Jeff Purswell proposes three God given task that give substance to our loving the world in which we live:
Task 1: Enjoy the World
The "world" we're forbidden to love (1 John 2:15) is not the earthly creation but a world inhabited by people with a mindset of cosmic treason and rebellion towards God. It is mankind in settled opposition to God. That is the world we are to stop loving and setting our hearts on that which is opposed to God.
Geographically speaking, however, this world, in an ultimate sense, is our home. God created it for us, he delegated its development and care to us, and at the consummation he will dwell here with us forever following our resurrection and the world's renewal after Christ's return (Revelation 21:14). Through the lens of a biblical worldview, the material world takes on entirely new dimensions, with new purposes and possibilities for our lives. One of those possibilities is an enhanced enjoyment of the world. As a fellow-heir with Christ of the world, a Christian's enjoyment of it should be deeper, more authentic, more satisfying, and more enduring than that of those who have no share in this inheritance. This enjoyment is rooted in two solid realities.
1. Creation Is God's Witness
"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). According to David, the created world isn't simply there; it speaks. Everywhere we look, the world around us bears witness to the Creator, who brought it into existence. As T. M. Moore puts it, "Created things are ambassadors of glory from God to His people." John Piper says that the heavens are God's sky talk crying out that God exists.
David goes on in Psalm 19 to describe the massive scope and magnitude of the creation's communication: "Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world" (Psalm 19:2-4). Purswell says, "A veritable deluge of revelation floods the world from end to end." When we look outside at God's creation the bible tells us that we should be seeing God. Isn't that amazing? Jonathan Edwards says that God reveals Himself through two books: The book of scripture and the book of nature.
Purswell writes, "Moreover, creation doesn't simply give us the vague impression that God is somehow out there somewhere ("He must be there; look at all this stuff!"). True, creation testifies to his reality, but it does more: it communicates real things about God." In speaking of God's general revelation in nature, the apostle Paul notes:
"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made" (Romans 1:19-20)
I love what the author says next. Take the time to really reflect upon these words. Read them slowly and reverently and full of wonder. According to Paul, we can discern certain things about God through what he has made. Roaring seas proclaim his might, towering peaks bespeak his majesty, variegated wild-flowers whisper of his complexity. In these and a million
other ways, "the things that have been made" testify to the nature of the One who made them....the miracle of the new birth, which grants eyes of faith to see the "light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6), also opens blind eyes to perceive the handwriting of God in creation, which points beyond itself to its Source and Sustainer.
2. Creation Is God's Gift
The second reality that anchors and informs our enjoyment of creation is the sheer fact that God gave creation to us to enjoy. God is such a happy being who delights in our happiness with wonderful gifts to see and savor and enjoy him as they echo and reflect His glory. Purswell writes, In the creation narrative, God locates man in a place of rich provision and enjoyment designed specifically for him. The name Eden itself means "pleasure" or "delight," and Scripture uses the language of plenty, richness, and pleasure to describe its landscape. In the garden was "every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food" (Gen. 2:9). From the beginning, God intended man to experience fellowship with his Creator in a beautiful, unblemished environment. Although the fall brought frustration and corruption even to the natural creation, it remains a gift from God to be acknowledged, appreciated, and enjoyed. '
Indeed, as the Bible's story demonstrates, God is committed to the material world and his redeeming work embraces it. In his rebuke to those who would denigrate the natural world and its pleasures, the apostle Paul affirms, "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer" (1 Timothy 4:4-5).
Not only is the world dangerous but it is also the source of life and joy. "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17). Paul seems just as concerned about a failure to appreciate creation as he is about the tendency to worship it. Puswell says that for the enlightened Christian, "the physical world holds great promise as a worship-producing source of pleasure and provision that opens the eyes to God and engenders worship of God."
Thus our obligations as Christians in a beautiful world designed by our creator as a witness to Himself and a gift to His creatures is to study and enjoy the world which we live in. To be alive to His creation and be alive to Him our happy creator.
Purswell says that fulfilling this call will have at least three specific, God-glorifying effects in our lives:
1. Knowing God. Since the creation reveals God, we can expect diligent observation of the world to yield a deeper knowledge of God. ...armed with the teaching of the Bible and working in concert with it, our experience of the physical creation can broaden and strengthen both our grasp of our Creator as well as our enjoyment of him.
He describes some of the experiences of observing God through His wonderful creation:
The vibrant, multihued splendor of clouds framing a sunset palpably nourishes my soul and enriches my grasp of God's beauty. The intricate complexity of a cell under a microscope dazzles my imagination and deepens my appreciation for God's wisdom. The ear-numbing roar of a crashing waterfall confronts me viscerally with God's power. The serenity of bulging, motionless clouds on a still summer day halts the traffic of my mind with God's peace.
In each case, my experience of the natural world power-fully impresses upon me an aspect of scriptural truth. Each second of every day creation proclaims, and through its proclamation enhances our understanding and experience of the God who made and sustains it and who reveals himself to me through it.
2. Imitating God. The physical world offers abundant opportunities for God's image bearers to imitate him, and by so doing to glorify him by reflecting his nature and character. A painter reflects on his canvass the creativity of a wonderful creator, a master painter, who uniquely and creatively and thoughtfully designed and sculpted the universe as well as our own lives. When a thundercloud comes with bolts of lightning and thunder it reminds us of the omnipotent power of a mighty God. When a singers voice sounds like the voice of an angel we get a sense of the beauty of God's own voice. When the sun rises in the morning it reminds us of the light of God over our lives and illuminating all that was covered in nights darkness.
Purswell writes, Of all people, it is the Christian who should appreciate aesthetics, discerning with renewed powers of perception the handiwork of God in creation. And as our own aesthetic achievements reflect his creativity and skill, we join him in expressing and celebrating beauty—a beauty that points us to God and intensifies our delight in him.
3. Delighting in God. The more we learn of God's world and his works, the more cause we have to delight in God and express his praise. The psalmist's experience confirms this observation: "O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. . . . I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being" (Psalm 104:24-25, 33).
All sorts of endeavors hold great potential in this regard, from the scientist who solves a mystery of microbiology to the child who marvels at a firefly. The discovery of new places, the enjoyment of the world's vast variety, new sights, new sounds, new smells, new tastes—God's creation is filled with experiences awaiting to delight our hearts and to elicit praise to the God who made them.
I pray that each of you will begin looking at the world through childlike wonder and perhaps take the time to just be still, look, take in, savor and enjoy, and worship the God who says that all you see is both good and is pointing to a glorious, wonderful, and great maker.
Next time we will learn the second way that we can love the world...
Pastor Bill
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