Essentials of Creation

The other day I was having a chat with a theologian friend of mine and we got into the subject of ‘What is critical in the story of Creation?’. Is it critical that we insist on a twenty-four hour day? Well, no, because Scripture doesn’t call them twenty-four hours. They could have been twenty-three, or twenty-six. Is it important that creatures reproduce after their kinds? Well, yes, it’s right there in the text.

So he came out with a list (which, full disclosure, I don’t fully remember) and as I drove home I thought about it and… decided to make my own list. I’m not claiming my list is in contradiction to his… because I don’t remember his :) And I’m not claiming my list is exhaustive.

The Words are Important

Matthew 4:4

But he answered and said, It is written,

Man shall not live by bread alone, but

by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Before I get into the specifics a couple of general principles that I think are very important. The first of these is that… words are important. I reject whole cloth any view of a Biblical text where the person merely waves their hand and says, “Well, all this means is…”. If someone is not willing to go into what every single Hebrew word means, and how that meaning fits into their view of the passage then, to my mind, they are not into interpreting the passage, they are merely doing eisegesis. We don’t have to agree on the specific meaning, at least not at first, but we have to agree that the words have meaning.

The Results are Important

Matthew 7:15-20

Beware of false prophets,

which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but

inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Ye shall know them by their fruits.

Do men gather grapes of thorns, or

figs of thistles?

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but

a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,

neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and

cast into the fire.

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

And my second principle would be that this view has to fit into all the other areas where creation is mentioned in Scripture. If you might be able to shoehorn your view into Genesis, but it contradicts what Paul says or the first few verses of John… then you don’t have a valid interpretation of Scripture, you are weaving a fairy tale. Scripture does not contradict Scripture.

The Foundation is Important

Hebrews 1:10-12

And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and

the heavens are the works of thine hands:

They shall perish; but

thou remainest; and

they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And

as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and

they shall be changed: but

thou art the same, and

thy years shall not fail.

If, in order to explain your view, you have to point to some scientific discovery made in the last few years or even decades… you are treading on very shaky ground. That might work if it is a detail that doesn’t actually affect doctrine. It may do if it doesn’t affect the point of the passage. But we don’t learn what Scripture means from what materialistic so-called science says.

Materialism is Important

I Timothy 6:20

O Timothy,

keep that which is committed to thy trust,

avoiding profane and

vain babblings, and

oppositions of science falsely so called:

Which some professing have erred concerning the faith.

Grace be with thee. Amen. The first to Timothy was written from Laodicea, which is the chiefest city of Phrygia Pacatiana.

If you don’t acknowledge that nothing in modern science can be trusted because it is all built on a deliberately false and deceptive (and destructive) foundation, then you have nothing to say in the area of Bible interpretation. No Christian can say ‘we learn from science that…’ until they have acknowledged the false foundation of modern science, and examined whether this ‘discovery’ actually rests on sand.¹

A scientist that tells you the frequency of a given type of light… no problem. A scientists that tells you that a virgin can’t get pregnant? Go back to your cave, Batman.

All of Scripture

Psalm 148:1-5

Praise ye the LORD.

Praise ye the LORD from the heavens:

praise him in the heights.

Praise ye him, all his angels:

praise ye him, all his hosts.

Praise ye him, sun and

moon:

praise him, all ye stars of light.

Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and

ye waters that be above the heavens.

Let them praise the name of the LORD:

for he commanded, and

they were created.

The doctrine of creation is spoken of dozens of times in Scripture, not just in the first chapters of Genesis. No teaching on creation can stand which does not acknowledge this.

The Words are Really Important

Mark 8:38

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and

of my words

in this adulterous and

sinful generation;

of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed,

when he cometh in the glory

of his Father

with the holy angels.

Here is my acid test: Can you quote Scripture, and say, “That is true.”? Full stop. Take a breath. Can you look at every single word in Scripture and either say, ‘That translation does not reflect the Hebrew’ or ‘That is true’? And if you do challenge the translation, can you still quote the Hebrew and say, “That is true!”?

Because if you can’t, you have failed the acid test of Biblical exegesis: every word is true. Every word is true, every word is important. Every word is God breathed, every word is profitable.

The Details

So now let me get into some subordinate ‘details’ that are, for me, non-negotiable. These details are taught so clearly, so often, or both that I don’t see any way for an honest interpreter to get around them:

In the Beginning

Psalm 119:160

Thy word is true from the beginning: and

every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

If your theory about Genesis denies that it is talking about the beginning, you fail. The Scriptural evidence is far too strong. You would, at the very least, have to say ‘It is talking about the beginning of X…’ and then go on to show us how the rest of Scripture helps you define X.

In the Beginning, God

Colossians 1:15-17

Who is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn of every creature:

For by him were all things created, that are

in heaven, and that

are in earth,

visible and

invisible, whether they be

thrones, or

dominions, or

principalities, or

powers:

all things were created by him, and

for him: And

he is before all things, and

by him all things consist.

If your theory about Genesis denies that the subject, the actor, the creator, is God… then you have, again, failed. And there is no possibility of rescue here. A theory which says, “In the beginning impersonal forces…” is simply anti-Christian. It might be held by a believer, but the belief is antithetical to Christianity.

In the Beginning God, Created

Revelation 4:10-11

The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and

worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and

cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and

honour and

power: for

thou hast created all things, and

for thy pleasure they are and

were created.

If your theory about Genesis denies that God created, you have failed. I would even challenge you to examine your examine your language. When someone asks you, “Do you believe in creation?” your answer must be ‘of course’, even if you go on to explain how your view of how God created differs from that of others. If you are not a creationist, you are not a Christian. If you fail to say you are a creationist, you are preaching confusion. Even the most ardent theistic evolutionist must be willing to say, “In the beginning, God created…”

The Heavens and the Earth

John 1:1-3

In the beginning was the Word, and

the Word was with God, and

the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him; and

without him was not any thing made that was made.

If your theory about Genesis denies that God created the heavens and the Earth, you have failed. If you limit God’s creative acts to injecting an Adam who came about through impersonal forces in a universe created and ruled by impersonal forces… you are no Christian. Or, at least, you have denied the faith once delivered.

And God Said

Psalm 33:8-9

Let all the earth fear the LORD:

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

For he spake, and

it was done;

he commanded, and

it stood fast.

If your theory about Genesis denies that God spoke the universe into being, you have failed. Indeed, even if you believe that what ‘God said’ here means is that God “did something which did something which did something…” you need to be able to say that “And God said…” is true. (If misunderstood).

Light, Water, land, etc.

Job 38:22-26

Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or

hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

Which I have reserved against the time of trouble,

against the day of battle and

war?

By what way is the light parted,

which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?

Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or

a way for the lightning of thunder;

To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is;

on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;

If your theory about Genesis skips some steps, you have failed. It is possible for someone to wax eloquent about what ‘light’ means, the wonderful poetry about separating light from darkness, etc etc. But if your theory forces you to look at any particular element of creation and say, “God didn’t create that…” then your theory is not orthodox. It is heresy.

After their Kind

Luke 6:43-44

For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth

a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

For every tree is known by his own fruit. For

of thorns men do not gather figs, nor

of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

If your theory about Genesis means you cannot pronounce the words, “After their kind,” then it has failed. This is probably the hardest subject that I have touched on so far. At least when I read them ID or TE people they tend to shy away from it.

When God says ‘after their kind’ the young Earth Creationist has an easy time. Monkeys make more monkeys. Breed a big white dog with a small black dog and you get… a dog. Even when a coyote mates with a dog or a wolf you still get a canine type animal.

Very Good

Psalm 19:1-6

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and

the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Day unto day uttereth speech, and

night unto night sheweth knowledge.

There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

Their line is gone out through all the earth, and

their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and

rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and

his circuit unto the ends of it: and

there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

If your theory about Genesis includes the idea that God looked at millions of years of death and destruction and still said ‘It was good’, then you at least have some explaining to do.

From the dust and from the Rib

I Corinthians 11:8-12

For the man is not of the woman; but

the woman of the man.

Neither was the man created for the woman; but

the woman for the man.

For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head

because of the angels.

Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither

the woman without the man,

in the Lord.

For as the woman is of the man, even so is

the man also by the woman; but

all things of God.

If your theory about Genesis denies that there is a literal Adam and a literal Eve, then it fails. There may be times when God would use an imaginary character to make a point… like the ‘thief’ who breaks in and steals. Not pointing to any particular thief, just the overall idea of theif-ness. But Adam and Eve are repeated characters, used by Christ and Paul to make a point about doctrine. I don’t believe that a Godly reading of the Scripture, which makes it the standard of our faith, can cast them into mythology.

Be Fruitful and Multiply

I Timothy 2:15

Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing,

if they continue in faith and

charity and

holiness with

sobriety.

If your theory about Genesis… ok, to be fair, this is less likely to be a theory about Genesis but of other issues… ignores or denies the initial creation mandate, then it fails. If you relegate this mandate to ‘Old Testament’ then you have failed to see how God in creation organised all of human existence.

Have Dominion

If your theory about Genesis… ok, again, this is much more likely to be not a theory about Genesis but a way of looking at Scripture that basically ignores a lot of what God says… allows you to ignore the obvious fact that God tells us, commands us, to take dominion over the whole world… you have failed. And are failing.

It was Not Good

I Corinthians 7:2

Nevertheless, to avoid fornication,

let every man have his own wife, and

let every woman have her own husband.

If your theory of Genesis ignores the fact that God said that it was not good for the man to be alone then it fails. I don’t think the error here is in the interpretation, but just that they ignore it.

In Six Days

Exodus 20:11

For in six days the LORD made heaven and

earth,

the sea, and all that in them is, and

rested the seventh day:

wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and

hallowed it.

If your theory about Genesis doesn’t allow you to say, “In six days…” you have failed. You may believe that those ‘days’ were ‘ages’… but that needs to come in in your explanation, not your initial words. You may have to say, “God said that He created the heavens and Earth and all that are in them in six days, and that is true, but what I believe he meant by those ‘days’ is…” But if you can’t even open your mouth and quote the text(s), you have failed.

Christ in Creation

John 1:1-4

In the beginning was the Word, and

the Word was with God, and

the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him; and

without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life; and

the life was the light of men.

If your view of creation separates the God of Creation from Christ, then you have failed. The trinity is a complex subject, and in the end we may need to say, with Job, that it is too much for us to understand… but this we must understand: Christ is creator. How God the Father and Christ created may involve details too wonderful for us to understand, but we do need to understand and acknowledge this: Christ is creator.

Conclusion

One of the problems with the various ‘theories’ about the book of Genesis is that a lot of them fail to take the text seriously. They latch onto, indeed micro-focus on, a particular aspect, and then wave their hands over the rest of the text. Indeed, on the way that the story of Genesis is treated in the rest of Scripture.

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