Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – May 4, 2019
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:25-26 (NRSV)
As a kid, I remember hearing people comment on Christian leaders who had a great deal of integrity. Usually this meant they were honest with their money and faithful to the relational promises they had made. As such, I came to think of “integrity” and “honesty” as interchangeable words and ideas. And while that is partially true, there is another definition of integrity that helps us understand the truly remarkable nature of the victory of God in Jesus.
When the Titanic struck an iceberg, we could say that its integrity was compromised. It lost a clear boundary and barrier between its outer wall and the ocean that surrounded it. As a result, chaos, death, and destruction tragically rushed in. This horrific event in human history illustrates something that is true of all of creation.
When sin and death entered the world, the integrity of creation was compromised. In our quest for freedom and autonomy from God, we human beings tore down the safe boundaries given to us by God, the way in which he intended the world to be rightly ordered for our flourishing and joy. As a result, we find ourselves in a world defined by chaos and death.
And yet, the great Christian hope is that Jesus Christ entered the world to do again that very same thing that he did in Genesis 1 and 2: enter into chaos in order to speak life and re-establish boundaries to rightly order the world. Putting “all his enemies under his feet” is a statement of restored integrity and true boundaries. Jesus looks at his enemies, including death itself, and says I go here, ruling and reigning as Lord, and you go there, submitted under my reign and at my feet. In the resurrection, Jesus looks death in the face and says, “You are off-limits. You have no place in my kingdom!”
Prayer
Father, thank you that Jesus is ruling and reigning, and this very moment is at work bringing his kingdom while placing death and chaos and destruction in submission at his feet. Amen.
Application
Where have you pressed outside the safe boundaries of God’s kingdom in the pursuit of false freedom?
Related Reading
Isaiah 25:8; John 11:25-26; 1 Peter 1:3
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