Beijing, Tarshish, and the New Jerusalem

Maybe you watched it too.  Millions around the world watched as nation after nation ceremonially marched in during the 2008 Opening Ceremony of the Olympics.  It really is quite a spectacle when you think of it – people from around the world carrying their flag and representing their country.  I love the Olympics!

The Parade of Nations reminded me of a different parade – the Parade of Nations before the throne of God.  The Old Testament prophet Isaiah captures the beautiful picture of the New Jerusalem (when Christ returns again and finally and ultimately establishes his reign) in Isaiah 60:

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. … Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.  Lift up your eyes and look about you:  All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm.  Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. …”

When the day of Christ comes, all the nations with all of their culture will be brought before the great King.  Isaiah describes this in his day:  herds of camels from Midian, gold and incense from Sheba, rams from Nebaioth, ships from far off Tarshish full of silver and gold, lumber from Lebanon will all be brought to the New Jerusalem.  Today we might add to that list:  oil from Saudi Arabia, computers from Silicon Valley, beer from Germany, cars from Detroit and Japan, etc… 

The twist, however, is that right now the herds of camels, the ships of Tarshish, the oil from Saudi Arabia, and the cars from Detroit are all aimed at man’s glory, not God’s.  Isaiah’s prophecy is that one day all nations, all cultures, all good things will be directed towards God’s glory, not ours.  As Christians then, we are called to enjoy God’s creation – nations, cultures, and good things – but also work to direct these things to the glory of God.

Has the ‘notion of sin’ been lost? (sin part 2)

In March, USA Today published a religion story entitled, “Has the ‘notion of sin’ been lost?”  It’s an interesting article that surveys Americans’ understanding of sin and how some churches are dealing with it (from Mark Driscoll’s and Tim Keller’s attempts to make sense of sin in secular settings (Seattle and New York respectively) to Joel Osteen’s apparent glossing over sin).  The fact of the matter is, however, as the article states, most people still recognize some degree of sinfulness.  However, the article deals primarily with acts of sin – not necessarily with our sinful natures.

The Heidelberg Catechism helpfully asks:

Q.  Then where does this corrupt human nature come from?

A.  From the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise.  This fall has so poisoned our nature that we are born sinners – corrupt from conception on.

I have often asked my students this question:  Are we sinners because we sin or do we sin because we are sinners?  Typically we think in terms of the first option (we are sinners because we sin), but biblically-speaking the latter is more accurate; we sin because we are sinners – we have “poisoned natures.”