Exposition on "All of Creation" (Part II)

Having discussed the first era of Man post fall in Verse 1, we shall discuss the second era, which is presented in Verse 2. This second era is characterized by the time of the resurrection to the present day.

Captivated but no longer bound by chains

The definition of captivated is traditionally "strongly attracted, fascinated, or beguiled". This phrase contrasts the effects of sin on man before and after the crucifixion. Before the completion of the Paschal Mystery man was bound in chains by sin. We could not avoid it, we could not overcome it. This is evidenced in the repeated covenant violations of the ancient Hebrews, and the reason why we needed a "new heart". It was this binding by chains that kept us from heaven. However, now that Christ has paid our debt and conquered sin and death, we are no longer bound in sin, but merely captivated. Basically, sin lures us and tempts us, in many ways we find it attractive, and it even beguiles us into following it. But through the sacrifice of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are now able to follow Christ, who truly satisfies all our desires.

left at an empty grave

At a basic level this line merely points to the power of the resurrection for the cause of salvation and our release of bondage. However, the empty grave is something more, for as Christs body was glorified, so will ours be. When we get our bodies they will be perfect and completely free of sin and blemish.

the sinner and the sacred resolved

I thought that "resolved" was an interesting word choice for this... why not "rejoined"? The definition of "resolution", in this sense, I believe is "the solution to a problem derived from decision making". This I think is accurate in that, though God freely gives us salvation, we must make the personal decision to accept it. So, although we do not achieve salvation because of our own qaulifications, our salvation is still dependent on our choice. So now, in our current era, we can choose to resolve ourselves to Christ, for though we are not rejoined with him (we are not in complete union with him), we are still resolved in that we can make the decision to accept heaven.

Thus is the state of the second era of man, and the second verse of the song.