There is an undeniable and traceable thread of innovation throughout the entire record of redemptive history, from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. And this innovational “newness-for-value” (or different-for-impact) pattern is so clearly evident from even a superficial reading of Scripture, that it cannot simply be an eisegetical inference (Quick Aside: Eisegesis is a biblical hermeneutics term referring to an interpretation error of infusing or pushing meaning into a passage of Scripture. It stands in stark contrast to exegesis which means to extract or pull meaning out of a passage of Scripture, recognizing authorial intent as the primary driver of meaning).
So, by way of review, what does Creation, the Incarnation, the Resurrection, the Church, Humanity, Our Justification, Sanctification, Glorification, Scripture, and the New Heavens and the New Earth (along with dozens of other divine grand activities throughout redemptive history) prove?
God doesn’t just innovate; God invented innovation.
And what does it reveal about God and His intent for humanity that so many of the grandest supernatural initiatives in human history are innovative at their heart? It reveals His heart. It reveals that the motivation of God’s innovation seems to be one thing: LOVE.
Think about it:
• Creation shows how God created us to be in intimate relationship with Him (Gn 1-2).
• The Incarnation shows how God loved us enough to rescue us (Jn 3:16; Rm 5:8).
• Jesus’ Resurrection shows us God’s love through the gifts of life and hope (1 Pt 1:3).
• The Church and its mission tangibly demonstrates how God loves us (Jn 17:23).
• The primary theme of Scripture is God’s lovingkindness to Humanity, His creation (see Michael Card’s new book, Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness).
• Our redemption, salvation, adoption, regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification show the infinite lengths God is willing to go through to bring us from death into life, to take us from darkness into light, to rescue us from where we were and bring us into His family, into fruitful and fulfilling relationship with Him and one another (Jn 15).
Love is the giant, thick, long, red thread running through all of redemptive history.
Love is the primary and deepest motivation in all of God’s innovative work.
And it’s crucial to realize that love cannot exist outside of relationship. So it follows that relationship is an integral and essential driver to every single one of God’s innovations. This reality has huge implications for our understanding of innovation—its origin, primal motivation, and driving force. When we see God’s innovations, we see the purest form of innovation. And when we realize that God only innovates out of love and in the context of or for the benefit of relationship, shouldn’t that change everything in how we should approach innovation today?
Consider it from another angle, when God innovates, He innovates FOR US. This is not to say God’s innovation is human-centric as it is always about His highest glory, not ours; but as we are the ones who He longs to receive glory from, we are the primary beneficiaries of His innovative work. And the reason for this seems to be that we come to a deeper and deeper recognition of His gloriousness, deepen our sense of reverential awe for Him, respond to Him for who He is, love Him all the more, and then even join Him in His continued innovative work in human history. Breathtaking, isn’t it?!
And if love is the primary, deepest motivation of God’s innovative work, shouldn’t it be ours too?
OTHER KEY QUESTIONS
- If you agree that God is the Chief Innovator, have you ever considered why God innovates?
- Can you think of a time when God created something new to add value to humanity that was not primarily motivated by His love? Explain.
- Do you think there are other reasons—besides love—that God innovates?
- Do you agree that innovation born out of a motivation of love for others is the purest or highest form of innovation?
- How do you think the reality that God innovates for us (out of love and in the context of relationship) should impact the way you approach innovation today?
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