In a recent conversation with Jacob Hansen, I was asked why a perfect God would allow humanity to fall and require redemption. I responded that our redemption through Christ reveals the fullest glory of God. Had humanity never fallen, we would have known God only as Creator and Sustainer. Yet, because we sinned and were reconciled, we now also recognize Him as Redeemer, Merciful Judge, and Loving Father. This makes our eternal worship of God richer and more profound than it could have been without the fall.
A New Song Before the Throne
The most profound Biblical support for my argument is John’s vision in Revlation 5-7. In that vision, John sees worship at the throne room of God. The angels and all the living creatures surround the throne and worship God for his powerful act of creation:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.” (Revealation 4:11)
But then John sees the Lamb “looking as if it had been slain” who is “standing at the center of the throne.” And those around the throne sing a new song, the song of the redeemed:
You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.
They then worship God not just for creation, but for redemption:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”
Later in Revelation 14, John describes once again the redeemed singing “a new song before the throne” that “[n]o one could learn” except those “who had been redeemed from the earth.”
The redeemed raise a new song—one that even the sinless angels cannot sing. The angels praise God for His holiness and power and creation but the redeemed praise Him for His mercy. Their worship rings with the wonder of having been rescued.
Creation Shows His Glory; Redemption Displays His Grace
The heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1), but redemption displays dimensions of that glory the stars could never by themselves reveal. In Christ’s death and resurrection, we see justice and mercy meet, wrath and love embrace, holiness and compassion harmonize. The cross is where the brightness of divine glory blazes at full strength.
Creation shows the grandeur of God’s power; redemption reveals the depth of His heart.
Romans 11:32–36 captures this truth:
“For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all… For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
Our redemption in Christ does not diminish God’s glory. It deepens it. Redemption shows the vastness of God’s grace. God not only created this beautiful world, but he came into his creation to rescue it and die a death on the cross that we deserved. He was faithful to us even unto death on a cross. Even typing these words leads me to want to worship him!
Our eternal worship will be both joyful and humble. We will never tire of proclaiming that “Salvation belongs to our God.” . Every heart will know that the only reason we stand in white robes is because the Lamb was slain for us.
Our eternal song will not be the song of perfect angelic beings who never fell from grace. It will be the song of the forgiven and redeemed. And it will be all the richer for it.