What is God’s goal in creation? 

As we begin a new year and leave behind 2020 – a year that was fraught with chaotic change – now, more than ever, it is important for us to understand our place in God’s story. If we do not understand and actively walk in the truth of God’s word, we can easily become disconnected from the big picture, become focused on ourselves, and start to lose hope. This starts with knowing how to read our Bibles, by understanding how the Old Testament connects to the New, with Jesus at the heart of every book. By reading the Bible as one story, we also see God’s heart for the nations. We see a mandate for His glory to proclaimed to all nations – His glory which took the form of the perfect sacrifice in His one and only Son, Jesus, the Messiah.

You might think that we don’t receive this mandate until the Great Commission in Matthew 28, but, actually, it begins in Genesis; it is repeated throughout the Old Testament and continues in the New Testament. We will have other articles that trace this thread throughout scripture, but, for now, let’s focus on the beginning and end of the story: Genesis and Revelation.

In Genesis 1:28, we see that God’s desire from the beginning is for the earth to be filled with worshippers.

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over ever living things that moves on the earth.”

Man was the last and best part of God’s creation. Right away He blesses them, but up to this point they had done absolutely nothing to deserve a blessing from the Lord, it was purely because of His grace; and it’s the same for us today. We have done absolutely nothing to deserve our salvation, and, yet, He offers this great gift to us. This blessing is followed by a command. He sends them into the earth to multiply and fill it, to fill it with more worshippers. He also gave them the authority over the rest of creation; it was a great gift that we are still called to steward wisely. God repeated this blessing and command to Noah in Genesis 9, and it culminates in His blessing to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “…and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” God’s plan from the very beginning was to create a world filled with worshippers that proclaim His glory. Unfortunately, this has been corrupted by sin, but that didn’t change the purposes of God, and we still have the call today to proclaim His name among every people group. Are we actively involved in this? Galatians 3:28-29 clearly shows our place in His story –

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

We have been saved to continue in the “family business” – we are in Abraham’s family and the command to proclaim His glory to every people group continues with us!

Let’s fast forward to the end of the story. At the end of God’s perfect plan for our world, we see that what He set in motion way back in Genesis will come to fruition.

Revelation 7:9, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

Every nation, every tribe, every people and every language is represented around the throne. What a glorious picture! This is the amazing thing, and we have to keep this in our focus. No virus, no politician, no world event, nothing happening in our world will thwart the plan of our sovereign God! This should give us a great confidence, a sure hope, and an energizing urgency to be about our Father’s business. We know that God does the work of salvation, only He can save, but He calls us to be his messengers, his witnesses, his proclaimers to every tribe, tongue, and nation. It’s all for His glory! The question is – will we join Him in this great story?

How can we help your church be equipped to join God in His mission both locally and globally? Contact us and let us know.