The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God

by Dallas Willard

This is such a striking arrangement that it poses a puzzle to the biblical writers about their own nature. “Compared to the cosmos, what are human beings,” the psalmist cries, “that you pay attention to them? Or human offspring that you care about them? You created them a little less than supernatural beings. But you let glory and majesty rest on them! You cause them to rule over the works of your hands and put everything on earth under their feet!” (Ps. 8:4–8). Even when they turn their back on the Father and put themselves on the cosmic throne, he continues to visit human beings and makes every possible provision for their salvation. Apparently even the angels don’t understand this (1 Pet. 1:12). It seems that through the ages they will be constantly admonished and instructed concerning the nature of God by the eternal presence of the redeemed community of human beings among them (Eph. 2:7; 3:10). And God not only interacts with every individual human being (John 1:9; Acts 10:30–31; 14:17; Rom. 1:14–15), but also establishes a public presence in human history through a covenant people in which he is tangibly manifest to everyone on earth who wants to find him.