When His people proved unwilling and unable to abide by His Law, God sent His Son to fulfill the Law’s demands on their behalf, and to secure them to Him by a powerful act of grace. The life, death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled all the requirements of God’s Law, satisfied the justice His Law demands, and opened a way for all who turn to Jesus to take up that Law as the way of life and love once again (Matthew 22:34-40). This is because Jesus of Nazareth was the Word and Son of God incarnate, as He demonstrated by fulfilling all the ancient prophecies, in His words and works, and by His resurrection from the dead.

Now those who know the redeeming grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ possess the Mystery of God’s Kingdom—the Holy Spirit of God (Mark 4:10,11,22-25)—who dwells in them, prompting them to worship, filling them with gratitude, fitting them for service (Ephesians 5.18-21), and empowering them to live God’s Law and testify of His Son (Ezekiel 36:26,27; Acts 1:8). Those who have been redeemed gladly take up the commandments of God because they know them to outline the way of love for God and love for our neighbors. They see in these commandments—and in all the Word of God—the key to re-establishing much of the original goodness, beauty, and truth of God in the cosmos.

“The Whole Duty of Man" - People with a Mission

Now those who have been redeemed have a duty to perform. They are a people with a mission; that mission is to bear the Good News of Jesus to the whole world, and to call people everywhere to repent of their sins, enter the Kingdom of Christ, take up the Word of God, and join Him in the glorious task of making all things new. Whatever may be our calling in life, we receive our vocation as a gift of God and pursue it with a view to restoring goodness, beauty, and truth to every area of life. So much a part of our lives does this become that Solomon literally says that fearing God and keeping His commandments “is the whole of a man.” That is, everything that is involved in knowing full and abundant, satisfying and rewarding life as a human being is focused in this great worldview calling and challenge. We will never know what it means to “be all that you can be” until we locate ourselves squarely within the framework of truth of the Christian worldview and start to re-organize our lives according to the divine economy.

Christian worldview thus narrates a story that stretches from eternity past to eternity future, moving through creation, fall, redemption, and restoration to a promised consummation of all things, in which “God will be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28) and they who fear Him and keep His commandments will inhabit a new heaven and a new earth, where there are no more sorrows and no more tears, and where righteousness dwells (Revelation 21).

In this life, as we move toward the consummation, the redeemed of the Lord work fervently for the restoration of all things, although they may only expect to make progress in this life, and not to attain perfection. For all our works in this life are primarily symbolic and kerygmatic. They represent, express, and embody the renewal unto goodness, beauty, and truth that is the result of Christ’s redemption, and they declare and proclaim the new era of God’s Kingdom, calling all men everywhere to repent and believe the Good News (Acts 17:30,31).

So Tell Your Friends!

A movement to embrace, experience, and extend the Christian worldview is gathering steam, and you are part of it. Jesus came to renew the cosmos and to reconcile all of life back to God. He said to His disciples, and to us through them, “As the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you” (John 20:21). God is sending each of us to live and proclaim the Kingdom of Christ and the Christian worldview it unfolds. You can begin to take up this task today.

Just ask the people around you to express their understanding of Solomon’s enigmatic declaration, “Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of a man.” Remind them—as they will already no doubt know—that Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. What wisdom was he declaring for us in this simple statement? Then see if you can’t engage them in a conversation about worldview in general, and the Christian worldview more specifically.

But remember the advice of the Apostle James: be quick to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19), as well as that of the Apostle Paul: let your words be seasoned with grace, and used only to edify others (Colossians 4:6; Ephesians 4:29). You’ll find, as you talk about the Christian worldview, that your understanding and excitement about the Lord and His purposes will grow, and you will be increasingly interested in understanding all the counsel of God for your own life. And the more you take up that challenge, the more vitally you will become immersed in the Christian worldview movement that is welling up around us and that promises to bring a refreshing tide of renewal to the whole world.

For Reflection

What would keep you from the practical exercise suggested in the last paragraph? Is there someone you could share this essay with who might join you in this exercise (strength in numbers)?

T. M. Moore is dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of 20 books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are Culture Matters (Brazos) and The Hidden Life, a handbook of poems, songs, and spiritual exercises (Waxed Tablet). Sign up at his website to receive his daily email devotional Crosfigell, reflections on Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition. T. M. and his wife and editor, Susie, make their home in Concord, Tenn.
This article originally appeared on BreakPoint. Used with permission.