I find myself reluctant to start this blog post because the topic is too big. I am glimpsing a cosmic theme through Scripture. How does the gospel impact the spirit world, and where do we fit in? Put on your metaphorical seat belt … this could be quite a ride.
It’s not all about me
Bottom line: The gospel isn’t primarily about restoring my individual relationship with God (though this is vital, especially from my point of view). It’s much bigger than that. We do have a central role, though, as the people of God made in and restored to God’s image. The apostle Paul put is like this:
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:19-20 – my emphasis.)
I’m a well-educated Western woman. I understand a lot about the physical world, and what I don’t know, I can learn if I’m at all interested. But my knowledge of the spirit world is much more limited. As a Christian, I welcome the Holy Spirit to indwell me, but beyond that, I imagine the spirit world to be distant from my sanitized first-world life.
Integration of the spiritual and physical worlds
That’s not how the God sees it. The Bible integrates the spiritual and physical all the way through. When I read the Bible with a worldview that encompasses the spiritual, I notice angelic visitors – dreams and interpretations thereof – a pillar of fire and cloud – Shekinah glory – theophanies – prophecies – inspired music and dance – superhuman strength related to long hair – the battle between the archangel Michael and the ‘Prince of Persia’ – heavenly courtroom scenes – animals which recognize spirits and even talk on occasion – glimpses of glory – satanic interference through instigation of a census – idols which fall before the Ark of the Covenant – and the list could go on and on. And that’s only the Old Testament. Things get even more wild in the New Testament, where God Himself breaks into history clothed in humanity, is crucified, buried, rises and ascends into heaven in human form, promises to return in glory and sends his spirit – himself – to indwell people like you and me.
“Jesus loves me….”
All this is too much for my little mind. I resort to singing, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so…”. It is true – Jesus does love us immensely. We are made in the image of God and we are very special to God (Genesis 1:26-27 and Psalm 8). God loved us so much that he became one of us and, in Jesus, went to the cross for us (Philippians 2:1-11).
As I get to the words, “Little ones to him belong; they are weak but he is strong,” I am reminded of the kingdom’s upside values in which strength is shown in weakness. I think of the church, for example – the messy, confused and often confusing community to which we belong. 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….” (Ephesians 3:10, my emphasis.) We, with all our issues and idiosyncrasies, are the means by which God’s ‘manifold witness’ is made known to the spirit world?!
Rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms
Let me back up. Who are ‘the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms’ before whom God’s ‘manifold wisdom’ is being displayed through us?
I turn to Colossians. “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17) God (through Jesus) created the spirit world as well as the physical world that I enjoy so much, and he holds it together. There are spirits which worship their Creator. But we also read about rebellion in the spiritual world (Isaiah 14:12, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6 and much of Revelation). The sneaky serpent of Genesis 3 is a case in point of a spirit which has set itself up in opposition to God.
The passage in Colossians continues, taking us back to where this blog post started. “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:19-20 – my emphasis.)
My mind reels. It shouldn’t come as such a surprise. This truth was prophesied very early on in what we sometimes call the ‘proto-evangel’, literally meaning ‘first gospel’. The first hint of God’s plan to save the cosmos was proclaimed to the serpent before the curses on man and woman had even been pronounced. (See Genesis 3:15 – it wasn’t good for the serpent.) How does the cursed serpent of Genesis 3 relate to ‘…your enemy, the devil … a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’ (1 Peter 5:8)? How does the reconciliation process of God with the spiritual world intersect with our tangible day-to-day life?
Implications
I don’t have fully developed answers to these questions. But I am already thinking about some implications of the cosmic truths I am glimpsing.
When I consider that our corporate existence as the church is a statement to the ‘rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms’, I am more intent than ever to do all I can to create a united, mutually loving community. We are the place where God himself lives. His Spirit is in us. The impact of the church goes beyond the communities in which our church buildings are situated.
A broader understanding of the gospel, incorporating the spirit world, also has significant implications in how we share the gospel with those who acknowledge the spirit world. I think of my language teacher, who has god shelves, prayer beads and prayer flags in and around his home. I think of the local Vietnamese restaurant staff members who put coffee, fruit and incense sticks in front of god shelves here in Melbourne. I think of millions of people around the world who are not blinded to the existence of the spirit world by too much education and who do their best to keep the spirits from creating trouble for them.
For every point that I have made in this blog post, there are ten more questions tangled in my mind. Perhaps … just maybe … if I ever make sense of it, I will write a book on this matter. (That is the third ‘book project’ to be put on the backburner. I’m running out of back burners.) First step, though – a blog post. Second step – an essay on this topic, due in much too soon. And then I will move on to think more about practical applications of these truths. Any insights, comments or corrections you may like to share will be appreciated.