God's Math

The universe and all it is, can be described with numbers. Don’t ask me to do the math; it took me three times to pass algebra 70 (bonehead algebra). But brighter minds than mine can see the beauty and logic of these numbers that tell His story without alphabet. One of my favorite books is St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, especially 1:3 through 2:10. The whole of the Christian life is presented, both the individual and corporate life. Chapter 1 deals with the church, the Ecclesia (the called-out ones) and Chapter 2 deals with the individual. In chapter one, a sequence of seven ultimate blessings are outlined from being chosen in Christ to be holy and blameless in God’s presence through being sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. Number five starts in verse eight and runs through verse ten: In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. Here Paul reveals a mystery—that all things will be “summed up” in Christ-things in heaven and things on earth. Here is the equation: All Things in Heaven plus All Things on Earth equal all things added up into Christ All things on earth intrigue me. What are “all things?” What does this include? I suppose, first, that all things must include humanity. We are summed up in Christ. He is the Last Adam; the Adam who was victorious. It must also include all nature: all animals, plants, all the elements of the periodic table, all the quarks and gluons and sub-sub-sub particles of which science says the universe is made. Now things get a bit sticky. Does this summing up include the devil? Does it include Adam’s sin? my sin? Does it include my sins against you and yours against me? Hitler’s sins? Stalin's sins? Does it include all the evil of this world, not only the sins but the agony of illness and death? What can be excluded from “all things in heaven and on earth?” Nothing! All things are summed up in our Lord Jesus Christ. He bore our sins; he bore our pains, our woes, our alienation from Himself and from one another (Isaiah 53). In Him all is forgiven, all healed, all totaled up in that one value in the equation-“on earth.” “In heaven” is actually described a little later in the same chapter in verses 19 through 23. God’s power in resurrecting Jesus, seating Him at His right hand, far above every rule, authority, power and dominion, not only in this age, but the one to come, the victory over all things and being made head of all things pretty well sums it up. He is Head of all things even though we may not know of what this “all” consists. Now for the astounding part of this. What is the purpose of this equation, this infinite equation? It is for the Church, the Ecclesia, you and me who make up this denominationless group of called-out ones who believe. Here it is in Paul’s own words: …and gave Him (Christ) as head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Did you catch that? He who fills all in all is Himself filled by His body, the Church. It was for this purpose that He was sent, died, was raised, was seated in the heavenly places. We are what gives Him joy; we who make His day; we who fill his cup; we who are the sunshine on His shoulders. What a stupendous thing is this! Words fail, thoughts quail, comprehension shakes her head in wonder. We, me, us, are His purpose, the summing up of all things. 11-1-12 God's Math