It’s common to speak of Christ’s salvation in human terms.
Jesus came to save us—sinful humans—by dying in our place, adopting us into the family of God, and raising us to new life from the death we once walked in. Salvation is an exchange taking place between humanity and God, the potter and His clay.
No doubt, this is amazingly true. The good news of Jesus Christ involves all of this. Christ’s salvation is a glorious reality for people like you and me.
There’s just one problem, we typically stop right there and miss out on another part of the story.
Cosmic Christ
When we look closely at the pages of Scripture we find that while the focus of Christ’s work is on the redemption of fallen humanity, Christ’s salvation isn’t just for humanity, it’s for the whole of creation as well.
It’s not just wayward humans who find redemption, it’s the entire cosmos.
Consider the words of Paul. Woven through his letter to the Roman church regarding their freedom, he writes of how creation has been in bondage as well.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. (Romans 8: 20-22 ESV)
According to the Apostle Paul, humans aren’t the only ones who have been toiling under sinful captivity—creation has too. This means Christ’s work is about setting the whole cosmos free.
Mountains, trees, valleys, otters, elephants, and the sea are all participants in the salvation of Jesus Christ. Like Noah’s ark during the flood, Christ’s ark of salvation has plenty of room for all of creation.
Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus we’ll be restored to fellowship with God to rule and reign with Him over the land and the sea like Adam and Eve in the garden before the Fall. Thorns and thistles will no more fill the soil as we labor again under the yoke of our gentle king.
The good news is that the same creation which joins us in bondage will soon join us in redemption as well. All of us, together in Christ, will soon be set free forever.
Our cosmic Christ is making all things new.
Amen!!!