.: dust and light :.

There are two great commissions initiated across the span of scripture.

The first introduces the Old Covenant, in the book of beginnings, Genesis, whereby Yahweh creates man from the dust of the earth.

“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (1:28).

This is called the Cultural Mandate, in which humankind is to reflect the imago dei—the image of God—and fill the earth with creation.

The second commission concludes the first book of the New Covenant, in the gospel according to Matthew, whereby Jesus exhorts his followers to bring the light to all people.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you” (28:19-20).

This is known as the Great Commission, in which disciples of Jesus are to propagate the Kingdom of God to the world.

Together, these two commissions reflect the missio dei—the mission of God—and the overarching metanarrative themes of scripture: kingdom and redemption.

The first commission places emphasis on the tangible culture and creation, and the second places emphasis on the intangible salvation of souls.  The second does not supersede or replace the old, but the two are juxtaposed beside one another: material and immaterial.

The body and soul—tangible and intangible—are not dualistically in opposition with one another.    Jesus himself is the incarnate Logos, the ‘Word’, who “though he was in the form of God.. made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:6-7).  The Logos became flesh and dwelt among us.  Paul implores believers, “Whatever you do in word [intangible] or deed [tangible], do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col 3:17).

In the title of this blog, ‘dust‘ represents the tangible: culture, flesh, deed, kingdom.  It is reminiscent of the beginning of mankind, before God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.  The ‘light‘ represents the intangible: soul, word, redemption.  In science, the physical properties of light remain a mystery.  Light exhibits properties of both a particle and a wave—two seemingly contradictory characteristics which are held in paradox.  This description of “light” similarly illustrates the mysterious realities of the spiritual realm.  The material and immaterial are intimately connected, forming the completed whole—a creation that was pronounced by its creator, “good.”

As the authors of this blog, our goal is to equip and exhort the reader to embrace these two commissions—that of imaging God and proclaiming his Kingdom—and to co-labor with Christ until his glorious return.