Recovering Eden

Zack Eswine:

"But I commend to you that God has been about nothing but seeking to restore and recover what was lost in Eden."

In other words, grace restores nature. What was corrupt and lost in the fall, is now being regained in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Pastors: Leading Their People to Death-Defying Devotion

"A high view of God's sovereignty fuels death-defying devotion to global missions"


"Pastors who believe that God is sovereign over all things will lead Christians to die for the sake of ALL peoples"

Just a couple opening quotes from David Platt's message he delivered at Together 4 the Gospel (T4G). I haven't read any of Platt's books (although I plan to) nor have I listened to much of his stuff, but from what I have heard, I love this guy and his passion for the gospel.

Being a Christian is intrinsically linked with mission. A legitimate belief in the God of the Bible fuels radical self-giving in the form of mission. I'm thankful for Platt, especially for that 2nd quote about pastors having the privilege of leading their people to die for the sake of the gospel going to ALL peoples. Most churches, and most pastors don't have the stomach to preach this. Yet, it is in the Bible. It is what Jesus said was necessary to follow him. Most pastors prefer to build up comfortable buildings for people to gather, giving them a few snippets of good advice for living, and enough assurance to soothe their religious conscious. This is nice, but this is not Christianity. This is not being a disciple of Jesus. This is not holding a high view of God's sovereignty. I'll be posting Platt's message here in a little bit. It is an hour long, but is well worth the time. John Piper is calling it the best sermon on missions he has ever heard. So, if you want to have your world rocked, check it out!

Grace Restoring Nature

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." John 3:17

"The whole world, then, has been given over to corruption through sin, but through grace it is also being saved in its entirety from sin"

Jan Veenhof

"It is grace alone. And this grace does not abolish nature, but affirms and restores it."

Herman bavinck

"So Christianity did not come into the world to condemn and put under the ban of everything that existed beforehand and elsewhere, but quite the opposite, to purify from sin everything that was; and thus to cause it to answer again to its own nature and purpose."

Herman Bavinck

For the most part, my thoughts about God's restoring grace are way to small and limited. I usually think of God's grace in a personal, individualistic sense. Jesus came to save ME. Well, this is true, that Jesus' death and resurrection secure my individual justification with God. However, Jesus doesn't just save us as individuals and leave the rest to waste. Jesus came that the WORLD might be saved through him. If sin's corruption has stretched to every sphere of life, God's restoring grace stretches as far as the curse is found. God created the world. By nature, God's creation is good. But, every part of the world has been corrupted by sin. Therefore, Jesus came to restore God's creation to its original nature and purpose. God's restoring grace is way bigger than just me.