en yan hua fang

“The Drama in Progress” ~ ✨

There is a Chinese saying: “As humans act, Heaven watches.” The Apostle Paul also said: “For we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.” (1 Corinthians 4:9). These words are truly thought-provoking.

I pondered these words together with what Paul said in Colossians (Colossians 2:2-3). He said: “…God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” In other words, Christ is the wisdom of God; Christ is wisdom Himself. Readers can understand this mystery from Genesis 3:15; this mystery was hidden from all creation until the Lord became incarnate and came into this world to save sinner; God’s mystery was thus revealed (John 3:16-18; 1 John 4:9).

God originally created humans in His own image and likeness, first Adam, then Eve, and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 1:26–28). So why did God create humans? A British pastor who passed away in 2020 (aged 90), also an internationally renowned Bible teacher and author, David Pawson, believed that God created humans because God delighted in His only begotten Son in heaven, and thus, He created humans on earth, His desire being to have many more sons. Of course, Mr. Pawson’s view, or anyone else’s, cannot be considered authoritative, but his idea has stimulated the thinking of many, including myself.

God created angels as ministering spirits (Hebrews 1:14). The rebellion of the archangel Lucifer led to the fall of one-third of the angels (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:15-17; Revelation 12:3-9). Does this biblical account relate to God’s creation of humans on earth?

God’s only begotten Son is perfect and without blemish, completely obedient to God (Matthew 26:39; Hebrews 10:5-7 & 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22). God’s first command to Adam was not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, aiming at seeing if Adam would obey. If Adam had obeyed God, and his descendants also obeyed God, then God’s only begotten Son would not have needed to become incarnate and come into the world to save sinner; because the glorious radiance of God could have been revealed in His obedient children. I believe that while God indeed desires to have many children, His intent is to manifest His unique power through human humility and obedience, for the observation of those in heaven and those fallen angels!

Creating Adam and Eve was God’s first plan. Sadly, the first Adam failed God. After Adam had sinned, God declared His second plan: that the last Adam (that is, Christ) would come (Genesis 3:15; John 3:16). According to earthly chronology, the last Adam seems to have arrived later, but Scripture declares: “For from him and through him and for him are all things.” (Romans 11:36); “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself will come to have first place in everything.” (Colossians 1:17-18); and, “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:3).

Christ became incarnate and came to earth, revealing God’s great power to the world and to angels; this power is to save all who believe in Christ (Romans 1:16). The lives of those who believe in Christ are united with Him, hidden together with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). Expressed concretely, believers in Christ gather together, becoming the church. On a spiritual level, the church is the body of Christ; Christ is the head of the church. When Christ appears, the church will also appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:4).

The terminology Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 4:9 describes himself and the other apostles. I believe his use of the term “apostles” emphasizes the dedication of life. From a practical perspective, it refers to all monetary offerings and acts of service. Moreover, the spectacle he speaks of is not just a spectacle of the apostles, nor merely a scene prompted by Paul’s sufferings as an apostle of the Lord Christ, but a spectacle of all disciples who follow the Lord; because the Lord commanded thus: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20). The Lord also commanded His disciples to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him (Matthew 16:24).

Following the Lord means to follow in His steps, to follow His teachings, to labour according to His instruction, bearing witness to the Lord on the world’s stage (Acts 1:8). This includes all testimony in life, whether in church service, workplace duties, family roles, or social responsibilities, etc. They must act it out for the world and angels to see, including for those fallen angels to see. Through the testimony of the church, declare to the aforementioned audience that Christ, through His humility and obedience, endured all wrongs and sufferings, accomplishing God’s will.

The head of the church suffered, so the church must also suffer. Through the union of Christ and the church—that is, the unity of God’s firstborn and God’s children—God’s absolute and complete power is manifested. The Son of Man, Jesus, is the model for the church’s drama. He accomplished God’s plan, now sits at the right hand of the Father, and all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18). Paul understood this deeply and endured great suffering for the Lord’s sake. Now he also exhorts fellow children of God: if we suffer with Christ and are obedient to God together, we will also be glorified together with Him (Romans 8:17, 29-30); and, so that we may glorify God together!

Summarizing this article built upon “As humans act, Heaven watches,” which constructs a complete dramatic framework from creation to eschaton:

· Playwright: The Triune God, designing the script of salvation.

· Protagonist: Jesus Christ as the perfect exemplar.

· Supporting Cast: The community of disciples participating in the performance.

· Audience: The world and angels (including fallen angels).

· Theme: Revealing God’s glory through “obedience.”

In the Kingdom of God, obedience is not the opposite of freedom, but the highest realization of freedom; it does not suppress our nature but restores our most authentic, most glorious nature as created beings. May this drama “for the world and angels to see” evoke reverence and awe for God among the audience! As disciples of the Lord, each choice of obedience is, in this fallen world, living out the pattern of the truly free person who is yet to be fully revealed.

The “proto-evangelion” of Genesis 3:15 perfectly connects with the mystery of wisdom in Colossians, allowing us to understand that Christ is both the agent of creation (Colossians 1:16-17) and the fulfillment of redemption. The church, as the corporate witness of Christ’s body, continues the incarnational testimony. Each life is a unique role in the eternal drama, and Jesus Christ is both the perfect lead actor and the ultimate director. Following the prompting of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we perform our part in obedience, with the ultimate purpose of letting the entire universe see that God’s glory reaches its ultimate manifestation in the humble obedience of Jesus Christ.

Based on faith, we walk this path of “obedience,” trusting in Him, the path growing brighter as we walk. May we all, by grace, play our roles well in this drama until the day the glorious crown is reserved for us.

I conclude with this poem👇🏻

The Drama of Life～✨

Why do I sigh within my heart?

This world was not my choice to join.

Against my will, yet here I came,

To which home I fell was destiny’s design.

..

You say Christ is the way out,

But this way is not for everyone.

Why does God choose? On what ground?

Justification by faith is the answer found.

…

Without faith, none can please God,

Repentance is the hope of salvation’s nod.

This world is but a stage, it seems,

Play follows play, following the script’s themes.

….

The script’s performance is mine to give,

Doing my duty, my conscience to live.

Thunderous applause from heaven descends,

Play complete, praises to God’s glory ascend.

✨✨💖 ~