Creator of Heaven and Earth (Genesis 1)

One of the common interests of people is to try and discover where they came from, what their roots are. Sometimes, when they discover that they have shared roots with other people, they get very exited. They may discover that they belong to the same part of the world and that discovery creates a bond between them. Or they may find out that they are descended from a notable person who left a mark on history. In a far higher way the doctrine of God as Creator gives to people the opportunity of finding what their ultimate roots are and where their background is.

Of course, there are other concerns in people’s outlooks. Some are interested in how everything has come into existence and if there is an overriding explanation for it all. We can see the level of interest is large because of the number of television programmes and books that focus on it. There are competing theories as to how it has all come about, and sometimes the competing descends into verbal and even stronger conflict. Yet, despite the opposition to it, the doctrine of divine creation does provide an explanation of why there is anything and everything.

Another aspect of human existence that people try to discover is whether or not they have any significance. After all, we all know that it is possible to have an identity by government numbers or bank account numbers or similar. We may even get correspondence from them addressed to us through such numbers. Such procedures are necessary in our society, so we accept them in order for the system to work. Yet it seems the bigger the population grows and the more complicated society becomes, the less personal everything is. Is each of us so insignificant that a particular number can say everything important about each of us? One Christian doctrine that gives significance to everyone is the doctrine of creation because it informs us that he made us.

It is inevitable that those who take this statement of the creed seriously will turn to Genesis 1 and reflect on what is said there. Before we do so, we should ask why the chapter is there. Clearly it is not a scientific document, a realization which however does not suggest that it is inaccurate according to science. I like the perspective of Horatius Bonar as to how we should approach this chapter: ‘It is our “faithful Creator” (1 Pet. 4:19) who here speaks to us. He loves us too well to hide from us the great things which He has done. He would have us know how He made all things; and as He delighted in them, so He would have us delight in them.’ His insights indicate a good, if not one of the best ways to read the Genesis account of God’s creation.

The when and the why and the what

As we think about this statement in the Creed, certain basic questions need to be answered. The first is when did God create the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1 simply states that he made it all in the beginning. The beginning here refers to when the universe came into existence. How long ago was the beginning? The simple answer to that question is that we do not know. Some people suggest that there is a long period between the first two verses of Genesis 1, and that the shapeless state of affairs could have lasted for the equivalent of millions of years. One reason for making this suggestion is to try and find space for the long periods required by the theory of evolution. Yet such a possibility has to be read into the words rather than read out of them. The point of reminding us when it began is to remind ourselves that the story of the universe began with the activity of God.

           

We can be diverted easily from this wonderful fact that everything begins with the Father, the Almighty God. (Of course, the Son and the Holy Spirit were also involved in the divine work of creation – this reality is even hinted at in Genesis 1 with the author’s use of Elohim, a plural name for God.) Yet the focus of the Creed stresses something very important, which is that the heaven and the earth will reflect in all their contents the heart of the heavenly Father. Whatever else may be said about the universe, it was originally designed as a place suitable for him to function as a Father. In other words, creation is a paternal activity. As one hymn reminds us, ‘This is our Father’s world.’

This leads us to our next question, which is why did the Father make the heaven and the earth. We can see from Genesis 1 that the main reason was for his pleasure, and we can see this in two ways. Notice, first, how he passes his delighted assessment at the close of each day’s creative activity. He saw that it was good, and at the end of the sixth day he saw that it was very good. The description ‘good’ indicates that what was created gave him pleasure. Then, second, there is the amazing description of God resting on the seventh day. This is not the rest after tiredness, nor is it the rest of inactivity. Instead it is the rest of contemplation of and delight in what he had made. He created the Sabbath for us to imitate him in rejoicing in his work and finding satisfaction in what he had done.

Our third question relates to what God made, and the Creed tells us that he created ‘the heaven and the earth’. Of course, the compilers of the Creed did not know what we now know about the size of the universe. And before we start dismissing their grasp of how big the universe is, we should remind ourselves that future generations will know far more than we do. Yet their words stress the wonderful fact that whatever existed in the universe at the beginning was made by God.

It is also worth asking what the compilers would have regarded as included within ‘the heaven and the earth’. In addition to the physical, visible worlds they would have included all the spiritual, invisible worlds that exist within the universe that God created. Genesis 1 focuses on what God made in connection to the visible earth, but other passages in the Bible inform us that there is more to existence than the little we can see.

The Lord created the invisible location where the angels dwell in his presence and to where the spirits of believers go when they die. The book of Job refers to the response of the angelic hosts as they observed their Creator at work and gives a little insight into how the Lord was pleased by their response: ‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements – surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?’ (Job 38:4-7).

When were the morning stars and the sons of God created? The Bible does not say precisely, so any comment can only be a suggestion. Yet I think there is some merit in the consideration that proposes they were created on the first day of creation. Of course, it is not wise to be dogmatic about this suggestion. They could have been created before the week of creation began or they could have been created on any of the six days. The lack of certainty about when they were created is a reminder that there are many details of God’s work of creation that he has chosen not to tell us.

In contrast to the lack of information about when the angels were created, the chapter reveals a great deal about the creation of human beings. It occurred on the sixth day, as the climax of God’s work of creation. They were made in his image, and this could refer to their capacity to think and love, or to their designation as rulers over the lower creatures, or to their diversity in unity (male and female), or to them functioning as his worshippers, or to a combination of those features. What is striking about the creation of Adam and Eve is God’s great pleasure in their existence and his great plans for their future as his vice-regents.

What does creation say about God?

In contrast to many other religions, the account in Genesis 1 stresses that God is distinct from his creation. While he dwells in it, he is not limited to it or identified with it. The creation reveals many details about him, but it always says that he is greater than it. Idolatry in all its forms includes placing the creation on an equal with the Creator, if not above him. The beauty of a sunset tells us that God can create beautiful things, but it also tells us that he is infinitely more beautiful. The power of a storm tells us that God is mighty, but it also reminds us that he is almighty.

                          

Genesis 1 also tells us that God directs the path on which his creation goes. It would have been easy for God to create in one second all the things he made in the created week. Or he could have easily created billions of universes simultaneously. Yet while such activities would be very impressive and result in awestruck worship, we cannot ignore the fact that God’s method of creating follows a pre-determined plan regarding what he would make on each day of the creation week. Genesis 1 describes the activity of a sovereign God who knows what he is doing at every stage.

Connected to God’s directing of all things is his great power and dominance over all that he created. He brought everything into existence by the power of his word and nothing disobeyed his call. The largest planet and the smallest insect immediately obeyed the Lord – their Lord. Even his decision to give a special place to his human creatures did not mean that he relinquished any of his control of everything. He remained the supreme Power during and after his work of creation, or as the Creed says, he is ‘God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.’

           

Then we can also see from Genesis 1 that God created a wide diversity of creatures, some out of nothing and others out of pre-existing matter. He created the heavenly bodies and the vegetation of planet earth, he created sea creatures and land creatures of different sizes as well as the birds of the air, and made them all as mature creatures, ready to take their place in his overall scheme of things. Over them all he placed his very gifted creatures, Adam and Eve, who had the responsibility of discovering and directing, in a sense, the earth as it would be developed by them and their offspring. The range of creatures that existed was staggering and points us to the capabilities of our great Creator God.

And as we noted earlier, God’s work of creation points us to the great delight he had when he made various creatures. At the end of each day, he saw that it was good, and at the end of the six days he saw that it was all very good. (Incidentally, the fact that all was very good in the divine estimation suggests that the rebellion of Satan did not take place until after the work of creation was completed because it is unlikely that all could be described as good if he and his agents were active in evil ways.) God’s verbal expressions of good reveal his great joy as he created a world in which his children could dwell. And surely the fact that he was experiencing such joy tells us that he is full of love as he contemplated what he had produced for his own glory and for the happiness and good of his creatures.

                                                            

What else can be said?

No doubt, a great deal! But I can highlight some consequences that come out of God’s work of creation. The first is that the creation will be the place where God’s sovereignty will be challenged. We do not have to read far into the Book of Genesis to discover how soon that happened. Both in heaven and on earth a rebellion took place. It began in heaven when Lucifer, one of the highest angels, rebelled against his Master, along with numerous other angels, and became the enemy of an organized opposition to God. One of the actions in which Lucifer (or as he is called, the devil) engaged in was to tempt Adam and Eve to sin, with the outcome that Adam and Eve became the progenitors of a race of rebels determined to resist the authority of God. This rebellion has been taking place on earth since then.

A second detail is that the creation became the place where God’s secrets would be revealed. It turned out that God had known about the rebellion and made plans for what to do when it happened. After Adam and Eve sinned against God and began to experience the consequences of their actions (they were fearful, they engaged in blaming others they and refused to accept responsibility), the Lord gave a prediction that One would come who would a great victory on behalf of the human race. Right there at the beginning, God began to reveal his secrets, and they are usually connected to this coming One who would yet appear on the scene of creation and deal with the problems caused by sin and rebellion.

The third detail to note concerns this coming One. As the Bible later reveals, he is the eternal Son of God. But among the secrets is that wonderful fact that not only will the divine Son come to earth to rescue sinners, he himself will also become a creature in order to achieve it. Of course, he became a creature (a man) without ceasing to be fully God. The Son of the Father would yet walk in his Father’s world and reveal truths about his Father that would surpass what even the creation could say about him. The Creed goes on to tell us what it will all involve for him.