The New Creation Model: Recovering the Full Scope of

God’s Redemptive Plan

Joel Richardson

roughout much of church history, the message of the gospel has been
reduced to the salvation of individual souls and their eventual escape
to a disembodied heaven. While personal salvation is foundational and
a glorious reality, this spiritual vision misses the breadth, beauty, and
power, and full scope of the redemptive hope proclaimed throughout
the Bible.

A more holistic and biblically faithful framework is now being referred

to as the New Creation Model. is model refuses to pit spiritual
realities against physical ones and instead affirms that God’s plan of
redemption touches every piece and square inch of creation. It looks
forward to “the period of restoration of all things about which God
spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time” (Acts
3:21).

The Problem: A Truncated Gospel Vision

Christian theology has often centered around four emphases:

1. Individual salvation from sin – the personal rescue of sinners

from eternal judgment.

2. Practical godliness – principles for living moral and upright lives.

3. A spiritualized Kingdom – the belief that Jesus’ reign is primarily

internal or invisible.

4. An escapist view of eternity – envisioning heaven as a

disembodied, ethereal existence far removed from this world.

While each of these themes contains essential truths, when they are
isolated from the broader umbrella of the grand biblical narrative,
they actually distort Christian hope. e result is a gospel message that
emphasizes spiritual escape rather than physical resurrection, global
restoration, and earthly renewal.
A Better Framework: The New Creation Model
e New Creation Model is a paradigm that:

• Recovers the full biblical storyline from Genesis to Revelation.

• Affirms the goodness of creation and God’s intention to restore

it.

• Anticipates a tangible eternal life on a renewed Earth.

• Embraces the social, cultural, and political dimensions of the

kingdom of God.

is model emphasizes two core principles:

1.All Dimensions of God’s Creation Purposes

From Genesis 1–2, it is clear that God’s intent was for humanity to
dwell in communion with Him in a physical world—a garden-temple—
ruling over creation as His image-bearers. God’s purposes were never
limited to the soul alone but included our bodies, land, family, culture,
animals, agriculture, and nations.

Sin did not only bring guilt; it brought death, decay, corruption,
oppression, and curse into every part of creation. us, redemption
must address every sphere affected by the fall.

2. e Tangible Nature of Eternal Life

e Bible does not portray eternity as a formless spiritual state.

Instead, it presents a resurrected humanity living on a renewed Earth
in the full presence of God. Eternity is filled with genuine
relationships, genuine responsibilities, and genuine joy. The Five-Part
Biblical Storyline

e Bible tells one unified story in five major movements:

1.Creation (Genesis 1–2)

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, declaring
them both to be “very good.” Humanity was designed to reflect God’s
glory in bodily form and to rule over creation in a holy, joyful
relationship with their Creator.

2.Fall (Genesis 3)

Sin shattered that harmony. e curse infected everything; souls

became alienated from God, bodies became subject to death, the
ground was cursed, and creation was plunged into futility.
 In the Beginning, God Created the Heavens and the Earth
3.Promise (Genesis 3:15 onward)
God made a promise: the seed of the woman would crush the head of
the serpent. is messianic hope developed through the covenants with
Abraham, Israel, and David, pointing toward a future King who would
restore creation and rule the nations.

4.Redemption (First Coming of Christ)

In His first coming, Jesus brought redemption through His death and
resurrection. He bore the sin of the world, reconciling individuals to
God and bringing the first fruits of the blessings of the new covenant
—the Holy Spirit of promise.

5.Restoration (Second Coming and the Kingdom)

e final act of the story will be the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21).
is includes the physical resurrection of the body, the renewal of the
earth, the healing of the nations, and the reign of Christ over all
creation.

Traditional theology has often emphasized points 2 (Fall) and 4

(Redemption) while neglecting 1 (Creation) and 5 (Restoration). e
New Creation Model seeks to recover these neglected themes.

God's Redemption Is Cosmic in Scope

e New Creation Model affirms the centrality of personal salvation but
insists that God's plan does not stop there. Redemption includes:

Earth and all of Creation

Romans 8:19–22 tells us that all of creation groans, awaiting the day
when the sons of God are revealed. Redemption will bring freedom
not just to human souls but to the very ground that was cursed
(Genesis 3:17). e natural world—plants, animals, rivers, weather—
will be restored to its perfect state as it was before the fall.

Human Beings (Body and Soul)

Salvation is not complete until the body is raised in glory. Eternal life
is embodied life, not disembodied existence. Revelation 21–22 depicts
humans engaging in activities such as eating, working, reigning, and
living in joyful fellowship on the new Earth.
Nations and Cultures

God’s purposes are not to erase ethnic and cultural distinctions, but to
redeem them. Revelation 5:9 celebrates that Christ has ransomed
people from every tribe, language, and nation. Isaiah 19 prophesies a
future in which Egypt, Assyria, and Israel worship together, each
playing a role in God’s kingdom.

Revelation 21:24–26 even speaks of the kings of the Earth bringing

their glory into the New Jerusalem. Nations will remain, and their
cultural achievements will glorify God.

e Animal Kingdom

Passages like Isaiah 11 and Isaiah 65 describe a time when the wolf
will dwell with the lamb, and creation will be at peace. e enmity
between animals and humans will be healed.

Government and Society

God’s kingdom will include just rule, peaceful civilization, and shared
prosperity. e restoration consists of farms, homes, and vineyards. e
Kingdom will be characterized by righteousness, joy, peace, justice
and celebration. ere will be a genuine global flourishing of society
under the Messiah’s rule.

The Role of Jesus in the New Creation

Jesus is not only the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,
He is also the ruler of nations, the restorer of creation, and the heir of
all things.

• Genesis 49:10 – Messiah receives the obedience of the nations.

• Numbers 24:17–19 – Messiah will crush kings and reign over the
earth.

• Revelation 19:15 – Jesus returns to rule the nations with a rod of

iron.

• Isaiah 11, 2, 65 – e Messiah’s reign will bring peace to all

creation.
e restoration He brings includes:

• A healed Earth

• Peace among nations

• Reconciliation between man and nature

• e removal of disease, death, and the curse

• e eternal presence of God dwelling with His people

Continuity with the Present Earth

Unlike the "spiritual vision" model that views eternity as a radical
departure from this present age, the New Creation Model sees
continuity between Eden and the New Earth.

Isaiah 65 describes people building homes, planting vineyards, and

raising families in the renewed world. Jesus spoke of the regeneration
(Greek: palingenesia) when the apostles would sit on thrones and
inherit the earth, including farms and relationships (Matthew 19:28–
29). Luke 22:16–18 describes Jesus eagerly awaiting the day when He
will again eat with His disciples in the kingdom of God.

e curse will be removed, but humanity’s mandate to steward the

earth will remain.

Eternity: Not Escape, But Restoration

Eternal life is not an escape from creation but the redemption of
creation. It is not a formless spiritual state but a resurrected, physical,
relational, and glorious existence in God’s presence.

• We will dwell with God (Revelation 21:3).

• We will reign with Christ (Revelation 22:5).

• We will feast, celebrate, and work in joy.

• We will experience creation, culture, and community as they

were always meant to be.
Conclusion: Hope Restored
e New Creation Model offers a hope that is big enough to match the
scope of the world’s brokenness. It does not merely restore Eden, it
will enhance, amplify, and escalate it. It both vindicates the original
design, and glorifies it. e New Creation Model holds that the Gospel
is not just the hope of going to heaven. It’s the hope of heaven coming
to Earth, of resurrection, justice, peace, and the presence of God
forever.

e gospel is not just good news for the soul—it is good news for the
entire cosmos.
The Tree of Life in the Original Garden Paradise