Romans 8, and the Copernican Revolution

Well, quite fitting with Josh's readings from the psalter today, I read from Romans 8, a very climactic chapter in Paul's epistle.  There are so many wonderful truths to be found in this short chapter:

• There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
• The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
• If God is for us, who can be against us?
• ...in hope that the creation will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

 

There is plenty of "me and Jesus" in this chapter, if indeed that is what you're looking for.  Though it cannot be failed to point out that the entire chapter is corporate, not individual. If we allow biblical theology to bleed into Romans 8 (as indeed it should bleed into all our Scripture readings), I think, as Josh pointed out, to not see that God's mission is cosmic, God's mission is about more than just me, is to read Scripture with your eyes closed.

I had a great conversation with a friend recently.  He's quite bright, and quite well read, and he appreciates the traditional Reformed emphasis on justification.  Recently though, he was able to hear some lectures on a biblical theology of the Temple, and was gushing to me about the connections between earth, garden, temple, city, new heavens and new earth, new creation, resurrection.

I told him, 'this is the copernican revolution.'  Though, that's not quite right, because it is a relatively recent phenomenon that Christianity has become so obsessed with personal salvation as the end-all-be-all.  But for a while now we've assumed that the theological solar system orbits around us. Or, if we want to be a bit more spiritual and humble, it orbits around what Jesus has done for us (even if we use the shorthand, "Jesus" as the center of all things, what we emphasize is "what Jesus did for me").

In my own life, the idea that God's mission is cosmic--the idea that God has been on mission since Day One, and that on Day One of the Resurrection, New Creation began squirming its way into God's world that had gone sideways due to human rebellion--is earthshattering, and life-giving. I get to be a part of this mission? I'm being reformed into the imago Dei, to act as a priest, interceding between God and his world?  I get to work for his kingdom in the power of the Spirit and watch as injustice and evil get rolled back? 

Where do I sign?