Have You Been Redeemed to a Harmonious Relationship with God?
© 2020 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)
Perhaps the most well known, but sometimes misconstrued, verse in the Bible is John 3:16 which says:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
The word, “world,” translated from the Geek word “kosmos,” refers to God’s entire created universe of perfect harmony and order. Our English word, “cosmos,” means the same thing and is defined by Webster’s dictionary as “an orderly harmonious systematic universe.” Webster specifically contrasts “cosmos” with chaos and disorder. Upon completing His six days of creation, God was well pleased with the orderly universe He had created.
“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:31)
Though originally a perfect part of God’s pure and orderly cosmos, Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Their sin defiled God’s entire harmonious creation, which He “loved,” with wickedness, chaos, and death.
“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” (Romans 8:22)
Much gospel preaching focuses on the love of God while deemphasizing His hatred of sin’s chaotic effects. It ignores the fact that His love is directed toward restoring the harmonious nature of His original creation. Speaking of a future, restored, new creation, God clearly shows that He shall purge all chaos and disorder from it.
“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:27)
Even John 3:16 shows God’s separation of those who “perish,” from those who receive “everlasting life,” trusting Him. Those who perish shall be cast into outer darkness where they’ll never inflict further sinful chaos on His creation.
A fellow military officer once told me, “A God of love wouldn’t send me to Hell for not trusting Him.” This erroneous conclusion exposes a misunderstanding of what God loves. He loves the orderly image of Himself by which He designed us. However, He hates the chaos and disorder resulting from our rejection of Him. By defacing His noble image, we’re even more deserving of eternal punishment than had we not been designed so nobly.
If you belong to Christ, be careful not to present an unbalanced gospel which infects unbelievers with deadly false security. The lost must know that God the Son, Jesus Christ, died, and rose again, to make men righteous. Unbelievers who continue rejecting His costly gift of the new birth, shall never enter the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21). Don’t allow unbelievers to think they can be saved by Christ without being born again and delivered from sin.
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