Not long ago I was dealing with a particularly thorny issue at work (I’m an academic administrator), one that drained me of much mental and emotional energy. I had to negotiate a conflict between two persons (both of whom are godly) who had hurt each other’s feelings. These situations are the most difficult parts of my job.
The situation resolved itself well, but I was grieved at how commonly we find ourselves hurting others, especially Christian brothers and sisters. Our best intentions go awry, and we find ourselves wrecked on the shoals of broken hearts. In a flash, I realized that these situations are rooted in the Fall itself.
I’ve decided that we give short shrift to the Fall. We think about it abstractly most of the time, talking about “lostness” and “salvation” and other important theological terms, ones that bear importantly on eternity to be certain, but I suspect that we also forget about the everyday concrete realities of the Fall.
I re-read Genesis 3’s description of the Fall and the subsequent curses that fell on us all. Except for the few farmers among us, we read verse 19 (“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground since from it you were taken”) and we think that it is a declaration that has long since lost its teeth in the real world. Most of us no longer till the soil, especially in the West.
The reality, though, is much of our time, energy, and resources are spent dealing with the effects of the Fall. The hardest part of our jobs, often, is that of dealing with interpersonal conflicts. The most draining elements of family life are those that involve the lasting echoes moral and spiritual failures. The largest portion of our taxes is spent trying to contain the wars, poverty, and lawlessness that fill the earth. At the conclusion of most days, we have indeed found our brows to be sweaty as we have taken our daily bread into our weary, dusty mouths.
In the end, when I ponder the utter sickness of the fallen world, I can’t help but breathe a longing plea: Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly.
October 26th, 2009 | 11:21 pm | #1
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. ”
I think you know this… but just clarifying here…
He’s already come.
The good news is that God’s Kingdom is here now. Change your way of thinking, believe this message. (Mark 1:15)
May we learn to live under God’s Lordship today and into eternity.
God bless!
October 27th, 2009 | 12:51 am | #2
Rev 22:20 is talking about His second coming. So, no, He is not already come.
I echo those sentiments. I too long for the day that all the pain and sin and evil and tears are gone, completely.
I’m currently peripherally involved in 2 quickly failing marriages. One in my family, one in my church.
I hate it. I hate sin. And I can’t wait for Christ to return and undo the curse He has put this world under.
Recognizing all the while that all this pain is in His plan.
Doesn’t make it hurt any less though.
October 27th, 2009 | 8:14 am | #3
That’s a great post, Gene — and it’s the reason we, as Christians, ought to be good servants and good leaders in the marketplace: we know men are in God’s image, but also fallen.
And I’m with you: Come Quickly, Lord Jesus!
October 27th, 2009 | 8:14 am | #4
The ‘coming soon’ part in Rev 22:20 concerns me. I’m not sure if soon is the best way to describe 2000 years. I don’t know for sure which parts of Revelations have been fulfilled with the fall of Rome, or other events. You may be right… and it may even be fulfilled in our lifetime.
What I do know for sure is that God’s Reign is available to us now, and He is promising us eternal life.
October 27th, 2009 | 10:02 am | #5
Gene, thank you for this post. I identify very strongly with some of the feelings you express here.
I think longing for Christ’s return is a very definite step in the believer’s life. I can remember wishing he would hold off! No longer Lord!
October 27th, 2009 | 10:29 am | #6
It doesn’t matter how long the delay is in terms of historical length. Our lifetimes are short in comparison, and any of us might die any time. So his coming is certainly soon for us, even if it’s not that soon in the historical sequence of time. That’s certainly part of what the NT authors mean when they say such things.
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