Two weeks ago, we explored the theme of royalty in the Bible. We discovered that human beings were created in order to exercise God’s sovereignty over the world. Through proper worship and obedience, humanity would bring God’s justice to the created order so that the earth could become the place of joy and flourishing that God always intended. Yet the scriptures describe how humanity turned away from the living God. They sought instead to exercise their own notions of good and evil, with disastrous results: God’s good and lovely world was plunged into a dark sea of misery, alienation and death.
We also learned that God is utterly determined to set things right again. The Old Testament describes how God called the people of Israel to fulfill the role marked out for human beings from the beginning. Through their faithfulness to the covenant, Israel would become a royal priesthood. By worshipping the one true God alone and living in obedience to his commands, they would bring God’s blessing upon themselves and their land. They would thrive, living in peace and security, abundance and prosperity. But God’s purposes were never limited to the descendants of Israel alone. Rather, the nation of Israel was always meant to be the light of the world – revealing to all the nations what true human life is all about.
However, when we step into the pages of the New Testament, many Christians lose track of this narrative. The long story of God bringing about the rescue of creation through Israel is swept out of their minds, replaced by a radically different tale whereby an isolated fellow named Jesus rescues us from this sad, evil world and transports us to another sphere called heaven. Sure, this new story shares a few things in common with the old, but the changes are so dramatic that the old narrative is largely shredded; left in tatters on the floor. Some Christians even seem proud of the fact that their misguided viewpoint has left behind the Old Testament and moved on to something new and presumably better.
The deep irony is that Jesus of Nazareth wholly embraced the Old Testament story of God, Israel and the redemption of all creation. Not only did he acknowledge the story, he was fully convinced that the story would find its climax in him. His statements on the matter were quite explicit: “Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” I know many Christian for whom this statement remains a complete mystery.
Far too many Christians have not grasped the truth that God is rescuing us for creation, not from creation. Far too many Christians hold a view whereby Jesus could more-or-less have popped up from anywhere. Was it important that Jesus was an Israelite? Was it important that he claimed to be ‘the king of the Jews’? And far too many Christians believe that somehow human obedience is no longer vital for salvation.
Perhaps we can sort out these issues by following the theme of the royal priesthood into the New Testament. There we find this magnificent passage from the book of Revelation: “Glory to the one [Jesus] who loved us, and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and father – glory and power be to him forever and ever.” (Revelation 1:5-6)
The first thing we must note is that John the Seer – the author of the book of Revelation – fully embraces the concept of the royal priesthood which formed the heart of God’s covenant with Israel. Remember God’s words given to the children of Israel through Moses? “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19) By using this same language, John fully affirms the category of Israel. Yet Israel has now been redefined. No longer are God’s people limited to the physical descendants of Jacob. Rather, the new Israel consists in all those who have given their undivided loyalty to Jesus – Israel’s true king.
What has not changed is the task to which the people of Jesus have been called. God has still given them the responsibility to act as his kings and priests; to govern his creation wisely so that the world can thrive. The terms of the covenant were clear: “if you obey me fully and keep my covenant.” As we shall see, John the Seer makes it equally clear that human obedience is still essential.
John praises Jesus as “the one who freed us from our sins.” This little phrase often goes unnoticed, but it carries a great deal of meaning. Notice that John has not written “the one who has forgiven us our sins.” Such a statement would be happily be true. But to say that Jesus has freed us from our sins goes well beyond simply forgiveness. To be freed from sin implies that sin no longer controls our actions. It is one thing for Jesus to forgive us for our hatred, murder, lust, adultery, theft, deceit and everything else that drags human life down into the dirt. It is quite another thing to say that Jesus has empowered us to turn away from these destructive behaviors, so that we can at last fulfill the role for which God created human beings in the first place – the role of the royal priesthood.
The Apostle Peter embraced this same framework; he writes to the early Christians, “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s possession. Your purpose is to announce the virtuous deeds of the one who called you out of darkness into his amazing light.” (I Peter 2:9) But what exactly does Peter mean when he speaks of Christians having come out of darkness and into the light? Is this just a matter of inward belief? Does all that Old Testament talk about obedience and holiness suddenly fall away? Does he say, “there’s no way for humans to live up to God’s impossible standards, so just accept Jesus’ forgiveness when you mess up”? Absolutely not!
Rather, Peter goes on to make precisely the same point we’ve already noted in Revelation chapter one: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might be free from sins and live for righteousness.” (I Peter 2:24) Just like John the Seer, Peter speaks not simply about the forgiveness of sins, but about freedom from sin – the ability to at last do what is right in God’s eyes.
The important thing to note is that forgiveness alone cannot restore humans to their rightful role as the royal priesthood. Many Christians hold a deficient notion of salvation, whereby Jesus’ forgiveness stamps our passport to heaven. Yet the true Biblical concept of salvation is much deeper and richer than this cheap imitation. God will someday claim complete victory over everything that threatens to ruin his creation; namely sin and death. He will place the redeemed humanity in authority over the world. When human beings once more reflect God’s image – the image now fully revealed in the person of Jesus – then the created order will be set right as well.
We catch a breathtaking glimpse of God’s plans in Revelation chapter 5. There Jesus the lamb is praised as the agent through whom God’s purposes shall be accomplished. “You are worthy to take the scroll, you are worthy to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and with your own blood you purchased a people for God from every tribe and tongue, from every people and nation, and made them a kingdom and priests to our God and they will reign on the earth.” There you have it! All the elements we’ve looked at coming together into one grand song of praise. The new Israel (now drawn from every nation) filled with the Spirit of Jesus and completely restored; thus able to fulfill the royal and priestly role given to human beings from the beginning.
So how does the story of the Bible conclude? What is the final destiny of humanity and the world?
Is the creation left behind as we escape to heaven? Can we safely forget about all that Israel stuff? Is human behavior just a matter of ‘thankful response’ but not really essential for salvation? The scriptures make it clear that the answer to these questions is a resounding ‘NO!’ Rather, the story ends exactly how God promised it would in the Old Testament, with the children of Israel achieving their vital task of reigning in righteousness; governing the world according to God’s wisdom and goodness; and enjoying his blessing forever.
