2/26/11
Greetings,
Have you noticed the incredible natural disasters lately? The Bible says that the creation groans and travails in pain waiting to be delivered from the bondage of corruption (Romans 8:21-22). I think about my physical body when considering an analogy for this passage of scripture. When I stub my toe, I groan in pain. However, if I were to have needles ruthlessly plunged under my finger tips, like some torture techniques suggest, my groaning would be a bit louder. Sin makes creation groan, but more sin makes creation groan louder.
In the book of Genesis 3:17 God placed the earth under a curse because of Adam’s sin. Although the earth is under a curse, this curse is activated and perpetuated through the sins that are committed by men. I propose that the creation is suffering from a greater corruption than it ever has in all of history. It has always groaned, but in this hour it is groaning louder.
Consider the following scenario. You move into an apartment. Next door, there are regular sounds of slamming and wailing screams. One day, you walk by that apartment and the door has been left open. You see three children locked in a cage. Lying by the cage are objects that were used to torment them. They are dirty and bleeding. What do you do?
This is not so far from an actual story involving child abuse that was recently exposed. This scenario will be used to further illustrate what creation is experiencing. It can be related to creation as follows: the children represent the creation, the cage is the curse of sin resulting from Adam, and the tools of torture represent the impact of the sins committed on the earth. In other words, the creation is held captive in the same way the children are imprisoned by the cage. The creation sustains injury from the sins that are committed in the same way the children suffer abuse from the tools. Am I saying that it’s time to go green? This would be like tossing vitamins into the cage to nourish the children and go about your business. The concept is good, but the effort is misplaced. Since the bondage of creation has been put in place by a spiritual problem, it needs a spiritual solution to effectively solve it—a natural solution is not adequate to solve a spiritual problem. In order to deliver those children you would need to get them out of the cage and ensure that they would no longer be tortured! In order to deliver the creation, the curse that is keeping it in bondage must be removed and the sin inflicted on it must be dealt with. In the Old Testament, when Israel sinned they would have to repent to bring healing to the land.
“If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)
If sin is what wounds the land, repentance is what heals the land. Delivering creation will require not only dealing with sin, but actually lifting the effect of the curse brought in through Adam’s disobedience.
The more I dig into what is going on in the world around me, the more disturbing the reality gets. This world is under the sway of great corruption, and by allowing it or simply doing our best to avoid it we become willing participants. Therefore the earth will continue to groan bringing entire cities into destruction through earthquakes, volcanoes, super-storms, and tsunamis. Many think that it’s simply a sign that we’re going to disappear soon (because of a secret rapture). However, notice something peculiar about Romans 8:21.
“Because the creature [meaning earth or creation] itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21)
Is the creation waiting to be delivered into the liberty of Jesus or into the liberty of the children of God? Of course, it is waiting to be delivered in the glorious liberty of the children of God. This is exactly what the verse says. What does this mean? Many times when we consider a passage like this we simply relegate the meaning to some point after the second coming of Jesus. We do this because we have a defeatist mentality. If we really thought that it were possible to change the groaning of the earth and see a decrease in natural disasters now, we would use this verse to take action.
To clarify my perspective, it is true that the context of this passage has its final fulfillment at the return of Christ. When Jesus returns, we are changed according to 1 Corinthians 15:52 meaning that we receive perfect and glorified immortal bodies. This will fully unveil or manifest us as the sons of God according to the following verse.
“For the earnest expectation of the creature [or creation] waiteth for the manifestation [or unveiling] of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19)
Allow me to pose a question to you. Are we the children of God when Jesus returns or are we the children of God now? If your answer is that we are the children of God now, you are correct. When we receive Jesus, we receive His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will bear witness with our spirits that we are the children of God from the moment that we receive Him by grace through faith (Romans 8:16). If we are the children of God now, don’t you think we have the right and ability to set creation free from this bondage of corruption? The truth is that we not only have the ability, but we have the responsibility. The earth is groaning for us, and it is groaning for us now! This means that we are not helpless! In addition, we are without excuse. If I did nothing in the situation I described earlier regarding the caged children, I would be guilty of empowering the wickedness destroying helpless innocent lives. To have an escapist or defeatist mentality, instead of taking responsibility for actively delivering creation from the bondage of corruption is equally wrong.
What we will do fully after the return of Christ we must do to the greatest extent of our capacity now. For example, sin will be permanently removed from our flesh when Jesus returns, but we must continually get the sin out of our flesh while we’re here. We must deal with sin to the greatest extent of our ability. The grace of God is not an excuse for sin but the very power of God to overcome it. Dealing with creation is similar. Since the creation will experience full liberty when we are unveiled at the coming of Jesus, it can be liberated by us now to an extent. This is why God declares in His word that He will heal the land. This is a literal healing from the wounds creation sustains through corruption. This is not an Old Testament concept. We have spent this whole letter discussing how the creation sustains injury in this hour. This fact has been established in the New Testament book of Romans.
The land is healed through the unified prayer, repentance, and spiritual warfare of the people of God. In the last days sheep nations will arise and those geographies will be examples of regional and territorial deliverance from the bondage of sin and corruption. It will not come apart from unity. To heal my soul I need personal repentance. To heal my home, I need my family to unify and repent. To heal a city, churches need to come forth and unite to repent for city-wide sins. Corporate warfare needs to be made against the powers of darkness in order for souls to be set free for participation in deliverance on a scale this large. The next level will be sheep nations. These will be entire geographies where the kingdom of God reigns in and through the hearts of His people. In the midst of global turmoil and disaster, the healing brought to these places will bring a supernatural state of environmental cooperation. Expand your vision. Get ready.
Discussion
1. What is the ultimate cause of the increase in environmental catastrophes in this hour?
2. When can the earth be delivered from the bondage of corruption?
3. What should we do in response to the increasing environmental catastrophes?
4. What is required for the land to be healed by God?
5. What needs to change in your heart before you are ready to go after geographic healing?
