Creation

God has been revealing Himself to humanity throughout history. We find a record of God’s self-revelation in the bible. The bible is not a history book or a news report that describes events, but rather is a record of how God has interacted in human history to tell us about who God is. In other words, the point of the bible is not to describe literal history but to show us who God is and who we are in relation to God.

In the beginning of the bible we have the two stories of creation. From these we learn that God is the source and creator of all that exists. Everything that exists, from the smallest part of an atom to the farthest reaches of the universe, everything living and everything non-living, all that is seen and unseen, is the result of God saying “Let there be.” Because everything came from God, God saw that everything He made “is good.”

God’s crowning act of creation was the creation of human beings. Unlike the animals, human beings have been created in God’s image and likeness. This means that we have some of the attributes of God: we have been given reason, in that we can think logically about God and His works. We have been given freedom, in that we can choose to serve God, our Lord and Maker, and to do good. We are also able to share in God’s power to continue the work of creation by procreating and also by caring for the creation that already exists. Best of all, we can communicate with God. God sees humanity is “very good”. 1

Everything that God has made, spirits, humanity and the cosmos, He has made good. All of creation is a sign of God’s presence. We are to find God in all of creation – in nature and in each other. All creation is therefore a source of communion with God.

The Big Bang and Evolution

Where do we come from? Where are we going? How did everything get to be like it is?

These are questions that almost everyone asks at some point in their lives.

There are many different responses to these questions. Some take the scientific approach and try to explain things with “the Big Bang Theory” or the “Theory of Evolution”. These theories have enriched our knowledge of the world and the cosmos, of the development of species and the processes of life. They do not necessarily contradict the stories of creation in the bible, which themselves are not literal descriptions of creation. (Who was there to record it?) In fact, our scientific knowledge may often point to the existence of God. (For example, who created the “stuff” for the Big Bang?)

These scientific theories do not answer all of our questions. Even if we are able to discover how the universe began or if (and how) we evolved from the apes, we are still left with the question of “Why?” Why are we here? Our faith helps us to find the answer.

Relationships in the Beginning

The creation stories tell us about relationships – between God and creation, between God and humanity, between humanity and nature, and among human beings.

GOD AND HUMANITY: Of all creation, humans have a special relationship with God. Humans are spiritual beings, created in God’s image and likeness 2 and with the breath of God 3. Humans could walk and talk with God, and they did not fear God. Humans were “God’s representative” (God’s image) in the world.

HUMANKIND: In both creation stories we see that men and women are created to be in communion with others. In Gen. 1:27, humankind is one entity, made up of both male and female. In Gen. 2:23-24, male and female are one flesh. The emphasis in these stories is on the unity of men and women, and of all humanity.

HUMANITY AND NATURE: Because of the special relationship between God and humanity, human beings were given “dominion” over the plants and the animals. God let Adam name the animals, which shows that Adam was given a special place in creation. Having dominion over the plants and animals meant that humans were to look after and care for them just as God, who has dominion over all creation, would look after and care for them. In fact, because God gave the plants and animals to humans as a gift, these gifts should remind humans of God, and we should thank God for them.

GOD AND CREATION: Out of nothing, God has created all that exists. He made the heavens and the earth, and everything in between. There is an order and a pattern to creation. God is present to creation and upholds and sustains it by His presence. Creation is good, and is loved by God. Because of this, all creation is a means of communion with God.

False ideas about God and creation

1. Only the spiritual world is important. The physical world is evil and is to be abandoned.

This is wrong because God created everything, and everything God created IS GOOD! What is wrong is how we use (and abuse) the physical world. We should not use the material world for our own selfish desires. On the other extreme, we should not reject things in this world as evil just because they are material. Rather, everything in the world should remind us of God.

2. God created the world, and the world runs on its own now, just like a clock maker who makes a clock and then lets it run on its own.