Cosmology as a bridge of God’s creation to Logos
Cosmology helps to pull us out of a secular philosophic dualism.
Cosmology helps to integrate mind, body, soul, purpose and goal. It is irrational for Christians to ignore cosmology.
God does Himself to His creation. The end or purpose is fully realized for every creature. Grand Demonstration. Not relinquish a single beam of His glory. Col 1; Romans 9; 2 Peter – Day of the Lord.
The aha moment when God will bring every molecule of matter and every ontological reality unto full reconciliation under Christs moral authority.
What is owed God as an image bearer? Reflect his perfections in all relationships.
Man is a worshiper. The creation as a true source of fulfillment.
The amount of knowledge a man has of God does not diminish his duty to worship and reflect Him.
His duty is founded in his likeness not in his knowledge of God.
God has stamped on man his duty and like a wet dog, no amount of shaking will remove one drop of that duty (Ps 2). Man is bound to his creator indefinitely and will still be forever stamped by the divine image in eternal blackness. The wrath of God is forever bound to the divine image.
Storing up wrath.
No special exemption given to pagans for their ignorance. Scandal to our human sensibilities.
We would save everyone.
We don’t see sin as intrinsically divine treason.
We don’t see a lifetime of sin as one continuous accusation against Gods person. Like a court reporter that never stops, sin is a lifelong indictment against God of murder, theft, rape, perversion, lies, pride, greed, envy, gossip, malice and slander. God’s righteous judgment is God clearing His name of those charges! That judgment is a cosmic display because sin is a cosmic display.
Every single sinful act ever committed has been recorded and will be subpoenaed on that Day and displayed to a watching universe. Every man and woman not covered by the blood of the Lamb will be publicly convicted of their crimes and thrown into the lake of fire.
Our telos – Goal for humanity. Live as the image of God.
Humanism has been assimilated by Christianity. God as benefit. The gospel is what is necessary to reconcile man to God so man can fulfill his purpose. The gospel is as much about having a new telos as it is about clearing guilt. What the sinner is saved to as well as saved from. It seems there is some imbalance in todays preaching. It is as if Gods mission is mostly isolated to saving and not redeeming. God is not only saving from wrath but He is retaking possession of His people. The New Creation model is a new earth filled with redeemed image bearers not saved static people with no telos.
What we owe God has been reinterpreted through the hyper grace lens. Fond thoughts of God but not obedience in all areas of life. The gospel provides a right legal standing before God. But that doesn’t exempt us from obeying Him as adopted sons and daughters of God. Led by the Spirit into habitual patterns of obedience. New nature and the HS is dwelling in the true believer. Daily presenting members of our body back to God. Glorify God in our bodies. Quite the contrary to hyper grace thinking. The Christians right legal standing won by Christs shed blood, cleanses our conscience and gives confidence to draw near by the Spirits indwelling power (Heb 9:14). What does the author of Hebrews mean by this continuous call to “draw near?” In part, the book of Hebrews is a treatise on how to obey God. Hebrews unfolds how God accomplished the greatest reclamation project the world has ever seen. Christ, the pre eminent Son, sacrifice, mediator, rest, high priest, guarantor, redeemer, author and perfector of faith has won the way for Gods children to worship. Worship is synonymous to obedience. Consider the summary exhortations… “…Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” And, “Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name (12:28;13:15).” Christ has freed the sinner unto obedience to God and that “fear driven faith” brings about a sacrificial obedience which sanctifies unto further obedience (Rom 6:22; 1 Peter 1:22).
Doctrine of hell not preached today because the knowledge of God is benign and harmless as if God exists to be helpful. Gospel offered as a wonderful opportunity but what God requires fades to the background. Every human owes God as image bearers and is closely related to the doctrine of repentance and obedience.
Arminianism is anti-obedience. If Christ died for everyone then everyone is halfway to heaven. There is no need for repentance for all you need is faith to receive His righteousness. Obedience to the gospel is a suggestion for receiving blessing. This makes obedience optional. But genuine repentance is not only putting off the old man but putting on Christ (Rom 13:14). To put on Christ has to do with putting on His obedience. Paul says, “I buffet my body to make it my slave”. That is putting on Christ. Paul says, “I preach Christ crucified”. That is putting on Christ. Peter says, “As long as I am in this body I want to stir you up by way of reminder” That is putting on Christ. John says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments…” Putting on Christ has to do with keeping His commandments and reverence for Christ is part and parcel to putting Christ on.
The benign God of evangelicalism instills little fear or reverence for God. Day of the Lord becomes exclusively a rescue mission. Waiting to be raptured.
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What about the wicked servant who buried the Lord’s mina? But the Day of the Lord is about God reconciling all things in His grand telos. God will do Himself to His creation and purge it of all corruption. Cleanse it. Leave the cosmos in a state where every molecule will be convinced it exists for the glory of God. That God is its maker and sustainer. Every man and angel will prove to be an object lesson that God is perfect just and right for dealing with them in the way he does. Grand Demonstration. God was willing to demonstrate His wrath but held it back to call to Himself vessels of mercy. Knowledge of God will cover the earth. No gap, no void, no vacuum. Will take full possession of all He owns and establish the telos or creative design of all He’s made. Hills and tree’s will clap their hands. Praise to God at its appointed frequency will encompass the entire universe. Experiential refutation of man as definer.
Modern evangelicalism has been duped by naturalist uniformitarians with a deceptive ecumenical agenda. (only 38% of evangelicals believer Climate Change is NOT a serious problem – Pew Research https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/11/17/religious-groups-views-on-climate-change/
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The church have been relentlessly beaten into thinking that cosmic processes of the present and future can be understood solely on the basis of how the cosmos operated in the past. In a universe governed by natural law miracles are absurd. And even if they happened in the past, the modern religionist reasons, they won’t happen again. Cataclysmic wrath is so far removed from the modern man. Climate crisis activists thinking is cyclical and not linear. This thinking not only ignores the evidence of history but mis interprets the current times. Linear reasoning says judgment is coming. The modern church does not live with linear meditations.
If they did, they would not be allowed to think that obedience is optional.
Do Himself in creation as a massive display of His moral majesty. Christ will assume the title deed to the earth and only those in Christ will be safe. They receive and unshakable kingdom and in that Day of the Lord He will magnify His moral majesty.
Metaphors and descriptions – awful – lake of fire, outer darkness, sulfur smoke, worm that never dies, torment in front of the angels and the Lamb, millstone around the neck, maggots as ones covering – develop just one of these metaphors and terror is magnified exponentially.
Releasing of the conscience. Eternal perdition is continuous and never ending. Christ went under this for 6 hours to win our reconciliation.
The Day of the Lord is a public refutation of a lie that man is somehow independent or self-existence. Day of the Lord is a thorough investigation of the sinner to clear His name. Will vindicate his name and reputation and display his pure moral majesty and will display it cosmically.
Annihilation would be a sought-after gift. Rev 12-17. One dominant thought, the wrath of the Lamb has come (2 Peter 3) all scoffers cease
. How they thought, lived and spoke has comprised their entire orientation as opposed to God and His character. His punishment is called for and deserve to be swept from the creation as one defiled. The Grand Demonstration has begun. His wrath and compassion will demonstrate each vessel, wrath or mercy.
All attributes revealed on that day in how he deals with these two kinds of vessels.
Weak impression on most evangelicals today.
Containers in the kitchen. Purpose is defined by its contents.
Cause for reverential fear and wonder. God has poured those things into Him. Grace mercy honor compassion poured into the container. Does the container contain the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22? Does it contain zeal for God according to knowledge? A broken and contrite spirit? Or does it contain greed, self-centered pursuits, lust, double mindedness, impurity, lies and secret love of mammon?
Container of wrath. Vessels are defined by what they contain.
Creature given over to fill his own container is a container of dishonor shame and divine displeasure. GOD will DO HIMSELF. Press down on His creation His attributes and consume like a furnace all that is not redeemed to His moral image.
Very powerful sanctifying force on our life. Full assurance of personal salvation is not antithetical to fear, awe and mourning over the imminent misery upon the impenitent. Instead, this causes the one who’s been pardoned to overflow in thankfulness and lifts him on to a life of gratitude.
1 John – purified hope as he is pure.
We need to meditate on the eternal state often.
Be heavenly minded. Look at life through the lens of eternal values 2 Cor 4
The unregenerate sinner has excused his sin sickness. Downplays it. Never sufficiently discomforted. Never dislodged from his own deluded discomfort.
Unbeliever like his own ability to repent. Never had his sin exposed as cosmic treason and war against gods’ nature. He’s woefully ignorant of these things and doesn’t contemplate what he owes God.
Pastors have accommodated themselves. Impolite rude, disrespectful to jostle the sinner’s insecurity. Sinners must hear the message that what He owes God is being evaluated.
It seems it is viewed today as arrogance to live with zeal towards God. Instead of finding men with backbone who aren’t afraid to speak into the lives of his fellow congregants, some pastors have strategically surrounded themselves with corporate, politically correct men that are dis-passionate for Christ’s causes but will bend over backwards to make everyone feel comfortable.
These men do not live with a linear mindset where every second counts but a cyclical one, as if death will be only as bad as a eulogy. Judgement is coming and if Christ doesn’t return first every man is appointed to die once then he will be exhaustively examined to see what his vessel contained.
He will be shocked to learn what He owes God.
What he owes God ought to be something pastors’ study and equip to proclaim. Their telos – what they owe God. A telos of glory is what they owe Him. To resist the creational calling is to refuse to live for His glory. That can only mean that justice is coming to Him.
Pacify the conscience – bribe the conscience. No man will bend the knee to God unless he’s been mortally wounded by God and is usually devastating. Pulpits remise proclaiming this.
“ be leery of dry eyed conversions”… brings tears of joy to the eye. Apart from the spirits work no man will relinquish his autonomy. His private holy of holies, his own soul has a keep out sign. God is an intrusion.. a disgusting invasion and only reversed by the NB.
Once a person is regenerated the quickened sinner brings his sin sick case to the physician.
Idolatrous servitude is now released and wants to be devoted and consecrated to Christ. Not a once and for all act but continues to flee to Christ his advocate. Tempted in all ways and becomes more and more worthy in the eyes of the sinner.
Great physician.
Must continuously be reviewed by us. Meditating upon these truths is one of the best ways to proclaim these to others. We proclaim Him, Christ. Continuously.
In so doing, we find the answer to our sin sickness is not our own will but we continue to trust him and power is then continuously released through mediation. Sanctification … child of God will walk in a way pleasing to God. this walk is an ongoing conversation between the saint and God. Consecrated life to the conformity of The Son.
He has provided a perfect obedience and we now owe Him that obedience. Continually presenting ourselves to Him.
What is the connection to what the sinner owes God and the narrow way? Luke 13:24-30. Door will be closed at a certain time and those that press in will at a point be turned away.
Reaching heaven is not as easy as many pastors imply.
Narrow path – narrow path of obedience.
The moment we see Him we will be made glorified with Him. Set affections above, eternal values occupies our minds. Earthly things fixated are enemies of Christ. Earth dwellers.
When God does Himself to the cosmos, we will fully realize Gods grand telos for His creation. No activity of the demons or rebel man will thwart Gods plan. New Heavens and new earth – every speck of evidence of corruption will be removed. Fully enjoyed in a pristine remade cosmos. Necessary for us to enjoy God and Christ in holiness.
Boundless joy and ecstasy – God will establish the perfect goal and telos of. Cosmological holiness. Everything will fulfill its created design and its appointed frequency. Will prove to be a part of the wonderful stage of Gods plan.
Meditate on that heaven.
Goes beyond just “preaching on hell” once in a while. But instead, a continues pressing in on Gods telos and weaving that message into all our preaching. A healthy fear of the Lord doesn’t come like a tetanus shot every 7 years but instead is part of our daily bread. The reconciled man now turns upon the glory of Christ not in a dualistic way – where Christ is only savior. But part of His daily bread is now Christ as ruler, sustainer, judge, owner (Epistles start “slave” of Christ) and reconciler. To reconcile all things in Christ is a call to violently remove all things that don’t function according to Gods telos.
A Christ that only saves and doesn’t judge is not the Christ of our salvation. He is the churches evaluator. He trims the wicks, admonishes, corrects, rebukes and will rightly calibrate the churches to His holy majesty. It ought to be unthinkable that his redeemed image bearer would not obey. Cause and effect.