Creation
Throughout 2020 we will be reading through the Bible together using the 2020 Reading Plan which is broken up into 16 sections, each of which follows the narrative thread of the Bible by incorporating both Old Testament and New Testament passages. In conjunction with the reading plan we will post blog articles for each of the 16 sections in hopes that they will help to shed light on what you are reading. As always, our prayer is that this is deeply beneficial to your soul and your personal walk with Jesus.
Blessings,
Gavin
CREATION
One of the most foundational teachings of the Bible is its teaching on Creation. For thousands of years human beings have look at the complex world in which we live and have theorized about how it all got here. Being a kid born in the 80s I can still remember the age before cell phones - a time when I could subvert the 1-800-COLLECT system by stating my name as “Dad, come pick me up” when I needed a ride home from the barber. Now, I often find myself staring at my smart phone in wonder, trying to understand the brilliant minds of the engineers who created such a complex, and useful tool. Human beings have looked at our planet with all of its life and beauty and wondered the same thing, “What kind of brilliant mind brought all of this into being?”
The World’s First Preacher
Psalm 19 famously opens with the line, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” The skies we see above and the birds, clouds, stars, moon, and sunlight that fill them serve as our first “preacher” - declaring for us the brilliant craftsmanship of God. Theology books would call this general revelation. God reveals truths about his power, majesty, and glory through his creation so that we can clearly perceive his character (Rom. 1:19-20). It human intellect, mastery of the sciences, or any other method that tells us about God. Rather, what we know has been revealed to us - large Easter eggs, if you will, that God uses to reveal essential truths about himself to us. Therefore, you can rightly conclude that creation exists, in part, to tell us about who God is. You should be able to observe the world around you - the joy in loving another human being, the beauty in music and art, and the complexity in the design of what you see around you - and you should know more about God and yourself as a result. Life can’t possibly be all about you, rather you are part of a larger story that is primarily about the God who made you and everything you see.
The World’s First Sculptor
Genesis 1 gives us the big overview of God creating everything out of nothing. At the end of the chapter we are introduced to the crowned jewel of all of God’s creation: human beings.
“Let us make man in our image, and after our likeness.” (Gen. 1:26)
God uniquely shapes humanity to be like him - to be his representatives on the earth ruling, exercising dominion, subduing creation, multiplying, and filling the earth. God’s creation of you and I says so much about who we are. Having been uniquely shaped by God and commissioned by him means that each of us possess an inherent dignity that no one and nothing can take. You are here to bring honor and glory to God through the way he has uniquely gifted you, and that is true in the middle of any circumstance. He has given you gifts because you are important to God; you always have been, and you always will be.
But notice that God speaks in first person plural in Gen. 1:26. Is he speaking to his court of angels? Probably not. Angels are created beings and are not involved in the creative process. They’re subordinate to God on every level. Is he speaking in the “royal” plural as many ancient rulers often did? Possibly. Most strikingly, the New Testament sheds a little light on what’s going on here. When you take the full perspective of the Bible - all 66 books - you begin to get a more complete picture of what God has done and continues to do in our world.
The book of Hebrews opens by telling us that God created the world through his Son, and this Son is superior to the angels. In John’s gospel, he tells us that everything was created through the Word, Jesus Christ. And perhaps most explicitly Colossians 1 identifies Jesus as the primary agent in creation. He is Lord of it, supreme over it, and the cause and founder of everything that has been made - including you. Jesus Christ is not God’s Son in the sense in which we think of sons - physical offspring of a mom and dad. No, Jesus is more. He was never created, but he did the creating. And in this reality lies a profound understanding of who God is, who you are, and what you and the rest of the planet are here for: the glory of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God.
Conclusion
As you read the first two chapters of Genesis along with Psalm 19, Job 38, and the New Testament passages referenced above, I pray that you see God’s power, his beauty and creativity, Jesus’ preeminence, and your own significance and role in it all. God has put the stars, moon, and sun in the sky to preach to you how wonderful he is. He has put loving relationships and hints at the divine in your life to give you a glimpse of his perfect character. Know that you are not an accident and you don’t exist arbitrarily. God the Father through Jesus Christ made you, he loves you, and he has given you specific talents and abilities to serve his kingdom. And in finding your significance and purpose in Christ, you will also have found the source of joy beyond what you could have ever imagined. I pray these passages of Scripture bless you and the Holy Spirit fills your heart with a renewed sense of wonder and appreciation for our Great God!
Helpful Resources
“You Are” - sermon series from New Springs Church
"A Beautiful Design” - sermon series from The Village Church
“Creation or Chaos” - teaching series from Ligonier Ministries
Creation and Change - a book by Douglas F. Kelly