Historic Christianity has always stood on the Word of God in declaring that God Himself has created everything that exists. The Church Fathers affirmed the doctrine of creation unanimously. The Apostle's Creed (c. A.D. 200), The Nicene Creed (A.D. 323), and The Constatinopolitan Creed (A.D. 381) refer to God as the "Maker of heaven and earth" and "the Creator of all things." It was only recently, historically speaking, that some began to wrest the Scriptures in order to accommodate various modified forms of the theory of evolution.

Many modern believers, in both pulpit and pew, take the doctrine of creation for granted. Some shrug their shoulders with the question, "Does it really matter?" This is a fundamental question. Does it? Does Scripture really place any sort of emphasis on it? The answer is clear within the pages of Scripture, where we find the following exhortation:

"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them ... Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." -- Ecclesiastes 12:1,7

The Scriptural truth that God is the Creator is foundational and must begin any meaningful discussion of a truly Biblical theology. Dr. Robert A. Morey has written:

"In the theology, hymns, and creeds of the early Church, the doctrine of creation was viewed as the beginning point of all theology. All of the other attributes of God made sense only on the context of a God who existed prior to, independent of, and apart from the space-time universe that He created out of nothing for His own glory. If God is not the Creator, then He is not GOD. If someone accepts this fact, he will not have any problem with accepting anything else in Scripture." (1)

Again, Morey writes:

"The doctrine of creation is always the starting point throughout Scripture in any discussion of the 'Gordian knots' of theology." (2)

This paper is not presented within a scientific context, but rather is a theological treatise. Some comments are made throughout that are of a scientific or philosophical nature, but this is not meant to be an apologetic defense of creation per se. I have addressed that issue elsewhere. (3) What I am concerned with here is to establish what Scripture itself teaches regarding the truth that God is the Creator. I have structured this article like a running commentary, taking up many of the significant passages of Scripture that are relevant to the subject. This structure, of course, produces some repetition and overlapping commentary. This is intentional, and serves the purpose (hopefully) of impressing upon the reader the great degree to which the topic of creation, in all its wonderful detail, literally permeates the Scriptures.

THE BIBLICAL DOCTRINE OF CREATION

The Biblical doctrine of creation consists of four basic points:

• That God Alone created.
• That God created everything that is.
• That this creation was fiat - that is, it was spoken forth and created by God's Own word.
• That He created everything ex nihilo - that is, out of absolutely nothing except His own infinite Being.

Of course, there is much more detail to be found in Scripture, but these are the four essential points given emphasis repeatedly in the passages we will examine below.

First, God Alone created. Of course, alone means by Himself, and with no help. But it also means that He created everything of His Own will (cf. Revelation 4:11), and for His Own purpose (cf. Proverbs 16:4). It was not, as process theologians claim, that God needed creation. (4) Such a notion was rejected early on by the Church fathers; Lactantius (c. 304-313 AD) wrote, "It cannot be said that God made the world for His own sake. For He can exist without the world ... " (5)

God is love itself (1 John 4:8,16), and being love requires a subject-object relationship -- the kind of interrelationship we find expressed in the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity. (6) Simply put, God is complete in and of Himself and has need of nothing. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are involved in the creation -- which is why we find the plural "us" in Genesis 1:26. (7)

Second, God created everything that is. This is stated so matter-of-factly in the Genesis record that it is sometimes read over in a trivial fashion. Stop right now, close your eyes and contemplate this seriously for a moment. Everything. All of it -- the dog your parents brought home when you were a kid, that goldfish you flushed down the toilet, the tree in your front yard, the baby you saw with the ultrasound, that rhino at the zoo, the roses your husband bought you on your anniversary, the virus that has since mutated and made you sick, the mosquitos that attacked you while you were fishing, that possum you ran over last week, the dirt your kids got all over their clothes this afternoon, all the heavenly bodies your eye can see and billions more besides -- every single thing. It is an awesome thought, isn't it? But we can go even further. God created time itself. Think about that for awhile -- but not for too long, else you end up in a sanitarium somewhere. H.R. Rookmaaker called God "the Maker of existence itself." (8)

Third, God created everything by His Own spoken Word -- fiat. This is what we read in Genesis 1: "And God said ... and it was ... And God said ... and it was so ... " This is unimaginable power for which we have no immediate frame of reference. This is revelation at its finest. God was not exercising some sort of Christian magic, using His words as "containers" for His "faith," as the Word of Faith heretics teach. (9) No, this is a function of omnipotence; this can only be done by One Who is the Almighty.

Finally, God created everything out of absolutely nothing except His Own infinite Being -- ex nihilo. There were no preexistent materials whatsoever. This is the brick wall that philosophers and scientists have been running into for thousands of years: something has to be eternal by nature. Some have supposed that asking "Where did God come from?" is an intelligent rebuttal to theism. That is, until someone points out that if there is no eternal God, then matter itself must be eternal -- a concept much more difficult to defend, especially given that we now know that it contradicts scientific law (i.e., the First Law of Thermodynamics). The Big Bang hypothesis is of immense value to Christian apologetics simply because it establishes "the beginning" spoken of in Genesis. (10)

God exists entirely apart from His creation -- an idea captured in the word transcedence. God Alone is self-existent. There never was a time when He was not; He has always been. His resource for the act of creation was His Own infinite Being. C.S. Lewis wrote:

"[Milton's view that God made the world 'out of Himself'] must in a certain sense be accepted by all Theists: in the sense that the world was modelled on an idea existing in God's mind, that God invented matter, that (salva reverentia) He 'thought of' matter as Dickens 'thought of' Mr. Pickwick. From that point of view it could be said that God 'contained' matter as Shakespeare 'contained' Hamlet." (11)

In contrast, we are finite beings. As human beings made in God's Image, we too can create but only in a derivative way. We rearrange preexisting materials, mix colors to create new colors, and imagine new creatures based on what we know of creatures around us. But we do not create ex nihilo -- out of nothing. Only God can create original things. The late Francis Schaeffer, when contrasting human creativity with that of God Himself, wrote:

"Because He is infinite, He created originally out of nothing - ex nihilo. There was no mass, no energy particles, before He created. We work through the manifestation of our fingers. He, in contrast, created merely ... by His word. Here is power beyond all that we can imagine in the human, finite realm. He was able to create and shape merely by His spoken word." (12)

We cannot with our finite reason understand how God created all things out of nothing. We have no suitable analogies with which to express this concept. Analogies of creativity, yes. But creation without any preexisting materials with which to create? Never.

" ... creation as understood theologically is creation ex nihilo, creation with no previously existing ground. To creation of this kind there is no parallel in human activity." (13)

This is the Biblical doctrine of creation. Such a doctrine does not appeal to the minds of those who, for one reason or another, reject revelation. And rightly so, for what can be more miraculous than that doctrine of creation held by Christians? Reason, and its expression in the scientific disciplines, is God's gift to man -- part and parcel of being created after His image and in His likeness. The Scriptures, however, are God's revelation to man. The gift should compliment the revelation. To exalt human reason above revelation, or even to give reason the undeserved position of being equal to revelation, is to totter on the edge of unbelief. To reject revelation altogether is to plunge head first into a pit of false reasonings which must logically end at either agnosticism or atheism. This is one of the reasons why "theistic evolution" (= God "used" evolution to create everything) is the most inconsistent of all possible positions.

THE CREATOR IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Biblical evidence for the doctrine of creation is plentiful. While not exhaustive, the following examination of Scripture will be comprehensive enough to give the reader a firm grasp of the priority given to the doctrine of creation in the pages of Scripture. The most appropriate place to begin is, naturally, in the beginning.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth ... " -- Genesis 1:1

Scripture opens with the doctrine of creation, in words familiar to almost everyone. Genesis 1 goes on to describe the creation of day and night, the sky, the land and seas, the sun and moon, the stars, the plants, the animal kingdom, and man; and all in six days. (14)

Genesis 2 begins with the seventh day, when God "rested" (i.e., not that He was "tired" - cf. Isaiah 40:28 - but simply that His initial work of creation had been completed and He therefore ceased that activity). It is interesting to note that "the seventh day" has no "evening and morning" as the other six days are described as having. This is the root reason for the Sabbath law that Moses will reiterate later in the Law. The rest of chapter two goes on to describe in further detail the creation of man and the subsequent creation of woman.

Thus the first two chapters of the first book of the entire Word of God declare that God created everything in six days by simply speaking it into existence (fiat), with no mention of any preexisting materials (ex nihilo). These first chapters of Genesis rule out any concept of evolution that one may entertain, "theistic" or otherwise. This is demonstrated by two often overlooked facts contained in this particular text.

First, the fact of six literal days could hardly be twisted to accommodate any theorized evolutionary process. Those who ridicule the notion of a six day creation have simply failed to consider the idea in its proper context; that is, in consideration of the infinite resources of Deity. Winkie Pratney has correctly observed:

"Creation 'time' is a function of available energy and wisdom. God, with infinite wisdom and power, has no problem doing extremely complex things in short time intervals." (15)

Second, the repeated use of the phrase, "after their kind ... " (cf. Genesis 1:12, 21, 24, 25) does two things. It actually teaches evolution on a micro level; that is, adaptations within a species. At the same time, this phrase entirely excludes evolution on a macro level; that is, one kind of animal becoming a different kind of animal (e.g., dinosaurs into birds or apes into man). For example, the two dogs created by God originally had enough genetic material to produce the many varieties of dog species we see today, all of which can interbreed. But since all must reproduce "after their kind," a dog could never evolve into something like a bear. The Biblical worldview begins with creation and leaves no place for the widely held concept of evolution. (16)

Most interesting about the Genesis record is the fact that it was written by Moses, (17) who was educated in Egypt (cf. Acts 7:22). Being "learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians" -- especially as a member of Pharoah's household -- meant that Moses was taught in the prestigious Temple of the Sun, the "Harvard" of ancient Egypt. Yet Egyptian cosmology was pantheistic and its religion polytheistic. It is remarkable, then, that Moses ditches the paganism he was steeped in, steps up and writes "In the beginning God created ... "

"In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; male and female created he them; and blessed them and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created." -- Genesis 5:1-2

These verses simply restate the facts previously given in Genesis 2. Incidentally, note that God "called their name Adam." Most of the modern translations err at this point, I think, in taking the Hebrew in the generic sense ("man") and not as the proper name of "Adam." This shows us how real the mystical union between husband and wife is.

It was only after their fall that Adam began to call his wife "Eve" (Genesis 3:20). This, especially when the Hebrew definition of "Eve" ("mother of all the living") is taken into account, is probably due to the faith of Adam in the Messianic declaration of Genesis 3:15. (18)

"And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them." -- Genesis 6:6-7

The present concern here is not man's wickedness nor the fact that God "repents." Relevant to the subject at hand is the fact that God says three times in these verses that He "made" or "created" man.

" ... in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is ... " -- Exodus 20:11 (NIV)

Here, in the Law given to Moses, God gives as His reason for the Sabbath law the fact of creation taken from Genesis 1. It is interesting that the truth of creation served as the basis for a law that carried with it the death penalty for those daring to transgress it (cf. Numbers 15:32-36). The doctrine of creation has far reaching theological and practical ramifications. Should not a truth so fundamental receive emphasis today?

"For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?" -- Deuteronomy 4:32

In context, God emphasizes here how awesome His covenant with and election of national Israel really is. It was the greatest thing God had ever done up to that point, with one exception: the creation of man. Man, created in God's Own image, is the central figure in all of creation.

"For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens." -- 1 Chronicles 16:26

The context surrounding this verse concerns evangelism (verse 24), worship (verses 28-29), and Divine sovereignty (verse 31). The Lord is to be feared above all "gods." Why? Because the sharp contrast between the Lord and the gods of the people is the fact that He alone is the Creator. All other "gods" are mere idols. This statement appears again in Psalm 96:5, substituting "nations" for "people."

"Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things therein, the seas, and all that is therein ..." -- Nehemiah 9:6

Note that the first thing emphasized in favor of the Lord's unique Deity is the fact of creation. The repetition emphasizes the fact that God has created all that exists. Again, we find creation within the context of the worship of God's people.

"He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing ... By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent." -- Job 26:7,13

The doctrine of creation receives much attention in Job 26. In verse 7 there is a probable reference to the creation of things in the seas. The verse also mentions the fact that it was God who suspended the earth in space upon nothing. One might justifiably ask those who deny the Divine inspiration of Scripture how Job knew that the earth hangs "upon nothing." Such a statement certainly differed from the popular cosmological theories at the time that Job was written (probably the oldest book in all of Scripture).

In verse 13, God is said to have "garnished" the heavens. The Hebrew word used here is shaphar. In the way used here, this word means to make something "glisten", to "make fair," or to "polish." (19) This definition of "garnished" and the fact that it is "the heavens" being spoken of would seem to indicate that this portion of the verse concerns itself with the creation of the heavenly bodies.

Verse 13 goes on to state: " ... (God's) hand hath formed the crooked serpent." Some see here a symbolic reference to Satan; others see simply a reference to some type of creature (possibly one of the dinosaurs?). Regardless, our concern here is to note that "God formed ... "; it was by His Spirit that He created.

"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life ... I also am formed out of the clay." -- Job 33:4, 6

This passage from Job teaches us that God still has an active and creative hand involved in things. God, by His Spirit, creates us all in the womb of our mother (cf. Psalm 119:73). Our bodies are formed from the clay by virtue of the physiological fact that we are all derived by procreation from Adam (Genesis 2:7). At conception, God gives us our spirit ("the breath of the Almighty"). When joined with the body formed in the womb, a person (which scripture terms a "soul" - e.g., 1 Peter 3:20) is constituted -- as we know from Genesis 2:7. It should be noted that although the sexual union of man and wife is the God-ordained means of procreation, the Lord Himself is recognized as the Creator of all men (Acts 17: 25-26). God not only created, He presently creates.

"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who hath laid the corner stone thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" -- Job 38:4-7

Here we have the beginning of the "trial of Job", a fearful interview where God asks questions to determine if Job is worthy to question Him. With four chapters of questions following (Job 38-41), notice that God begins with creation. What follows these verses is perhaps one of the most intriguing dialogues in all of Scripture, as God randomly goes through all of nature, even spanning the galaxies, asking Job questions about His creation. Some of these questions modern science has only recently begun to answer. Note in chapters 40-41 the mention of two fascinating creatures called behemoth and leviathin -- probable references to two different types of what are now called "dinosaurs."

"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower that the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas." -- Psalm 8:3-7

The heavens are the creations of God (verse 3), as are all the animals (verses 6-7). The creation of God is so awesomely magnificent that it inspires the Psalmist to question why such a seemingly insignificant creature as man should occupy such a prominent place in God's design. Incidentally, it was the comment concerning "the paths of the seas" (verse 8) that inspired Matthew Maury to develop the science known today as oceanography. (20) Maury figured that if God said that there were paths in the seas, there must indeed be. So Maury looked for them, and found them.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork." -- Psalm 19:1

In other words, God deserves the credit for the work of creation, and creation is specifically designed for just this purpose. God is like an artist who not only has produced a beautiful painting (along with the canvas itself), but has so obviously placed His signature on His work that only fools could miss it (scripture continually labels fallen man "foolish"). It is this fact which caused C.S Lewis to remark poetically, "In order that we finite beings may apprehend the Emperor He translates His glory into multiple forms -- into stars, woods, waters, beasts, and the bodies of men." (21)

The Apostle Paul alludes to this same reality (Romans 1:20), and reveals that it is sin which has darkened the minds of men and produced such a foolish denial (Romans 1:21-22). Peter later prophesies that there would come a group of men "in the last days" who would be wilfully ignorant of the fact of creation and of the flood, basing their speculations on uniformitarian ideas -- "all things have continued the same from the beginning" (2 Peter 3:4-6). Merrill F. Unger has called Peter's words "the Apostle's stern warning to naturalistic skeptics." (22)

"By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap: He layeth up the depth in storehouses. 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." -- Psalm 33:6-9

These verses emphasize the ideas of fiat creation; the incomprehensible concept that God simply spoke everything into existence. Creation is given as sufficient reason both to fear God, and to stand in awe of Him, for it expresses the infinite power of the Creator. As we noted on Psalm 19:1, Creation is specifically designed to direct our attention to the Creator. A necessary corollary to this is that any theory of origins that ignores the Creator is sin.

" ... as for the world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them. The north and the south thou hast created them ... " -- Psalm 89:11-12

Again, God has created everything. The phrase, "the north and the south" is possibly a reference to the poles, but most likely simply refers to everything proceeding in those directions from the place inhabited by the Psalmist. Whichever direction we look in, as far as the eye can see, God made it all.

"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." -- Psalm 91:2

Although incidental to the main point of the verse (the fact of God's eternity), here is a possible reference to the "forming" of the earth subsequent to the fiat creation of the raw materials. Notice the apparent distinction between "the earth" and "the world." God existed in eternity prior to and independent of His creation.

"He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye, shall He not see?" -- Psalm 94:9

Two things in this verse are worthy of reflection. First, Job 33:4,6 (previously commented on) affirmed generally that God forms us all in the womb. Here, we have in that same direction a bit of detail, the ear and the eye being mentioned (two of the most fascinating parts of human anatomy). Second, notice that such detailed affirmations of creation are used as an apologetic argument for the omniscience (= God's perfect knowledge of all things) of the Creator, with the implication of the moral accountability of the creature (cf. Hebrews 4:13).

"The sea is His, and He made it; and His hands formed the dry land." -- Psalm 95:5

Here we have a simple restatement of the facts of Genesis 1:9-10. This affirmation of creation is placed in the context of God's providence and greatness (verses 1-4), and is one of the reasons given for the call to worship in verse 6. I think it highly significant that verse 6 does not say "let us kneel before the LORD," but rather, "let us kneel before the LORD our maker." Surely we are not to suppose that the Psalmist randomly selected a title for God meaningless to the context -- the Holy Spirit did not inspire "idle words."

"Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: And the heavens are the work of thy hands." -- Psalm 102:25

A clearer statement of the fact of creation could not be found, short of the Genesis record itself. Notice again that the immediate context concerns God's eternity (verses 24, 26-27).

"Bless the LORD, all His works in all places of His dominion ... " -- Psalm 103:22

Those things made by God, His "works," are called to worship Him. We are reminded here of Psalm 95:6. Here creation is again placed within the context of God's providence (verses 19-21).

"O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts ... there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein ... thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth ... the LORD shall rejoice in His works." -- Psalm 104:24-26,30-31

Psalm 104 is one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture. Themes running throughout its thirty-five verses include worship, majesty and honor given to God, the creation itself, God's providence over His creation, God's wisdom in His care for and preservation of nature, and God's power and glory. Throughout, the Creator is exalted.

God is praised as the One who "stretchest out the heavens like a curtain ..." (verse 2); "who layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters ..." (verse 3); who "laid the foundations of the earth ..." (verse 5). Beginning with verse 5, the Psalmist gives a summary of the workings of creation. God has set laws into motion that govern the structure of the universe and the ecosystems of earth. This includes the prevention of global floodwaters (verse 9), as He promised Noah (Genesis 9:11). He provides both environment and sustenance for all of creation, especially man (verse 15); and His provisions are bountiful. In verses 16-19, we find that God's preserving care extends even over animals in the wild and over uninhabited areas. Notice also the specific mention of leviathin (verse 26), possibly a kind of dinosaur per the decription in Job 41.

This Psalm testifies concerning the intricate interworkings of nature that careful observers have been investigating ever since; Psalm 104 is like the Discovery Channel without Darwin. In fact, what the Psalmist actually does here is allude to the six days of creation in a poetic fashion. The first and second days are alluded to in verse 2 ("clothes Himself with light ... the heavens" - cf. Genesis 1:3, 6-8). The third day is covered by verse 14 ("causes the grass to grow" - cf. Genesis 1:9-13). The fourth day is referenced in verse 19 ("moon ... sun" - cf. Genesis 1:14-19). The fifth day is found in verses 25-26 ("sea ... living things" - cf. Genesis 1:20-23). Finally, the sixth day is alluded to in verse 30 ("Thou sendest forth thy spirit" - cf. Genesis 2:4-8).

Note the attention given to God's wisdom (verse 24) and to God's spirit (verse 30). Notice also that the works of creation are described as His works and His riches, taking us back to previous passages that stress the fact that God created for His Own purpose. Furthermore, as verse 31 suggests, they are created for His pleasure (cf. Revelation 4: 11b) -- the Creator will rejoice in His creation. In verse 33 the Psalmist recognizes that his very being comes from and depends on God and thus, he will "sing to the LORD as long as he lives." The final comments of the Psalmist (verse 35) leave the impression that the presence of the wicked is the only defect in this otherwise beautiful picture -- the wicked "mar the beauty of His works," as A.R. Faussett commented. (23) This is a defect that will be dealt with in the restoration of all things (see below, "The Eschatological Significance of Creation") -- again, the Creator will rejoice in His creation.

John Brown of Haddington (18th century) wrote in his meditations on this Psalm:

"Lo! how the stretched heavens, how refulgent luminaries, how fertile fields, how towering woods, how roaring seas, how ranging brutes, how labouring men, how flaming seraphs, unite their force to awaken my soul, to tune my heart to the high praises of her Redeemer! Let me meet my God, my Christ, in every view. In every sound let me hear his voice. In every form let me discern how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty!" (24)

Augustine was unquestionably one of the brilliant theologians of the historical Church. Nevertheless, he massacred this wonderful testimony to God as Creator by allegorizing the entire passage. This is unfortunate. Psalm 104 is one of the most detailed creation passages in all of Scripture, and means no less than what it so clearly states.

"Ye are blessed of the LORD, which made heaven and earth." -- Psalm 115:15

The point here is that the God who blesses His people is the Creator (verses 12-14), and therefore can and should be trusted (verses 9-11) in contrast to the idols (verses 4-8). This concept of the One True God vs. the idols of men runs throughout the Old Testament -- God is jealous for His glory in the face of rebellious humanity which rejects Him for the constructs of their own imaginations. Missiologist Johannes Verkuyl describes this as the antagonism motif:

"Yahweh-Adonai, the covenant God of Israel, is waging war against those forces which try to thwart and subvert his plans for his creation. He battles against those false gods which human beings have fashioned from the created world, idolized, and used for their own purposes ... The whole of the Old Testament burns with a feverish desire to defeat these opposing powers." (25)

It is the LORD who possesses authority over that which He has created (verses 3, 16). This truth should excite His people to praise (verse 18).

"My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." -- Psalm 121:2

Like Psalm 115 above, the context is teaching that we should put our trust and security in God because, after all, it is He that created everything. This same descriptive phrase is found in other Psalms as well (e.g., 124:8 and 134:3). The signature statement concerning the One True God is that He is the Creator of all that is.

"To Him that by wisdom made the heavens ... to Him that stretched out the earth above the waters ... to Him that made great lights ... the sun to rule by day ... the moon and stars to rule by night ..." -- Psalm 136:5-9

This is an abbreviated restatement of Genesis 1:1,9-10,14-18. Note that God created these things "by wisdom," a theme which occurs throughout Scripture. The entire context here is one of thanksgiving (verses 1-3, 26). Next time you say grace over dinner, remind yourself that you are not just giving thanks but you are giving thanks to the Creator of everything.

" ... thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb ... I am fearfully and wonderfully made ... My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which as yet there was none of them." -- Psalm 139:13-16

A clearer statement of God's creative activity in the human womb could not be found. God is the possessor of our essential organs and interior self ("reins"). He actually broods over us in the womb, much like the Spirit did over the chaotic waters of the original creation. There is a very real work of creation taking place (though "in secret"), human reproduction being the appointed instrument. The Lord observes everything that goes on between conception and birth. Scientific advancements, like that of ultrasound technology, have in recent decades given us a window into some of these processes overseen by the Creator. This is perhaps the greatest apologetic for the pro-life stance on abortion. (26)

We are fearfully and wonderfully made, "curiously wrought" in the womb (poetically described as "the lowest parts of the earth"). The Hebrew word raqam, rendered here as "curiously," is strongly suggestive of intricacy in design, and was originally used to describe embroidery (obviously an activity requiring much preplanned detail). Just how intricate is the design in a human being? Consider the following:

"The brain is enormously more sophisticated in potential pathways and microcircuitry. (There are upwards of 10,000 to 50,000 independent nerve cells in every cubic millimeter of cerebral cortex- 10 to 15 billion altogether; each nerve cell is able to receive simultaneous information from thousands of cells, integrating and then funneling this new information to many other cells; consequently, the number of permutations and combinations of circuitry and sequences becomes astronomical.) There are in the human body 600 muscles, 1,000 miles of blood vessels, and 350 arteries important enough to name. The skin spread out, would cover 16 square feet. It has 1,500,000 sweat glands which, spread out on one surface, would occupy 10,000 square feet and cover five city lots, 20x100 feet. The lungs are composed of 700 million cells, all of which we use in breathing, equal to a flat surface of 2,000 feet, which would cover a city lot. In 70 years the heart beats 2,500,000,000 times and lifts 500,000 tons of blood ... The nervous system, controlled by the brain, has 3,000,000,000,000 nerve cells, 9,200,000,000 of which are in the cortex of the brain alone. In the blood are 30,000,000 white corpuscles and 180 trillion red ones. It is easy to believe that the very hairs of our head are numbered- about 250,000. Can anything be more pathetic than for some young freshman, created of God in such intricacy and with such infinite wisdom, to spew his infidelity into the face of the very God Who created him: Who saw his substance before it was in existence and Who wrote down in His book all his members and fashioned them when as yet there was none of them?" (27)

God observed the "stuff" we are made of, our substance, when the fetus was as yet undeveloped ("unperfect"). All of our "members" were preplanned in God's "book," evidently in the form of a pattern or blueprint ("which in continuance were fashioned"). This is almost certainly a reference to human DNA, which might be described simplistically as an "organic computer" within the human body that is programmed beforehand with virtually every basic detail of our person. The phrase in secret is interesting, considering the fact that modern geneticists - despite major breakthroughs - still lack a complete understanding of exactly how or why this whole system works the way it does.

"The LORD is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all His works. All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD ... " -- Psalm 145:9-10

This is the concept of common grace -- that there are certain general graces that God grants to all His creation. Note that this idea rests upon the foundation of the doctrine of creation. God is good to all because He created all. Consequently, His creation (in many different ways) will praise Him. All men, sinner and saint alike, bear a relationship to God their Creator. In redemption, no; but by virtue of the fact of their creation, yes (cf. Acts 17:28-29). As such, all men are the recipients of certain gifts and graces which God is sovereignly pleased to bestow (usually apart from any knowledge that such things are "gifts" at all). It is God Who holds together all of creation -- in Him we literally have our very existence. This is what Paul demonstrates in Acts 17:28 -- "In Him we live, and move, and have our being ... For we are also His offspring" (see below).

"(God) Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is ... " -- Psalm 146:6

As we continue to see, the Psalmist begins with the fact of creation when setting forth God's attributes. Before He is seen as just, faithful, loving, and so forth -- the God of Jacob is the Creator of everything that is. The Psalmist closes his description of the Lord with an affirmation of His sovereignty ("The Lord shall reign forever"). All of God's attributes are sandwiched between the facts that He is both Creator and Sovereign Lord.

"Praise ye Him, all His angels ... all His hosts ... sun and moon ... all ye stars of light ... ye heavens of heavens ... ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the LORD: for He commanded and they were created." -- Psalm 148:2-5

There are three things in this passage that are relevant here. First, the fact of creation. Second, it is this fact that is given as a motivation for praise and worship -- theology and practice go hand in hand. This is revealed by the word "for"; previous to this the word "praise" occurs nine times in only five verses! Finally, notice that again we have a fiat creation -- God simply "commanded" and it was done. This is demonstrated back in Genesis 1 by the phrase "And God said ...," repeated no fewer than eight times.

"The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath He established the heavens." -- Proverbs 3:19

Again, we are presented here with the recurring theme that God has created everything by wisdom and understanding. It is possible that there is more than a reference to one of God's attributes here. Christ, as the preincarnate Word, is credited with being the means of creation by the Apostle John (John 1:1-2). Furthermore, Christ is identified with wisdom (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:35; 1 Corinthians 1:24, 30; Colossians 2:3) -- this is a compelling proof for the Deity of the Lord Jesus (cf. Romans 16: 27; 1 Timothy 1:17; Jude 25).

"The LORD possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the worlds. When He prepared the heavens, I was there: when He set a compass upon the face of the depth: When He established the clouds above: when He set a compass upon the clouds above: when He strengthened the fountains of the deep: When He gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not pass His commandment: when He appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him; Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth; and my delights were with the sons of men." -- Proverbs 8:22-31

This passage concerns the Lord's eternal possession of wisdom. Its words are quite revealing and often commented on throughout church history, though sometimes with varying interpretations (28). The main idea here is that wisdom (again, a possible reference to the logos of John 1) was present with God before the creation, and in fact was the very foundation of that creation.

This passage is also a detailed restatement of Proverbs 3:19 (above) from "wisdom's" point of view. Emphasis is placed on the idea that the Lord gave great attention to detail in His work of creation. We would not be unjustified in saying that God placed every atom exactly where He pleased, and set within the universe laws that govern all creation. Note also that fiat creation is again taught in verse 29 - "decree ... commandment ... appointed ..."

"The LORD hath made all things for Himself ..." -- Proverbs 16:4

All things? This verse continues, "yes, even the wicked for the day of evil." Of course, man was not created evil (cf. Genesis 3; Ecclesiastes 7:29). This reveals that this verse has more in mind than the creation; namely, that God's sovereignty extends to all things. Nevertheless, this statement does include the creation of Genesis 1-2. God has created everything for Himself -- i.e., for His own purpose and pleasure (cf. Genesis 1:31; Psalm 104:31; Proverbs 16:4; Revelation 4:11b).

"At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which has fingers have made, either the grovers, or the images." -- Isaiah 17:7-8

Isaiah prophesies the return to God the Creator from the lifeless false idols that men had fashioned for themselves. The doctrine of creation is presented as a sound alternative to and a remedy for idolatry. This is perfectly consistent with Romans 1, where Paul presents the sin of idolatry as the fruit of an intellectual and practical denial of creation. Men made the altars and the idols used in their pagan worship, but God has made all things (cf. Hebrews 3:4). Ironically, it is God who created and fashioned the very hands which make such images.

" ... shall the work say of him that made it, 'He made me not?' or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it 'He had no understanding?'" -- Isaiah 29:16

The fact of creation is seen here to be a proof for God's omniscience (verse 15) and the foundation of our moral accountability to God. Why should we submit to the Lord, both in our behavior and in our theology? Because, Isaiah argues, it is He who has created us to begin with. Who better to honour with our very existence than the One without whom we would have no existence? The Apostle Paul made a specific application of these words to the theological antinomy of God's sovereignty and man's moral responsibility. Paul's conclusion, based on the fact of creation, is that we have no right or authority to question God (Romans 9:20).

It is all about recognizing who we are (finite creatures) in relation to Who God is (the Infinite Creator). Isaiah's admonition hearkens back to God's interview with Job (Job 38-41 - see above). This is a bitter pill for us to swallow, to be sure. God has made us reasoning creatures, "in His Image and in His Likeness." Like the fruit in the garden, the temptation to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to is at times nearly irresistable -- before we know it, we are actually questioning our Creator. And, as Paul points out in Romans 9, this is the height of folly.

We evangelicals have fallen prey to an extreme kind of "Jesus is my buddy" attitude; our more liturgical brethren often retain a better grasp of awe in their worship. Christians must recover the vision of God given in Isaiah 6:1-5 and the attitude expressed in Ecclesiastes 5:2 -- "Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few." The importance of contemplating the vast contrast between ourselves and our Creator cannot be overemphasized. (29)

"O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth." -- Isaiah 37:16

Simply put, creation is seen as the foundation of God's authority and providential activity. His uniqueness is shown to man by the fact of creation -- "even thou alone." This is often God's apologetic defense (as if He needed one) when rebuking idolatry, as already noted in the previously considered passages above.

"'To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal?' saith the Holy One. 'Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.'" -- Isaiah 40:25-28

We are again exhorted to recognize God as the Creator. Have you noticed yet how often this appeal to creation shows up? In this chapter, God reveals several things: His infinite nature (in contrast to finite man - verses 6-7), His incomparability (verses 18, 25), His attention to detail (verse 26), His omnipotence (verse 26 - cf. Isaiah 45:12), His omniscience (verses 26-28), His continuing activity (verse 28) and His matchless grace (verses 10-11, 29-31). Many believers are familiar with the promise of verse 31: "they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." What many do not realize is that the very basis for this promise is the fact that we serve an all-powerful God Who has created all things.

Notice also that this God, the Creator, is the very One Who would be revealed in the Person of the Messiah (verses 1-9) -- "Behold your God!" Thus, when we get to the New Testament, we find clear indications that Christ is to be identified as the Creator (John 1; 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:15-19; Heb. 1).

"Thus saith God the LORD, He that created the heavens, and stretched them out; He that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; He that giveth breath unto the people upon it , and spirit to them that walk therein ... " -- Isaiah 42:5

The doctrine of creation is again placed within the context of the promised Messiah (the " ... my servant ... mine elect ... " of verse 1). It serves as a type of preamble to the description of the earthly (subsequent) ministry of Christ described prophetically in verse 6. God created the heavens -- in the beginning He "stretched them out"; God will uncreate the heavens -- at the end He will "roll them up." The analogy is that of a scroll (cf. Isaiah 34:4; Revelation 6:14). Likewise, the earth -- in the beginning, He "spread forth" the earth; at the end He will "fold it up" -- the analogy is that of a "vesture" or a veil - cf. Hebrews 1:12).

God is also the Creator of everything coming out of the earth (a reference not only to vegetation, but also to animals, minerals, and man, who is formed from the "dust of the earth." All earthly things, in one sense or another, come "out" of the earth). It is God Who gives life ("breath"/"spirit") presently ("giveth") to all who walk the earth (in the womb - e.g., Job 33:4) -- just as He did to our first parent in Genesis 2:7. The rabid atheist who curses the very idea of God exists solely because of the very One to whom he would deny existence. Again, Acts 17:28 -- "In Him we also live, and move, and have our being."

The Hebrew word shamah, used here for "breath" is also translated in other passages as "spirit" (e.g., Proverbs 20:27). Furthermore, the word ruwach which is rendered "spirit" is elsewhere translated "breath" (e.g., Ezekial 37:5). This is basically interchangeable terminology (cf. Job 34:14-15). Both phrases in this verse are teaching the same truth: God imparts to all men the principle of life -- Adam by creation and his descendants by procreation.

" ... I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself ... " -- Isaiah 44:24

Notice here that, as in the previously considered passage, imagery is used which is beautifully consistent with certain passages of eschatological significance. God is not only the Creator, but uniquely so. He did it all alone; no help needed. Any "god" that "needs" is not the God revealed to us in Scripture and in the face of Jesus Christ! The context here is that of the election and redemption of Israel (verses 21-24a) and Divine providence (verses 25-28).

"For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else." -- Isaiah 45:18

God formed the earth; that is, He conceived the plan or idea. (30) Having done this "according to the counsel of His own will" (cf. Ephesians 1:11 - this debunks the anti-trinitarian theory that God was speaking to the angels in Genesis 1:26), He then did what He had purposed: He made the earth.

Furthermore, this Divine plan involved more than simply the creation of a planet: He "formed it to be inhabited." His primary consideration was man. The earth, even the entire universe, was Divinely prepared for the appearance of man. (31) To summarize this position: "The world was created for man's body, man's body for his spirit, and man's spirit for God: the spirit, and the world unto the body." (32) God purposed to create, He created, and He created for a reason. And these facts make Him uniquely God: "there is none else." The doctrine of creation is the very foundation of Christian monotheism.

" ... the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth." -- Isaiah 51:13

We see again that creation separates the infinite God from finite man (verse 12). It literally begs that those with wisdom recognize this and make the Lord their trust and security (verses 13-15). God has created all things with a view to the redemption of His elect (verse 16). (33)

"Thus, saith the LORD, the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made ... " -- Isaiah 66:1-2

Again, God's providence is connected with creation. A reference to His omnipresence is also implied in verse 1. It is significant here that with all the emphasis placed on creation, and as awesome as that creation is, the man who is "poor and of a contrite spirit and trembles at God's Word" still appears before His Maker bigger than life.

"He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion." -- Jeremiah 10:12

God's creation involves His power, i.e. His own infinite resources residing in His very substance (34). It involved His wisdom, a fact already commented on (incidentally, this is the same wisdom given by God to men - cf. Proverbs 2:6, where the same Hebrew word is used). Finally, creation involved God's discretion, a reference to His omniscience and predetermination (cf. Acts 15:18).

In this context, creation is again used to demonstrate that the Lord is the True God, unlike the idols worshipped by pagans (verses 10-11, 14-15). Jeremiah later writes:

"Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O LORD our God? Therefore we will wait for You, Since You have made all these." (Jeremiah 14:22)

Throughout the Old Testament, God's rebuke of idolatry zeros in on the fact of creation. Idolatrers make "gods" out of things that have no power and ignore the omnipotent Creator of all that exists -- including the very idols they worship. Jeremiah returns to this concept in 51:15-18.

"I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me." -- Jeremiah 27:5

God created by His omnipotence ("great power"), and by His "outstretched arm," a possible reference to the Lord Jesus Christ per verses like Isaiah 59:16. Here we see God's creation linked to His ownership and right to do His good pleasure with His own property -- "the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof" (1 Corinthians 10:26). (35)

"Ah Lord GOD! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out thy arm, and there is no thing too hard for thee." -- Jeremiah 32:17

Would that we would all habitually recognize our Creator in prayer, as Jeremiah does here! Creation is presented throughout the Old Testament as the primary representation of God's omnipotence -- His awesome power. The parting of the Red Sea is often used in a similar way, but in a redemptive context (much like the resurrection of Christ in the New Testament).

So often we fret and worry about our circumstances in life. We wonder how on earth we can possibly survive this or that crisis. Anxiety rules the day, our blood pressure goes up, and we forget that we are Christians. In contrast, notice the confidence that a verbal recognition of creation inspires in Jeremiah as he prays" ... there is nothing too hard for thee ... "

" ... the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land." -- Jonah 1:9

In this passage, Jonah expresses his heritage as one of the people of God to the Gentiles in Ninevah. It is highly significant that he makes a point of qualifying the identification of his God with the fact of creation. God's role as Creator of all that exists is an essential part of Who He is. Jonah proclaims the Creator in his evangelistic mission to Ninevah, even as Paul will years later to the Athenian philosophers at Mars Hill (cf. Acts 17).

" ... the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him." -- Zechariah 12:1

This is God's self-introduction before giving a prophecy concerning Jerusalem. Again, God mentions His creation of the heavens and the earth and His present activity of initiating in man the principle of life -- "the spirit of man within him." Since the creation of Adam, this formation of the human spirit takes place in the womb via procreation (as seen in several of the previously considered passages above).

"Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every mean against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?" -- Malachi 2:10

The prophet reasons with Israel that we are all God's children by virtue of creation, just as Paul does in Acts 17:28. This fact serves as a rebuke to the infighting among God's people and a reasonable motivation for faithfulness in our walk.

Though not exhaustive, we have now completed a survey of the doctrine of creation as found in the Old Testament. Surely several recurring themes involving creation are now clear to the reader. Equally clear should be the fact that the Old Testament writers continually link the fact of creation with God's attributes -- the truth that God is the Creator is part and parcel of His very identity. We have also observed the antagonism motif -- God sets Himself forth as the Creator in rebuttal to the lifeless idols of mankind.

Furthermore, all men are God's children by virtue of creation; God's people can trust Him as a faithful Creator; God has demonstrated His omnipotence in creation; God's glory is revealed to humanity in the creation; and God has authority as the Owner of all things simply because He is Creator of all things. The Old Testament presents creation as foundational to everything we can know about God and about ourselves. With these observations, we now turn to the "more sure word of prophecy," the New Testament.

THE CREATOR IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

"But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female." -- Mark 10:6

In this passage, the Pharisees question Jesus concerning divorce. After referencing Mosaic Law, Jesus then goes all the way back to the beginning. He does this by using a particular detail of the Genesis account of creation - specifically, Genesis 1:27 - to teach the sanctity of marriage.

It is significant that Jesus Himself presents the account as literal history. This, of course, stands to reason. The Jews had treated Genesis as history for thousands of years. It is amazing in our day how many well-meaning Christians accept chapter 4 on as history and yet allegorize the first three chapters. Let's be consistent -- either all of Genesis is history or all of it is not.

The phrase "from the beginning" is set within a context where Jesus is discussing marriage and divorce -- rational interaction between human beings; not "naked apes" who would later evolve into humans. This verse rules out human evolution entirely; man and woman were originally created as rational human beings. This same phrase also suggests that very little time had passed in the garden of Eden before the separation of Adam into male and female, an event included by Jesus within the scope of the term "the beginning."

"For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be." -- Mark 13:19

Jesus prophesies here in His Olivet Discourse concerning the soon-coming destruction of Jerusalem, fulfilled in A.D. 70, under the Roman Titus and his armies. (36) The "beginning of creation," or "the beginning of the world" (Matthew 24:21), serves as a point of reference to emphasize the "days of vengeance" (Luke 21:22) that would attend that event.

"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 anything made that was made ... He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not." -- John 1:1-3,10

The Word, a translation of the Greek logos, is Jesus Christ (cf. verse 14; 1 John 1:1; Revelation 19:13), who is called the Word because it is He Who is the Declarer of God (cf. verse 18). John, with his use of logos, also chooses a concept that would be immediately recognizable to both Jews and Greeks. (37)

The very One crucified by that angry mob created everything, including the very ones who shouted, "Crucify him!" Since only God created all things (Isaiah 44:24), verses ascribing creation to Jesus are powerful arguments for His Deity. (38) How horrifying to realize that "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not" (verse10). Our Creator walked this earth and was rejected by His Own creations!

" ... Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is." -- Acts 4:24

Here the disciples open their prayer by recognizing God as the Creator. This same general declaration is found in such passages as 2 Chronicles 2:12 (cp. Revelation 4:11; 10:6).

"And saying, 'Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein ... '" -- Acts 14:15

The Apostle Paul here uses the fact of creation to exalt God above Pagan religion (the antagonism motif common in the Old Testament - see above under Isaiah 17:7-8). Paul elaborates on this theme in Acts 17:22-29.

"God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring.' Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device." -- Acts 17:24-29

Where should we begin when sharing the faith with those who are immersed in an entirely different philosophy? The same place that Paul does -- with God as the Creator. Following the Old Testament pattern, Paul then moves on to God's attributes: He is "Lord of heaven and earth" and is omnipresent; He is self-existent, needing nothing, and all life is dependent on Him.

Paul clearly teaches here the universal brotherhood of all men by virtue of creation; we are all "the offspring of God." God has made all men "of one blood" -- that is, Adam. Regardless of nation, skin color, culture or language -- all men are in Adam (cf. Romans 5:). The flipside to this is that all nations, skin colors, cultures and languages will be found in the great redeemed company that stands before God in the end (Revelation 5:) -- all are one in Christ (cf. Galatians). This is what John meant when he wrote "For God so loved the world ... " (John 3:16).

The Biblical doctrine of creation is the antidote to racism. There is no "race" within the worldview presented in Scripture; "race" is a concept that comes from the philosophy of Charles Darwin. (39) Likewise, those individuals and groups who seek their identity in their ethnicity are horribly misguided -- personal identity is found in recognizing our Creator and receiving the redemption He has provided for all men in Christ. We cannot locate our identity in anything but a Jewish carpenter who was, and is, God manifested in the flesh.

Paul goes on to detail how God has sovereignly worked within all nations of men through general revelation (cf. Romans 1:19-20 - below). This is demonstrated by the very example cited by Paul in previous verses -- Athen's "altar to the Unknown God" erected centuries before Christ by Epimendes in order to petition the Supreme Creator to remove a plague that swept through Athens at the time. History records that the Athenians' prayer was answered. (40) The Athenians, unlike the Jews, had no special revelation. Nevertheless, God was not far from them, and the light of creation - general revelation - led one philosopher from Crete, Epimendes, to "feel after" God and to "find Him." Note that Paul even reaches into their own literature in order to build a bridge of understanding and share the gospel.

Mankind began after the flood with the knowledge of the true God in the family of Noah. (41) As the descendants of Noah's three sons separated and spread over the earth, they degenerated into idolatry, polytheism, pantheism and atheism. (42) Because this was the case, nearly all religions throughout the earth contain remnants of the truth, though obscured and twisted to varying degrees. (43)

Paul ends his argument by emphasizing again the fact that all are God's offspring by virtue of creation. It is for this reason that Paul writes in another epistle of "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" (Ephesians 3:14-15). This, he says, is the underlying reality behind the sensible rejection of idolatry. We must never bring our Creator down to our creaturely level -- God is wholly unlike ourselves in His essence. (44)

" ... that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead: so that they are without excuse ... " -- Romans 1:19-20

God designed creation to reveal Himself to mankind; theologians have termed this general revelation, in contrast to special revelation, which refers to the Scriptures (see above comments). General revelation is designed to motivate men to pursue God (Acts 17:27), but is limited (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and cannot redeem apart from Christ (John 14:6) and the gospel (Romans 10:14). Consider the words penned by the Church Father Lactantius (c. 304-313 AD):

"There is no one so uncivilized and of such an uncultivated disposition, who, when he raises his eyes to heaven ... does not understand from the very magnitude of the objects -- from their motion, arrangement, constancy, usefulness, beauty, and temperament -- that there is some providence and that the things that exist with such wonderful arrangement must have been created by some greater intelligence." (45)

Those who reach out to God based on the light given in creation will be granted more light; Paul leaves a crack in the door for the possibility that God can save some in unconventional ways (Cornelius is one Biblical example - Acts 10). General revelation also comes from within. God has written His moral law in men's heart (Romans 2:14-15), setting "eternity in the hearts of men" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). In a very real way, Jesus is "the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9).

However, note carefully the express purpose of Paul's discourse here. His main point is not that Christ or the Gospel is unnecessary for salvation (cf. Mark 16:15; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Romans 10:14; 1 Timothy 2:5), but rather that no one on earth - regardless of exposure (or lack thereof) to the Gospel - has any excuse before God. (46)

It is this God-designed purpose of creation that makes idolatry so grievous a sin. Idolatry is nothing more that "worshipping the creature more than the Creator ... " (verse 25). Instead of recognizing creation for what it is, the idolater pays homage to it in place of the Creator. This, of course, leads to all types of immorality (47). Idolatry is simply taking any aspect of creation (including material wealth - cf. Colossians 3:5) and placing it above God.

"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things: to whom be glory forever." -- Romans 11:36

Three truths concerning God are in view here. First, He is the Creator of all things ("of Him"). Second, He is Sovereign, ruling all things providentially ("through Him"). Finally, He is the rightful Owner of all things ("to Him"). These three truths are inseparably linked together, as numerous passages cited above have clearly shown. Furthermore, each logically follows from the other -- to deny one is to deny all three. These three truths necessitate that God's glory be the highest motivation possible. (48)

This is the conclusion in Paul's argument for the incomprehensibility of God (cf. Paul's line of reasoning in Romans 9). This can be seen from verses 33-35: "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?" (49) Also in view are the circumstances relating to the Jews in God's eternal purpose. (50)

Another verse, a virtual restatement of Romans 11:36 also penned by the Apostle Paul, is 1 Corinthians 8:6. Paul, after granting the existence of so-called "gods" (in reference to idolatry), says: "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him." As reiterated so often in the Old Testament, creation seems to be the apologetic for Christian monotheism; Paul here uses it to demonstrate the supremacy of God over those things or beings that men may call "gods." (51)

" ... God , who created all things by Jesus Christ ... " -- Ephesians 3:9

Again, Christ's name is connected with creation just as we saw in John 1:3. Paul goes on in verse 10 to teach that the intent of creation is God's purpose from the beginning -- "to make men see what is the fellowship of the mystery" (verse 9a). In some incomprehensible way, God's eternal purpose (verse 11) comprehended even the fall of man. Even Christians sometimes rebel against this clear teaching of the Scriptures -- that God "works all things after the counsel of His Own will" (Ephesians 1:11). (52)

"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." -- Colossians 1:16-17

This remarkable passage conveys the truth with a precision that rivals the most carefully worded creeds from Church history. The reference is to Jesus Christ; Paul argues that His Deity rests on the fact that He has created everything, including the inhabitants of the spirit realm. In verse 15, Christ is called the firstborn of every creature, a title which is synonymous with that given to Him in Revelation 3:14, the beginning of the creation of God.

We know from Genesis 1:26-27 that man was originally created in God's own image. What exactly that image is has been an age-old theological debate which has produced many different answers. It is my contention that the Divine Image is Christ Himself. (53) He is referred to as such in both Colossians 1:15 and Hebrews 1:3. This is not to be confused with the ancient heresy of Arianism -- I believe that Christ is God Almighty come in the flesh. (54)

What is being said here is that the invisible God, which no man can see (or will ever see), took on a human body prior to the creation of Adam, and it was this image that served as the prototype for Adam's creation after that image. It is evident that Adam conversed with God face to face, and in fact could hear Him walking (Genesis 3:8). This is the memra ("word") concept held by the Jews -- God manifested to reveal Himself to mankind.

God (the Word - John 1:1) manifested Himself in a body, thereby taking an image. This was a theophany, and was none other than the preincarnate Christ (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3). Christ became quite literally, insofar as His assumption of a body was concerned, "the firstborn of every creature" and "the beginning of the creation of God" (Colossians 1:15; Revelation 3:14). It was after the pattern of this express image of God that Adam was formed (Genesis 1:26-27). The Church Father Tertullian (c. 210 AD) actually came very close to this view:

"Imagine God wholly employed and absorbed in it -- in His hand, His eye, His labor, His purpose, His wisdom, His providence, and above all, in His love. All of these things were dictating the lineaments [of man]. For, whatever was the form and expression that was then given to the clay, it was in His thoughts that Christ would one day become man." (55)

Manifesting Himself in this image, God literally walked and talked with Adam in the garden. This was necessary because God is invisible (Colossians 1:15; cf. John 1:18), and cannot be seen by man in His pure form, a Spirit (John 4:24). (56)

Man, represented in the garden by Adam, (57) lost the Divine image to a great degree (Genesis 5:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:49) after the entrance of sin. In due time, God manifested Himself in flesh in order to redeem man by the vicarious sacrifice of Himself (1 Timothy 3:16 - KJV/NKJV). When God took an image He assumed a human body, but in the Incarnation God (the Word - John 1:14) became a man, perfect in both spirit and body just as the unfallen Adam (He is the Last Adam - 1 Corinthians 15:45; the Second Man - 1 Corinthians 15:47). The Incarnation is permanent; Jesus will forever be the revelation of the invisible God to the redeemed Church (cf. Revelation 22:1-5) -- theanthropos, the God-Man.

Finally, redeemed man is seen as recovering the Divine image (1 Corinthians 15: 49). This will be completed when we are resurrected with glorified bodies. The restoration of this image to man is, in perfect consistency with the view expressed here, referred to as being "conformed to the image of Christ" (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). (58)

"For Adam was first formed, then Eve." -- 1 Timothy 2:13

Paul summarizes Genesis 2:7, 21-23, using the beginning as a reference point for practical instruction, even as Jesus did when dealing with divorce (cf. Mark 10:2-9). Even the order of God's creation is seen as relevant in practical areas -- in this case, Paul is dealing with the place of women in the church.

Paul is not emphasizing the simple fact that Adam preceded Eve. Such a argument would exalt plant and animal life above man, since these organisms clearly preceded him (cf. Genesis 1). Paul seeks to call attention to the fact the God did not create Eve, subsequently taking Adam from her; but, rather, it was the other way around: Adam was the original creation, the woman being derived from him. This seems to be the point of 1 Corinthians 11:7-9: " ... the woman is the glory of the man. 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."

It is important to underscore the way in which God chose to take the woman out of the man (Genesis 2:21-23). There are at least two very important theological considerations. First, the entire plan of redemption hinges on the principle of federal headship -- the imputation of Adam's sin to those in him and the imputation of Christ's righteousness to those in Him, both on the principle that the one represents the many (cf. Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthinas 15:20-22). (59) In order to be a valid basis for redemption, all must be derived from a single head: Adam. In God's infinite wisdom, even the first woman is derived out of Adam (even sharing his name until after the fall - cf. Genesis 3:20; 5:2).

Second, it was necessary that the woman's seed be separated in this way before the fall. This would produce a seed in the woman which, in spite of the poisoning of man's seed due to the fall, would remain pure from Adamic contamination. This would in due time, as Genesis 3:15 prophesied, make possible a sinless body for the Lord Jesus Christ via a virgin conception in which the mortalized seed of man would be by-passed by the Holy Spirit. (60)

"God ... hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He that appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds." -- Hebrews 1:1-2

As we have previously noted in John 1:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 3:9; and Colossians 1:16-17, Jesus Christ is both the Creator and the means of creation. This declaration is placed in a context which also mentions Christ's unique position (verses 1-2), His status as heir (verse 2), His Deity (verse 3), His providence (verse 3), His work of redemption (verse 3), and His exaltation (verses 3-4). The whole of Hebrews 1 seeks to establish the identity of Jesus Christ and begins with creation.

"For every house is builded by some man; but He that built all things is God." -- Hebrews 3:4

This verse contrasts the glory of God as Creator with the achievements of finite man. That this verse speaks of Christ (making this yet another proof of His Deity) is evident from verse 3: "For this man (Christ- see verse 1) was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who that builded the house hath more honour than the house." Christ is "a son over His own house" (verse 6); as the Creator (both of all things and, by election, of the Church), glory belongs to Him.

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." -- Hebrews 11:3

The linking together of the doctrine of creation and faith here is more than incidental. As one has said, "Hebrews 11 says that faith begins with the premise that God spoke and not a thing became everything. He didn't just rearrange existing elements. He made them from nothing." (61)

Notice that it does not say "by faith we blindly accept," but rather "through faith we understand ..." Faith (a gift from God - cf.) actually gives us an understanding of the difficult concepts of fiat creation ("by the word of God") and creation ex nihilo ("so that ... "). Note the order involved here: we do not understand in order that we may believe, but we believe that we may understand.

"For this (scoffers) are willingly ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water." -- 2 Peter 3:5

Peter prophesies here, foreseeing that future generations ("in the last days") would see the emergence of Atheistic scientists which promote a more "rational" view of origins, ignoring the record contained in Scripture. Although most do not realize it, this materialistic philosophy became popular not long after Peter, historically speaking. The early version taught that all things resulted from a chance coming together of atoms. Consider the sarcastic rebuttal of the Church father, Dionysius of Alexandria (c. 262 AD):

"Truly we have here a most marvelous democracy of atoms, where friends welcome and embrace friends! Where all are eager to travel together in one domicile! By their own determination, some have rounded themselves off into that mighty luminary the sun ... Even though men like these may choose not to admit it, there is a mighty Lord who made the sun ... O you blind ones, do these atoms of yours bring you the winter season and the rains, in order that the earth may yield food for you?" (62)

In following the lie of evolution, these men and the modern scientists who have followed, "professing themselves to be wise" have literally "become fools." They have literally fulfilled Romans 1:25 by changing "the truth of God into a lie" and "worshipping and serving the creature more than the Creator." The naturalistic philosophy of evolution is idolatry -- pure and simple. (63)

The startling thing about this is that many evolutionist scientists have embraced Evolution willingly. They deceive themselves. Many of them start with naturalist presuppositions -- God simply does not exist and creation cannot possibly be true. Therefore, in their subsequent research they are blind to the obvious design inherent in all creation. After all, design necessitates a Designer. (64)

"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." -- Revelation 4:11

Creation is recognized in heaven as the foundation of worship, as shown by the word "for" (i.e., "because"). Creation and sovereignty go together necessarily; creation is for His pleasure. Note also that here is clearly stated proof for a previous assertion: God has created in the past (were), but still creates in many ways in the present (are).

" ... Him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein ... " -- Revelation 10:6

Here is a concise summary of the entire contents of Genesis 1. The angel in John's vision does not simply swear to the Lord but by the God who is both eternal and the Creator.

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, 'Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and fountains of waters." -- Revelation 14:6-7

There is no more fitting scripture with which to close our examination of the Biblical doctrine of creation. The Revelation here speaks of the everlasting gospel. We are commanded to fear God, to give Him glory, and to worship Him. This mandate is the ultimate priority in all of creation. Just as we saw in Psalm 95:6, we are not merely told to worship God, but God the Creator. Furthermore, as noted above under Revelation 4:11, the doctrine of creation is the very foundation of true worship. The inclusion of creation in such an obviously important statement as the everlasting gospel demands the attention of all Christians.

THE ESCHATOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF CREATION

We have seen what Scripture clearly teaches -- that God has created all things. As we saw in Isaiah 42:5, examined above, Scripture uses the image of a scroll and a veil to teach that God will one day uncreate the heavens and the earth. Yet it is equally important to realize that God will also recreate all things. The following passages reveal much about the eschatological aspect of God's work of creation.

"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, not come into mind." -- Isaiah 65:17

God speaks here through Isaiah concerning a work of creation yet future: the new heavens and the new earth. The present earth that we live on has been committed to eventual destruction since Noah stepped out of the ark with his family to begin again (Genesis 8:22 - "while the earth remaineth ...").

However, God will not merely destroy the old creation but will replace it with a new creation, a creation "wherein dwelleth righteousness," as noted here by Isaiah (see also 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1). The old creation is compared in its destruction to a garment ("vesture"), and has definitely been "spotted by the flesh" of all of fallen humanity since Adam first tasted the sweet juice of the forbidden fruit. But, it must be emphasized, there will be created not only a "new heavens," but a "new earth" as well.

Modern Christendom has embraced platonic dualism in many areas, not the least of which is its unscriptural suppression of anything physical. This unfortunately includes the doctrines of the resurrection and the new creation. Redeemed man will eternally dwell with the Lord in a new body on a new earth. (65)

"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." -- Isaiah 66:22-24

Not only will the old creation be forgotten (see above), but every hint of the fallen order is forever removed in the new creation. The new creation is designed to last an eternity, and its citizens live eternally in it. Those who refused redemption are no more, and everyone worships the Lord. In this new order, "every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11). Only righteousness dwells in the new creation, and all of creation is summed up in Christ (Ephesians 1:10; Colossians 1:20).

"For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body." -- Romans 8:19-23

The (old) creation was "subjected to futility" -- that is, we live in a cursed universe that bears the unmistakable consequences of the Fall (cf. Genesis 3). Man continually reaches for a higher state precisely because he has fallen from such great heights. (66) Yet even this cursed condition plays into the immutable counsel of our Sovereign God. Consider the fact that later God gives the Law for the express purpose that sin might abound -- so that His grace might be made manifest (Romans 5:20-21; cf. Romans 3:19; 2 Corinthians 3:7). Put simply, our latter end as believers will be far beyond anything that even the unfallen Adam knew. God's plan of redemption is such that even the angels wonder after it (1 Peter 1:12).

Paul is very clear: the very creation itself is to be "delivered from the bondage of corruption." This is the "restitution of all things" spoken of in Acts 3:21, the gathering of all things in Christ (cf. Ephesians 1:10; Colossians 1:20). These "times of reformation" (Hebrews 9:10) have already begun and will culminate in the glorification of believers at the resurrection ("the revealing of the sons of God" -- cf. 2 Corinthians 5:2). Just as the entire creation shared in humanity's fate, even so will creation share in man's redemption in Christ. All of creation groans in harmony, knowing certainly that redemption is inevitable.

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." -- 2 Peter 3:10-14

We learn here that the future destruction of this universe will coincide with the return of Christ. It will be a destruction involving fire rather that water (cf. Genesis 8:21), and apparently will destroy at the chemical level. This destruction is God's judgment on this entire fallen cosmos -- God's way of "hating even the garment spotted by the flesh" (Jude 23). Peter presents this doctrine as a motivating factor promoting godliness among Christians. Believers have a promise from God and look for a new creation where righteousness pervades and salvation has found its completion in the removal of the very presence of sin.

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful." -- Revelation 21:1-5

John is actually granted a vision of what Peter describes by inspiration (2 Peter 3:10-14, above). The "former things" - those things which we now go through - are set forth in clear terms we can all understand: tears, death, sorrow, crying, pain. When dealing with the age-old problem of evil, (67) let us reflect on the fact that the God-breathed scriptures recognize the terrible realities of our existence in no uncertain terms.

Furthermore, John is specifically told that these realities constitute things that, by God's express allowance, belong to the age in which we live ("the former things"). And herein lay the solution to the problem: there will come a day when "the former things" are passed away. This is what Peter referred to when he wrote that not only will the old earth be destroyed but also the works that are in it (2 Peter 3:11) -- for it is these sinful works of fallen humanity that are the source of the realities of which John is told. God will destroy the old and remake all things; He created all things good, and all things will be good again.

"And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." -- Revelation 22:1-5

The New Testament closes with this vivid description of the eternal state of the redeemed creation. Jesus rules eternally as God made visible, Deity manifest in the flesh. (68) Note the striking symbolism: Edenic conditions are restored and the curse is gone forever. This is the end for which God's providence crafts the events of the world in which we now live. It is this that all of creation so longs for: the renewal of all things.

THE SCANDAL OF EVOLUTION

Certainly such a staggering truth as the Biblical doctrine of creation is worthy of frequent meditation. And this truth, like so many others, becomes even more staggering when considered in the light of modern research. The Intelligent Design movement is relatively recent in its organization, but the concept they are now empirically demonstrating hearkens back to William Paley and his "watchmaker" argument. (69) In fact, the argument from design has been around far longer than Paley. Consider the words of the Church Father Theophilus (c. 180 AD):

"Any person who sees a ship on the sea, rigged and in sail, and heading for the harbor, will no doubt infer that there is a pilot in her who is steering her. Likewise, we must perceive that God is the Pilot of the whole universe, although He is not visible to the eyes of the flesh." (70)

Likewise, naturalistic explanations were being offered by unbelieving scoffers long before Charles Darwin (1809-1882) offered his theorized mechanism of "natural selection." Darwin and his subsequent followers simply theorized a mechanism by which such an extrvagant process could conceivably take place. Believers since the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species have struggled to reconcile his theory with the Genesis account of creation. Unfortunately, this has led to all manner of devices on the part of Biblical interpreters. Augustine's old "day-age" theory of Genesis (the 'days' = thousands of years) was revived to accomodate the process of evolution. (71) Some began to promote the idea that Genesis chapters 1 and 2 were actually two different accounts of two different creations. (72) Others developed the "gap theory," whereby a gap is inserted between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 into which a vast amount of time and lifeforms may be inserted. (73) Among those who accomodated Darwin's theory in their Bible interpretation were such notables as Princeton Seminary professor B.B. Warfield (1851-1921).

Some simply inserted God into their evolutionary scheme. Problematic for theistic evolutionists is the fact that such a viewpoint attempts a synthesis of two worldviews that are diametrically opposed:

"The major problem with theistic evolution is its acceptance of a theory which by definition is based on chance natural processes, and which is therefore difficult to reconcile with the purposeful actions of a supernatural God." (74)

In fact, it is fairly easy to demonstrate that many modern evolutionists who recognize problems with the theory nevertheless cleave to it precisely because they have already presupposed that there is no Creator. (75) Prominent evolutionists like Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Dawkins and the late Carl Sagan knew full well that such a theory both presupposes and logically concludes with a denial of the existence of God. Why Christians who style themselves "theistic evolutionists" cannot see this is beyond me; the two worldviews are like oil and water.

In reality, it is not at all necessary for Christians to compromise with evolution. Both evolution and creation are primarily philosophical frameworks with very different presuppositions; empirical data is interpreted according to these presuppositions. I have addressed this issue in some detail elsewhere. (76) Let it suffice here to say that the evidence for the bald fact of creation, once stripped of various secondary debates (the age of the universe, flood geology, etc.), lay in two empirical concepts.

First, there is the abrupt appearance of lifeforms -- that is, the fossil record by and large reveals life forms fully formed and ready to go with no apparent transitions. As an example, the Cambrian Explosion is especially problematic for evolutionists because all major classifications are found within this one geological strata minus the intermediates necessary to sustain Darwin's theory. (77)

Second, there is the presence of design in nature. This concept has been argued since the Church Fathers, but is now more credible than ever. For instance, there is the relatively recent concept of irreducible complexity in lifeforms -- that is, that there exists certain features - such as the eye - that require several parts fully functioning to be of any use at all; thus, such mechanisms could never have developed in gradual stages like we find in evolution. (78)

Evolution is a scandalous philosophy that denies both the Creator and His creation, a philosophy prophesied long ago by the Apostle Peter (2 Peter 3 -- see above). It is this naturalistic philosophy that has permeated Western culture and produced all manner of godless ideas: the deification of nature in radical environmentalism, the concept of "race" and its attendant racism, the replacement of the sanctity of life itself with a system that values life based on its quality (paving the way for both abortion and euthanasia), and the so-called "sexual revolution" (if man is an animal, why not?). (79)

CONCLUSION

Surely even the casual observer can see what the Scriptures clearly teach regarding the fiat creation out of nothing of all that exists by Almighty God. And this without the use of evolutionary processes, a concept not found anywhere in Scripture. We have surveyed the testimony of God regarding creation and have seen the priority which He has given to the doctrine. This should by now be clear: Creation is an important issue. It is the foundation upon which God reveals His nature and attributes, upon which God rests His promises, and upon which numerous moral and theological truths are built.

In searching for a godless explanation, exchanging the presuppositions of Christian theism for the false reasonings of naturalism, modern man is wilfully ignorant of the Biblical doctrine of creation. Yet C.S. Lewis, himself a former atheist, was compelled to write, "No philosophical theory I have yet come across is a radical improvement on the words of Genesis, that 'In the beginning God made Heaven and Earth..'" (80)

The idea that anyone could seriously doubt the fact of creation is insanity. The Church Father Origen (3rd century), who lived long before Darwin wrote Origin of Species, put it so well:

"I cannot understand how so many distinguished men have been of the opinion that matter ... was uncreated. That is, it was not formed by God Himself, who is the Creator of all things. Rather, they say that its nature and power were the result of chance ... thinking that so great a work as the universe could exist without an architect or overseer.... What greater injury can befall a man than that he should be unable -- amid the order of the world -- to see Him who has made it? And what worse affliction can come to anyone than the blindness of mind that prevents him from seeing the Creator and Father of every soul?" (81)

Dr. Riley asked, "Can anything be more pathetic ...?" Perhaps. How about a Christian who takes the fact of creation for granted? We have seen above that the doctrine of creation has immense practical ramifications -- for everybody. Charles Colson summarizes:

" ... Christianity claims that God created the universe with a definite structure -- a material order and a moral order. If we live contrary to that order, we sin against God, and the consequences are invariably harmful and painful, on both a personal and a social level. On the other hand, if we submit to that order and live in harmony with it, then our lives will be happier and healthier." (82)

It was when the nation of Israel forgot his Maker that God's people sank into the wickedness that ultimately resulted in judgment from the very One forgotten (Hosea 8:14). Solomon had warned them: "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not ... " (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Likewise, the Apostle Peter has exhorted believers to "commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (1 Peter 4:19). Biblical creation is a fundamental issue -- all of Scripture stands or falls with this doctrine.

The Faith we are to contend earnestly for (Jude 3) rests on this foundation: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth ... " Selah.

1. Dr. Robert A. Morey, Battle of the Gods (Southbridge, Massachusetts: Crown Publications, Inc., 1989), p. 155.

2. ibid., p. 156.

3. cf. my online paper, Challenging the Naturalistic Philosophy of Evolution.

4. Process theology is the idea that God is in process -- that is, that He is growing and learning. This type of theology usually involves a watering down of God's foreknowledge, the idea that God created because He "needed" the creation, and so forth. This has been called "finite godism," and is found in aberrant pockets of Christians like those in the Moral Government (Gordon Olson, Winkie Pratney, YWAM) and "Open God" (Clark Pinnock, Richard Rice, Gregory Boyd) groups. See the following sources on the Scripture Thoughts website for more detail: James Harrison's Foreknowledge: There's More Than Meets God's Eye!; THINKMAIL #10 (READ ANY BOOKS LATELY? section); THINKMAIL #25 (READ ANY BOOKS LATELY? section).

5. Quoted in David W. Bercot, ed., A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), p. 180, 2nd column.

6. cf. Mark McNeil's online paper, A Brief Introduction to Trinitarian Faith.

7. cf. my online paper, Orthodox Trinitarianism.

8. Quoted in John Blanchard, Does God Believe in Atheists? (Darlington, England: Evangelical Press, 2000), p. 461.

9. For more detail on the Word of Faith heresy, see D.R. McConnell, A Different Gospel (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1988). McConnell's is still the finest treatment available on the history and theology of this heretical movement.

10. cf. John Blanchard, op. cit., pp. 251-262.

11. C.S. Lewis, A Preface to "Paradise Lost" (New York: Oxford University Press, 1961), p. 89.

12. Francis A. Schaeffer, Genesis in Space and Time (Downer's Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1972), pp. 27-28.

13. Bertrand Brasnett, quoted by Winkie Pratney, The Nature and Character of God (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers, 1988), p. 151.

14. The idea that the Hebrew word yom, used in Genesis 1 for "day," can mean a literal day or a figurative day is true. It is on this basis that some Christians, most notably astronomer Hugh Ross (Reasons to Believe), have adopted the day-age theory of Augustine. I respectfully disagree with Ross and others who hold this view. To begin with, yom most often refers to a literal day -- in fact, any time yom is used together with a numerical designation (e.g., "the first day") it is always a literal day, both in biblical and extrabiblical usage. Second, that these are literal 24-hour days is shown by the continual use of "the evening and the morning were ..." Periods of thousands or millions of years figuratively called "days" would not have "evenings" and "mornings." Third, there are problems with the cycle of nature if each "day" represents thousands (or even hundreds) of years: plants surviving without photosynthesis; certain animals surviving without other needed organisms, and so forth. Finally, there is simply no compelling reason to my mind - biblically or scientifically - to adopt such a figurative view of a historical book like Genesis (no one attempts to allegorize chapter 4 on). However, this is a debate among sincere Christians and should not be a test of fellowship.

15. Pratney, op. cit., p. 134.

16. cf. Challenging the Naturalistic Theory of Evolution.

17. This has been challenged by the higher critical school, but the book of Genesis is included in the Pentateuch -- the five books of Moses -- which both Old and New Testaments refer to as "the book of Moses," "Moses," and "the book of the Law of Moses." Moses was the accepted author at the time when Jesus and the Apostles were quoting Genesis authoritatively. Most obvious is the internal evidence -- the author refers to various place names as Moses would in writing for Israel, and the transition from the closing chapters of Genesis (dealing with Joseph in Egypt) and the opening chapters of Exodus (beginning with a Pharoah who "knew not Joseph") definitely give the reader the impression that he is reading "part 1" and "part 2" of the same narrative. In fact, there is some evidence that the plagues brought upon Pharoah by God actually represent the creation order of Genesis 1 in reverse (cf. John D. Currid, Ancient Egypt and the Old Testament, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997). The theory of the higher critical school sets forth several anonymous authors and is called the Documentary Hypothesis (also known as the Graf-Wellhausen theory). For a detailed debunking of this idea, see Mark McNeil's online paper, The Documentary Hypothesis.

18. cf. THINKMAIL #1, under "The God Breathed Book"; also my online paper, Did Old Testament Believers Look Forward to Christ?

19. cf. H.W.F. Gesenius, Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House).

20. Henry M. Morris, Men of Science-Men of God (Ed Cajon, CA.: Master Books, 1988), p. 49.

21. C.S. Lewis' commentary in Charles Williams, Taliessin Through Logres, The Region of the Summer Stars, Arturian Torso (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1974), p. 291.

22. Merrill F. Unger, Archaeology and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1956, 3rd ed.), p. 62.

23. Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871), comments on Psalm 104. <ONLINE>

24. John Brown, The Psalms of David, in Metre (Philadelphia: Hogan & Thompson, 1841).

25. Johannes Verkuyl, "The Biblical Foundation for the Worldwide Mission Mandate" in Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne (editors), Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: A Reader (Pasadena, California: William Carey Library, 1981), p. 39.

26. cf. my online paper, The Christian Case Against Abortion.

27. Dr. W.B. Riley: quoted by Spiros Zodhiates, Healing and Miracles: are they for today? (Chattanooga, TN.: AMG Publications, 1979), p. 167-168.

28. This passage was often used throughout Church history to defend Christ's Eternal Sonship and particularly Origen's concept of "eternal generation." Some of the earlier Church Fathers viewed these references to "wisdom" not as references to Christ, but to the Holy Spirit.

29. cf. my online paper, Our Mysterious God, for more detail on this topic. Those who feel the need to have every piece of the puzzle neatly in place before proceeding are ill suited for the theological task. God is by definition incomprehensible except by what He Himself has revealed (Deut. 29:29).

30. Strong includes in his definition, "fig. to determine (i.e. form a resolution) ... purpose."- Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, under #3335- yatsar.

31. An excellent treatment of this subject may be found in Arthur C. Custance, "The Preparation of the Earth for Man" in The Doorway Papers Vol. IV: Evolution or Creation? (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1976). Also, "The Universe: Designed for Man?" in vol. VIII of the same series. <ONLINE>

32. Hugo St. Victor, asquoted by Arthur C. Custance in The Seed of the Woman (Brockville, Ontario: Doorway Pub., 1980), p. 167. <ONLINE>

33. cf. Psalm 25:13; 37:9, 11, 22; Ecclesiastes 1:4; Matthew 5:5; Revelation 21-22.

34. The word used here for "power" is kowach, and can have the connotation of "substance" or "wealth" (Strong's #3581).

35. cf. my online paper, The Ownership of God.

36. This is the "partial preterist" view (i.e., much NT prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70) that makes dispensationalists squirm -- cf. Milton S. Terry, Biblical Hermaneutics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, no year), pp. 438-453; J. Stuart Russell, The Parousia (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999, 2nd ed.); R.C. Sproul, The Last Days According to Jesus (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1998).

37. The logos concept employed by the Apostle John in the first chapter of his Gospel would be recognizable to both Jews and Greeks. To traditional Jews, this concept taps into the Talmudic tradition concerning the memra, a Hebrew word corresponding to the Word and denoting manifestations of God in the Old Testament (what we would call theophanies). To the Greeks (and also to the Jewish sect called the Essenes), the logos was a long-held philosophical concept corresponding to Wisdom.

38. cf. my online compilation of scripture passages, Jesus Christ is God Almighty.

39. cf. my online paper, Darwinism's Immoral Implications.

40. Don Richardson, Eternity in Their Hearts (Venture, CA.: Regal Books, 1981), pp. 9-24.

41. cf. Bill Cooper, After the Flood (England: New Wine Press, 1995); Arthur C. Custance, The Doorway Papers Vol. IV: Evolution or Creation? (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1976), pp. 110-138 <ONLINE>. The modern idea among anthropologists is that religion "evolved" from polytheism to monotheism, but this theory rests entirely upon the concept of man as "primitive" inherent in Darwinian evolution.

42. cf. John Blanchard, op. cit., pp. 25-28; Arthur C. Custance, ibid.

43. cf. Arthur C. Custance, ibid.; C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: MacMillan, 1952), pp. 19, 43, and The Abolition of Man (New York: MacMillan, 1947), Appendix, pp. 95-121; Don Richardson, op. cit. and Peace Child (Glendale, CA: Regal Books, 1974); Lambert Dolphin, "Ying, Yang, the Tao & Wholeness" <ONLINE>.

44. cf. my online papers, God: Incorporeal & Invisible and