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