Rediscovering Redemption: Understanding the Will of God This Advent Season
- Andrew Fouts
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
“This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3-4
Every year at this time, we try to look back at a common theme we have either seen or addressed or both. This year, there has been a consistent topic that has come back time and time again on both the Misfits programming and within the KFM Network as a whole: that the will of God is the redemption of all mankind. So for Advent this year, we wanted to take some time and reflect on how this fits into the Advent season.
THE WILL OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Often, the picture we are given of the God of the Old Testament seems to stand in contrast to a God of redemption. We read of a God that leads a people into battle, commands the slaughter of women and children, and is even responsible for the death of 99% of the earth’s population at one point. We are given an often isolated picture of the God of Judges, Samuel, and Kings, Who destroys His enemies with wrath, fire, and brimstone. How can we say that this picture is of a God whose will is that all mankind be saved?
One factor here is that it ignores the reality of the Old Testament. The Old Testament is before the Cross, and so there was still the possibility of redemption (we discuss this more here in this video.) But beyond that, it ignores how God talks about Himself.
Throughout the Old Testament, God repeatedly refers to Himself as “The One Who brought you out.” He is the God who bought His people out of Ur, out of Egypt, out of oppression, out of danger, and out of darkness. Most notably, in Genesis 15, as God introduces the covenant with Abram, and again in Exodus 20, as God institutes the law, He wants to be known for the act of redemption. Even in the midst of the wrath and chaos of the Old Testament, we still see that at the heart of God is redemption.
THE WILL OF GOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
In the New Testament, we see this continue through the teachings of Jesus and through the work of the Church in the world. As Jesus introduces His ministry in Luke 4, He identifies Himself as bringing Good News to the poor, freeing the oppressed, healing the sick, blind, and lame, and declaring Jubilee. We see Jesus then do all these things for both the physical and spiritual world around Him. We see His apostles then go and do the same work through the church across the world, and declaring that the systems of oppression in society, like wealth, patriarchy, slavery, and racism, must cease under the work of Christ. That the desire of God was not continued destruction and devastation, but instead was indeed the Redemption of man.
WAITING ON HIS WILL TO BE FULFILLED
This, then, is where Advent comes into play. Because the Will of God being fulfilled is what it is what the people of Israel had waited for. What Creation longed to see happen. And what we now also long to see as well. Just like the people of the Old Testament, we see the corruption, death, and destruction around us, and wonder, “How much longer?” We see Creation groaning as we see disease, famine, and disaster continue to develop and grow stronger, and we wonder, “How much longer?” We see a world, and even churches, that seems to hate Christ’s teaching and deny His work, and cry out, “How much longer?” We just like all throughout History are waiting on the fulfillment of the desire of God, that all of mankind be saved.
But waiting is not enough.
LIVING IN THE WILL OF GOD
“While He was together with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “This,” He said, “is what you heard from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After He had said this, He was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. While He was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.” Acts 1:4-8
The apostles had been commissioned to be the witnesses to the world of God’s redemptive plan in motion. They had witnessed firsthand that death no longer held authority and that God had provided all of mankind with the opportunity to experience this for themselves. But within moments of being commissioned, they got distracted. They saw the beauty of Christ going into the clouds, and they became fixated on it. So much so that an angel had to come and recenter their focus back to the mission at hand. This Advent, in the midst of the turmoil around us, I think that we need the same type of refocusing.
Just as the Apostles in Acts 1 were commissioned to live out the will of God on earth, so are we. We have witnessed firsthand what the redemption of God looks and feels like. It is a literal moment of empowerment that cannot truly be described. But we are left with a choice. Because, as we see the world around us, the feeling of empowerment that comes from redemption begins to feel smaller and smaller, and we begin to do what the apostles did. We look to Heaven and wonder when the fulfillment of God’s Will is going to finally unfold. But we cannot live this way. Instead, we need to go and do the work set out for us.
We are called to live out this desire for redemption in how we go about our own relationships, viewing everyone we come across as image bearers that God desires to see redeemed. To see those who may believe or act differently from us as someone to love and serve, rather than as a threat or enemy. To dismantle and rebuke the sinful hierarchies that oppress those around us, even when there is no benefit to us. Not to grow weary of doing good, in the midst of so much bad around us. To view Creation as something worth saving.
This Advent, in the midst of seeing the chaos and destruction around us, rather than looking for the baby in the manger, or for a returning conqueror in the clouds, may we pray to see both Jesus and the world around us in a new way.
Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2
This Advent, can we pray Romans 12:2, in a commitment to understanding I Timothy 2:3-4. That we go into the next year transformed, with a renewed mind, towards the will of Christ, that all mankind be saved.
This blog is a companion to Day 9 of Season 5 of the 12 Days of Misfits. Check out all of Season 5 on our youtube channel!
For more on the Will of God in the Old Testament, check out some of these videos from Kingdom on the Road:
This post was written by Andrew Fouts. The founder and main content creator for Ministry Misfits. He also serves as one of the directors and writers for KFM Broadcasting Network.
This post was edited by Joseph Dea. Joe is a writer for his own blog at https://kfmbroadcasting.wixstudio.com/buddywalkwithjesus and is one of the directors and writers for KFM Broadcasting.
This blog is being crossposted to our network blog at www.kfmbroadcasting.com/blog. If you have found this or other Misfits Resources helpful, check out the network of resources available through KFM!