WHY Should We Care About Redeeming Culture?
Sep 24, 2026 by Dr. Kent DelHousaye
In the Greek language, there are two different words that are translated as “new.” They are neos and kainos. The first, neos, means new in time or in origin. The latter, kainos, means new in quality or condition.
Curiously, the word used in the Bible for “new heavens and new earth” in 2 Peter 3:13 and in Revelation 21:1 is kainos, not neos. Likewise, in Revelation 21:5, Christ said, “I am making all things new.” Kainos again.
So, when the Bible speaks eschatologically about “newness,” it doesn’t mean BRAND new but rather MADE new. In other words, the biblical storyline of Scripture is about restoration, not replacement. So, it’s not a restart. It’s a rebuild.
This observation matters because it says much about God’s plans for the world and our purpose in it. Our co-mission with God is to work for the RENEWAL of all things—the redemption, the reconciliation, the restoration of everything to what God always intended.
The Bible begins AND ends with a cultural mandate for us to transform what is broken and fallen into what is healed and restored. This means that God’s mission and ours in this world has always been its renewal, not its downfall!
When we understand that, then we can stop looking at this world as something that is broken and beyond repair. We can instead start to see our world as a place where there is hope and a future. Yes, it has been corrupted and abused, but it can be repaired and revitalized!
God has told us that He will renew all things (Romans 8:18-25), not by obliterating everything and starting over but by purifying everything and rebuilding it. So, the future renewed heavens and earth are, in the end, simply the repaired ruins of this present one.
Knowing this ought to change our attitude and our posture toward this broken and fallen world, looking not to its obliteration but instead to its redemption, seeking not its final devastation but its ultimate restoration!
Curiously, the word used in the Bible for “new heavens and new earth” in 2 Peter 3:13 and in Revelation 21:1 is kainos, not neos. Likewise, in Revelation 21:5, Christ said, “I am making all things new.” Kainos again.
So, when the Bible speaks eschatologically about “newness,” it doesn’t mean BRAND new but rather MADE new. In other words, the biblical storyline of Scripture is about restoration, not replacement. So, it’s not a restart. It’s a rebuild.
This observation matters because it says much about God’s plans for the world and our purpose in it. Our co-mission with God is to work for the RENEWAL of all things—the redemption, the reconciliation, the restoration of everything to what God always intended.
The Bible begins AND ends with a cultural mandate for us to transform what is broken and fallen into what is healed and restored. This means that God’s mission and ours in this world has always been its renewal, not its downfall!
When we understand that, then we can stop looking at this world as something that is broken and beyond repair. We can instead start to see our world as a place where there is hope and a future. Yes, it has been corrupted and abused, but it can be repaired and revitalized!
God has told us that He will renew all things (Romans 8:18-25), not by obliterating everything and starting over but by purifying everything and rebuilding it. So, the future renewed heavens and earth are, in the end, simply the repaired ruins of this present one.
Knowing this ought to change our attitude and our posture toward this broken and fallen world, looking not to its obliteration but instead to its redemption, seeking not its final devastation but its ultimate restoration!
