Jeff Purswell wrote chapter 6: "How to Love the World." Wow. He crams a lot of great stuff into a few pages.

OVERVIEW: The chapter considers how Christians should love the good world that God created as a gift for us. Until this final chapter, the book has focused on the dangers of worldliness (a la 1 John 2:15). Yet Purswell also observes that Paul ultimately presents Christians with another perspective on creation:

• As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches [don't be worldly!], but on God, who richly provides us with everything we enjoy [creation is a good gift!] (1 Tim. 6:7)
• For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer (1 Tim. 4:4-5).

I. The chapter starts with a biblical theology of creation, moving from creation, to fall, to redemption, to consumation.

II. Then he gives us three tasks: (i) enjoy the world, since it's God's witness and God's gift; (ii) engage the world, as part of the cultural mandate through our work, home, education, leisure and sleep; (iii) evangelize the world, both as individuals and as churches, both in word and deed, since only the redeemed can live as God intended--for his glory.

III. Finally, he sums it up in the cross, which interprets and defines all of life.

Purswell doesn't exactly use the language, but he essentially provides a gospel-centered theology of creation and work, a theology of general and special revelation, and a consideration of the church's work in word and deed (giving proper priority to the word). It's excellent!

GREAT QUOTES

• "Of all people, it is the Christian who should appreciate aesthetics, discerning with renewed powers of perception the handiwork of God in creation" (153).
• Drawing on Martin Luther's idea that a person's vocation is a "mask of God," he writes, "The farmer doesn't just sow and reap; God provides through him. The lawyer doesn't just try a case; God executes justice through him. The trucker doesn't just drive a route--God distributes products through him" (158).
• "We must never forget what is at the core of God's redemptive activity: the salvation of people who bear his image and were created to know and glorify him. No other endeavor transcends this evangelistic priority. Our deeds may adorn the gospel message, but they must not be confused with the gospel message" (168).
• And check out this one: "Churches that display such a [kingdom] life, however imperfectly, are God's most potent instruments in his cosmic program to reclaim and restore his creation" (166).

BEST OF ALL...

...is how Purswell shows how everything culminates in the work and victory of the cross, through which Paul reinterprets his past, present, and future. He shows how (i) the cross tells me who I am; (ii) the cross interprets the world I inhabit; (iii) the cross transforms my view of people; (iv) the cross gives purpose to my life.

APPENDICES

Pastors, you'll find two very useful appendices at the end of this all around excellent book:

1. "Modesty Heart Check," which provides women with a list of questions to ask their heart's about their attire.
2. "Considering Modesty on Your Wedding Day," which is a short document Covenant Life Church passes out to couples planning their weddings.