More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
God. He’s called the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15) and the exact imprint of God (Heb. 1:3). We are to imitate Jesus for that reason (Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18
We’ll be enjoying what Adam and Eve were originally intended to help produce. Everlasting life is not about playing harps and singing 24/7. It’s about discovering and relishing the unblemished creation in all its unimaginable fullness alongside God himself, the risen Jesus, and our fellow imagers, human and supernatural.
God’s original plan was to make the whole earth like Eden. God wanted humans to participate in expanding his good rule over all the earth, as it was in Eden.
Ultimately, his rule—his kingdom—will return in its full scope when Jesus comes back and God creates a new heaven and earth (one that, in Revelation 21 and 22, looks a lot like Eden).
We are God’s agents to restore Eden in the here and now, looking forward to the day when Jesus brings that plan to a climax.
Consciously thinking of ourselves as God’s agents—his imagers—means the decisions we make matter. Christians, no longer lost in sin, can fulfill God’s plan with the help of the Holy Spirit. We are here to spread the goodness of life with God and tell people who need the gospel how they can enjoy that too. Our lives intersect with many people. Their memory of those encounters ripples through their lives and through all the people whose lives they touch. We are a glimpse either of life with God or of a life without God. There’s no middle ground.
Last, representing God means every job that honors him is a spiritual calling. Every legitimate task can be part of moving our world toward Eden and blessing fellow imagers—or not.
We either stand against the darkness, sharing the life God wants everyone to ultimately experience, or we don’t. The opportunity doesn’t need to be spectacular; it just needs to be taken.
The Serpent’s offspring is anyone who stands against God’s plan, just as he did.
As the disciples go out into the world, the domain of Satan is transformed into God’s territory. The kingdom of God advances, regaining control of the nations.
Another lesson: We need to view every congregation of true believers as holy ground. External appearances, buildings, and the size of the congregation are of no concern to God. What matters is that, where two or three are gathered, Jesus is in their midst (Matt. 18:20).
Jesus’ death and resurrection sanctify us—make us fit for God’s presence.
Unbelievers should be able to tell from our speech, behavior, ethics, and attitude toward others that we’re not cynical, selfish, or harsh—that our focus is not on getting ahead or on using people. We should not live to gratify ourselves. We are to be the antithesis of these things.
He became as we are so we might become as he is:
Your life now is not about earning your place in God’s family. That cannot be earned. It’s a gift. Your life now is showing appreciation for your adoption, enjoying it, and getting others to share it with you.
