Not every Christian believes in some of the popularized
Christian notions of an eternal lake of fire, the annihilation of all creation (rather
than purification by fire), etc. But in closing (and perhaps this is the place
we should start with some individuals) here are some ways you can suggest to
your friend that she might sense, in N.T. Wright’s memorable phrase, “echoes of
a voice.” This voice speaks about the way the world should be.
3. Community: Like justice and beauty, relationship—the longing for community—is
an “echo of a voice.” And, like beauty and justice, relationships are not
uncomplicated. Indeed, they are perhaps one of the most complicated features of
being human. But this is also an echo. We were created for each other, to live
for something beyond ourselves.
There is a deep longing in the human heart to
know and be known. This is confused with lust and sex. People end up exploited
and broken, but the longing for true love—the love and be loved—is undeniable, and
points toward a reality that, once again, lives just out of reach.
Much more could be said about all three of these
categories, whether through public speaking, lecture, small group or one-to-one
conversation, about the way the world ought to be. This sense of how the world ought to be is a sign of the eternal that God
has placed in every heart.
Intuitively we know that humanity has a destiny;
that we were created for more than our own selfish pleasure. This intuition is
an opportunity to introduce people to what the Bible says God has in mind for
creation, a plan to restore God’s whole creation to its original beauty and to
eradicate sin and pain and brokenness once and for all.
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