Some Thoughts

In my new position, I’m in Microsoft Project almost 10H a day. The backbone of any project is what’s called the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), which is basically just an outline consisting of the top-level task and all the related, subordinate sub-tasks. So, for example, the top-level task might be “Build a Cabinet,” and the sub-tasks (or “child” tasks) might be “design cabinet”, “procure materials”, “treat wood”, etc.

• Build a Cabinet
  • —Design the Cabinet
  • —Procure materials
  • —Treat Wood
  • —etc…

Each of those tasks, children of the parent “Build a Cabinet” task, would also have child tasks such as (for procure materials, for example) “select a vendor”, “ask to borrow Jim’s pickup” or whatever. One rule of designing this structure is that no single task be without relationship to all the other tasks–that is, that no task may be “orphaned.” Each task must “come under” another.

Another rule is that when a parent task is outdented in the outline, making it subordinate to a higher-level parent task, its children follow. The subtasks (children) are not orphaned when the parent tasks move (that is, when their subordination shifts), they are not moved under a different parent, but they follow the parent task wherever it goes. That is, the subordination of tasks is hierarchical: when the parent task becomes subordinate to a higher (or lower) level task, the children’s subordination follows. Task-families are re-subordinated together. Every task is in relationship to all the other tasks; there are no individual, orphaned tasks–at least not in a perfect, well-structured schedule/project (/reality). Orphaning happens when a child (or worse, a parent with children) is outdented–moved from its position of relationship to all other tasks, and ultimately out of subordination to the highest level task. The technical term for this is insubordination.

Now imagine the top-level task of the project being “Creation.” Imagine also that the first child-task of the Creation-project is called ‘Adam.’ Picture, then, all his children (all the way to yourself) arranged in groups of children-task-families under him. Now picture the fall. When Adam fell, he shifted out of subordination to the Father–thus orphaning not only himself, but all his children after him–all his “posterity” see (WSC Q6)–and ruined God’s first project, “Creation.” The whole Creation project [file] became corrupt. So all of us, as children of Adam, are born in a state of insubordination to God, who “manages” the project of Creation. But rather than re-subordinate the old creation, under Adam, God decided to not just renovate, but upgrade and blow away the old Creation project. (He started a whole new, and incorruptible, project [file].) And he began with a new first-child, or a New Head: Christ Jesus, the Second Adam, the firstborn over the New Creation-project. When a person is “transferred out of the kingdom of darkness [the old, fallen creation], into the kingdom of the beloved Son,” it’s not just a re-ordering within the same project–it’s a transfer from one old, corrupt project file into a new, clean one. (In order to transfer, or copy-paste, a task in MS Project from one project file into another, an external “user” must intervene…Creator/creation distinction!) Saving Grace is that ultimate transfer of an insubordinate person-task (insubordinate due to his subordination to the insubordination of Adam–got it?) into a new position of subordination to Christ Jesus, who is himself perfectly subordinate to the Father. As children of the new creation, we are right with the Father due to our being in right relationship to him through Christ, our superior, covering “parent.” Right relationship with the Father is only possible through right relationship with Christ. (Not a perfect analagy, of course, but I think it works pretty well.)

Now, this ultimate New Creation has come already (in a sense) and yet it hasn’t yet come (in a sense). The final, new creation is what’s called the invisible church–the perfect, complete fulfillment of the New Creation, visible to the naked, physical eye. Then, we’ll see perfectly who is truly in that New Creation “outline,” who is truly subordinate to Christ and thus right with the Father. But until then, we deal with what’s called the “visible church,” with those whose true relationship with Christ we’re not yet sure of–but in faith, we hope it is right. Some of those “others” are our children. They belong in the covenant community, in the New Creation project, subordinate to their parents who are subordinate to Christ, by faith and in hope that they will one day be revealed as members of the now-invisible church. The alternative is to leave our own children as orphans–which is not only unacceptable emotionally, but potentially offensive to God (see Exodus 4:24-26 [show] [24]At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. [25]Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it and said, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!" [26]So he let him alone. It was then that she said, "A bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision. (ESV)
). Christ did not leave us as orphans; neither should we leave our children as orphans.

Now for some urgency: that corrupted Creation project [file] has been slated for deletion. The only way for a person-task to survive that deletion, is for him to be un-subordinated from Adam in the Old Creation, and re-subordinated to Christ in the New Creation project (file). We’re copied (not cut) from the old, and pasted into the new – then, File…Save. We’re kind of in between projects, of the new but still in the old (Eph 1 [show] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: [2]Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [3]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, [4]even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love [5]he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, [6]to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. [7]In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, [8]which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight [9]making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ [10]as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. [11]In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, [12]so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. [13]In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, [14]who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. [15]For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, [16]I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, [17]that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, [18]having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, [19]and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might [20]that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, [21]far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. [22]And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, [23]which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (ESV)
, Col 1 [show] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, [2]To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. [3]We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, [4]since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, [5]because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, [6]which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing--as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, [7]just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf [8]and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. [9]And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, [10]so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. [11]May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, [12]giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. [13]He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, [14]in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. [15]He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16]For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. [17]And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18]And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19]For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20]and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. [21]And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, [22]he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, [23]if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. [24]Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, [25]of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, [26]the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. [27]To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. [28]Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. [29]For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (ESV)
). But once marked by the Holy Spirit (downpayment)–flagged as ‘for the New Creation.,’ by grace through faith, we’re ‘sealed’ for the new. When the old project is deleted, our bodies will die with it–but those sealed by the Holy Spirit will appear with Christ when the new project window is brought into view–into the foreground on the screen of reality. (Or something like that–the analogy’s there somewhere…you get it, right?)

Now for a little down-to-earth evangelistic application. The people I work with–who understand the whole project outline/WBS concept, and use the language of parent/child, task families, subordination and orphaning–are not believers. Pray with me that I might be able to share–not necessarily the latter, more technical/difficult portions of the above, but at least the part about being orphans and being brought into the family of God by right relationship/subordination to Christ, who is the only one to ever remain in right relationship with the Father.

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
God settles the solitary in a home;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land. – Psalm 68:5-6, ESV [show] [5]Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. [6]God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

…just a thought, inspired by something I read this morning concerning covenant relationship, in Deuteronomy 17:20 [show] [20]that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel. (ESV)
, –particularly the phrase “he and his children.”