Unveiling God's Creation in the Bible | Theological Insights

God with Us - the importance of origins

Everyone is a theologian

Everyone is a theologian. Children are theologians, teenagers are theologians, college students are theologians, moms are theologians, dads are theologians, and grandparents are theologians. We all wrestle with God and try to understand God. Even those who deny God’s existence or are unsure about God’s existence, are theologians. They have an explanation, a reason for their beliefs regarding God.

Not only is everyone a theologian, but everyone’s theology is different. We tend to agree on the larger picture, but the more we drill down on the details, the more we each have slightly different views and interpretations. For example, some people see hardship and illness as a punishment from God, and the person must have done something wrong. Others see hardship and illness as a sign they are on the right path and Satan is trying to discourage them. In the face of hardship, some give up, others double down. Their theology impacts their approach to life.

This brings me to my second point.

Have you ever considered how biography shapes theology?

Your biography, your life experiences, have a profound impact on your theology, how you understand and interact with God. When you know the biography of a theologian, their theology makes even more sense. The experiences we go through, the challenges we face, the trauma we experience, our joys and sorrows, all shape our theology. We analyze our lives and try to label events as blessings and curses, and we are not very good at it.

I don’t mean that we today, modern believers are bad it. I mean we as humans are not very good at theology. So we need context, history, community, and dialogue.

This is why the Bible and a faith community are so important. It is vital for us to have a personal relationship with God. But the more support and tools we have, the stronger and healthier our relationship with God will be. If we did not need the Bible God would not have gone through the trouble of preserving it for all this time. People have gone through a lot of trouble keeping the Bible and making it accessible to the people. If all we needed was a personal, subjective experience with God, we would not need the Bible. The Protestant Reformation would not have been a big deal, and the Bible would not have been banned in so many places.

I am not denying that you can connect with God personally and have a subjective experience. You can study nature and learn about God. You can study mathematics, physics, biology, and philosophy and find God. But there are certain truths about God that were revealed by divine inspiration over a period of 1,500 years. Moses is thought to have written Genesis and possibly Job, both around 1400 BC, approximately 3,400 years ago. The book of Revelation is (arguably) the most recent book, and it was completed around AD 90. (compellingtruth.org/ more information available at biblestudytools.com).

My biography shapes my theology and my theology shapes my biography. My understanding of God shapes my decisions, my values, my character, and the trajectory of my life. Everyone is a theologian, even atheists. We all have opinions regarding God, and those opinions have a significant impact on our lives. As I develop my theology it is important to check in with the Bible and see how it matches up with other wise men and women experienced regarding God.

So what are some things that the Bible reveals to us about God?

The Bible begins by telling us that God created everything. This notion of God as creator is found throughout the Bible, it is consistent understanding throughout the scriptures. (Genesis 1:1; Nehemiah 9:6; Revelation 4:11; Psalm 8:3-8; 96:5; Isaiah 37:16; 45:18; Colossians 1:26-28; 1 Corinthians 8:6; John 1:3; Hebrews 1:2; Job 33:4; etc.)

However, many believers downplay the importance of the creation account. Perhaps they consider it simplistic and are embarrassed by it. However, this apparently small detail, that God created the world and everything else, is central to the entire Bible.

In worship, for example, a significant reason why we worship God is because He is our creator (Psalm 33:8-9, Isaiah 42:5, Acts 14:15). If we remove the creation account from our understanding of God, it impacts not only our worship but also everything else we believe about God.

According to the Bible, our origin story is not one of chance, coincidence, and a mortal struggle against apparently insurmountable odds over millions and even billions of years until we finally got to the point where God noticed us and decided to send Jesus to us. Do you notice how that view diminishes God’s love and care for us? Do you notice how a view of theistic evolution changes the dynamic of the relationship we have with God? Placing Him further away, portraying Him as caring less, as less powerful, as less intentional.

But the Bible does not only say that God created us, it says that He was intentional.

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
- Genesis 2:7 NKJV

Why would the biblical account go into such detail? Why God forming man out of the dust of the ground and breathing into our nostrils? Because it paints the picture of a caring, loving, personal God, Who is not afraid to get His hands dirty. He does not leave us to struggle to evolve over long periods of time, He intentionally made us, and cares for us.

The biblical creation account is not concerned with the how or the why of creation, but rather about the heart and power of the Creator. The creation account gives us context for our relationship with God. He loves us and created a perfect world, and placed Adam and Eve the first humans in a perfect paradise. (Genesis 1:31)

I highlight this because I have seen so many want to throw out not only creation but the first 11 chapters of Genesis labeling it an allegory. Those who do this seem to do so for intellectual reasons, something along the lines of knowing better and not being expected to believe that. This is a dangerous path. I am not saying we should blindly follow everything we read in the Bible in a literalistic way. This (literalistic) approach is lazy and leads to fanaticism and several practical problems. I agree that interpreting and applying the biblical text can be challenging, but the best way to solve this challenge is not to throw out the parts we struggle with, but rather to prayerfully study the Bible seeking an understanding that is most harmonious with the textual evidence.

Regarding the interpretation of any text, context is your best friend and the creation account is no different. If you are struggling with whether we are supposed to believe it or not, I encourage you to look at the context, in this case, the rest of the Bible. How does the rest of the Bible handle the creation account?

Exodus was written by Moses, who also wrote Genesis, so If we can find a passage in Exodus that refers back to the creation account we can have a better idea of how the writer meant for the account to be interpreted. In other words, if the creation account was not intended to be taken literally, Moses would know, since he wrote it, and he would be the best person to make it clear.

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
— Exodus 20:11 NKJV

At the heart of the Ten Commandments, we have a command to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. The Sabbath is not being made holy, it was made holy, we are commanded to remember it. We are told to work six days and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD our God, therefore we are not to do any work. This commandment is not just for the Jews, or the believer, but includes servants, animals, and strangers (foreigners). Who should rest on the Sabbath? You and everyone within your sphere of influence. You should not be causing anyone to work. The basis or foundation for this commandment is the creation account. It seems clear to me that when Moses wrote the creation account he meant for us to read it as a literal and historical event. I would argue that those who say it was not meant to be taken literally are claiming to understand Moses’ writings better than Moses himself.

But what about the New Testament?

References to Creation in the New Testament

The very last book of the Bible is the book of Revelation. John, the last living disciple of Jesus wrote it. He also wrote the gospel of John. Have you heard of John 3:16? That was written by the same guy who wrote the book of Revelation. I don’t think any believer would question John and his understanding of Jesus and his grasp of theology. Here’s what John wrote in the Book of Revelation.

6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— 7 saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
— Revelation 14:6-7 NKJV

I won’t go too deep into Revelation in this post but suffice it to say that worship is a big theme. There is confusion regarding who should be worshipped, there’s a beast and an image to the beast, and a mark of the beast, and by contrast there is the worship of the true God. The question becomes how do we know who we should worship? The book of Revelation has a lot to say about worship and Revelation 14:7 helps clarify that in light of judgment and the eternal gospel, it is crucial to worship the God “who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and springs of water.” Interestingly, the God who made the heavens, the earth, and the sea is also mentioned in Exodus 20:11. This is the same God, the creator God, who made the world in six days and sanctified the seventh day.

But did anyone else besides Moses and John interpret the creation account as literal and historical?

The creation account and the family unit.

Jesus is questioned by the Pharisees regarding divorce. In His answer, Jesus references Genesis and the creation account.

But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
— Mark 10:6-9 NKJV

Jesus is referencing Genesis 1:26-28 and Genesis 2:24. When Jesus was asked about marriage, He went back to the creation account for the basis for marriage between one biological male and one biological female. If you believe that the family unit is part of God’s original plan and ideal for humanity, good luck establishing that if you throw out the creation account.

The creation account and the gospel of John

John places Jesus at the creation of the earth. If we throw out God as Creator then do we have insights into who God is that John missed?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
— John 1:1-3, 14 NKJV

It seems disingenuous to say that John 3:16 is inspired but John 1, well not so much. Either John had an incredible understanding of who Jesus is or he didn’t. John begins his gospel account the way he does because in order for the reader to fully appreciate the content of his writing the reader must first understand that Jesus is God and that “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” If you take away God as creator, you’re taking away the foundation of Who Jesus is and the importance of what He did. In order to make Jesus simply a moral teacher or prophet you have to do some serious editing of the biblical text.

Paul and God as creator.

How does Paul, who wrote most of the books of the New Testament, see the creation account? When Paul talks about Jesus’ victory over death he says that “by man came death, a reference to Genesis 3 and the fall. Paul adds that by Man came also the resurrection of the dead. (1 Corinthians 15:21)

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
— 1 Corinthians 15:22 KJV

If the creation account was meant to be taken symbolically then Adam and Eve never existed and the fall never literally took place. If death did not come as a result of Adam’s disobedience (Genesis 3) then the world was never perfect (Genesis 1-2). If we follow this line of logic, death is not an enemy. But Paul says that the last enemy that will be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26) Revelation 20, describing the final judgment states that Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire, meaning that death will die.

Death can only be the enemy, and something that God will do away with, if death was not part of God’s original plan. That can only happen with the literal creation of a perfect earth and humans. Any other explanation introduced death before sin, and makes death God’s instrument to bring about a superior creation. Imagine God desiring to create humans but not being sure about the best way to go about it, so God decides to use death and suffering over billions of years to bring about the human race.

A different approach to the creation account could be as follows:

“God created, and it was okay. And behold God allowed it to struggle to survive for millions of years in order for His creation to evolve, so that He could send Jesus as a human to die to put an end to death.”

It might work for some I guess? But it just isn’t biblical.

Paul makes his understanding of who Jesus is very clear in his letter to the Colossians. Speaking of Jesus, Paul writes:

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
— Colossians 1:15-18 NKJV

Paul’s view of Jesus, matches Genesis, and John, and Revelation. The Bible is consistent with the understanding that God is our creator.

Creation and the Promise of the Messiah

For the coming of Jesus to make sense, there must be a powerful and loving God creating a perfect world with no death. Death is introduced because Adam rebels against God. Now God has to deal with the sin problem. The first prophecy about the Messiah is found in the midst of the judgment right after the fall in Genesis 3.

And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
— Genesis 3:15 NKJV

God was speaking to the serpent (Satan, Revelation 12:9). This judgment is prophetic, revealing that throughout Earth’s history, there would be a battle between those who align themselves with God and those who align themselves with Satan. God revealed to Adam and Eve right after the fall that someOne born of a woman would crush the head of the serpent (defeat Satan) but that the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman, we understand this to mean that Satan abused and killed Jesus, but Jesus came back from the dead and is now victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57; Revelation 5:9-12). Jesus’ death was not final, but Satan’s death will be (Revelation 20).

Jesus was the solution to the sin problem from the beginning. Revelation 13:8 refers to Jesus as the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. Salvation was never available in any other way.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
— John 14:6 NKJV

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
— Acts 4:12 NKJV

The story of the birth of Jesus is not the story of God evolving and trying something new. Jesus is the greatest revelation of God the Father. (John 1:18; 10:30; 14:9; Hebrews 1:2-3; Colossians 1:15) Jesus is not a nicer or more loving version of God. Jesus is God and the clearest revelation of the heart of God.

Practical Application

When your subjective experience with God causes you to question His love or even existence, remember that God not only exists, He is the Creator, not only if He the Creator, He loves you, He knows you, and He wants what’s best for you. When you freely choose to believe in the God of the Bible, even when God feels small, distant, or uncaring. Remember that we have the testimony of the scriptures that tell us that God is powerful (Psalm 27:1), that He cares (Romans 8:32), and that He has a plan (Jeremiah 29:11).

For a deeper dive into this topic check out God With Us and One Story to Rule Them All.