I heard an old popular worship song recently by Michael W Smith, “Above All”. There is a line that always stands out, “You took the fall and thought of me above all”. The Bible certainly affirms God’s incredible love for us, most tangibly seem through the death of Christ – but did he really think of ME “above all”?
The problem with this sentiment is it places me as the focus of Jesus’ work on the cross. The truth is - the scope of what Jesus accomplished on the cross extends far beyond me personally or humanity collectively. The death of Jesus was to redeem all things. By his death, Jesus defeated every enemy, rule, power, and authority – all have been put in subjection under him. Because Jesus has disarmed and defeated every power of evil, he is the rightful King over the entire cosmos! The cross isn’t only a story of how God rescued me from sin, it’s how he rescued the entire cosmos from evil. Above all, Christ thought about his own glory and exaltation – his enthronement over all things.
It may feel like I’m being nitpicky about a beautiful truth of God’s love for us displayed on the cross, but what we believe about the scope of Jesus’ redemption affects the scope of our Christian life. If the cross is only about my redemption, then following Christ will only be about my life, my relationships, and my circumstances. We cannot hold such a narrow view of the atoning work of Christ. The reign of Christ through his death and resurrection extends beyond the personal into every area of life, social, economic, political, physical, and intellectual. As those in him, through the power of the Spirit – we are called to see his will done everywhere on earth as it is in heaven.
-GB
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