The purpose of this short essay is to distinguish between what I consider a false view of one of the main features of salvation (soteriology) and the correct biblical view. I feel that the modern evangelical church has made a grave error in features of their soteriology. They have put salvation (mainly the aspect of justification) as an end to be desired in and of itself, rather than putting it in its rightful place as the beginning of what is to be desired, like putting the preparation of a great feast as primarily important while neglected the feast to be consumed all together.
It seems by their practices that the modern evangelical church proclaims the gospel of salvation only to see people saved from death and given new life. But the question arises, new life for what? They see salvation (justification) as the end. Now we wait for the return of the Lord. This is the whole point isn't it, to get saved and go to heaven? No, it isn't. Allow me to explain. James Jordan once said that everything we need to know is revealed in Genesis 1-8, but that we are just to stupid to see it, so God wrote 1181 other chapters to explain it to us. I'm not sure that I fully agree with this statement, but I do think it speaks to a truth that we often overlook. Like the young couple excited to be going on their first road trip who then subsequently forget the road map on the dining room table, we tend to overlook the fundamentals. That said, I intend to go to Genesis 2 to make my point.
Modern evangelicals say that the end goal is to glorify God by proclaiming the gospel so that the lost can be "found" and then the "newly found" can do the same thing. Much like when we lined up dominoes as children and watched them fall sequentially, the point is just that the thing keep on going, domino after domino, falling into the next. I pose that this is not the bible's position, and do so based on the creation narrative in Genesis 1 and 2. First, it stands to reason that since, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14, that God is not the author of confusion, that God created Adam for a purpose, and that we, as his offspring, have been created for the same general purpose. What is this purpose? Hold your horses, we will get to that shortly. When God created the universe and all that it entails He saw that it was good, this includes Adam. God chose to make man in His image and saw that Adam was good, perfect and sinless, the exact image of God that God intended him to be. It is in this image that we also are created, as Adam's posterity. Now back to the purpose for Adam's creation. Was Adam created so he could hear the gospel, get saved and then wait for Jesus to return? Unfortunately for my dispensational friends, the answer to this question is no. Adam was not created for salvation as he was already in a present reality of salvation. He stood before the face of God, he was perfect and sinless and was seen by God to be "good". So why was Adam created? Adam was created for two reasons, one of which was to glorify God by his works, to carry out his assignment from God, which happened to be to tend and keep the garden, take dominion over the earth and to be fruitful and multiply (we could call this the purpose of the kingdom). The second of his purposes was to be in relationship with God. God desired to have a relationship with Adam, a Lord and subject relationship, but a relationship nonetheless. But wait, these two purposes come with two prerequisites, the first of which is that Adam be perfect and sinless. No one can have a relationship with a holy, righteous and perfect God, and please God by his works, if he is less than perfect, which can be seen by God kicking Adam out of the garden after he sinned, as if he was over 90 days late on his rent. The second is that Adam carry out his work in community with the rest of God's creation, God said, "it is not good that man should be alone," apparently the work God has called us to cannot be done alone. So we can summarize four points that rise to the surface in Adam's created purpose: 1. To carry out his assignment from the Lord (be fruitful and multiply, take dominion over the earth, and tend and keep the garden, aka, build the kingdom) 2. To be in relationship/community in this work (God said that it is not good that man should be alone) 3. To be perfect and sinless so as to be able to stand before God in his work (God saw that Adam was "good", and subsequently removed him from the garden and God's presence when he sinned) 4. To be in relationship with God (God talked with Adam and walked in the garden with him). This is what we see scripture testify to as the purpose for Adam's existence, all found in Genesis 2. Logically then, all of this would also apply to us. We need to carry out our assignment from God, in community, perfect and sinless, and in relationship with God. Wait, did you catch that? The "perfect and sinless" part? We can't do that. Adam sinned and plunged the entire race into a sinful, imperfect existence. So now what? It would seem that we are now destined to a hopeless existence, unable to fulfill our purpose and yet predestined to be here anyway. As if we were on the wrong end of a mine collapse with nothing but a plastic spork from Popeye's and a hand full of already burnt matches.
"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Gen 6:5
"The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?"
Jeremiah 17:9
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Romans 3:10-18
It becomes very clear that we cannot carry out our purpose as laid before our first father Adam. Now what?
Stage right: Enter Christ and the gospel.
Why did Jesus come? Why did he suffer humiliation and torture and death? Why did He rise again on the third day? Was it so you could feel better about yourself? Was it so you could go to church on Sunday morning and have a purpose behind your songs or have someone to preach about? I think the answer is no. Jesus came to glorify God by restoring what was lost in the fall, to provide a righteousness that could be received by those who are the elect of God and for the restoration of all things. We were created for a purpose which we can no longer fulfill, because we are marred by sin and dead in spirit. Christ came to bring life, to renew our spirit within us and give us His righteousness, thereby fulfilling the prerequisite of our task, to be perfect and sinless.
Before we move on, did you notice how Christ, in His humanity, as the second Adam, fulfilled the purpose of the first Adam? Christ came to glorify God with an assignment, which He carried out in community with God's chosen people, He did it perfectly and without sin, and in perfect relationship with the Father and the Spirit. This was the first Adam's purpose, it was the second Adam's purpose, and it is our purpose which we have been hindered from completing due to the sin that kills us. But now, through Christ, we can. We have been justified, restored to righteous standing before the Lord, and can enter into community with His chosen people, can have a relationship with Him and can now carry out our assignment in a way that pleases Him. This is what Christ restored, this is the purpose of salvation (justification). Salvation (justification) isn't the end to be desired, but merely the beginning. It is the entryway to your calling, the leveling ground that gets you back to zero with the Lord enabling you now to move forward in His will. In Christ, you now stand before God as Adam did before the fall, perfect and sinless, able to please God and be in relationship with him, awaiting your duty.
As one who is saved we are now able to move on to our assignment, to good works, as Paul says in Ephesians 2:10, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." It might also be helpful to note that Calvin in his Institutes, book 3 says that as we are covered by Christ's righteousness, that our works are now righteous as well. "Good works" is the task at hand. I can hear it now, many of you gasped inwardly in shock, thinking to yourself "this man is a heretic". I know, "good works" is an evangelical curse word. Don't string me up just yet, let me explain. The doctrine of works is only heresy when it is used as the means of salvation. To say that we are saved by works IS heresy, a damnable heresy. We all know that salvation is by grace through faith ALONE! But to call good works a heresy in and of itself goes against the clear teaching of scripture, seeing as how "we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (emphasis mine). The doctrine of works as the fruit of salvation is what I am referring to, works post-salvation, not before. Salvation enables us to do good works. Having been restored to God's favor and being found righteous in Christ we are able to do what we were created for. This, I believe, is a feature of a correct soteriology.
So what are the "good works for which you were created"? That depends on your eschatology. What do you think is God's end-game? What is God's ultimate plan for creation and humanity? Figure this out and you know how you should come alongside God and help. But that is the subject of another essay.
Before I end, I would like to make note of something else that we can learn from this. What we have discussed as the purpose for Adam's creation, for the second Adam's humanity and for all the rest of humanity is also a key to our discipleship. To be a disciple is, from the root of the word "disciple", to be a learner. So as disciples of Christ we should be learners of, and from, Christ. But learning what? We should follow in his footsteps and learn to imitate Him. We should seek to glorify God by carrying out our assignment, in community with God's covenant people, in the image of Christ (perfect, sinless and righteous) and in relationship with God, all of this through Christ. These are the marks of a disciple, this is what Christ came to restore, this is how we glorify God.
This leads to the Kingdom, to the renewal of creation, and to the physical presence of God as King for eternity. Soli Deo Gloria!
