×

rd102.jpg 

When Jesus Christ came out of the tomb on Easter morning, our world was forever changed. It was the morning of the first day of the week, the dawning day of new creation. Paul uses the language of “firstfruits” to refer to Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus is the first one back from the dead. Our resurrection from the dead will follow.

But the Bible also speaks of Christians as the firstfruits of God’s new creation. Our actions in the present should anticipate the future new heavens and new earth that God has promised to bring about.

Our presence in the world is like the first rays of light after a long night of darkness.

We are like the first spots of grass peeking out above the snowfall and signaling the end of a long winter.

We are the beginnings of a fresh breeze on a hot summer day, signaling the coming of a refreshing rainstorm.

We are to live now in light of the future God has promised.

Many Christians misunderstand what it means to be the foretaste of God’s new creation. Some believe that we are to be focused on an ethereal, future, disembodied heavenly state, disregarding all the “temporal” things of this earth. Instead of our being a foretaste of new creation that has consequences for this present world, we shut ourselves off from influencing our world and save the foretaste for ourselves. The rulers of this world grin smugly when Christians take this route, for a privatized other-worldly religion carries no threat to present evil.

Others believe that to be the foretaste of God’s new creation, we should seek by all means to never be at odds with anyone over anything. When this happens, our strong Christian ethics and beliefs get traded in for an bland, appeasing ”niceness” that has no real flavor in our world at all. Again, the Evil One delights in seeing the implicit compromise that accompanies Christians who refuse to ever stand for justice and peace.

When Christians are correctly acting as the foretaste of new creation in our world, we are met with both welcome and resistance. For some, our presence is a balm on an open wound. Our lives serve as a sweet foretaste of heaven on earth. For others, our presence is an irritating agent. They see our lives more as an aftertaste, a stench rather than a pleasing aroma. 

We should expect such reactions. The presence of Christ in us is a pleasing aroma to those who are saved, yet carries the stench of death for those who are perishing.

Regardless of how we are received, we are to be the foretaste of God’s new world. This means that our lives are not only a reflection of our hope in a heavenly afterlife, but a taste of what life will be like in the new heavens and new earth… where justice reigns.

written by Trevin Wax. © 2007 Kingdom People Blog

LOAD MORE
Loading