Sunday, January 16: Creation
We’ve considered the foundational nature of Confession to the Christian faith, following up a meditation on Christ as the chief reality we confess. Now, let’s revisit the idea of confessing truth, and one in particular: that God formed the world by His Word, as He wished, and according to His will.
“And God said…” Over and over in Genesis 1, God spoke and it was so. He formed the world by His word to demonstrate His ultimate sovereignty over it. He did not inherit His rule, or wrest it from some other lord; He rules all that He has made by right, because its existence is owing to His command that it be, … and it was.
“And God saw that it was good.” Another repeated phrase in Genesis validates that God formed the world as He wished. He was not stymied or frustrated in His works. Everything came into being just as He intended, and He rendered the verdict that it was good.
“Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28) In the Cultural Mandate, the prototype for the Great Commission, God voices to humans that He has formed the world according to His will. And while the subsequent fall of humanity means that the world is subject to the effects of sin, this first command from God still demands our obedience.
God’s sovereignty over creation, the inherent value it possesses as His precious work, and His purpose for it are still essential to how we think about our care for that creation, and especially the humans made in God’s image. This includes every ethnicity and skin tone, every language and locale, and every age from conception to natural death.
The world was formed by God’s Word, as He wished, and according to His will. Let us confess this truth, and let us embrace it.
“And God said…” Over and over in Genesis 1, God spoke and it was so. He formed the world by His word to demonstrate His ultimate sovereignty over it. He did not inherit His rule, or wrest it from some other lord; He rules all that He has made by right, because its existence is owing to His command that it be, … and it was.
“And God saw that it was good.” Another repeated phrase in Genesis validates that God formed the world as He wished. He was not stymied or frustrated in His works. Everything came into being just as He intended, and He rendered the verdict that it was good.
“Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28) In the Cultural Mandate, the prototype for the Great Commission, God voices to humans that He has formed the world according to His will. And while the subsequent fall of humanity means that the world is subject to the effects of sin, this first command from God still demands our obedience.
God’s sovereignty over creation, the inherent value it possesses as His precious work, and His purpose for it are still essential to how we think about our care for that creation, and especially the humans made in God’s image. This includes every ethnicity and skin tone, every language and locale, and every age from conception to natural death.
The world was formed by God’s Word, as He wished, and according to His will. Let us confess this truth, and let us embrace it.