Rethinking Genesis 1
Read Genesis chapter one. What comes to your mind? Five years ago, I would have said the Creationism vs. Evolution debate. I would have spouted off a few things that stood out to me this time—ammunition for the debate, like maybe some little tidbit that made a day-age model impractical.
But here’s the thing, Genesis chapter one isn’t about science. It isn’t about a modern debate. It’s about God as Creator. I knew the fact that God created—or rather I knew a bunch of facts that I pooled into the term “creationism.” But like so many Christians I was so busy trying to prove God created, that I failed to glean any benefit from the reality of that fact (I was preoccupied with trying to be right, picking sides and rooting for a team). The first chapter of Genesis doesn’t exist to pat me (or you) on the back for being right. It exists for the same reason the rest of Scripture: to reproof, to correct, and to instruct in the way of righteousness.
Make no mistake: God created. In the beginning God created the universe (the heavens and the earth), sometime after which he reformed the chaotic, unfinished earth in what we call the Creation Week. God fashioned and imagined and created for six days, and then he rested on the seventh.
Genesis chapter one through three has always been regarded as the beginning of Scripture, even when there was only the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). So why start with the creation account? Several reasons. It is the beginning of the story, after all, so it makes sense to start there. There is much in this tale of creation: paradise and fall that sets the stage for who God is, who we are, what we were created for, how we lost it, and the grand adventure of our hero Jesus reclaiming it for believers again.
Yet I just want to look at chapter one today, which only really says one thing: God created all things, including us. What should that mean to us? What is the application of Genesis chapter one to a modern believer?
God as Creator
This is our introduction to God. The God who is so great and so mysterious yet so kind and personal. The God who the Psalmists waited for and hungered after. The God who prophets fell down in awe of and worshiped before. The God who is a great King far beyond those trinkets that mortals craft and call gods. The self-sufficient God who nevertheless, out of love, underwent great personal loss to call fallen, imperfect people to himself—the origin and definition of all love and justice and righteousness; the Holy One whom we can only imperfectly understand.
Yet when we were in darkness, unable to build a tower of knowledge or spiritualism or any other material high enough to reach God, he reached down and revealed himself to us. Only the Spirit of God knows God. Only God can reveal himself to us—and he does.
So what can we see of God in Genesis chapter one? What is our God like?
God is creative. He is attentive to detail, thorough, and masterful. He is an artist. He meticulously made something beautiful, intricate, and delicate, nestled within an incalculably vast and impersonal galaxy. Something friendly and personal set in contrast to the cold lights of space. The master strokes of his original design still echo through nature.
God is caring. He made all things in ecological harmony—the shadow of which we still see today. The earth is a pleasant place enjoyed by the squirrel scurrying in the tree and the lazy cat basking in the sun as much as by people. God cares for the welfare of the sparrow. The psalmist says God is like a mother eagle in his compassion and provision for his own.
God is active. The Bible says that God worked. He took an active role in molding his creation—bending down to fashion humans from dust and breathing life into them. After which he came and visited Adam and Eve in the garden. This should comfort us. Our God is not some impersonal, inactive force; rather, God is someone with personality and interest in his creation, and in us specifically, as seen by his extra level of personal touch. If you will, God signed his creation by making humanity.
God is great. The vastness of creation gives testament to the greatness of God, even his strength and godhead. His power can be seen in the movement of tectonic plates and the force of a supernova. His infinity pictured imperfectly in the still-expanding universe. As creator he is greater than all things put together. His knowledge surpasses all gathered information. His person hood is more vast than all life.
God is sovereign. By him all things were made, and by him all things continue to exist. The scope of all things is held within his control. Our God is in heaven, he has done whatever has chosen to do. There is nothing that may hamper his will. Those who rebel against him do it with the minds, breath, and being that God continues to allow them to have. All things are by his permission, and nothing is hidden from his face.
In the same way that a craftsman has right of ownership over his craft, God is the rightful ruler of all creation, all time and space, and every heart. As creator God makes the rules and has the right to pass judgment.
Making it Personal
We must not be merely academic in our approach to God—knowing facts such as his attributes and personality traits. Who God is and what he has done only becomes personally significant if we have a relationship with him. Getting to know God is similar to getting to know anyone. We have to learn things about him in order to know and understand who he is; and with that understanding we can more effectively communicate and fellowship with him. It is significant when we can actually get to know him, not just get to know things about him. Because knowing him and loving him and enjoying him is the purpose.
We only fully understand God when we understand him as Creator. Understanding is vital to relationships. Those of us who wish to know God in a closer, deeper, and more personal way should spend time considering and enjoying what God is like.
The best part of enjoying and worshiping God as creator is that we can look upon his work as we do so. The birds and the wind and the rustle of leaves and the great mountains and the field of stars by night all give testament to God and what he is like. These things are available for us to enjoy God through.
Next week we will continue to consider the implications of creations as we look at the created world.
Under Grace,
John Fritz
John Fritz is the Volunteer Coordinator for Thoughtful Life Ministries and the primary author of the Thoughtful Life Journal, which is published weekly from March through September. The purpose of this blog is to challenge and encourage those who have a desire to cultivate a more meaningful walk with Christ. Visit our Homepage to learn more about the ministry and our annual two-week summer Discipleship Program for teens and young adults.