(This post on God’s redemptive grace is the last in a four part series on Biblical Themes revealed in Nature)
New life, like this mourning dove chick, and the color green abound in spring. What does the newness of spring tell us about God’s redemptive grace?
Does nature reveal the divine quality of redemption? I believe it does. God created nature to point to Him and the season of spring points to His redemptive grace.
The Green of New Life
Just this morning I sat on our back deck to spend alone time with God. All around me I saw green and heard birds singing. Little plants poked up out of the soil in our garden. Such wonderful things to see and sounds to hear. That abounding life in our yard stood in contrast to just a few short weeks ago. From that very same deck I saw brown vegetation covered by snow. But on this morning, the yard shown God’s redemption.
A new head of romaine lettuce rises out of the ground. In gardens and in the wild new life sprouts up in spring.
Everywhere is bursting forth new life. What a wonderful time of year when new life takes over the deadness of winter. I love to get out and enjoy that newness even though I know that spring is not a perfect representation of redemption. For it also brings powerful, destructive storms. I wrote in my previous post that nature also reveals the sinfulness of humankind. But for spring, the overall feeling it brings is newness of life. Spring reflects God’s redemptive grace in that newness of life.
Spring and Redemptive Grace
Where would we be without spring? Where would we be without the redemptive grace of God? Both spring and God’s redemption bring new life. In C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Mr. Tumnus states in the tragedy of Narnia, “Always winter but never Christmas, think of that.” Yes, lets “think of that.” Christmas celebrates Christ. Spring didn’t come to Narnia, because Christ never came. Without the coming of Christ there is no spiritual rebirth. Spring brings new physical life. God’s redemptive grace bring new spiritual life.
In the Bible, the Song of Solomon 2:12 celebrates spring. “The flowers have already appeared in the land; The time has arrived for pruning the vines, And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. The fig tree has ripened its figs, And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along!” That Bible tell us that spring is a time to celebrate!
The Resurrection in Nature
Strawberries are one of the first fruits of spring. They show the goodness of spring and more significantly, the goodness of God
The theologian Martin Luther wrote, “Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.” We can celebrate new life during the spring season as a reminder from God’s creation about His redemptive grace. That grace comes from Jesus Christ. In Him alone we find our salvation from sin. Jesus redeems those who call on Him in repentance. He gives us salvation. He will also redeem all of creation and restore it to the paradise He originally created (Isaiah 65:2, Isaiah 11:6 Revelation 21 and 22).
Click the links to find part one: Biblical themes in Nature, part two: The Greatness of God and part three Nature and The Sinfulness of Humankind.