When sin entered the world, it distorted people’s hearts and everything in it. Not one aspect of life escapes the effects of sin. Sin impacts our ability to trust and be trustworthy, affecting our relationships with people. Creation is good, but the world is full of sin and the damage done by sin around us. We see this all around us and know that the world is broken, and we long for creation to be restored.
But as soon as sin entered, God promised he would provide a way out. The story of the Old Testament is the story that leads to Jesus. Jesus, in his incarnation, death, and resurrection, provides the sacrifice we need to wash away our sin. Christians identify with this death and resurrection in faith and baptism. Then Christians grow in sanctification, guided by the Spirit, to follow all of Scripture. God is redeeming the world through Christ.
God is not only after the souls of men, but their bodies as well (96). He wants to reform the way they live and interact with the world. Where there is wrong, God wants to make it right. Where systems are unjust, he wants them to be corrected. God is redeeming all things. Christians are not just bystanders, but active participants in this mission. According to Plantinga, God is about his larger mission of making the world right again and Christians whose souls have been redeemed can be part of this greater mission of God in the world.
So, as Christians, we are to be first about the Kingdom of God. For Plantinga, this means volunteering, working, and serving in various capacities. To do your work well and reform your vocation is to be about the kingdom of God. His call for students, then, is to be well-prepared for a well-rounded life rooted in Christ. Participate in your church. Honor the government and other God-given institutions. Christian education is cultivating a life that brings shalom.
Plantinga presents a robust version of this Reformed view of participating in the kingdom. His large view of the kingdom of God and the Christian’s participation in it allows the reader to see their engagement with all of life and God’s world as redemptive work. In this tradition descended from the magisterial reformers, he casts a vision for the way of life for the Christian post-Christendom.
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