Welcome to the culmination of our four-part series, "Seeing and Goodness: A Four-Part Exploration of the Revelation of God in Creation." In this final installment, we bring together the threads of our journey through Genesis chapter 1, where we have traced the revelation of God's character and purposes. Rooted in the First-Sentence Perspective (F-SP) of Genesis 1:1, which asserts that every truth is intricately linked to God's self-revelation, "In the beginning God ... ," and original intent for creation, our exploration has focused on two key words in the creation narrative. Part 1, titled God's See-Saw 'Love' (God's ‘love’ Revealed), unpacked Genesis 1:4 and revealed how God 'saw' and this act of "seeing" conveyed a deep relationship with and ‘love’ for His creation.
In the second installment, Seeing and Goodness: Part 2 - Here Comes the Judge, we continued our journey by examining God's declarations of 'good'-ness and their implications for understanding God as the divine 'judge' and His purpose for all things.
Last time, in Part 3, Seeing and Goodness: Part 3 - Unveiling God's Amazing Grace, we delved into the revelation of grace right from creation's origins. We answered the question, "If Genesis 1 contained the first prophecy of the Gospel, what might this mean for us?" and found the God who lovingly ‘judges’ ‘good’-ness, ex nihilo, is the same God reshaping us into His handiwork today. The God of the beginning will be God of the end.
Our series concludes now, in Part 4, "Living the 'Good' Life," applying these Genesis 1 truths to our identity in Christ. God who creates and declares ’good’ is the same God who conforms us to His image today. How might embracing this ‘grace’ perspective transform how we walk out our purpose?
God's Grace Begins Here
The ’good’ news of what God has done in Christ is the hope of a different way of living. At the center of this ’good’ news is the truth that we are saved by God's grace (Eph 2:8) and His grace was revealed at the beginning. Though we cannot save ourselves, God can and has saved us through Christ. If that's true, why is it so difficult to accept it?
As I write these words, there is a voice within me that asks, “Okay, so what should I do?” But Ephesians 2:1–10 tells me this is the wrong starting point. I should not begin with my efforts. Rather, I should begin by listening deeply to the story of God’s grace extended in Christ. I begin by seeing myself in this story. I begin by leaning back into God’s great ‘love’, liberal mercy, and incomparably rich grace. I let the truth that God has saved me by grace be the foundation of my life.
I must 'see' myself as God 'sees' me: as God’s handiwork, letting this inspired vision empower the transformation and restoration of my sense of identity and purpose. Only then may I take the time to consider what I might do as God’s handiwork since there are ’good’ works that God has prepared for me to do. But if you’re the sort of person who wants to run your own life, and if, like me, you prematurely, in fits of pride-filled self-condemnation, rush to the question of what you must do, then you need to take time to let the story of God’s grace in Ephesians 2:1–10 sink in. Grace changes us. It changes our stories.
I see so many 'saved' people looking over their shoulders and calling what God has declared ’good’ (themselves) to be evil. Having been recreated in Christ, they persist in declaring this new creation as unworthy and, by inference, evil. Having done so, they resort to ‘works’ to try to measure up while at the same time judging themselves as inadequate. If not work, they give in to the condemnation out of apathy toward the promises of God.
God's plan is quite different. Because He has declared us ’good’ in Christ Jesus, we are again trusted to do ’good’ works unfettered by guilt and shame. These ’good’ works are entrusted to us so that we might reveal God in and to the world.
God of Grace - Nothing New Here
God has been the God of grace from the beginning of creation and remains so now in your re-creation.
The world was ’good’ (aligned); shortly after completing creation, He assigned humans the task of making it what it was created to be, or in contrast, lead it to destruction. Remember, alignment is not perfection. This speaks to what man was supposed to be from the F-SP: aligned with the One who is perfect.
God makes ’good’ things! 'Good' things get destroyed. Destroyed things get restored and are ’good’ again (this is the cycle of all things according to Eccl. 1:9).
In a nutshell, that's the First-Sentence Perspective Gospel found in what God 'saw' and declared as ’good’ as revealed by God in Genesis 1:4 and the chapters that follow.
Good to Go
The conclusion of the matter is this: Receive what God has said and move purposefully toward the good, making every effort to align with Him in the works He has prepared especially for you.
Be ’good’, my friends.
