foster passivity. It’s time for action.

New things you’d like to do are probably different from mine, but whatever they are, there’s no time to begin like the present. Out with the old and in with the new, as they say. Hope you find much success in whatever your new endeavors might be.

 

But have you ever considered that God is all about making things new? We see this in the very first chapter of the first book of the Bible. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). I believe the “big bang” scientists often speak about can be summed up in three powerful words: “And God said.” 

 

That simple phrase appears eight times in that opening chapter of Genesis, God speaking and creating: Light. Sky, earth and water. Vegetation. Sun, moon and stars. Myriad kinds of living creatures. And finally, man and woman. The Lord conceived what He wanted to create – brand new things – then spoke and it became so. Sounds simplistic, but I’m sure it was anything but that. 

 

God’s desire to make new things didn’t stop there. That was just, well, the beginning. He’s been conceiving and creating new stuff ever since. Take the Ten Commandments, for example. Until then, humankind was governed by an inner moral compass God had instilled, but those succinct commandments embodied how we’re to live and relate, both to Him and one another.

 

As we study the Scriptures, however, we discover the foremost “new” thing the Lord desires to create is you and me. When Jesus went to the cross to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins, that wasn’t the end of the story. Not by the longest of shots. His resurrection not only announced victory over death but also the promise of new life for all who would place their faith and trust in Him.

 

Nearly 40 years ago I was wrestling with what is often referred to as “the Christian life.” I couldn’t seem to get it right, no matter how hard I tried. Then during one life-changing weekend, a friend helped me understand a foundational truth: The Christian life isn’t difficult – it’s impossible! That is, in our own strength there’s no way we can measure up to God’s perfect standards. Or even close.

 

My good intentions and determinations to do better in my own strength would never succeed. As is true for every one of us. This is why Jesus said we must be “born again” (John 3:3,7). Becoming children of God doesn’t demand a “makeover” or some type of improvement program, but an entirely new life. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we're told, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

 

Up to that weekend, I had been wrestling with that latter verse as well as another, Galatians 2:20, which says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” I knew those two passages intellectually, but not experientially. Somehow, they didn’t seem to apply to me. 

 

Although I still struggled “in the flesh,” God wanted me to understand that in Christ I had been made new spiritually. Another verse, Titus 3:5, expresses it this way: “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” 

 

I already had new life in Jesus Christ but hadn’t appropriated it. It’s still a challenge at times when, as Jesus said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38). It’s a day by day, moment by moment process of learning how to follow Him in the power of His Spirit that lives in us.

 

This brings up another biblical reference to becoming new. Romans 12:2 offers the admonition, “Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Every day can be a battle, being bombarded with “the pattern of this world” through what we read, hear and see.

 

The only way we can win this battle is to “set [our] minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). And we can do this consistently only through the power of God’s Spirit. Every day the Lord is busily doing new things – both in us and through us. If we were to ask Him, “What’s new?” I suspect He’d respond, “You have no idea!”

Appreciating the Stunning Beauty of Creation

Tourists ride "The Maid of the Mist" to see
Niagara Falls as closely as possible.

With all the ugliness and evil we see in the world, sometimes it’s easy to forget how much beauty surrounds us. Caught up in negativity, we fail to “stop and smell the roses,” as the time-honored admonition tells us to do. When was the last time you made a point of admiring and enjoying beauty in any of its many forms? 

Art – whether it’s considered beautiful or not – is largely determined by who’s looking at it. We can stare at a painting, no matter if it’s been created with oil paint, watercolors or some other medium, and some of us will marvel at the artist’s skill and creativity; others will shrug or even sneer, wondering what the artist could have been thinking. 

 

We can have similar reactions to sculptures. Most folks will agree that two of Michelangelo’s best known creations, “David” and “Pieta,” are true works of art. However, when we see sculptures consisting of twisted metal or seemingly random plastic, many of us aren’t so convinced. Beauty truly is in the eyes of the beholder.

 

The same applies to music, literature, theatrical films, and many other art forms. I’ve heard many pieces of music, both vocal and instrumental, that thrilled me to my core while others, highly regarded by other people, elicit a mere “Meh” from me. One person’s wonderful melody is another’s cacophony.

 

If we were to ask each other what books and films made the strongest impressions on us, we’d probably offer widely differing opinions. But that’s one of the great things about life. We’re all unique, not only in physical appearance and abilities, but also in our interests and preferences.

 

Many natural wonders, however, tend to evoke more commonly shared responses. I’ve visited the Grand Canyon twice, and both times found myself slack-jawed and speechless. I doubt there’s anyone who has seen it in person that wasn’t awestruck to some degree. I never tire of observing glorious sunrises and sunsets, especially while at the beach. My cameras might tire of taking photos of those sights, but I don’t.

 

Recently, my wife and I joined a bus tour to Niagara Falls, another impressive natural wonder. Being told about more than 3,000 tons of water crashing over the Falls every second is nothing compared to seeing it happening firsthand. Put in other terms, this is 75,750 gallons of water per second over the American and Bridal Veil Falls, and 681,750 gallons over the Horseshoe Falls. (No, the thought of taking the plunge in a barrel never crossed my mind.)

 

The best thing about appreciating the wonders of nature, whether it’s a perfectly formed flower or the splendor of countless stars viewed from a site far from the glare of city lights, is knowing who created them. Psalm 8:1-3 declares, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens…Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place.”

 

Many scientists would respond that all we see on the earth, under the earth and far above the earth isn’t the work of God, but the results of time and random chance. Increasingly, however, although not widely reported, credible and credentialed scientists are challenging the assumptions that support the denial of intelligent design or creation, while also casting doubt on similar presuppositions used to justify much evolutionary thinking. This is why passages like those in Psalm 8, along with the Creation account in the opening chapters of Genesis, are all the more astounding.

 

For instance, one wouldn’t look at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Great Wall of China, or the Great Pyramids of Egypt and conclude, “What a marvel of time and random chance!” We know without questioning that they all were conceived, designed and built by creative, industrious minds. How much more the unfathomable wonders of nature that were fine-tuned so exquisitely by our Creator God?

 

There is one other example from creation I haven’t mentioned that’s even more wondrous: Human beings. After writing, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place,” the psalmist continued with awe, “what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet” (Psalm 8:3-6). Which prompts the writer in verse 9 to repeat, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!”

 

When we decide to slow down long enough to appreciate all the beauty that surrounds us, not to mention the incredible complexity with which each one of us is made and can exist, I wonder how a fair-minded person cannot be stirred and moved to affirm, “O Lord…how majestic is Your name in all the earth”?

Why God Does What He Does, the Way He Does

The walk of faith isn’t an easy one. Anyone who thinks differently probably hasn’t yet been in many situations when absolute trust in God was the only option. 

 

There’s so much about the Lord that we don’t know. But how can we expect our finite minds to even begin to understand the mind and ways of an infinite God, who has every right to do things His way without consulting us for our opinions on what and when and why and how?

 

Yet, we still wonder. Why does God do what He does – and why does He often do it in ways that don’t compute for us?

Admittedly, such things are far beyond my theological pay grade. However, in reading the Old Testament I’ve come across a recurring statement that could shine just a wee bit of light on such overarching questions. What is it? It’s a simple but forthright declaration, “That they will know that I am the Lord God.” 

 

These words – with slight variations – appear many times in the book of Ezekiel, as well as numerous other times throughout other Old Testament books. Whether it’s sending plagues; parting an expansive body of water; providing a new kind of food to feed a couple million Israelites; exacting punishments on people who defied His commands; writing cryptic messages on a wall; or performing other supernatural acts, God seems to have one overriding desire: “That they will know that I am the Lord.”

 

For example, in chapters 28-30 of Ezekiel alone, while describing the severe judgment He has planned for Tyre, Sidon, Egypt and other enemies of the Israelites, God concludes by announcing, “Then they will know that I am the Lord.” But even for the Israelites, His judgments – along with His bountiful blessings – are accompanied by the same motivation: “Then they will know that I am the Lord,” as He repeats in Ezekiel 36:38, or as stated in a slightly different way in 37:14, “Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it.”

 

Why is this so important? Think of it this way: How many times have you heard about some famous person – a movie star, politician, pro athlete or someone else of note – that was stopped by law enforcement officers for some alleged violation and almost the first thing out of their mouths was, “Don’t you know who I am?” As if their status merited special treatment.

 

Can you imagine what would happen if acclaimed celebrities got up to sing or to speak, and received no introduction and no applause after their performance? Don’t you think they’d at least give the audience a look as if to say, “Don’t you know who I am?”

 

This difference between their desire to be known and God’s is obvious: They are normal human beings, perhaps given more notoriety than most, but humans just the same. God is the Creator of not only this world and all we know of it, but also the entire universe with its wondrous complexity. We think of His miracles as recorded in the Scriptures, but every day we experience and witness myriad miracles – all of the Lord’s making.

 

From the intricacies of DNA to the predictable changing of the seasons, from the perfect tilt of the earth and the precision of its orbit around the sun to the astounding array of living creatures found in nature, we have the wonderful opportunity to know and serve a God of incomparable creative capacity. His work, which continues to this day, would dwarf the combined efforts of every person who has ever lived or is yet to be born.

 

As it says in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

 

Reading through the Old Testament, we can see the perplexing ebb and flow of the Israelites’ faith and devotion to Jehovah God. While being led by godly prophets and kings, they would experience the Lord’s blessings. Once those leaders had passed, however, they would soon become distracted and enticed by pagan beliefs and turn to the worship of false gods. All the God had done for them was quickly forgotten. And their rebellion and disobedience would lead to one trouble after another.

 

Is it any wonder that God would find it necessary to perform extraordinary, supernatural acts of judgment to chasten His chosen people and turn their hearts back to Him?

 

We are living in times when, like the Israelites of thousands of years ago, many people have forgotten God. Our nation, once founded upon Judeo-Christian principles anchored in the Bible, have largely rejected Him, replacing Him with the worship of practically anything and everything else – self, politics, power, ideologies, “Mother Nature,” wealth, materialism, even sports teams. 

 

The God of the Bible? “Who’s that?” likely would be the response from countless millions, despite being surrounded by boundless evidence of His existence and handiwork.

What might He be up to now? My guess – or opinion – is as good as yours, and vice versa. But I think it would be safe to state He is indeed working in such ways that sooner or later, “They will know that I am the Lord God.” 

Fixing Flaws to the Masterpiece as Only the Creator Can

Imagine being a renowned artist who has just finished a painting for a major art exhibit. After examining it with pride, he believes it might be his best work yet. About the time the artist is putting his signature to the painting, one of his grandchildren, four-year-old Eva, arrives with her mom and dad. Excited about their visit, the painter leaves the artwork to greet them. 

While they’re engaged in conversation, Eva slips away, enters the artist’s studio, and decides to try her own creative skills. Following the example observed while watching granddad at work, she goes to the paint palette, its oils still fresh, picks up a brush and happily starts dabbing paint on the lower corners within her reach.

 

Her grandfather, noticing she has disappeared from sight, tracks her down and instantly sees the damage Susan innocently has inflicted on his masterpiece. Because he loves his granddaughter, the master artist stifles an urge to cry out in dismay. He guides Eva away from the painting as calmly as possible, places the palette far out of reach, and immediately starts contemplating how to fix his now-flawed creation.

 

If the painter resolves to repair the artwork, do you think he would he ask little Susan to do it? Of course not. He would do it himself, since as its creator, he’s the only one capable of restoring it to its former beauty.

 

Even as I describe this imagined scene, I can’t help cringing, thinking about how I might react if I were in his shoes. The paramount work of a lifetime, painstakingly created and completed, seriously marred by careless hands. Do you just take a “mulligan” or a start-over?

 

In the most profound sense, this is exactly the story we find unfolding throughout the Bible, starting with its opening words, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), followed by its description of the creation account. That first chapter closes with these words: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…” (verse 31). By “very good,” I don’t think He was saying, “Not too shabby” or “it’s okay.” It was the greatest “Ta-Dah!” of all time.

 

But we know the story didn’t end there. The first humans, whom the Bible identifies as Adam and Eve, wrecked the Lord’s perfect, idyllic work. Committing what is commonly referred to as the original sin, they defied His command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A singular but devastating act of disobedience and rebellion, with tragic ripples that we experience to this day.

 

One term for those ripples is our “sin nature.” Adam and Eve didn’t keep their wayward ways to themselves. Throughout history, men, women and children have been carrying on their sinful “DNA.” As Romans 3:10 declares, “There is no one righteous, not even one…,” and Romans 3:23 adds, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” From the moment we’re born, we arrive with something inside that seems intent on continuing to taint the Lord’s masterpiece.

 

Toward the end of the 7^th chapter of the book, the apostle Paul – having confessed his own struggles with right and wrong – bemoans, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death” (Romans 7:24). Great question, one most of us have asked ourselves, probably more than once.

 

Hymn writer and former slave owner John Newton himself faced this dilemma, wrestling with his dismal past, but arrived at this joyous conclusion as he wrote, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

 

This wasn’t rationalization on Newton’s part. He had discovered and embraced this truth from reading the Scriptures after being dramatically transformed by Jesus Christ. He read passages like Romans 7:25-8:2, in which Paul celebrated, after having asked who would rescue him:

“Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Adam and Eve, and every human ever born since, set about ruining God’s perfect creation, but He instituted a better plan, one that will ultimately dispense with the devastation completely. The Bible teaches this in many places, but one of the great passages explaining what the Lord has done – and continues to do – is 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.

 

It begins by revisiting God’s creative powers: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ…” Then we find the incredible declaration that we, even in our current imperfect state, have the privilege of being participants in this redemptive process:

“…And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made [Jesus Christ] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

 

As an old preacher said, “If that doesn’t light your fire, your wood’s wet!”

 

Maybe the imagined master painter we met above didn’t enlist little Eva to help him in restoring his masterpiece; but amazingly by His grace – as Newton recognized – God has chosen not only to reconcile us to Himself through His Son, Jesus, but also wants us to serve as His agents in seeing others restored in relationship to Him as well. Praise the Lord!

Picture the Universe. Now, Put Yourself in the Picture

Imagine walking into a huge hall, the largest room you’ve ever seen. Now picture this room containing an (obviously) miniaturized but accurate map of the universe. Within this map, try to find the Milky Way galaxy, in which our solar system resides. You’ll have to look hard – it’s only a speck. Next, search for our solar system. Good luck – in comparison to it, the speck would appear humongous. 

Suppose, with an electron mega-microscope or something, you finally find the solar system and the planets revolving around our sun. Now, attempt to find the earth. Even with the ultra-powerful microscope, not an easy task. But okay, let’s assume you can find it. Can you find the Grand Canyon? Lastly, try to find your house – and yourself in it.

A silly, impossible exercise, of course. But think about it: Comparing any one of us, and our tiny, finite brains, with the vastness, grandeur and complexity of the universe as we know it. (At least, as we believe we know it.) Even with myriad synapses, neurons and atoms, the human brain is woefully inadequate for attempting to fathom the scope of the universe. If we even try, it’s incredibly frustrating. Can’t be done. By contrast, it would be a snap for a flea to comprehend the totality of the Pacific Ocean.

Left out in this scenario is the God who created the universe. It’s even more mind-blowing to ponder the immensity of the universe – and then that it had a Creator. I think this is one motivation for skepticism. Despite how infinitesimally small we are in the grand scheme of things, it’s a blow to our egos to consider there is One who far surpasses anything we could ever comprehend. We’re inclined to reduce things to a level we can understand – or insist one day will be capable of understanding.

But if our finite minds can’t grasp the vast expanse of the universe, how could we possibly grasp the One who created it?

That’s where faith comes in. It’s not a matter of believing in something that isn’t, but rather trusting in what we can’t control, manage, or even fully comprehend. King David, in composing his psalms, wrestled with this, finally opting to accept vision via the eyes of faith rather than sight. He wrote, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4).

Later we find the poetic king writing his trust that despite the vastness of all creation, we can be assured of God’s constant presence and care: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there…” (Psalm 139:7-8).

In another Old Testament book, after listening to the lengthy discourse between Job and his friends concerning his apparently pointless suffering and loss, God responds: “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!...” (Job 38-41). Talk about putting someone in their place!

It all boils down to faith, as described in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” One day, however, in the words of the old hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul,” we have the confidence that our “faith shall become sight.” That’s good enough for me. 

Creativity and God’s Image

We find one of the Bible’s most intriguing statements in its very first chapter: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…'” (Genesis 1:26). So few words; so much substance.

The possessive pronoun, “our,” referring to the Trinity of God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit, has prompted countless books as theologians and authors seek to plumb the Trinity’s unfathomable depths with hopelessly limited human understanding. But that’s not my focus.

God's creation, combined with
"re-creation" in His image.

What in the world does “in our image, in our likeness” mean? Is it saying God has two eyes, two arms, two legs, two feet, etc.? I doubt you could find any Bible scholars in their right mind who believe that. Then what’s it mean?

I don’t claim to be an absolute authority, but I’ve thought a lot about being made “in His image," and have reached some conclusions that seem helpful. Think of a portrait, or quality photograph of someone. The image in that piece of art or photo isn’t the real person, but in some ways serves as a visual representation of that individual. 

When we look in a mirror, we again see an image – a reflection – of ourselves, even though what we see isn’t the actual person. It shows a perspective of our external self, but doesn’t show all of us. We can see our innermost being, especially thoughts, beliefs and motivations.

In demonstrating love, compassion, joy, generosity, mercy, reasoning, and many of other virtues, we “image bearers” display attributes of God, albeit imperfectly and incompletely.

Let’s look at just one of these divine attributes: Creativity. The first verse in the Scriptures tells us, “In the beginning, God created…” (Genesis 1:1). His first act involving our physical world was to create it. As His human image bearers, we can observe and participate in creativity in many areas of life – art, literature, fashion, construction, even the design of cereal boxes. 

There is one important difference, however. We must “create” using ideas and materials that already exist. God created out of absolute nothing, what theologians term ex nihilo. No less a personage than Walt Disney confirmed this years ago.

My late friend, Bob Foster, owned a popular dude ranch in Colorado Springs, Colo., and one year Disney was among his guests. As the two of them sat on a porch outside the main cabin, admiring the mountains, majestic pine trees and other natural wonders of God’s creation, Disney made a wise observation. He commented that while God engaged in creation, his job was “re-creation,” recognizing whether it was color, sound, concepts or physical structures, everything “Disney” came from things readily available. He never truly created anything.

Thinking about being in the image of God, there’s no greater example than Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:4 tells us, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being….” Limiting Himself to human form, Jesus became all we needed to know about God, even though because of physical constraints, Jesus did not reveal all of God there is to know.

I like how Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey phrased it in their excellent book, In His Image, in which Brand the physician utilizes his knowledge of the human body to draw spiritual parallels. They write that Jesus became “the finite, visible expression of the infinite, invisible, inexpressible God.”

And yet, we still have the privilege of representing God’s image, of being His “ambassadors,” as 2 Corinthians 5:20 states it. “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you, on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” This passage does not use the word “image bearers” or “in His image,” but just as ambassadors are imbued with the authority to represent their nations, we too are called to accurately represent our God.  

What We Learn from Good Movies

This time of year, traditional holiday movies reappear on various network and cable TV stations, social media, and on DVDs at retail stores, where you can purchase your very own copies of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Miracle on 34^th Street,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “A Christmas Story,” and others.

Hallmark channels present their own Christmas movie marathons, demonstrating how to produce the same story over and over in many different ways: Boy meets girl; girl hates boy; curious circumstances bring boy and girl together; hate turns to mere dislike, then to like and intense like; conflict pulls girl and boy apart; and finally the story ties itself into a neat bow, boy and girl deeply in love and locked arm in arm, walking toward a glorious future together.

Some critics turn up their noses at such films, dismissing them as shallow, sentimental and sappy. In some instances, they’re right. Happily-ever-after may exist in fairy tales and Disney animated films, but not so much in real life. And yet there’s something about rollercoaster storylines that end up with a smile.

Familiar images of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
tell only a small part of the redemption story.

Years ago, I attended a presentation about what good movies can teach us about biblical truth. Almost all classic films – the ones we want to watch over and over – have three common elements that reflect what the Bible teaches. In one way or another, they present us with Creation, followed by the Fall, and then Redemption.

The film starts out with characters well-defined that we grow to like in a very short time: The Creation. At some point conflict invades the scenario, putting those characters into difficulty, even peril. In many cases, it’s the result of their own bad choices, what the Scriptures define as “sin”: The Fall. Before the story ends, the intense conflict is somehow satisfactorily resolved, relationships are restored, and the viewers leave with “feel good” moods: Redemption.

Consider “It’s a Wonderful Life” as an example. George Bailey the banker is a good guy, beloved by most in his hometown of Bedford Falls. Reeling from the negligence of trusted Uncle Billy, George is pushed to the brink of suicide. Providence intervenes, using a comical angel named Clarence. George is rescued from the fatal throes of despair as he discovers his life was not the failure he supposed. Ultimately the townspeople rally around him, evil Mr. Potter’s scheme is foiled, and a merry Christmas is restored in Bedford Falls.

Recently, speaker Alistair Begg expressed this progression a bit differently. He defined the three stages as Alienation, Reconciliation, and Transformation. We see these steps repeatedly in the Bible’s Old and New Testaments.

Alienation from God, our separation from Him by sin, is clearly expressed in Romans 3:10, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.” Later in the same chapter we’re told, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). There’s a chasm between us and God that we can’t cross.

The idea of Reconciliation is presented to us in Romans 5:8, which says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  This truth is restated in Romans 6:23, affirming that, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We respond to God’s love, but He initiated the reconciliation process through the atoning death of Christ on the cross.

In 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 we also read about “God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, no counting men’s sins against them….”

Finally comes the Transformation, described one verse earlier in 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Galatians 2:20 communicates the same reality when it says that each follower of Jesus can trust that, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas and Christ’s birth in just a few days, it would be good to remember that we – part of God’s creation – were subjected to the fall of man, but when Jesus came to earth in the humblest of circumstances, it was the first step in His eternal plan for our redemption. Kind of like in the movies.

Lessons from a New Bathroom

The annual arrival of autumn leaves remind us
of the orderly nature of our world.

It’s interesting what we can glean about eternal truth from everyday life circumstances. This came to mind recently while reading a newspaper columnist’s musings about building a new bathroom in his home. Frankly, I admire the guy – because even though I also spent part of my career as a newspaper editor, the only thing I can accomplish with my hands is type words on a keyboard.

This fellow explained about installing a subfloor, outlets and switches that actually worked, wiring, drywall and other elements required to make his bathroom functional and attractive. He ended his column with the observation, “I know what it took to get it to the shape it’s in now.”

Imagine him proudly showing the new room to visiting guests. They comment, “Wow! It looks great. Who built it?” and he replies, “You know, that’s the funny thing. No one built it. My wife and I always wanted a master bathroom, and then one day, voila, there it was! It just appeared.”

They might chuckle at first, but if they thought he was serious, they would either check him for a high fever, call 911, or slowly move toward the front door. Because we all know that something doesn’t come out of nothing. For every effect, there must be a cause.

Remodeled bathrooms
don't just "happen."

My wife and I experienced the same thing when we had two bathrooms remodeled in our home. Unlike the columnist, I had nothing to do with the projects except moving a few items in and out. But we had a very skilled craftsman, a specialist in flooring and tile work, who did the remodeling for us. When friends visited, they would always ask, “Who redid your bathrooms?” They knew somebody had done it.

Yet there are many strident, stubborn proponents of the so-called Big Bang theory, which asserts that one day (before there were days, or hours, or even minutes), an extraordinary event occurred for no reason, with no purpose, all on its own – bringing something out of absolutely nothing. No only that, but this “something” has turned out to be phenomenally orderly, generally functioning in very predictable ways that can be studied by various scientific disciplines.

But, they claim, there was no first cause, no intelligent design, no meaning or purpose behind any of it. It just was, and is, and supposedly, always will be.

I get it: If you reject God, if you refuse to believe or accept the idea of a divine Creator, you do have to come up with some alternative explanation. So the “Big Bang” seems to do the job, even though its original premise flies directly against everything we know and have observed, even though the eyes of science.

Our magnificent world, not to mention the entire universe, operates in wonderful harmony and amazing order. Even though the natural course of things – according to various theories and laws of physics – if left unmanaged, is to move toward disorder. (I could offer my desk as proof; I straighten it up, and seemingly within moments, it’s already turning back into a mess.)

Whenever we walk into a restaurant and admire the décor, or sit in our car and it predictably starts when the key turns in the ignition, we know this didn’t happen by accident. There was a “creator” and a “builder,” armed with plans for how things should look and operate. We don’t need to be convinced of this.

So with leaves turning colors and then falling with the advent of autumn, and temperatures dropping as winter approaches, these serve as reminders that the orderly creation we observe is the result of the exquisite mind of the Creator God, who informs us, “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8).

If there was a Big Bang, and perhaps there was, it’s the one described in Genesis 1, when God spoke everything into being: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light…. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…” (Genesis 1:3-31).

If you need proof, you don’t need to look any farther than someone’s refurbished bathroom.