We Wait Eagerly

We Wait Eagerly.  Summary is an artform. A slogan might suffice as an advertisement or on a give-away coffee mug, but a summary condenses into a few words the very essence of a large subject that would otherwise take volumes to explain. Summarization is a rare quality. A certain elegance exists in the balance of a thoughtful summary.

For instance, some anonymous enthusiast summarized all the delicate skill and cerebral strategy of soccer as “the Beautiful Game,” a phrase which Pelé popularized in his autobiography, My Life and the Beautiful Game (1977). Whatever else might be said about soccer, the Beautiful Game captures its essence. George Washington, in his first inaugural address (1789) summarized the founding of this new nation as “the American Experiment,” a reimagined Republic that was uniquely “entrusted to the hands of the American people.” Whatever else might be said about America, the American Experiment captures its essence. Donald Gray Barnhouse, who pastored Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia starting almost one hundred years ago, was known to repeat his summary of the gospel in three words, “God saves sinners.” The who, what, when, where, why, and how God saves sinners filled the 44 years he pastored that one church (1927-1960), all his sermons and books. Whatever else might be said about the gospel, God saves sinners captures its essence.

In truth, there are many legitimate ways to summarize the gospel, which may explain why we have such a hard time expressing it smoothly when we share with others “the reason for the hope that is in [us]” (1 Pet. 3:15). A sort of paralysis results from our hyper-abundance of excellent metaphors and analogies for the gospel. But I cannot call our scriptural treasury too many options. The gospel is never too much of anything, let alone anything negative. Probably what we lack is an understanding of our audience and the wisdom to know which gospel explanation will work best for them. Just to name a few: we can explain the gospel as a new birth, a legal vindication, a restored exile, an unpayable debt forgiven, a reversal of curse, an innocent victim triumphantly raised, a jilted lover’s reunion, a pair of prodigal brothers who were both lost to the father, only one of whom was found. But Paul in Romans 8 and 9, Galatians 4, and Ephesians 1 explains the gospel in terms of adoption, a fixture in Roman and Greek cultures. Adoption captures the essence of redemption.

Through the lens of adoption, one can see an overarching summary of the entire redemptive story: God’s grand creation, man’s grievous rebellion, Christ’s gracious pursuit, and the church’s great salvation. Therefore, summarizing this summary of the gospel, spiritual adoption is the full inclusion and unexpected elevation of the exile whom God transforms into a co-heir with Christ of the entire kingdom of God. The entire arc of “the adoption as sons” is a universal drama that the entire universe watches; “we wait eagerly” (Rom. 8:23).