Subjected to Futility

Subjected to Futility.  God is uniquely, intriguingly called the Father of lights and accurately described as abundantly generous and impeccably pure. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). One of his good and perfect gifts—which suitably fits his good and perfect attributes—is also unique and intriguing, but is it generous? God gave the whole world the gift of futility. Thanks? “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope” (Rom 8:20). To call this divine act of subjection a gift is commentary more than explanation, but it is nevertheless on target. Our present futility is a gift in the long view. The creation, both its human and non-human parts, will be staggeringly and everlastingly better-off having been temporarily subjected to futility (which is the same word that translates the favorite word of the book of Ecclesiastes: vanity).

Subjection is the task of lowering or subordinating. It is a royal dominion word. We are subjects under our divine King’s sovereign rule; his decrees are binding upon and across his creation with no vote or consent necessary. His orders bring order. That is why it is ultra-important to know that God is good as well as perfect. His character guides his leadership. What did God do by royal decree? He subjected the entire creation to futility because he placed all things under the feet of his representative agents, namely Adam and Eve (Gen. 1:26-30; Psa. 8:6). Because they preferred futility over intimacy, God subjected the entire creation to follow their co-regents into futility and broken intimacy. That is why the ground refused to cooperate with Adam’s cultivation after the curse—producing thorns and thistles (Gen. 3:19)—because God allowed the ramifications of Adam’s sin to play out in Adam’s sphere of responsibility, which was the entire creation. God did not immediately swoop in and clean up Adam’s mess, he subjected all creation to a futility that matched Adam’s futile choice. Creation follows humanity in unbreakable lockstep for good or evil.

Here one can imagine a grin on the face of God; he knows something that we do not know. Because Adam sinned, and even before Adam sinned (Rev. 13:8), God was prepared to send his only begotten Son to succeed where Adam failed. Jesus is the Last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45), the Second Man (1 Cor. 15:47), whose victory extends far beyond the first Adam’s failure (1 Cor. 15:48-49). Because creation followed the first human into futility, a principle of responsibility that God upheld at the garden, then creation will follow the best human into eternity, a principle of substitution that God accomplished at the cross. That is why the creation waits (Rom. 8:19), hopes (Rom. 8:20), and groans (Rom. 8:22) for the day of restoration when the adoption of the children of God will be finalized physically in glory as it has been ratified spiritually in salvation (Rom. 8:21). In that sense, futility is a gift because it reminds us with every lament, every groan of a broken world, and every unfulfilled longing that the end will be better than the beginning! Only faith in Christ can see his invisible trajectory that is already binding upon everything and everyone in his dominion. Hallelujah!