Page 27 of 159

Word of the Week: Creator

Where did you come from? I’m not asking where you’re from in the sense of the place of your birth/family history. Rather, I’m asking, “Where did humanity come from?” Are we products of evolutionary naturalism? Were we created? Does the biblical picture of creation as detailed in Genesis detail where we are from? Are our ancient ancestors from Africa 200,000 years ago?

These questions intersect philosophically, theologically, scientifically, and anthropologically. We might be tempted to leave these discussions to the academics and philosophers. However, as followers of Jesus, our faith literally begins with creation. Not only does the Bible begin with the creation narrative, but faith in God finds its root in the doctrine of creation. The book of Psalms highlights the Lord as Creator (Ps. 8, 19, 24 just to name a few). When Paul preaches to polytheists and philosophers at Athens, he begins with the Lord as Creator (Acts 17:24).

As we continue these posts on the doctrine of God, we’re going to spend a couple of weeks answering questions about creation. God as Creator forms the foundation for our faith.

Question # 1—Why the doctrine of creation? 

Answer: We must explore the doctrine of creation and seek to know the Lord as Creator because every worldview must answer the question of origin.

The Bible teaches that before creation, only God existed and that God created ex nihilo—out of nothing. The Hebrew word bara means “create.” It is a technical term that is reserved specifically for God’s act of creating. It is used 50 times in OT, and God is always the subject of the verb “create.”

Nearly every worldview has an origin story, and every worldview (for it to be valid) must account for the origin of the universe.

In his book, Genesis in Space and Time, Francis Schaeffer summarizes the 4 options regarding origins:

  • “Once there was absolutely nothing, and now there is something.” This is not really a serious answer and has not been held by philosophers over the years.
  • “Everything began with an impersonal something.” This answer leaves no room for personality to exist in the universe. As such, it is a view that falls staggeringly short of experiential reality.
  • “Everything began with a personal something.” This is the only explanation that accords with reality—human personality and the universe as we know it. This is also what is tacitly observed in many of the ancient creation accounts—why people have almost always subscribed to gods. However, when getting behind those worldviews, only biblical, Trinitarian Christianity answers the why and what questions behind creation. Only biblical Christianity as a worldview sufficiently explains the intrinsic nature of love and communication. 
  • “There is and always has been a dualism.” This answer falls apart when we press the dualism on the specific interactions between the competing tensions like: Yin/Yang; ideas/matter; or brain and mind. Dualistic answers tend to lean toward one end or the other and fail to articulate a way forward together. (Francis Schaeffer, Genesis in Space and Time, 10-11).

Schaeffer, correctly I believe, leaves us with a personal Creator. The Bible tells us that this personal Creator spoke the world into existence ex nihilo.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth

Genesis 1:1

Question # 2—Why the biblical creation account when there are other creation narratives? A common criticism of the Bible’s claim is: “There are numerous creation myths, and they cannot be literally true.”  

Answer: The biblical creation account in Genesis is unique in the accounts found in history and worldview. 

Creation by Yahweh is unique in the ancient creation stories. God announced in history and by revelation his claim upon all. In contrast other creation narratives allude to strife between deities, chaos, and disaster that result in the creation of the world (Michael Horton, The Christian Faith, 325).

Yes, there are dozens of other creation narratives, and not all of them can be true. But just because many are not true, does not mean one cannot be true. What one must do is evaluate the claims. The violence of the Egyptian narrative where gods like Typhon kill the fertility god, Osiris only to have him resurrected stretch the imagination. Intra-deity violence is also present in the Indian creation account as well as the Greco-Roman and Babylonian accounts (Horton, The Christian Faith, 325).

Reading Genesis 1-2 sounds tame and matter-of-fact in comparison. This is the point. The biblical account is certainly miraculous, but it is also straightforward. It is written, not to defend God, but to declare him.

Question # 3—Why does it matter what we believe about creation? 

Answer: It matters what we believe about creation because where the story begins determines how the story can finish. 

If the universe was not created, then how did it come about? Genesis assumes God’s existence and thus points us to a God who can be known and worshiped.

To have a worldview that ends with hope and assurance, one must have a framework that accounts for it. If one’s worldview begins with an origin narrative that does not account for morality, love, hope, relationship, peace, fulfillment, purpose, or eternity, then those very normal human longings remain unfulfilled. Personally, I believe one of the main reasons why our world is so full of chaos, disruption, and destruction is simply because we have rejected what God made known to us through creation.

As I was driving into the office today, I saw the most beautiful sunrise. The clouds had a deep almost purplish gray. The sun was shining behind the clouds with hues of orange, pink, and deep peach. It was art. It was a work of art that humans can only hope to imitate. The biblical doctrine of creation accounts for this beauty. The scene led me to worship. And that is the primary reason for the biblical doctrine of creation. God the Creator is worthy of our worship.

For today, look at creation and pause to worship the Creator.

Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash

Word of the Week: Goodness Attributes (pt. 2)

This week we continue in our reflection of of God’s attributes, specifically his goodness attributes. In this post and the previous two posts, we are following Millard Erickson’s division of greatness and goodness attributes found in his book, Introducing Christian Doctrine. Last week’s attributes focused on God’s character and nature with regard to his purity and righteousness. This week’s post emphasizes God’s goodness with regard to his loving interaction with humanity.

How do you imagine God? Do you think of him as an ancient old man smiling down on his poor creatures? Do you think of him as a grandfather figure? Do you think of him as a wrathful tyrant ready to strike rebellious humans with a lighting bolt? By the way, that last question describes the Greek deity, Zeus, far more than the God of the Bible.

My reason for asking your perception of God is that who you believe God to be plays a significant role in how you respond to him. If God is wrathful, then you might be afraid of hm. If God is a loving grandfather type, then you might want to just sit with him. If God is an old man prone to smiles, then you might merely laugh at him.

Our perceptions of God are not always accurate. For right and true understanding of who God is, we need his self-revelation found in Scripture.

The testimony of Scripture is far greater and more glorious than our typecast images of God. In fact, our typecast images of God might be idolatrous (see Exodus 20:3-6).

When we reflect on God, we need to see him for who he reveals himself to be rather than our preconceived notions. We need to see God as fully and gloriously as possible. These posts are my very limited attempt to get us to think of God in the greatness, grandeur, glory, and goodness that he has revealed himself to be. If this is your first time reading one of my posts, please go back and reflect on God’s transcendence, immanence, Trinitarian unity, greatness, and goodness (pt. 1). Here are three more goodness attributes that we discover from the Bible.

God is mercy. Mercy is not getting what one deserves. Mercy is the counterpart to justice. It is just when God punishes sin. Throughout biblical history, God punished sin individually and corporately. In the Old Testament, God judged Israel for her idolatry and punished individuals specifically for their sinfulness. When God shows mercy, he stays his hand of judgment. We want God to be just, and he is. But if God were absolutely just, in that he could only act according to justice, then we would be in a hopeless situation. If God were just with you and me, we would be destined for eternity in the judgment of hell. Yet God is merciful. He does not give us what we deserve.

God is grace. Grace is getting what one does not deserve. An acrostic of GRACE exhibits a biblical analogy using the phrase: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Paul explained, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). God saves us by his grace, that is his unmerited favor to us. God does not save us according to our works for then we would be doomed to punishment. He does not save us because of our work for our works are not sufficient to satisfy his holiness and righteousness. He saves us by his grace. God merits believers with the righteousness of Christ. More than that, God shares with believers his abundant riches and glory. Grace in the greek language is charis, or gift. God’s grace is an undeserved gift that he bestows upon believing sinners. His grace is that he makes saints of sinners.

God is love. If people who are not followers of Christ believe anything about God, it is that God is love. God specifically defines himself as love when John writes: “God is love” (1 John 4:7). The word used here for God’s love is agape. It is a selfless, other-oriented love. God loves not because of what he gains, but because of what he gives. His love is purely and perfectly for the good and benefit of the objects of his love. Only God can perfectly love like this. While God expects us to love him and others with this kind of love, we only can love this way because he first loved us this way (Matthew 22:37-40; John 13:34). God’s love for his creatures is what motivated him to send Jesus to save us (John 3:16).

God is greater than we can imagine, and his goodness is deeper than we can dream. These attributes are perfected in the person of Jesus Christ. He is God’s expression of love to mankind as well as full of grace, truth, and mercy (John 1:14).

These attributes of God should motivate us to follow Jesus. It is God’s mercy, grace, and love that invites wicked sinners into a relationship of forgiveness with a holy and righteous God. If you are not yet a follower of Jesus, consider these attributes.

  • Discover the God who is just and the justifier of those who believe by his mercy and grace.
  • Worship the God who loves you in spite of your sinfulness.
  • Obey the God who does not give you the death and judgment you deserve.
  • Serve the God who offers you the unmerited riches of his grace forever and ever.

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:21-26 (emphasis mine)