THE WORD WHO MADE THE WORLD

I grew up going to church every single Sunday.

With the deconstruction trend still very much in play, some may consider what I’m about to say next as a shock: I consider that a net positive.

But that doesn’t mean everything I learned was wholesale gospel truth.

I heard a gospel that was heavily influenced by American exceptionalism, consumerism, and easy-believism. In other words, I heard a gospel that contained deep, life-changing truth about the eternal importance of having a relationship with Jesus, but that message was mixed in with things that had little to do with the gospel Jesus preached.

Pastor…church leader…the people walk through your doors holding a worldview that has been shaped by something—either by the outside culture or, like me, the church subculture bubble they were raised in. Or even a little bit of both.

Certain mindsets easily pollute the good, true, and beautiful message of Jesus, which, of course, is the lifeblood of a healthy church. If we get the gospel wrong, we will get everything else wrong.

So where do we start? Well, let’s start by identifying the underlying worldviews animating people’s belief in God and His world.

In the prologue to his gospel, John writes this:

“All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” - John 1:3

That single verse dismantles more bad theology, both inside and outside the church, than we may think.

John is not merely telling us how the world came to be. He is confronting how we interpret reality itself. And that has massive implications for church health.

There are two big theological ditches people fall into when they lose sight of this reality.

The First Ditch: Secular Reductionism

Secular reductionism says, “life is accidental and meaningless.”

This is the dominant narrative of our culture.

According to this view, the universe is the result of blind chance and impersonal forces colliding over time. Humanity is not designed. Just developed. Not intended. Just evolved.

In this view, you exist not because you were wanted, but because the cosmic dice rolled your way.

And if that’s true, then meaning is something you must invent. Morality is negotiable. Human dignity is fragile. And suffering has no ultimate answer.

John 1:3 obliterates that vision of reality.

If all things were made through the Word, then nothing is accidental.

Not creation.
Not humanity.
Not the church.
Not your life.

You are not random matter, briefly conscious before disappearing into nothingness. Creation is not meaningless—it is made by someone, and therefore it is meant for something.

Chances are, most people in your congregation don’t fall into this extreme. But they will encounter it and respond to it. The truth is, many churches react to secular reductionism by running straight into the opposite ditch.

The Second Ditch: Christian Escapism

Christian escapism says, “Creation is disposable and evil.”

This view doesn’t deny that God created the world. It just treats creation as if it no longer matters.

The physical world becomes suspect.
The body becomes secondary.
Culture becomes something to avoid.
Earth becomes a waiting room for heaven.

The gospel quietly shifts from restoration to escape.

When someone holds this view, they’ll start talking as if God is finished with creation.

But John won’t allow that distortion either.

A careful reading of Scripture communicates that He is committed to redeeming creation.

The same Word who saves us is the Word who made us.
The same Christ who redeems our souls is the Christ who created our bodies.
The same One who forgives sin is the One who spoke matter into existence.

Think of it this way: If creation were disposable, Christ’s incarnation would be unthinkable.

Why would God take on flesh if flesh didn’t matter?

Much more can be said on this, but I’ll end with this:

Healthy churches live in the tension John gives us:
Creation is fallen—but not worthless.
Broken—but not abandoned.
Cursed—but still claimed.

Church health suffers when churches either idolize the world or abandon it.

The Word who made the world still cares about it.

And a healthy church will too.

Grace & Peace,
Mike