Creation

Frank C. Thomsen | Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Copyright © 2010, Frank C. Thomsen

(based on Grudem’s Systematic Theology, ch. 15)

This seems at first to be a clear and fundamental topic—God is the Creator and we and the world we live in a part of His creation. But when we address the why, how, and when, things seem to get a little more complicated. Then in today’s world we hear such questions as whether God created the varieties of plants and animals separately, or did He use some kind of evolutionary process. How quickly did He bring about creation? Was it all done in six twenty-four hour periods or over thousands, millions, hundreds of millions of years or more? How old is the earth? How old is the human race? Now it is much more complex. Most of these are questions I would like to avoid. They are frequently asked, discussed, debated among modern evangelicals and others, so we must address them at least in part. But first let us start with the clearer topics about creation, those about which there is general agreement among evangelicals.

First, let us define the doctrine of creation: God created the entire universe out of nothing; it was originally very good; and he created it to glorify Himself.

God Created the Universe out of Nothing

Ex nihilo means that God did not use existing materials out of which he fashioned the universe. Consider Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Now there was not nothing before the heavens and the earth were made—there was God. In the beginning GOD—that is the greatest reality there is.

But the physical universe was not there until God made it, called it into being. Psalm 33:6, 9 declares: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made their starry host by the breath of his mouth For he spoke, and it came to be;he commanded, and it stood firm.” John 1 tells us that “through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made.”

Colossians 1 proclaims that in Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, whether visible or invisible. And in Revelation 4:11 we read: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will were created and have their being.”

All this means that the universe is not eternal—there was a time that it did not exist. No matter is eternal: “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2).

This has certain implications:

1. God rules over the entire universe—it is His; He does with it as He pleases, whether you like it or not.

2. Nothing in all creation is ever to be worshipped. Worship God alone, who created all things.

3. God’s universe, made by His will and word, has purpose and meaning—which is to bring glory to God.

If God created the universe out of some already existing matter, then that matter would be eternal, it would challenge God’s independence and sole dominion over the universe, question whether the universe really has God’s purpose at its center for being, etc. But we know that is not the case and God the creator is to be forever praised.

God created the spiritual universe. He created angels and heavenly beings as well as human beings and animals. This is implied in some of the verses we have already read but is more explicit elsewhere. Revelation 10:6 talks about the One who “created the heavens and all that is in them.” Nehemiah 9:5-6 records the prayer of Ezra who said: “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you” (see also Psalm 148:2 and Colossians 1:16).

God created time. God is eternal, He exists above and separate from time, while we live in time. Since time is a gift from God, we must remember that time is His, not ours, and we must use it His way, not ours. We are under obligation and responsibility to use our time correctly.

All three persons of the trinity were involved in creation:

1 Corinthians 8:6: “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”

Colossians 1:16-17: “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Job 33:4 “The Spirit of God has made me;the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

The Direct Creation of Adam and Eve

Perhaps it would be clearer to say the special or personal creation of Adam and Eve: “The LORD God formed the manfrom the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7). The man said, “This is now bone of my bonesand flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,for she was taken out of man.”

This does not sound like evolution over millions of years. This is particular creation, of a being in God’s own image, designed to have fellowship with God, appointed to rule over God’s creation.

I do not believe in the evolutionary theory—I simply do not have enough faith. I cannot believe that nothing created everything. Order does not randomly come from chaos. No matter how much time you give the system, it doesn’t make sense and you cannot establish a first cause.

Man is not some brute beast, some higher specimen of evolved order, but a special creation for the purpose of doing God’s will and having communion with God. This means that sin is all the more horrible. If we are merely on a par with other animals, or the result of evolutionary process, we can downplay sin. But we also forfeit the glorious blessing of communion with God, which we lost when our first parents sinned, but which God restored to us in Christ Jesus.

But there is a real dignity in humanity as we were created. That dignity was marred, destroyed, lost in sin, but it is real and true. A godless worldview cannot give us this. A godless worldview cannot ascribe meaning or purpose to it—at least not logically or in any way that is convincing— “just because.” Deny God as creator, and you have removed the ultimate reality, the ultimate meaning, and the ultimate purpose from the universe. Take that away from mankind, and we are merely another animal. You have made sin unimportant or perhaps even advantageous, and holiness unnecessary or even detrimental if it does not advance your selfish goals.

Creation Is Distinct from the Creator

Creation is distinct from God, separate from Him, yet dependent on Him and subject to Him. God is not a part of creation—He made it and rules over it. Yet God is directly, personally involved with creation. So God is transcendent, exalted far above creation, but also immanent, present always Paul declares, “And [God] is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.‘For in him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:25, 28; see also Job 12:1, Col. 1:17, and Heb. 1:3).

This is distinct from other views of nature and God, all of which deny God’s existence, holiness, justice, and assert anything that will demean God and exalt and/or excuse sinful man. Bible-believing Christians would reject these ideas intellectually, but see if in some ways you do not live as if there were some truth in these false notions.

First, we will discuss materialism. Materialism denies God outright by saying that nothing exists but the material universe, which we can discern and experience with our senses. Therefore, right and wrong are subjective; there is no ultimate accountability for our actions, words, attitudes. No eternity, no judgment. “Imagine there’s no heaven. Above us only sky.” When we focus our lives on our own pursuits and pleasures, though we claim to be Christians, we are practical materialists. Our theoretical statement is that we believe the gospel, but our lives show no regard for God and His ways. This is a very dangerous and miserable way to live, because there is a God who is there, and He is not silent, and He will call us to give account.

Biblical creation is also distinct from pantheism. Pantheism is the belief that everything is God or is a part of God or contains parts of God. So to oversimplify, pantheism states that the universe is God. As the universe has no distinct, easily discernible personality, neither would God. The universe changes, so God would have to change or be fickle or inconsistent And we would like that. The universe contains and tolerates evil, so would God have to, and we could be excused.

Dualism is also contrary to biblical creation. It states that God and the universe are both eternal, existing side by side, essentially competing with each other. Will God triumph, or will matter? Good or evil? So God is not the Lord, the sovereign judge. Dualism is like Star Wars, The Force. There is good and evil, light and dark, and you cannot be sure which will triumph.

Finally, the Bible view opposes deism. Deism believes that God is transcendent, over and above creation, but not immanent, not personally active and involved. The problem here is that it contradicts the entirety of Scripture. But it appeals to us because we can do our own thing, live according to our own understanding, doing what is right in our own eyes, going in the way that seems right to us, and in the end, it leads to death.

So with these views, we try to gain a sense of autonomy, self-justification, elimination of sin and judgment, and other things that appeal to our sinful nature. But the cost is forfeiting our very souls, and with them the comfort and joy of walking with God, knowing His love and tender care.

God Created the Universe for His Glory

Psalm 19:1, 2 tell us, “The heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech;night after night they display knowledge.” The creation, ourselves included, declares constantly the power and wisdom and goodness of God. We see these things in every tree, blade of grass, rock, star, animal, human being—all testify to God’s greatness, even now, though marred by man’s sin. For God created the universe and declared everything to be good, very good. We don’t usually react this way every time we look at God’s creation. But we should, and shame on us that we don’t. Let us open our eyes and minds and hearts to see God’s glory displayed in all that is around us, and even in each cell in our body. As the hymn says,

“Sounds your creative word/forming both man and bird/shaping the cosmos to win your delight/order from chaos springs/form that your wisdom brings/guiding created things/infinite might.”

That’s very good—but it gets better. The same hymn says,

“Here does your word disclose/more than your power shows/love that to Calvary goes/infinite grace.”

God’s Word reveals to us a greater purpose than does creation alone—and that purpose is for God to redeem a people all his own, eager to do what is good. To save those who by their sins were separated from God and enemies. To take us who were alienated from God in our minds due to our evil behavior and reconcile us to Himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And combining the light of nature with the light of Scripture, we can see the God of our salvation in all that He has made.