The Good World

Today as I was making my way to breakfast, I was busy enjoying the warm morning sun and the freshly blooming trees when I was reminded of an important theological truth I believe we often forget. The world is good. When confronted with the beauty of blooming plants, snow-capped mountains, even barren deserts, the only proper response is praise and thankfulness to the one who made it all and saw that it was "very good" (Genesis 1:31).

But why do we not think of the world in terms of it being good? Perhaps it is because the harsh reality of the presence of sin stares us in the face every single day. When we are not witnessing the sins of mankind through genocide, terrorism, war, environmental abuse, and human oppression, we see the devastating effects of tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires. How can this world be good when in the last two months several earthquakes have killed and displaced millions of people?

What we need to remember is that this world is currently feeling the effects of sin. God created the world in state that was just right, and will one day restore it to its former glory (Rev. 21:1-5, Isaiah 65:17-25). In that day, there will be no earthquakes that will kill millions of people. There will be no wildfires, hurricanes, or environmental exploitation. In the meantime, if we look, we can still see traces of the world's former (and future) beauty all around us. All the natural world has proceeded from the mouth of God and bears his divine fingerprint, so to speak. Even we humans were created good (in fact, we are the crowning achievements of God's creation). During this present time, we may still feel the effects of sin, but those of us in Christ are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) moving toward the day of glorification. Let's remember that while sin and its effects are incredibly real and present, Christ is in the process of redeeming the whole creation to its former state(Romans 8:22-23).

If this is the case, we as Christians should remember to think of everything through the lens of Christ. The world is good; sin and its effects are only temporary. This way of viewing the world, known theologically as "High Destiny" is a view that is more common in the Eastern Church than the western. However, I think there is much we can take from this. Looking for the vestiges of a once innocent world and looking forward to the perfected world expresses fully the Christian sense of optimism we get to hold because of Christ.