What should be clear so far is that God created all things, physical and spiritual, and he made them good and orderly, though not divine. In the midst of this discussion, the purpose of creation has becomes apparent, though it deserves a more thorough examination.
Scholars have proposed several models to try and understand why God created. Emanationists describe creation as an overflow of the God’s nature. He did not make an intentional choice to create; rather, it flowed forth from his being in the same way that a joyful person tends to spread that joy to others. Unfortunately, the emanationist tends to leave the will and personality of God out of the process, making creation little more than a glorious accident.
Others, who highlight God’s personality and relational nature, suggest that God created so that he could give expression to the attributes of his goodness that require a recipient. In other words, God needed man so that he could demonstrate grace because, even within the Trinity, there would be no one who needed undeserved forgiveness. This view has two problems, however. First, God seems to be incomplete. In Acts 17, Paul asserts that God is unlike the pagan gods because he needs nothing from man. Thus, while creation certainly allowed God to express previously unexpressed qualities, it is dangerous to assert that he needed man to complete him. Second, such a view glorifies sin. Before Adam and Eve sinned, they did not need forgiveness. Therefore, God must have been waiting and hoping for their failure, so that he could finally demonstrate his grace. Yet, if God longed for man to sin, would this not limit his holiness in some sense?
The best model, then, may be that of a novelist who writes for his own pleasure. Like a novelist, God creates something from nothing, using nothing more than his own artistic creativity. God, like the novelist, is outside of his creation and can do with it as he pleases. Creation does not complete God but is simply an expression of his artistry. Yet, creation does not freely flow from his nature; instead, it is the intentional act of a personal God. Thus, God could have chosen to never create the world because it was not a necessity for him to do so.
Nevertheless, no model of creation is complete because the fullness of the transcendent God’s purpose for creation remains unknowable. Thus, Deuteronomy 4:32 says, “Indeed, ask now concerning the former days which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and inquire from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything been done like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it?” The answer is certainly a resounding, “No!” There is no adequate analogy or model that expresses the greatness of God’s work in creation.
For the blog readers, this may be a frustrating conclusion to a section seeking to understand a "why?" question. Yet, in a way, it can hopefully be encouraging as well. As a young child, you don't want a parent who is on your level of very limited knowledge and understanding. No, you want a parent who is much wiser, even if it means you can't understand all that they do. Likewise, if we could fully wrap our heads around the purposes of God, then He would not be much of a God. Keep in mind, of course, that this does not eliminate the need for and value in putting some mental elbow grease into deep theology like this. It may seem irrelevant to think through why God created, but I promise that it will shape your whole theology of life's purpose, sin, and grace (especially if you get Creation wrong). Furthermore, it's a pretty obvious question that a lost person might want to ask you someday. "So, you're telling me God made all things, but why exactly did he create?" Then you can say, "Well, it's not because he needed to or accidentally created. Actually, He just thought it would be a really good thing for him do so, and the great part is how much he loves all that he created."
-Matt
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Free Will vs. Determinism
I saw an article by the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/science/22tier.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2) about the impact a belief in either Free Will or Determinism has upon a person's morals. Free will, of course, means that human beings are genuinely able to make either a right or wrong choice. Determinism, on the other hand, is a system in which any supposed choice is predetermined either by God (among Calvinists) or by world forces beyond our control like destiny (for non-Christian determinists). This article does not deal with Christian issues; thus, it is simply a question of whether or not the great Force (yes, think Star Wars here) causes you to make a decision or not.
To put flesh on these terms, imagine a man who walks up to a police officer on a sidewalk and punches him in the face. Free Will-ists would say that the man certainly could have chosen NOT to punch the cop. Determinists would suggest that the man was coerced by the Force to the extent that he really had no choice in the matter.
So, the study concluded that a majority of people believe "a hypothetical person in a hypothetically deterministic world would not be responsible for his sins." Restated, if all people's decisions are determined to occur a certain way before they supposedly choose, then they should not be held accountable for seemingly bad choices. It would be like if you took a child's hand and forced him to slap his sister, the boy would not be to blame. Any sin, then, should not be held against the sinner because he had no real choice in the matter.
Therefore, the article suggests that those who believe their own choices are predetermined have much lower morals than those who understand that they have free will. I would be interested to see a study concerning the morality of Calvinists vs. Arminians. Do these trends hold true if the Holy God is understood as the one determining things? If Arminians have better morals, is it because they live in constant fear of "losing" their salvation?
Whatever the results of such a study might be, it's clear that Scripture commands God's people to act in certain ways. We are to be holy as God is holy, for we are made in His image and should reflect His glory. Also, James 1 makes it clear that God is not the author of sin. Rather our own desires entice us into making ourselves or other created things objects of worship above God (my def. of sin). Therefore, the hardcore Christian determinist must find some philosophical/theological way to get God off the hook for causing human sin if the determinist wishes to still have a God worthy of worship. On the other hand, those of us who believe in free will have to find some way to include God's sovereignty in the matter. These are heady issues. The best and brightest minds have not come to definite conclusions on these questions over the full 2000 years of Christian history. Thus, it is often the PROCESS of wrestling with such issues that provides great value in our lives more so than the eventual conclusions.
-Matt
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Creation, pt 6
What follows are the last few paragraphs about the "nature" of creation, here dealing with that fact that it is different from God. To most of us, this is obvious. But, for ancient pantheists and some types of modern humanists, God IS the tree and the tree IS God. We would say that God is everywhere, including in the tree. Yet, if we destory the tree, it does not destroy any of God. Anyway, that's a little intro:
A final element descriptive of the nature of creation is that it is distinct from its Creator. As stated above, natural theology maintains that man can learn something of the Creator by examining his creation. Still, God is wholly distinct and different from any created thing, therefore limiting the degree to which man can find God in nature.
The attribute of distinctness, often referred to as transcendence, is another truth assumed throughout Scripture. Yet, the Bible makes clear that, because God is transcendent, he cannot be limited by his creation. Thus, through Jeremiah, God says, “Can a man hide himself in hiding places, so I do not see him?" declares the LORD. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the LORD.” Here, God reminds Judah that he is not limited by the laws of time and space that govern created things. Instead, he may be found simultaneously in all places, a confession of his omniscience. The author of Hebrews states more clearly, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” Again, the emphasis is on God’s omniscience, though it is expressed in the fact that he is not limited by creation in any way.
Another important distinction between God and creation is that God is holy. His holiness means that he is entirely other, separate both by his general transcendence and by his inability to relate to sin. Isaiah 6 is a great example of God’s holiness and its effect upon man. Verses 1-4 illustrate the holiness of God, to which Isaiah responded in verse five with a confession that the combination of God’s holiness and Isaiah’s sinfulness would ruin the prophet. Not until God, through the agent of his angel, cleanses Isaiah’s sin does God begin to speak to Isaiah. The reader’s conclusion is that God is holy both in his general qualities and in his sinlessness.
The implications of God’s holiness and transcendence are very important throughout the Bible. Because of the social setting of the ancient world, God stressed that no creation possesses divinity. “God has a unique status, so that he alone is to be worshiped.” God’s people, then, should not imitate other nations who worship creation as if it is divine. When God gives the Ten Commandments to Moses, he says, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.” In other words, God does not want man to put creation, whether natural or man-made, on the same level as God. Thus, David expresses in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” Creation should not be considered deity because its proper role is to reflect the glory of God. Only when creation functions in this way is it enjoyed as the wonderful workmanship God made it to be.
In the next section of the paper, I deal with the big "Why?" question. In case you're wondering, it gets a little more applicable from here forth, so let that be an encouragement if you care enough to keep reading.
-Matt
A final element descriptive of the nature of creation is that it is distinct from its Creator. As stated above, natural theology maintains that man can learn something of the Creator by examining his creation. Still, God is wholly distinct and different from any created thing, therefore limiting the degree to which man can find God in nature.
The attribute of distinctness, often referred to as transcendence, is another truth assumed throughout Scripture. Yet, the Bible makes clear that, because God is transcendent, he cannot be limited by his creation. Thus, through Jeremiah, God says, “Can a man hide himself in hiding places, so I do not see him?" declares the LORD. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the LORD.” Here, God reminds Judah that he is not limited by the laws of time and space that govern created things. Instead, he may be found simultaneously in all places, a confession of his omniscience. The author of Hebrews states more clearly, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” Again, the emphasis is on God’s omniscience, though it is expressed in the fact that he is not limited by creation in any way.
Another important distinction between God and creation is that God is holy. His holiness means that he is entirely other, separate both by his general transcendence and by his inability to relate to sin. Isaiah 6 is a great example of God’s holiness and its effect upon man. Verses 1-4 illustrate the holiness of God, to which Isaiah responded in verse five with a confession that the combination of God’s holiness and Isaiah’s sinfulness would ruin the prophet. Not until God, through the agent of his angel, cleanses Isaiah’s sin does God begin to speak to Isaiah. The reader’s conclusion is that God is holy both in his general qualities and in his sinlessness.
The implications of God’s holiness and transcendence are very important throughout the Bible. Because of the social setting of the ancient world, God stressed that no creation possesses divinity. “God has a unique status, so that he alone is to be worshiped.” God’s people, then, should not imitate other nations who worship creation as if it is divine. When God gives the Ten Commandments to Moses, he says, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.” In other words, God does not want man to put creation, whether natural or man-made, on the same level as God. Thus, David expresses in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” Creation should not be considered deity because its proper role is to reflect the glory of God. Only when creation functions in this way is it enjoyed as the wonderful workmanship God made it to be.
In the next section of the paper, I deal with the big "Why?" question. In case you're wondering, it gets a little more applicable from here forth, so let that be an encouragement if you care enough to keep reading.
-Matt
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Creation, pt 5
This entry will address the nature of creation as both physical and spiritual. These elements are not opposed (good vs. bad) nor are they separable. Rather, they are quite intertwined, just as the human is not a loosely connected body and soul but a united being of spiritual and physical makeup.
As the orderliness of creation distinguished Jewish cosmology from that of other nations, so the early Christian insistence upon the goodness of Creation differentiated orthodoxy from heresy. In opposition to Marcion and the Gnostics, early Christians stressed that the physical world is good because God created it. In other words, “nothing made is intrinsically evil.” When Paul’s protégé Timothy was confronted with Christian ascetics, the apostle reminded the younger pastor, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude.” Yet, Paul’s views were not original, for both Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes contend that God created physical pleasures, whether food and drink or sexual satisfaction, to be enjoyed. Generally speaking, God’s conclusion at the end of his period of creating was that creation was very good. Consequently, there is no room for dualism either in ancient Judaism or early Christianity.
Conversely, however, is the understanding that in addition to creating all of nature, God’s creation included the spiritual realm. The substance of God’s creation is not limited to the physical world. Most ancient people would have been polytheists who worshiped nature to some extent, but who also attributed its existence to a number of gods. In modern times, though, humanists often claim that nature is the only truth man can know. Thus, anything man cannot observe within nature must not exist. Yet, the Bible asserts that God created both the natural and the supernatural worlds. For example, the author of Nehemiah 9:6 writes, “You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You.” The heaven of heavens likely refers to the spiritual realm, while the heavenly host is certainly an army of angels. In accordance with his Jewish assumptions, Nehemiah posits that all created things, whether spiritual or physical, are the direct results of God’s creative activity.
For my (two) blog readers, it's incredibly important that we not forget the spiritual realm. Unfortunately, we are children of the enlightment, rationalism, and the scientific method. Therefore, if something cannot be tested or deduced logically, it must not be true. (Of course, the rationalist cannot prove that there is NOT, in fact, a spiritual realm.) The truth is, though, that even we committed, Bible-reading Christians cannot help but scoff at the idea of spiritual forces impacting our lives. We want to be in complete control of all circumstances, so we don't like the idea of an unseeable realm of influence. Yet, the Bible places great emphasis on spiritual forces, both the negatives ones and those who serve God. What, then, should we do? How can we impact the spiritual realm? Most simply... pray. It seems crazy, but it's a good strategy. Most of all, don't ignore the possibility of spiritual forces.
-Matt
As the orderliness of creation distinguished Jewish cosmology from that of other nations, so the early Christian insistence upon the goodness of Creation differentiated orthodoxy from heresy. In opposition to Marcion and the Gnostics, early Christians stressed that the physical world is good because God created it. In other words, “nothing made is intrinsically evil.” When Paul’s protégé Timothy was confronted with Christian ascetics, the apostle reminded the younger pastor, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude.” Yet, Paul’s views were not original, for both Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes contend that God created physical pleasures, whether food and drink or sexual satisfaction, to be enjoyed. Generally speaking, God’s conclusion at the end of his period of creating was that creation was very good. Consequently, there is no room for dualism either in ancient Judaism or early Christianity.
Conversely, however, is the understanding that in addition to creating all of nature, God’s creation included the spiritual realm. The substance of God’s creation is not limited to the physical world. Most ancient people would have been polytheists who worshiped nature to some extent, but who also attributed its existence to a number of gods. In modern times, though, humanists often claim that nature is the only truth man can know. Thus, anything man cannot observe within nature must not exist. Yet, the Bible asserts that God created both the natural and the supernatural worlds. For example, the author of Nehemiah 9:6 writes, “You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You.” The heaven of heavens likely refers to the spiritual realm, while the heavenly host is certainly an army of angels. In accordance with his Jewish assumptions, Nehemiah posits that all created things, whether spiritual or physical, are the direct results of God’s creative activity.
For my (two) blog readers, it's incredibly important that we not forget the spiritual realm. Unfortunately, we are children of the enlightment, rationalism, and the scientific method. Therefore, if something cannot be tested or deduced logically, it must not be true. (Of course, the rationalist cannot prove that there is NOT, in fact, a spiritual realm.) The truth is, though, that even we committed, Bible-reading Christians cannot help but scoff at the idea of spiritual forces impacting our lives. We want to be in complete control of all circumstances, so we don't like the idea of an unseeable realm of influence. Yet, the Bible places great emphasis on spiritual forces, both the negatives ones and those who serve God. What, then, should we do? How can we impact the spiritual realm? Most simply... pray. It seems crazy, but it's a good strategy. Most of all, don't ignore the possibility of spiritual forces.
-Matt
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Creation, pt 4
This section of my paper contains basically the last bit of "how" God created and the first bit of "what" God created.
Based on the Bible’s testimony, then, the personal God intentionally created all things by the orderly process of speaking creation into existence without the use of preformed materials. Does Scripture offer any more details about the procedure by which God created? Indeed, Proverbs 8:22ff suggests that the personification of wisdom had some role in the creation of the world. Namely, wisdom says she was present before creation began, that she rejoiced over it as it occurred, and delighted in the formation of man.
Many Christian scholars have taken Proverbs 8 as an allusion to the person of Jesus, largely in comparison with the prologue in John 1 and Paul’s Christological hymn in Colossians 1:15ff. In the latter New Testament reference, Paul describes Jesus as the firstborn of creation, the agent of creation, the one for whom all was created, and the one who holds creation together. John 1:2-3 says, “He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” The redundancy of this statement simply adds emphasis to the fact that Jesus is the source of all created beings.
The problem for early Jewish Christians was that the Old Testament did not seem to allow for the work of Christ in creation. Thus, “By identifying Jesus with Wisdom [in Proverbs 8], early Christians were able to express his divine origin, preexistence, role in creation and salvation, and still maintain the uniqueness of Israel’s one God.” However, from an exegetical standpoint, the roles of wisdom as described in Proverbs 8 do not correspond with the roles of Christ in John and Colossians. In fact, woman wisdom is not presented as a deity or creative agent but as someone who observes and delights in what God does. Therefore, it may be best to simply take the New Testament witness for its word, and assume the artistic presence of each person of the Trinity in the creative acts of Genesis 1-2.
The fact, then, that God created all things is clearly established in the Bible and in subsequent millennia of Christian theology. Therefore, this paper will now examine the nature of creation including its orderliness, goodness, substance, and its distinction. In regards to order, the Genesis account is often compared to other ancient cosmogonies. Whereas the other nations begin with a realm of utter chaos, the Biblical account of God’s initial creation describes it as formless, meaning “unproductive and uninhabited.” God begins to separate and create organized boundaries for his creation.
At this point, the act of creation becomes “an engagement with and victory over forces of chaos.” In a typical Hebrew poetic style, the author of Psalm 74:13 writes, “You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.” Most interpreters believe that the sea monsters in this passage personify the forces of chaos that God subdued as he created. Order, then, becomes a gift of God, discernible in nature, leading Qohelet to conclude in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that everything is beautiful in its time. In other words, all attitudes and events are meaningful when they fit within the created order of God.
In the next post, I'll address a couple more aspects of the nature of creation, including the goodness of both the physical and spiritual realms.
-Matt
Based on the Bible’s testimony, then, the personal God intentionally created all things by the orderly process of speaking creation into existence without the use of preformed materials. Does Scripture offer any more details about the procedure by which God created? Indeed, Proverbs 8:22ff suggests that the personification of wisdom had some role in the creation of the world. Namely, wisdom says she was present before creation began, that she rejoiced over it as it occurred, and delighted in the formation of man.
Many Christian scholars have taken Proverbs 8 as an allusion to the person of Jesus, largely in comparison with the prologue in John 1 and Paul’s Christological hymn in Colossians 1:15ff. In the latter New Testament reference, Paul describes Jesus as the firstborn of creation, the agent of creation, the one for whom all was created, and the one who holds creation together. John 1:2-3 says, “He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” The redundancy of this statement simply adds emphasis to the fact that Jesus is the source of all created beings.
The problem for early Jewish Christians was that the Old Testament did not seem to allow for the work of Christ in creation. Thus, “By identifying Jesus with Wisdom [in Proverbs 8], early Christians were able to express his divine origin, preexistence, role in creation and salvation, and still maintain the uniqueness of Israel’s one God.” However, from an exegetical standpoint, the roles of wisdom as described in Proverbs 8 do not correspond with the roles of Christ in John and Colossians. In fact, woman wisdom is not presented as a deity or creative agent but as someone who observes and delights in what God does. Therefore, it may be best to simply take the New Testament witness for its word, and assume the artistic presence of each person of the Trinity in the creative acts of Genesis 1-2.
The fact, then, that God created all things is clearly established in the Bible and in subsequent millennia of Christian theology. Therefore, this paper will now examine the nature of creation including its orderliness, goodness, substance, and its distinction. In regards to order, the Genesis account is often compared to other ancient cosmogonies. Whereas the other nations begin with a realm of utter chaos, the Biblical account of God’s initial creation describes it as formless, meaning “unproductive and uninhabited.” God begins to separate and create organized boundaries for his creation.
At this point, the act of creation becomes “an engagement with and victory over forces of chaos.” In a typical Hebrew poetic style, the author of Psalm 74:13 writes, “You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.” Most interpreters believe that the sea monsters in this passage personify the forces of chaos that God subdued as he created. Order, then, becomes a gift of God, discernible in nature, leading Qohelet to conclude in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that everything is beautiful in its time. In other words, all attitudes and events are meaningful when they fit within the created order of God.
In the next post, I'll address a couple more aspects of the nature of creation, including the goodness of both the physical and spiritual realms.
-Matt
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Creation, pt 3
Here's the third installment of my riveting paper on Creation. It deals with the facts that God spoken creation into being and that he used not pre-existing materials to do so. In other words, there was nothing, God spoke, and then there was something. Here we go:
Such a brief survey of the history of creation theology demonstrates that in the midst of much diversity, God’s people have considered Him Creator since the beginning of history. Yet for post-enlightenment theologians, it is necessary to ask how God created the heavens and the earth. The nonspecific answer given by the prophets was that God’s power, wisdom, and knowledge created heaven and earth. Specifically, though, God spoke creation into being. Psalm 33 states, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host,” and, “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Much later, the author of Hebrews wrote, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” Only in comparison with the pagan creation accounts of violence and rampant sexuality does the orderly, intentional, and personal act of speaking creation into being becomes so spectacular. The act of creation is not accidental or chaotic. Instead, it is the artistic work of a personal God who did nothing more than express his will, and it came into being.
If God spoke creation into being, one implication is that he required no preexisting substance. Those who hold that God created out of nothing, or ex nihilo, point to a number of relevant scriptures. Isaiah 48:12-13 links the idea of God’s eternal nature to his act of creation, saying, “"Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last. Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together.” Assumed is the idea that since God existed before all, the heavens and earth are the result of his work. Another important passage is Romans 4:17, where Paul describes that act of creation as God calling into being things that did not exist. God is not a builder using premade materials, nor is he a potter who simply shapes the clay into the form he desires. Rather, the Lord created ex nihilo. A final relevant passage is Hebrews 11:3, quoted above, where the author describes God creating visible things from invisible ones. Grudem argues that the author, whether Jew or Gentile, would not likely have believed that God made use of matter that was invisible. Instead, Hebrews 11:3 expresses the concept of creation ex nihilo.
In spite of these passages, the truth is that the practical nature of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, does not lend itself to develop a substantive theology of creation ex nihilo. Consequently, the early church father Origen gave merit to the doctrine of pre-existent matter. Some Christians might be tempted to believe that this issue is irrelevant and unworthy of clarification on this matter. However, Grudem argues that if God used preexisting matter in creation, “we would have to say that some matter has always existed and that it is eternal like God. This idea would challenge God’s independence, his sovereignty, and the fact that worship is due to him alone; if matter existed apart from God, then what inherent right would God have to rule over it and use it for his glory.” Thus, the process by which God created does matter.
Well, that's it for today. The next entry will be a relatively short one where I address Christ's role in Creation from a Biblical standpoint, namely by examining the relationship between Christ Jesus and the personification of wisdom in Proverbs 8. Don't let the anticipation keep you up at night.
-Matt
Such a brief survey of the history of creation theology demonstrates that in the midst of much diversity, God’s people have considered Him Creator since the beginning of history. Yet for post-enlightenment theologians, it is necessary to ask how God created the heavens and the earth. The nonspecific answer given by the prophets was that God’s power, wisdom, and knowledge created heaven and earth. Specifically, though, God spoke creation into being. Psalm 33 states, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host,” and, “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Much later, the author of Hebrews wrote, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” Only in comparison with the pagan creation accounts of violence and rampant sexuality does the orderly, intentional, and personal act of speaking creation into being becomes so spectacular. The act of creation is not accidental or chaotic. Instead, it is the artistic work of a personal God who did nothing more than express his will, and it came into being.
If God spoke creation into being, one implication is that he required no preexisting substance. Those who hold that God created out of nothing, or ex nihilo, point to a number of relevant scriptures. Isaiah 48:12-13 links the idea of God’s eternal nature to his act of creation, saying, “"Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last. Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together.” Assumed is the idea that since God existed before all, the heavens and earth are the result of his work. Another important passage is Romans 4:17, where Paul describes that act of creation as God calling into being things that did not exist. God is not a builder using premade materials, nor is he a potter who simply shapes the clay into the form he desires. Rather, the Lord created ex nihilo. A final relevant passage is Hebrews 11:3, quoted above, where the author describes God creating visible things from invisible ones. Grudem argues that the author, whether Jew or Gentile, would not likely have believed that God made use of matter that was invisible. Instead, Hebrews 11:3 expresses the concept of creation ex nihilo.
In spite of these passages, the truth is that the practical nature of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, does not lend itself to develop a substantive theology of creation ex nihilo. Consequently, the early church father Origen gave merit to the doctrine of pre-existent matter. Some Christians might be tempted to believe that this issue is irrelevant and unworthy of clarification on this matter. However, Grudem argues that if God used preexisting matter in creation, “we would have to say that some matter has always existed and that it is eternal like God. This idea would challenge God’s independence, his sovereignty, and the fact that worship is due to him alone; if matter existed apart from God, then what inherent right would God have to rule over it and use it for his glory.” Thus, the process by which God created does matter.
Well, that's it for today. The next entry will be a relatively short one where I address Christ's role in Creation from a Biblical standpoint, namely by examining the relationship between Christ Jesus and the personification of wisdom in Proverbs 8. Don't let the anticipation keep you up at night.
-Matt
Monday, March 14, 2011
Creation, pt 2
So, we saw from the last post that Judaism had a very firm concept of God as the Creator of all things. But, what did Gentile Christianity add to the equation? And how did those theories continue to develop over time?
Because most people conclude that creation requires a Creator, Paul used natural theology to identify the God about whom he testified to the Gentiles. Thus, in Acts 14:15, Paul responds to those who wish to worship him because he healed a lame man by saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.” Paul’s desire is that the citizens of Lystra cease worshiping created things, rather turning their hearts to the one who created. Paul does not try to describe his God in an abstract or metaphysical way. Instead, the way he distinguishes God from the idols whom these people worshiped is by referring to his role as Creator. Similarly, Paul’s address to the Areopagus council begins by identify the Athenians’ unknown God as the Judeo-Christian God of creation. Natural theology, then, was a great evangelistic tool even in early church missiology.
What is clear is that Judaism and early Christianity assumed that Genesis 1-2 contained a valid account of creation, so they gave primary emphasis to the implications of their theological. However, when Christianity began to spread to those with a background in Greek philosophy, problems quickly arose. Platonism insisted that the spiritual realm was the true world with physical creation being little more than a shadow of reality. Marcion and the proponents of Gnosticism taught that the physical realm is evil and, in the case of Marcion, that the Creator must also be wicked. In response to such claims, Irenaeus wrote of the intrinsic goodness of creation. Tertullian stressed the intentionality of God creating nature in response to the rampant Aristotelianism of his day.
The Council of Nicea and several councils during the middle ages concluded that creation was indeed good. Some later monastic leaders such as Thomas a Kempis held a negative view of the world, suggesting that the only way to true holiness is to deny all worldly pleasures. Replying to their claims, Calvin wrote that although creation should not be equated with God, it is still one of God’s good works. In recent centuries, Matthew Fox and other scholars have written of the goodness of creation and its primary importance in understanding the nature of God, though such scholars tend to devalue mankind in the process. Also, apologetic works abound that defend God as Creator against those in favor of the Big Bang theory and Evolutionary Darwinism.
Next, we'll look at HOW God created all things.
-Matt
Because most people conclude that creation requires a Creator, Paul used natural theology to identify the God about whom he testified to the Gentiles. Thus, in Acts 14:15, Paul responds to those who wish to worship him because he healed a lame man by saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.” Paul’s desire is that the citizens of Lystra cease worshiping created things, rather turning their hearts to the one who created. Paul does not try to describe his God in an abstract or metaphysical way. Instead, the way he distinguishes God from the idols whom these people worshiped is by referring to his role as Creator. Similarly, Paul’s address to the Areopagus council begins by identify the Athenians’ unknown God as the Judeo-Christian God of creation. Natural theology, then, was a great evangelistic tool even in early church missiology.
What is clear is that Judaism and early Christianity assumed that Genesis 1-2 contained a valid account of creation, so they gave primary emphasis to the implications of their theological. However, when Christianity began to spread to those with a background in Greek philosophy, problems quickly arose. Platonism insisted that the spiritual realm was the true world with physical creation being little more than a shadow of reality. Marcion and the proponents of Gnosticism taught that the physical realm is evil and, in the case of Marcion, that the Creator must also be wicked. In response to such claims, Irenaeus wrote of the intrinsic goodness of creation. Tertullian stressed the intentionality of God creating nature in response to the rampant Aristotelianism of his day.
The Council of Nicea and several councils during the middle ages concluded that creation was indeed good. Some later monastic leaders such as Thomas a Kempis held a negative view of the world, suggesting that the only way to true holiness is to deny all worldly pleasures. Replying to their claims, Calvin wrote that although creation should not be equated with God, it is still one of God’s good works. In recent centuries, Matthew Fox and other scholars have written of the goodness of creation and its primary importance in understanding the nature of God, though such scholars tend to devalue mankind in the process. Also, apologetic works abound that defend God as Creator against those in favor of the Big Bang theory and Evolutionary Darwinism.
Next, we'll look at HOW God created all things.
-Matt
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Creation, pt 1
Hey everyone,
It's been a while. Emily pointed out the other day that had not updates my blog since the snow storm, so I thought I'd give you something to chew on that I have been working through in school. Therefore, I'm going to post a paper about Creation in a series of entries (since I know no one would ever read it in its entirety otherwise). So, here it goes:
God’s role as Creator is foundational to every other theological question and belief. It determines one’s understanding of human value, sin, salvation, and resurrection. If God is not the Creator of all things, the implications are vast and problematic on a number of levels. The physical world becomes either a place of pure, unfiltered evil or an unworthy object of worship. For those who refuse to acknowledge God as Creator, man becomes little more than an over-developed creature not unlike several other mammals. Salvation, then, is only gained when man is freed from the confines of his prison of a body, or when he becomes one with the goddess nature. Resurrection, of course, is unheard of, for man’s body simply must degenerate into nothingness after death, often along with his soul or spirit. With these theological repercussions in mind, this paper will use the Bible and Christian scholarship to examine the fact of God creating, along with the nature, purpose, and implications of his work of creation. The first section will survey portions of the Biblical witness concerning creation.
For the Jewish people, the fact of Yahweh creating the heavens and the earth was the beginning point of all theology. The Torah begins with two chapters that describe the way in which Yahweh created. He spends three days creating the setting for all living things, three days filling the world with creatures, and one day in restful celebration. After Genesis 2, the Hebrew people engage in no discussions as to exactly how God created or even why. Thus, with no qualifications, the author of Psalm 90:2 writes, “Before the mountains were born / Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” He does not qualify the analogy of God giving birth to creation even though such an analogy would not likely survive in Christian orthodoxy. In fact, A. J. Conyers argues that one should only speak of God as Father, otherwise it would seem as if God had no control over what he produced. Yet, the Psalmist’s point is simply that the uncreated God formed the world. Likewise, Isaiah 66:2a says, “"For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being," declares the LORD.” This statement makes a simple cause and effect correlation: God caused all things to be with the effect that they came into being. Isaiah’s comment does not require any theological parsing for the Hebrew mind, because it simply is true.
On the other hand, it is not enough to assert that God created man, for he is the Creator of all things; therefore, he also owns everything. Deuteronomy 10:14 says, “Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.” David writes in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.” Also, Psalm 89:11 says, “The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have founded them.” In the New Testament, Paul continues this theme in 1 Corinthians 11:12 and Ephesians 3:9, the latter of which says, “and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things.” The common belief is that if God created the whole world and its creatures, then he also possesses ownership over all things.
In the next entry, I'll address that impact that Greek philosophy (introduced into early Christianity by those pesky Gentiles) had on the Jewish doctrine of Creation.
-Matt
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