This post is theological and biblical, not scientific.

Let’s begin.

I.. Introduction

A.. Inspiration of Scripture

Inspiration of Scripture does not involve dictation from God to humans whose minds were erased while they wrote and their culture ignored. God inspired the human authors within their own ancient Near Eastern culture, with their limited knowledge about the cosmos (the universe). They knew nothing of modern science, so it is unfair to impose it on them.

Don’t impose your modern demand on Shakespeare to write about airplanes and cars. All you’ll get are horses and wagons.

B. God is creator.

But theologically the authors of Scripture understood that God created the heavens and the earth. They believed that God was transcendent (above) his creation, but also immanent (involved) in it. God also providentially takes care of his creation. How do humans operate within God’s providence and maintain their own free will, which is a gift from God?

C. What’s ahead in this post.

Finally, we also look at God’s manifest presence when people, his highest earthly creation, gather together, and his presence can be felt and sometimes seen.

II.. Understanding Creation

A.. Defining creation

J. Rodman Williams writes: “Creation is the absolute and completed origination of the universe by the act of God” (Renewal Theology, vol. 1, p. 101). Absolute and completed origination of the universe means that God created all reality. Nothing was leftover and created by something or someone else. He placed within nature the capacity for other things to create, like parents can create a child, but this capacity originated and was gifted by God. He did it all.

What Williams means by completed is that God does not create something new after he completed the main parameters, like gravity and light and time and space. We may be discovering new things in the universe, but those things already existed before we discovered them. Creation may be evolving—think of the life cycle of stars—but everything is in place, done, for all changes to occur.

Wayne Grudem writes: “God created the entire universe out of nothing, it was originally very good, and he created it to glorify himself” (p. 338, emphasis original). By “out of nothing” Grudem means that there was no material before God spoke the universe into existence (Gen. 1:1). God declared the universe to be good in Genesis 1, but the chapter concludes: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (v. 31). God did not need creation, nor did he need his highest creation: humankind. He was not lonely. He intended creation to express praise and glory and wonder, to know God and his eternal power and divine nature.

C.. Understanding by faith

And how does humanity understand God’s creation the most fully? By faith. “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Heb. 11:3). The cosmos may point to an Intelligent Designer, true, but in the final analysis, we need faith to understand the Creator and his creation.

D.. Dark or enlightened minds

Without faith and God’s light illuminating our minds, we become dark and dull in our thoughts. Paul adds that we can understand God by looking at nature with clarity.

¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Rom. 1:19-21)

We can make deductions from nature about God’s existence: eternal power and divine nature. But they could not hold on to their knowledge of God, but their thoughts became “futile” or “empty” and their hearts darkened. So we need faith and enlightened minds.

III.. The Triune God and Creation

A.. Brief intro.

The triune God was involved in creating the heavens and the earth. The Father is the source and originator of all things, the Son is the instrument, and the Spirit is the energizer (Williams pp. 101-05).

B.. The Father as Creator

The verses are numerous. A small sample follows. “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came […] (1 Cor. 8:6). Genesis 1:1 and the entire chapter says that God took six days to create the heavens and the earth. Isaiah 44:24 says: “This is what the LORD says—your redeemer, who formed you in the womb. I am the LORD, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself” (Is. 44:24).  And Acts 4:24 says: […] “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.”

The term “father” shows us that he cares. He is not a deistic God who created the universe and left it alone to fend for itself. He watches over his creation, particularly his highest creation, we humans. “The universe is the creation of the One who is far more concerned than any earthly father about His child or children” (Williams p. 102)

C.. The Son as the instrument of creation

In these verses, note the prepositions “by” and “through.”

³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. […] ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. (John 1:3, 10)

In the context of John 1, the Son is the Word, the Logos, which suggests rationality. The universe can be studied by the rational mind. The goal is to bring order out of chaos, which is what Genesis 1 is about. The Word of God does this as he spoke the universe into existence.

We quoted this verse before, showing that the Father is the source of creation. Here it is clear that the Son was the instrument of the Father’s will.

[…] one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. (1 Cor 8:6b)

In this next verse, “him” refers to the Son.

¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Col. 1:16)

In the next verse “whom” refers to the Son: “through whom also he made the universe” (Heb. 1:2c).

Those prepositions mean the Son is the instrument of creation. He carried out God’s decree, though we do not know how he did this. “The Word of God is what makes it all a universe: a single vast system of forces of atoms and molecules, that is essentially one” (Williams p. 104).

D.. The Spirit as energizer

The Spirit is the life giver.

⁴ The Spirit of God has made me;
the breath of the Almighty gives me life. (Job 33:4)

Referring to all living things, the psalmist writes of the Spirit:

³⁰ When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground. (Ps. 104:30)

In the context of creation, the breath proceeding from God is the Spirit. God breathed into human (Adam) to bring him to life: “The LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7).

⁶ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth. […]

⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm. (Ps. 33:6, 9)

From such Scriptures as these, it is apparent that the operation of the Spirit is in close contact with what is being created, not simply a word spoken from a far but an immediate, divine breath that brings the universe into being and activates it. Thus, throughout the universe the immense forces that are at work in suns, stars and galaxies are energized by the Spirit of God. All energy and power are there by virtue of the divine Spirit. (Williams p. 104)

E.. A new theology

In Genesis 1:26, God speaks in a plural: “Let us make man in our image.” Traditional theology says this is the council of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. However, a new theology, developed and popularized by Michael S. Heiser (d. 2023), says this was a council of the gods. He says, therefore, that we are made in their image(s).

Personally, however, I prefer traditional theology: the “us” and “our” refer to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I do not believe that I am made in the image of pagan deities. The New Testament clarifies God’s plurality of persons for me. The New Testament, in all cases, determines the best and fullest interpretation of the Old. Dr. Heiser pushed his views too hard and too far.

An objector could say that the ancient author of Genesis did not know about the Father, the Son and the Spirit, the triune God, but he believed in a council of gods. My reply is that this assumes too much. It assumes, for example, that Genesis 6 is about these gods acquiring human DNA and sneaking around and having sex with human women, though other explanations are just as valid. (I have this post: “Who Were the Sons of God in Genesis 6?”) Maybe it is true that the ancient author of Genesis 1 did not understand the Trinity, but with a fuller revelation in the NT, we do understand this doctrine (1 Cor. 8:4-6). Therefore, to repeat for emphasis, the plural “us” and “our” signify the Trinity, not pagan gods. The NT must always clarify the OT. I stand with the clarity and fuller revelation of NT revelation.

Sec. 2, 1 Bibliology, Doctrine of the Bible: The Basics

E.. Summary

I defer to Prof. Williams:

Creation is from the Father, through the Son, and by the Holy Spirit. Thus the one God in three persons perform the mighty work of creation. (p. 105, emphasis original)

IV.. God’s Method of Creation

A.. Genesis 1 and Six Days

Genesis 1 is about God creating the heavens and the earth in six days or stages. Here is a summary.

“And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” (verse 5)

“And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.” (v. 8)

“And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.” (v. 13)

“And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.” (v. 18)

“And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.” (v. 23)

“And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day (v. 31)

It is rhythmic and poetic in its repetition and cadence.

Genesis 1 is clearly about a Sabbath lesson. In Genesis 2:1-3, the author clarifies his purpose:

¹ Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. ² By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ³ And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done (Gen. 2:1-3)

The lesson about the Sabbath and other festivals is seen even in 1:14:

¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years. (Gen. 1:14 emphasis added)

Clearly the original Hebrew author, divinely inspired when he put writing instrument to writing material, had in his mind religious practice.

The Sabbath lesson is reinforced in Exodus 20:8-11, in the middle of the mighty Ten Commandments. God kept the Sabbath after he created / worked six days when he made the world. Verse 11 looks very similar to Gen. 2:1-3.

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. […] ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Ex. 20:8-11)

So in Genesis 1 and 2:1-3, God, leading by example, shows the ancient Hebrew reader or listener that he must keep the Sabbath, and in Exodus 20:8-11, he tells him. In both, he is depicted as a creator / worker. The Sabbath is so important that even God instituted and kept it by ceasing from his labor of creating and making in six days!

Other poetic elements involve the number seven or its multiples (from Wenham in the book Genesis, ed. by Charles Halton):

1:1 contains seven (Hebrew) words and verse 2 contains fourteen words (2 x 7).

The closing verses 2:1-13 contain thirty-five words (7 x 5).

In 1:1 to 2:1-3, the word God appears thirty-five times (7 x 5).

In the same long section, the word earth twenty-one times (7 x 3).

In the same long section these clauses appear seven times: “and it was so” and “God saw that it was good.”

This appearance of seven and its multiples draws attention to the seventh day, the Sabbath (sabbath = seven).

Clearly, then, the six-and-seven days framework and other sevens (confirmed by other religious festivals or days in v. 14) mean that the entire section of Scripture is run through the filter of religious practice and is not intended to be forced into the meat grinder of modern science.

Thus, these poetic, theological elements no longer bind us to interpret Genesis 1:1 to 2:3 scientifically and certainly not literalistically; we can be free of this modern concern and anachronism (out of sequence or bad chronology).

B.. Genesis 1 and temple building

Perhaps there is a profounder meaning to the seven days. John H. Walton sees that in the cultural context of the Ancient Near East, Genesis 1 shows that God put order and function (roles for sun, moon, stars, etc.) into the formless and void cosmos and from its material built a temple into which he entered. Entering his cosmic temple on the seventh day is his Sabbath rest. Now order rules, and humans are his representatives or images to take care of his creation. Walton writes:

When God rests on the seventh day, he is taking up his residence in the ordered system that he has brought about in the previous six days. It is not something that he does only on the seventh day; it is what he does every day thereafter. Furthermore, his rest is not just a matter of having a place of residence—he is exercising his control over this ordered system where he intends to relate to people whom he has placed there and for whom he has made the system function. It is his place of residence, it is a place for relationships, but, beyond those, it is also a place of his rule…. (Lost World of Adam and Eve, 48)

Walton’s main thesis in Lost World of Genesis One can be boiled down thus:

Cosmos = Temple

Six days of making and creating = Inaugurating, building order and function and roles into chaotic cosmos;

Seventh day of rest = God’s inaugurating and taking up residence in cosmic temple;

Humans = Appointed representatives (images) and caretakers of God’s world / temple;

Material origins of universe = not mentioned or involved in Gen. 1;

Walton agrees with the Sabbath lesson, but says it does not go far enough (pp. 111-12). He also agrees that Genesis 1 has deeper theological purposes than modern science. Genesis 1 fits in its ancient historical context, not a modern one.

Ben Stanhope provides the biblical evidence for the parallels between the creation of the cosmos and the construction of the desert tabernacle and Solomon’s later temple (pp. 150-51).

Here are the data points:

Moses built the tabernacle (Exod. 40:17-33), and seven times it is repeated throughout the process that God tells him he has carried out the commands of God. That is, the tabernacle was constructed by seven commands of God.

The tabernacle priests were ordained in a seven-day process. (See Ordination of Aaron and Sons in Leviticus 8 from a NT Perspective)

Genesis 2:2 says “when God finished the work”; Exod. 40:33 reads: “When Moses had finished the work” (Exod. 40:33)

Genesis 2:3 says that when God completed the creation, He “blessed the seventh day.” After the tabernacle was completed, Moses “blessed them.” (Exod. 40:9)

After the blessing, God sanctified creation (Exod. 2:3). Moses sanctified the tabernacle and all its furnishing (Exod. 40:9)

God’s presence was in Eden as it was in the tabernacle. He “walked” in the Garden (Gen. 3:8). God “walked” about in the tabernacle (Lev. 26:12; Deut. 23:15). It’s the same verb in Hebrew.

Adam and Eve were to “work and keep” the garden (Gen. 2:15). Those two verbs in Hebrew are used only together to describe the job obligations of the priests who kept the tabernacle and later temple (Num. 7-8; 8:25-26; 1 Chron. 23:32; Ezek. 44:14).

The furnishings of the tabernacle resemble garden imagery; that is, the seven branched lampstand was modeled after the tree of life. Solomon’s architectural temple carvings enhanced the garden imagery (1 Kings 6). Both the Garden and the temple were guarded by cherubim (Gen. 3:24; 1 Kings 6 and 8).

Now let’s look briefly at the inauguration of the temple of Solomon.

The temple took seven years to construct (1 Kings 6:36).

The inauguration was dedicated during a seven-day festival which occurred on the seventh month (1 Kings 8:2).

Solomon’s speech in the temple included seven petitions (1 Kings 8:31-53)

God rested on the seven day of creation. In Ancient Near Eastern religions, the deity came to rest, that is, cease from work within it. Ps. 132:13-14 says that God rests on Zion (the mountain where the temple was).

One important verse among many about the parallels: “He built his sanctuary like the heights,  like the earth that he established forever” (Ps. 78:69).

This evidence is very convincing. It is always the right interpretation to look at the text in its ancient context and in light of other Scriptures. Therefore, let’s not impose modern science on Genesis 1. Instead, let us draw from Genesis 1 theological and moral truths.

C.. Literary framework

This interpretation says that we should not interpret Genesis 1 as six chronological days, one after another, but they are a framework of forming and filling. Here is a table to illustrate:

Days of Forming	Days of Filling
Day 1: Light and darkness	Day 4: Greater light (sun) and lesser light (moon) and stars are separated
Day 2: Waters under the vault, water above it	Day 5: Every living thing teeming in water; birds
Day 3a: Dry ground	Day 6a: Livestock, creatures that move on the ground, wild animals Day 6a2: humankind
Day 3b: Vegetation	Day 6b: green plants for food
Adapted from NIV Study Bible 2011, comment on Genesis 1:11

The import of this table is that God created order out of chaos. God formed the things and the vegetation in the left column, but now we must read the left column in connection to the right one, which describe the things and living beings that fills in the days in the left column. In short, we have to read both columns across the same row. Example: Day 1 in the left column must be read in relation to Day 4 in the right column. The Bible therefore does not reveal the age of the earth, as the standard interpretation does, one day after another, for six days as if there was only one column. To understand how God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. we should not look for the age of the universe and the earth from Genesis. This framework seems reasonable to me because it does not impose modern science and concerns on Genesis.

D.. One decree or command.

In contrast to the above creation in stages or days, other verses mention only one decree or command of creation, not six separate ones:  Psalms 33:6, 9; 148:5-6 and Hebrews 11:3.

Let’s quote these verses once more:

⁶ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth. […]

⁹ For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm. (Ps. 33:6, 9)

These two verses reveal one command and one decree:

⁵ Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
⁶ and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away. (Ps. 148:5-6)

And this next verse says it is the rhema, which is his spoken word.

³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

The verses in the Psalms and Hebrews do not have a Sabbath or temple concern. The authors removed these images and showed God creating with one decree or command. Bang! Then nature evolved slowly, developing stars and planets all the way to us. That is all it took. Those passages do not follow the six-day pattern because the author had a different purpose than showing God to be the Sabbath Keeper and Temple Builder.

E.. Resolving the differences

The author of Genesis 1 was infallible and inspired when he wrote within his confined purpose of showing God to be the Ultimate Sabbath Keeper and Temple Builder. Genesis 1 was never intended to be read scientifically, imposing a modern template on his chapter. Why not? Because the author lived long before modern science. As noted, this is like demanding Shakespeare include an automobile or jet plane in his plays. Unfair.

Reduced to its essence, Genesis 1 is about creation and its Creator. In that light, God is shown, poetically and metaphorically, to have become a Hebrew worker who instituted and honored the Sabbath long before actual Hebrews lived and this ritual law existed at Mt. Sinai, but also at creation! He is shown also to be a temple builder. This opens the door to alternative interpretations that are not scientific.

Evidently God permitted the author to take his liberty with creation because no human existed when Genesis 1:1 got underway. The author of Genesis could not investigate original creation, as an ancient historian could investigate his own times. Therefore, it is wrong to claim that the author was in scientific error about his chapter, when he did not know anything about the cosmos, other than what he observed. He perfectly accomplished his purposes, however, without error.

On the other hand, Psalms 33:6, 9, 148:5-6, and Hebrews 11:3 also reduced the act of creation to its essence. They believed that God created with one decree or command. This interpretation is more streamlined and clearer (to me at least). These writers were not concerned about temple building or the Sabbath. Those three passages are also not intended to be read scientifically. Those verses are streamlined and eliminates any additional imagery in Genesis 1.

Therefore, to resolve the differences between Genesis 1 and the other passages, we should interpret each purpose and method of God’s creation in those passages in their own context and not impose our textual and narrative demands on them. Those three passages (and many others about creation) are also infallibly inspired, equally to Genesis 1. Personally, I like the idea of one decree or command. I do not allow Genesis 1 to dominate the discussion about creation. And I do not mix categories of an ancient text (one category) with modern science (another category). (I have a post at my website about category mistakes:

Outline of Gilbert Ryle’s Category Mistake.)

One way I resolve the differences is to say that God spoke the entire universe into existence with one decree, and then he ordered his creation by his speech into smaller acts. So he spoke one decree and then spoke six subsequent decrees, as seen in Genesis 1.

V.. God’s Creation of Time

A.. God and eternity

He lives in eternity, unbound by time. Eternity is not an endless progression of one moment after another. Grudem writes:

When we speak of God’s existence “before” the creation of the world, we should not think of God as existing in an unending extension of time. Rather, God’s eternity means that he has a different kind of existence, an existence without the passage of time, a kind of existence that is difficult for us even to imagine. (Grudem pp. 342-43)

Here are supporting verses:

There he [Abraham] called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God. (Gen. 21:33)

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, ‘Destroy them!’ (Deut. 33:27)

Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (Ps. 90:2)

Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity. (Ps. 93:2)

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. (2 Peter 3:8)

In the above verse, God sees earthly time fluidly. He rises above it.

B.. Humans, time and God’s creation

In Genesis 1:14, quoted above, in the middle of God’s six-day creation, humans are called to mark time by the sun, moon, and stars: “Let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years” (Gen. 1:14b). So humans are called to use the setting and rising of the sun and the phases of the moon and the position of the stars in the night sky to build a calendar—to mark sacred festivals and the days, months, and years. Scholars of the ancient Near East were very intelligent because they have built sophisticated calendars. Therefore, for ancient people, God created time at the very moment he created the universe. This is deep and accurate wisdom for the ancient text of Genesis 1.

It is a blessing of the teaching of Jesus that we can live in eternal life in part right now. When we believe and put our trust in Jesus, “we have eternal life” (John 3:15-16). Jesus gives waters that spring up to eternal life (John 4:14). Jesus gives his sheep eternal life if they hear his voice to follow him (John 10:28). Eternal life is knowing the Father and the one whom he sent, Jesus (John 17:3). God appointed believers to have eternal life (Acts 13:48). We reap from the life in the Spirit eternal life (Gal. 6:8). Paul was grateful that God showed him patience and made him an example for those who believe in Christ and receive eternal life (1 Tim. 1:16). In effect, then, God’s eternal life has broken through into time, into human existence, so we get to enjoy a foretaste of the eternal kingdom right now, in part. But we will enjoy it fully at the Second Coming when he sets up his eternal kingdom in a new heaven and new earth.

VI.. God’s Creation of the Spiritual World

A.. The concept

God created not only the physical world of all we see, like stars and humans and animals, but he also created the spiritual dimension where angels and other spirit beings live. He also created the realm where he lives.

B.. Scriptural support

In this verse, the host of heaven are angels and other spiritual beings.

⁶ You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. (Neh. 9:6)

God created them.

Paul affirms that God created the invisible realm (Col. 1:16). Ephesians 6:12 speaks of spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms, invisible to our eyes. This does not mean, however, that God created evil beings, but he did create the spiritual dimension in which they could live.

God is enthroned in the heavens. During the dedication of the temple, in 1 Kings 8:30, Solomon calls heaven God’s dwelling place. Jesus himself says God lives in heaven (Matt. 6:9). His sanctuary is there (Ps. 102:19). Hebrews 9:24 says Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary. God’s throne is in heaven (Ps. 2:4 and Is. 63:15). Christ ascended into heaven (Luke 24:51). By a vision Isaiah saw into the heavenly realm, and God was enthroned there (Is. 6:1). Paul went up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2). Finally, John the revelator was invited into a heavenly realm (Rev. 4:1), and throughout the Revelation he saw the throne, Jesus the lamb, and other heavenly beings.

It is misguided to teach, as some of our fellow believers do, that God’s throne sits on one of the planets. No, God dwells in his own heavenly dimension for eternity. After all, where did he live before he created the planets?

C.. Summary

We need to be aware of the heavenly dimension. In Christ we are called to live there but only because we belong to him by faith (Eph. 2:6). However, we should certainly not get so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. And we must not obsess over the spiritual realm where demons live. Our mission is to minister to people down here, in our realm.

VII.. Purpose of God’s Creation

A.. Brief intro.

Why did God create the cosmos and our earth, with just the right tuning for human life? We may never figure the why in details and with certainty, but Scripture offers a few hints about it.

B.. First reason: He willed it.

Revelation 4:11 says:

¹¹ “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.” (Rev. 4:11)

In Greek, “by your will” can be translated as “because of your will.” But both phrases add up to the same truth. God created out of his will; he willed to create.

We cannot probe further than his will. Asking why he willed to create the heavens and the earth assumes that something greater than his will exists, and this is impossible. In other words, his will is a mystery in this case.

C.. Wrong path: He had an unfulfilled need.

A good-hearted Christian may believe that God needed us or his creation, so this explains why he created the heavens and the earth and us. In reply, however, God needs nothing or no one. He is not dependent on our praise or our service to him. He is independent of any need that takes away from his self-existence (recall the term aseity). God contains all fullness, without one deficiency. The Triune God was already in relationship with each person, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. “God does not need anything. He did not create to receive but to give” (Williams p. 115).

In these verses, note what they say about his not needing anything:

²⁴ “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. ²⁵ And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. (Acts 17:24-25)

D.. Second reason: for his glory

Psalm 19 is particularly clear about this:

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge. (Psalm 19:1-2)

In Isaiah’s vision, the seraphim were saying this about God’s glory:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Is. 6:3)

The Lord himself proclaims:

²¹ Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth (Num. 14:21)

We may not always see God’s glory throughout the universe, but this takes us back to Hebrew 11:3. By faith we understand that God commanded the universe to come into existence.

E.. God’s direction of his creation

His creation has a purpose. He is the Lord of creation, and it is heading to a final culmination.

The universe fell under corruption and degradation and now groans and waits for redemption, particularly we believers and our bodies, at the Second Coming (Rom. 8:19-22).

God also works out history. In the previous point (Letter D), we already observed that God communicates with pagans. In the Scriptures, concerning the people of God, God created the first humans (Gen. 1-2), and they were fruitful and multiplied, but they were degraded and brought judgment on themselves by the flood. But Noah and his family quickly replenished the earth. God specially called Abraham and Isaac and Jacob to be the patriarchs of a family that went through victories and low points of rebellion. Their history got intertwined with their foes.

¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’
¹¹ From the east I summon a bird of prey;
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned, that I will do. (Is. 46:8-11)

This means that God will use evil—but does not cause it—to accomplish his purposes. Recall this verse spoken by Joseph, after his brothers sold him into slavery, yet God commissioned him to save the peoples of Egypt: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen. 50:20).

The problem of free will, human evil, and God’s providence is tricky. This post at my website offers a solution.

What Is Middle Knowledge (Molinism)?

The basic point is that God reads human nature, orchestrates circumstances for people to behave badly or well, and they accomplish God’s purposes, even if the people do not realize it. Example: God knew that Joseph would save Egypt, and his brothers, out of their own (bad) free will, sold him into slavery into Egypt. Then after other circumstances, Joseph was promoted to second in command. He really did save Egypt and many others. Therefore God knew what was in humans. He maintained their free will and his sovereignty to accomplish his national purposes.

F.. God’s ultimate purpose

God ultimate for all of humanity will be accomplished in Christ and his church, whether unbelievers realize it or not. These verses support the culmination of all the universe. God’s grace will accomplish the following:

[…] ⁹ and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰ His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹ according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Eph. 3:9-11)

Then these next verses say that God exalted Jesus to the highest heavens, and at the end of the ages everyone will bow the knee and declare Jesus to be Lord. All of humanity, whether it realizes it or not, is headed towards this final submission.

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:9-11)

The next verses are the most comforting verses in the grand finale, after God’s Son conquered all his enemies. One interpretation of Genesis 1 says that God created the heavens and the earth to live in his temple, and these verses culminate Genesis 1 and depicts heaven coming down to earth. We will experience and witness this final, glorious act of heaven coming down to earth (Rev. 21:1-5). May the Lord accomplish this soon and suddenly. And may we be worthy of receiving it.

G.. Summary

I really like Williams here, so I let him teach us.

God willed to have a creation to whom he could communicate His glory, a world to show forth the glory of his eternal being and nature. God did not create the world for His own satisfaction or self-fulfillment, but to allow all creation to share the richness, the wonder, the glory of Himself. (p. 116).

But does God need to receive glory? No.

God does not need to receive glory any more than He needs to receive love—or anything else from His creatures—but it is in offering up of praise and thanksgiving that the circle is complete. The creation that has received the riches of God’s glory now fulfills its highest purpose in the glorifying of God. (Williams p. 116)

VIII.. Avoiding Errors

A.. Biblical truth

Before we look into the errors, we have to know what the Bible teaches. God is transcendent and immanent. Transcendent means that he is “above” or “superior to” what he created. He is distinct from it. Yet immanent means he remains in or involved in his creation. Immanence is to “be within” or “near.” He may be within his creation but he is not part of it. He is the Creator and it is his creation (Geisler, p. 675). He cares for and oversees it (see the next section on providence). “God is both beyond the world and in the world” (Geisler, p. 671). Sometimes it is hard to draw the line between God’s involvement in creation and his creation itself.

Scriptural support for transcendence: 1 Kings 8:27; Job 11:7-8; Psalms 8:1, 57:5, 97:9; Isaiah 55:8-9; 57:15, 66:1-2; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:17).

Scriptural support for immanence: Psalm 139:7-10; Jeremiah 23:23-24; Acts 17:27-28; Romans 1:19; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 4:13; Revelation 4:11.

The rest of the points are errors or half-truths (see Grudem pp. 344-47).

B.. Materialism

This means that the universe, including humans, are nothing more than atoms and molecules cells and other physical things. This is the meaning of materialism—not a pursuit of money and big houses and expensive cars and clothes. Instead, materialism says that we humans are mere physical stuff or material without a nonmaterial soul or spirit materialism excludes God. In contrast, the Bible affirms the existence or nonmaterial being like angels and demons and the spirit and soul and God himself. These things are not made of the material found in the cosmos.

C.. Pantheism

This word literally means “all-God” (pan = all or everything, and “the-“ = God in Greek). In this belief, the universe is God and God is the universe or part of God. New Age and eastern religions believe in this or come close to believing in it.

In reply, this belief fails to distinguish between God and his creation. God is not identical with his creation, nor is he even a part of God identical with it.

D.. Panentheism

This terms literally means “everything in God” or “God in everything” (in Greek pan = all or everything, en = in, and the- = God). This concept is very tricky in relation to the biblical truth of transcendence and immanence, for panentheism affirms those two concepts. But perhaps we can say that panentheism goes a shade too far when it affirms that the universe influences God. It fails to distinguish God the Creator and his creation because his transcendence is not adequately maintained, and his immanence is pressed too far. In classical theism (or the biblical truth of Letter A), God is not identified with his creation, but distinct, so the literal definition of panentheism is a little off in relation to classical theism. But the nuanced differences between classical theism and this doctrine are very fine and difficult to sort out.

E.. Dualism

This erroneous belief says that God and the universe have eternally existed side by side. If the universe has existed from eternity, it seems to make itself and God to be equal and independent of him. Yet the universe has evil and chaos embedded in it, particularly human or moral evil. Will this all-powerful and eternally existing universe ever be repaired? Will humans be redeemed? Can they be? In reply, God will accomplish all those things. Further, Genesis 1:1 says, “in the beginning God created.” The universe has a beginning. God stands above creation, but it belongs to him.

F.. Deism

This deficient belief says that God is transcendent, but it is deficient in his immanence. Some deists say God embedded moral standards in humanity, and he will judge all humans, but deists claim that God’s involvement in the universe is nonexistent. He made the clock (the universe), wound it up (set it in motion) but lets it exist on its own. In reply, as we saw in the first point (Letter A), God has not left his creation to fend for itself. He cares for and is in involved in it.

G.. Summary

The most biblical description of God and his creation is transcendence and immanence. We need to stay with the Bible, so we can understand God the most clearly and follow him the most closely.

IX.. Application

A.. Understanding creation

God has not parachuted into his creation with crystal clarity, though he sent his Son in the Incarnation. But he will make himself clear to all of creation at his Son’s Second Coming.  So we can understand creation only by faith. Yes, God left behind signposts embedded in creation pointing towards himself, but to leap from creation to the Creator still requires faith. Let’s hope that for most observers, the leap is short. Have you made the leap?

B.. The triune God and his creation

The Bible is clear that the Triune God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. But only Scripture reveals that the triune God worked this global miracle—the very existence of everything. We can know each person of the Trinity personally. We know the Father through his Son, and by the indwelling Spirit.

C.. Learning from Genesis 1

We can draw some theological lessons and conclusions from this chapter.

1. God is the creator.

He is large and in charge. He is the Ultimate Sabbath Keeper and Temple Builder. He rested after six days; likewise, the ancient Hebrews should do the same.

2. The universe had a beginning.

It is not eternal. Only God has. This is confirmed by Big Bang cosmology.

3. Mankind and womankind are made in God’s image

Therefore, we must treat every human with dignity and respect.

4. Humans are called to bring more order out of chaos.

They are commissioned to subdue—not abuse—their ecosystem, so they can live in peace with it and thrive in it. There is a certain percentage of humans who produce chaos and destruction. They burn down buildings and destroy the binary between man and woman. Now men are boxing against women, for example, and women are getting hurt. There is no rational thought to their methods and goals. God’s people are called to stop them and create order.

5. To create an orderly ecosystem, mankind and womankind must have knowledge and savvy to do this.

Over the millennia, they have indeed improved their knowledge and environment to succeed, from walking and horseback riding and sailing ships, to cars and airplanes and space travel. Amazing!

D.. God’s manifest presence

When God chooses to bless his people, he will manifest his immanent presence so powerfully that they often react bodily. Moses could not enter the tabernacle. At other times he had to cover his face with a veil. During Solomon’s dedication of the temple, the priests could not carry out their duties because the glory of the Lord filled the temple. His manifest glory was too much for their human bodies and minds. In the NT, God also manifested his presence at various times.

We must not demand of him to do this, and we should not seek such extraordinary experiences in every church service. Instead, God requires us to carry out our relationship and pursue the ordinary means of grace and empowerment, like regular Bible reading, prayers, communion, fellowship, and outreach. When we do these daily exercises, God can trust us with more of his manifest glory and presence. To be clear, though, we should come to church, expecting God to heal and save us and expel demons. Those things should occur weekly. We should never limit God. Doing the ordinary can lead to the extraordinary. But do not skip over the ordinary means of grace and persevering in your relationship with God by those ordinary means.

E.. Final words

We live in the Age of Modern Science, and apparently this intellectual context gives permission to certain interpreters to impose on the ancient text a science burden so heavy that the author’s original purpose gets distorted and over-interpreted. The fault lies not in inspired, infallible ancient Genesis, but in the modern science interpreters.

It is anachronistic and therefore unfair to impose modern science on Genesis 1. The ancient author was a devout Hebrew who was more interested in God’s creative power and the Sabbath and sacred days and seasons and the cosmic temple than modern astronomy or astrophysics. Therefore, Genesis 1 is a poetic narrative about the Sabbath and sacred days and seasons and God the Creator and the cosmic temple; Genesis 1 was true and error-free for him by the standards of his purpose, expressed through his experience with the natural world (what he saw with his own eyes); once again, imposing modern science on an ancient text is, in my view, a category mistake.

Therefore, accommodating the author in his historical context—as the historical-grammatical method demands—means that harmonizing Genesis 1 and modern science is not the right exegetical method. And accusations of errors in Genesis 1 by the standards of modern science are misplaced and ungenerous.

If we do not interpret the chapter by the author’s stated purpose of keeping the Sabbath and sacred days and seasons and building and inaugurating the cosmic temple; and if we do not accommodate the inspired, infallible ancient author’s limited knowledge of modern science, then we will be responsible for scaring honest and intelligent seekers away from biblical, eternal, theological truths expressed in these incidental vehicles like the Sabbath lesson and temple building. And by our modern-science interpretations imposed on Genesis 1, we will drive Christian thinkers away from the church and hurt Christian students at the university.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

I depended largely on J. Rodman Williams, Renewal Theology, vol. 1, chapter 5.

Works Cited