Eden

God’s Pledge in Baptism

by Ben Zornes · Mar 1, 2022

Each baptism is a fresh pledge from God to His people. Baptism not only let’s us peer back through history to see Eden ruined, but also reveals Eden restored, and what’s more glorified and renamed: New Jerusalem. This is God’s pledge that though our first parents squandered the kingdom God had made them, He’s restoring us to it, gathering His elect in, overcoming our rebellion, and by grace subduing us to Himself.

These waters wash away the old, and assure us of the new. It’s the death of Adam, while simultaneously the resurrection of Christ. It’s corruption’s sunset, and incorruption’s dawn. Baptism is God’s pledge that we’re no longer numbered as one of Adam’s rebellious offspring, but we’re adopted, numbered, and renamed with God’s own name, glistening on our brow. The old is passing away, behold, our Lord Jesus is making all things new.

So welcome covenant children to Jesus Christ…

Laying Carpet Over the Mold

by Ben Zornes · Oct 5, 2021

Man has been living in a ruined mansion from Adam until now. He’s attempted to build impressive towers. He’s rearranged the furniture in Enlightened ways. Progressive & Conservative moralists undertake to rebuild Eden through moral renovation projects. They quibble over the solutions to the perceived problems, brokering fragile coalitions, or DIY-ing as much as they can while in power, only to have the other party undo all the changes once they win back power.

When black mold is found underneath the basement carpet, a pitched battle begins over which color carpet to lay over top of the mold. A leaking sewage line is discovered in the second floor, and marches are organized to show solidarity for which paint to use to cover over the foul water damage. Each group removes load bearing walls, then blames the other group for the collapsing house.

History is a contrast between man’s failed attempts to rebuild Eden, and God’s unswerving purpose to complete a renovation project of His own. He’s taking Eden, and restoring it under a new name: Zion, the Heavenly Jerusalem.

Though rebellious men resists God’s efforts to tear down to the studs, scrub out the black mold, jackhammer the crumbling foundation, and fix the leaking roof, His restoration project begins and ends at this table. Here we not only acknowledge our abysmal failure to fix the place up, but we’re shown that only through Christ can this world be restored to a glory surpassing the first glory.

All moralistic efforts to renew the world are futile. It’s only here, upon this cornerstone of Christ, that the world can be made new. The cornerstone is the good news that Christ has died for sinful man, He was raised to give you abundant life, and is ascended to rule the world. From there His people get our instructions for rebuilding this whole place according to His specifications.

So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ…

Get to Work

by Ben Zornes · Jan 16, 2021

Who made work? When you have some hard work to do (like cleaning up your play-dough, or scrubbing jam off your little brothers face, or shoveling snow), it is easy to suspect that some evil villain is the mastermind behind work. How many times have kiddos said to their momâ€™s instructions to clean their rooms, â€œI donâ€™t want to?â€ The reason we donâ€™t like work is not because work is evil, but because our heart is full of sin.

Godâ€™s the One who invented work. He gave Adam & Eve a gardening job to do in Eden. Because of their sin, work became a big bummer. Itâ€™s only a bummer now because our heart is prone to laziness, or pride, or cheating. But God made work, because He is the great I Am. He never is idle, He is always active. We are supposed to imitate our Creator which means we need to learn to work hard. We do this because God has given you a new heart, Heâ€™s forgiven your sins, and has given us this world to make it into a glorious garden castle.

So…get to work.