Declaring God's Cosmic VIctory Through Worship - Part 1

Probably the most important concept God has expanded my mind and heart with over the last year has been seeing Jesus Christ's incarnation, earthly ministry, death and resurrection as being primarily about restoring God's creation as a whole, not just about making individual humans debt-free in regards to their sin.  Embracing this perspective has forced me to acknowledge that contemporary Christian worship does not usually emphasize this "cosmic" view of Christ's redemptive work, and in many cases, contradicts it.  In this post I will explore one way in which the purpose of our redemption goes beyond the personal benefits we receive from it. 

In Ephesians 2, we learn that we are saved from sin and death by God' grace, not by anything we have done, it is a gift from God.  Why did God do this?  I think the most common answer you'll get is something like "because God chose us and loves us."  And that is a true answer.  Just look at Ephesians 1:4-5 and see how it was part of God's plan from the beginning to adopt us as sons through Jesus Christ, because of His choice and love.  However, the plan and reasoning behind why God did what He did through Christ encompasses more than just His love for us and His desire to make us holy and blameless.  Ephesians 3:10-11 offers some insight into one of those other purposes.

"His (God's) intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord."  

Commenting on this passage, Greg Boyd says the church is like a trophy case for displaying God's grace to the whole angelic society, especially those who oppose Him.  He asserts that "The church is to manifest the truth that Satan's kingdom is defeated.  Thus, in its own way, under the victorious authority of Christ, the church is to engage and overthrow evil powers, just as Jesus himself has done.  Indeed, when the church does this through the Spirit, it is Jesus himself who is still doing it."

I love the irony of this purpose God has for us.  The ones who were once enslaved to the kingdom of Satan have been set free to show its former captors that the true king, Jesus, is on the throne, and that He has vanquished them!  The question is, how many of us truly realize that this is part of why Jesus redeemed us?  Are we actively living out this purpose?  

Next time we'll explore how we can fulfill this role of manifesting the truth of Satan's defeat in worship, and thus help to bring the bigger cosmic picture of God's redemption plan back into the church and recognize that it is not just about us.