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Out of Death, Life
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the|
creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the
freedom of the glory of the children of God. ~ Romans 8:19-21
Dirt, or earth, is not the same as soil. Soil is complex, it is alive, and it gives life and nourishment to plants. Earth is turned into soil when it is enriched and amended with organic matter and manure; it’s what gardeners and farmers call compost. Compost is full of nutrients, microorganisms, and decomposed organic material that when added to dirt enables plants to fully utilize the minerals and trace elements in the dirt. The result is flourishing productive flowers and vegetables.
When God made Adam, He fashioned him from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils, and Adam (whose name means “earth” or “ground”) became a living being (Genesis 2:7). But when he and Eve sinned, they died spiritually and became separated from the Creator. The ground (adama) was cursed, and it was Adam’s fate to return to the dusty earth from which he was taken (Genesis 3:17-19). Death entered all creation, but the Lord immediately set redemption in action (Genesis 3:15, 21).
I see a metaphor of the Lord’s redemptive activity in the compost I make for my garden. In a large bin I collect grass clippings, kitchen scraps, pruned leaves and flowers, sawdust, coffee grounds, and leaves. At one time these things were alive, but now gathered in my compost bin they are a pile of death – decomposing and being eaten by microorganisms, worms, and other creepy crawly things that help break down the organic matter. If I don’t tend to my compost pile, it can become anerobic (without oxygen), and when that happens it decomposes slowly. Worse, it begins to stink like rotten eggs, and it becomes wet, gooey, and heavy and nearly impossible to use. The way to prevent that is to turn and mix the compost pile frequently so that it stays aerobic (oxygenated). Turning and mixing brings the wetter heavier material from the bottom of the pile to the top, exposing it to air. An aerobic compost pile stays hot, decomposes quickly, and produces a rich, loamy, complex combination of material valued by gardeners as “black gold.” It is the best fertilizer available. Hardy seeds will often sprout and thrive in the compost pile. In the garden, compost enriches the dirt and creates a fertile medium for growth and life – it creates soil.
You may say, “That’s all very interesting, but what does that have to do with God’s redemptive plan?” Well, everyone descended from Adam and Eve is by nature sinful and filled with guilt, shame, pain, and grief. Even after we are saved, we tend to hold on to these things. We stuff it all down – we dare not talk about them or expose them to others for fear of what people will think of us. And when we stuff our stuff, we continue on in besetting sins, and our guilt and shame continue to pile up. Instead of living fully in Christ, we create within ourselves a black, gooey, rotting anerobic pile of death – our lives are unproductive, and we give off a whiff of rotten eggs wherever we go.
The answer to improving our spiritual compost pile is the same as improving anerobic organic compost: we need to expose our pile of death to the Spirit of Christ within us (He sees it all anyway). Remember, Christ has taken away our guilt (Jeremiah 33:8), He has removed our shame (Romans 10:11), He has cast away our sins and He remembers them no more (Jeremiah 31:34)! “But I still remember these things,” you say. That’s right, you do. But the Lord has “breathed into” you new life – you are a new creation. This is possible because our Master Gardener – fully Son of Man (adam) and fully Son of God – bore all your sin and shame on the cross. He put all your death to death, and rising again He fills you with His eternal life. You have become a “[partaker] of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire (2 Peter 1:4b). And as the Master Gardener carries out His redeeming work in your life, that airless pile of death becomes something productive and life giving. By the power of the Holy Spirit in you, turn that pile over and expose it to the Breath of God – you can ask for forgiveness from God and others, you can put off shame and put on Christ’s righteousness, you can learn to grieve productively with hope, and in ways that produce healing and relief from crippling emotional pain. In Christ, you become loving, compassionate, forgiving, merciful, and understanding. You become a source of comfort, wisdom, and help to others. In Christ, your “compost pile” combines with your “earthen vessel,” and you become fruitful, life-giving living soil that bears “fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold” (Mark 4:20).
Now, what will you choose to do? Will you continue to nurture your pile of death, or will you turn it over and be transformed and conformed to Jesus? See, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life, that you and your offspring may live” (Deuteronomy 30:18-20).
For further reflection, see:
2 Peter 1:1-11
2 Corinthians 3:17 – 5:5
