4 Reasons to Believe in Creation

Those that believe in creation believe that the universe and all human life is the result of divine creation. For creationists, God is responsible for the creation of the entire cosmos.

While there are differing opinions among Christians regarding creation (e.g. young earth creationism, gap creationism, theistic evolution), almost half of Americans now consider themselves to be creation believers, with almost all of those acknowledging that God created the universe, as described in the Biblical accounts. A recent article in the Daily Mail states that:

“Nearly half of Americans believe God created mankind in a single day about 10,000 years ago, a literal interpretation of the Bible, according to a new survey that shows the view toward evolution in the United States hasn’t changed in 30 years.

About 46 percent of people say creationism explains the origin of humans. Just 15 percent say humans evolved without the assistance of God.” (Read the article)

With so many now believing in the creative work of God, it’s important to look at why creation continues to stand up, in spite of modern scientific theories which appear to contradict the Biblical accounts. We hope this list of four reasons to believe in Biblical Creationism will inspire your faith in God’s creative work, and strengthen it.

The Bible Reveals Creation

The Bible states over 30 times that God created all life including plant, animal and human.

The first two books of the Bible are even specifically devoted to the accounts of God’s creative activity and our origins. Genesis functions as the foundational book of the Bible and tells the story of the beginnings of the universe, the earth and humanity. The accounts of God’s creation serve to help us understand the book we are about to read, and to grasp God’s redemptive plan for the world.

As a complete work, the Bible reveals the nature of God through his creation, and through his relationship to creation – from Genesis to Revelation. The Primeval History laid out in Genesis 1-11 is referred to over 100 times throughout the New Testament alone, and is referred to by every New Testament author. The importance of the Genesis accounts of creation cannot be overstated.

A belief in evolution is a misreading of scripture as it cannot be reconciled with passages such as Genesis 1 or Exodus 20:11 which states:

“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

Beliefs in anything other than God’s creation of the universe are inconsistent with the omnipotent, omniscient and redemptive picture of God that the Bible paints.

Jesus Confirmed Creation

Jesus referred to Genesis himself, on several occasions – always affirming his belief in the accounts as historical realities.

In Mark he states that:

“But at the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.” (10:6)

And in Matthew Jesus responds to the Pharisees questions on divorce:

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (19:3-6)

Jesus confirmed the accounts of Genesis: Adam and Eve were real people, as were Cain and Abel. Jesus also affirms the historical validity of Noah and the flood later on in Matthew.

For Jesus, the events described in Genesis were real events with real people. The historicity of The Primeval History is bound up with much of Christ’s teaching on theological matters. Understanding Jesus relies on our understanding of, and belief in, the creation narrative.

The Authority of Scripture Relies On It

If we deny creation, or allege that some passages should be understood as mere myth or allegory, then we are putting the authority of the canon at risk for two reasons:

Firstly, if these stories do not describe events as they state, then what other parts of the Bible might be misleading? Deciding not to believe in the creation accounts of Genesis will inevitably lead to questions about the reliability of other parts of the Bible, and the Bible as a complete work.

Secondly, if the Bible is in fact unreliable, then we undermine our own belief in God’s inerrant word. If we do not subscribe to the creation accounts which appear throughout the Bible, then we open the Bible up to be considered full of errors and not divinely inspired – as Christians usually understand it.

God’s Character is Grounded in Creation

The Bible reveals God’s nature through his creation. In the beginning we are created in his image. Throughout the Old Testament the people are called to be the people of a creative God and in the New Testament we see God revealed through Jesus, who was with the father at the creation:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3)

The New Testament even closes with the promise of a new creation, in which God will carry out his redemptive plans and see his kingdom reign on earth. In order to understand God, we must believe and recognise him as the creator of the entire cosmos. The Psalmist wrote that:

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (19:1)

To exist within creation is to exist within the presence of God. God is deeply embedded into his creation.

To celebrate God’s creation, sign our petition to establish Creation Day as an official holiday

Big Bang Theory as Explained in the Bible

The Big Bang Theory has never been matched by any other scientific theory about how everything began. While the theory itself has been modified several times due to new scientific findings, two ideas remain constant: first, that the entire universe came from a single mass of energy that continuously expanded until it formed different galaxies, planets, and stars; second, that the universe is continually expanding everyday.

This article will focus on these concepts and how it corroborates the Biblical account of creation.

The Concept of Singularity

The Big Bang theory stipulates that around 13.8 billion years ago, the universe started out as a small mass with high density which expanded, and the collision and fusion of several substances paved the way for the creation of the galaxies, planets and stars. While this timeline does not provide an exact match for the biblical account of God’s creation in just six days, the Hebrew word used for creation is “bara,” which means to bring to existence something that has never existed before. Big Bang has not been able to deal with how that single dense mass that expanded to become the universe, came into existence. This can only mean that an eternal being, such as God, who exists outside our concept of space and time, is responsible for creating the dense mass that expanded. While the Big Bang theory provides an explanation for how everything came to being after the Big Bang, it still doesn’t explain how the big bang came about – someone had to push the button.

The Concept of an Expanding Universe

According to the Big Bang theory, there are two phases of expansion: the rapid expansion which lead to the universe as we know it today and a continuous but slower expansion as evidenced by the constantly changing distances between different entities. Both types of this expanding or stretching are revealed in Isaiah, which states,

“It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches (Hebrew: natah) out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads (Hebrew: mathah) them out like a tent to dwell in.” (40:22)

In the original Hebrew text, both the verbs “mathah” (meaning the action has been done) and “natah” (meaning the action is still being done in the present) were used to denote both an ongoing and a completed action.

There are still some aspects of the Big Bang Theory that do not fit with biblical truth. For instance, the world’s end and the establishment of an eternal kingdom as prophesied in Revelations is contradictory to the “Heat Death” which is how the Big Bang is assumed to end. However, we have seen God’s hand on how He enlightened scientists at the perfect time so that portions of the theory can be corrected or supported by more evidence.

As Christians, it is important that we do not let go of our biblical foundations especially regarding Creation. Even before we had the tools and the technology to observe the stars, the planets, and the entire universe, God has equipped us with the truth through His Word. As new scientific evidences come up, it means that God is revealing more of His knowledge to us and He wants to equip us with more evidence so we can be witnesses to His unmatched power and glory. Just another fantastic reason why we should celebrate Creation Day!

Finding Eden

“I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches, and all

the trees of Eden, which were in the garden of God,

were jealous of it.”

– Ezekiel 31:9

One of life’s great mysteries for the inquisitive Christian is the location of the Garden of Eden. The Bible, our only evidence for the garden’s location and its very existence, is frustratingly silent in regards to the whereabouts of the garden.

The quest to find this geographical Holy Grail has become almost as consuming as finding Atlantis, Pandora’s Box or the creators of the statues that inhabit Easter Island. However, like many have found, trying to pinpoint the location of the purpose-built paradise has become like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Why Do We Want to Know?

Anyone who has read Genesis, or even heard of the story of Adam and Eve knows that Eden is the garden of God, and the place where all the magic (and disenchantment) happened.

The Genesis creation narrative depicts a creative God who fashions Adam from the ground and places him ‘eastward,’ in a garden crafted specially for him.

What is even more significant is that after Adam’s placement in the garden,

“…the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air…”

These creatures were formed out of the ground in the garden. Genesis 2 also tells us that:

“…out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”

The origins of every living thing on earth trace back to this garden.

Eden is also significant because it is where the first theophany takes place. Genesis 3 tells us that Adam and Eve;

“…heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…”

God walked among humans in a very tangible way, making the garden not only the location of our human origins, but also a place of divine presence.

Eden was the birthplace for the human race, the place where God walked with man and woman, where the serpent appeared, where the Tree of Knowledge was placed, where humanity fell into wreckage, and where Adam and Eve were eventually cast out for eternity. It’s no wonder we want to know where it is.

What Does the Bible Say of Eden?

The Bible’s lack of proffered material when it comes to Eden’s location has been the cause of much irritation and disappointment among those searching for the lost paradise.

Most theorists claim the site’s location as somewhere in the Middle East. This is mainly due to the description given in Genesis which gives us the only geographical clues to the garden’s setting;

^“A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.”

This description has led many to believe that the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers mentioned in the passage refer to the same rivers that exist in the Mesopotamian area today.

Because the other two rivers are less known, determining the garden’s location based on this evidence is problematic. Jewish historian Josephus claimed that Pishon and Havilah referred to the Ganges and the Nile, a point which one scholar asserts was generally agreed upon until the renaissance. Since then, it has been largely questioned and discredited. For Josephus’ theory to work, the rivers would also have to flow to Ethiopia, to feed the Nile.

While the biblical text doesn’t actually name the ‘Tigris’ (it instead says ‘Hiddekel’), we know from elsewhere in scripture that it refers to the Tigris River. In a similar way, the river Euphrates is referred to as ‘Prat’. Most modern translations use the words ‘Tigris’ and ‘Euphrates’ so as to avoid confusion.

The problem with placing Eden in this area is that while it fits with two of the four rivers mentioned, it does not fit with the description of the rivers as emerging from the one head. While the Tigris and Euphrates both have their ‘head’ in the area that surrounds Mt. Ararat, they do not flow, filling the land as described in the text. There is also an absence of the other two rivers making this location implausible. Of course, it’s entirely possible that Tigris and Euphrates had offshoots that are no longer in existence, making this theory possible.

Given that we don’t know the size of the original garden, it is difficult to piece together a location with four rivers, but from the evidence, it appears that the descriptions given in Genesis and the geography as we know it, don’t match up.

What Do We Know of Its Location Now?

The biblical account remains ambiguous and open to much speculation. As a result, people have been venturing guesses for centuries as to the location of the Garden. However, most modern biblical scholars and archaeologists place Eden in or around ancient Mesopotamia.

This is a logical conclusion due to the location of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers as well as the biblical mention of Adam being placed in a garden ‘eastward’ (meaning, east of Israel). Placing Eden in Mesopotamia also stands to reason from a linguistic point of view. In Greek, the word ‘Mesopotamia’ means ‘the land between two rivers,’ a reference to the Tigris and Euphrates.

Science has discovered that crude oil forms from vegetation and animal life which has died and proceeded to decay. With this in mind, it has caused some scholars to argue that the oil reserves found in the Middle East could have formed from the decay of Eden. It stands to reason that the vast oil stores present in the Middle East could be a result of decomposition from the lushest garden that has ever existed. Of course, this is just a theory.

Here are some other theories which have been posed over the years;

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe Eden to be located in Missouri, USA. Founder Joseph Smith discovered a stone slab that he claimed was Adam’s hand-built altar and thus established the place as the location of the famed garden.
‘The Sky People’ by Brinsley LePoer Trench suggested Mars as a location since canals that fit the biblical description of the four river heads are theorized to have existed on Mars. He also claimed that Eden was created by Space People, and that descendants of Noah (who also lived on Mars) were eventually forced to come to Earth to live.
General Charles Gordon supported a theory that was developed that argued Lumeria– a continent that was over what is now the Indian Ocean – existed. Lumeria is claimed to have housed Madagascar and India on one continent. It was also maintained that the human race was started in Lumeria and thus, was the location for the garden.
Some scholars believe that Eden existed in Northeast Africa. This theory is built around the fact that the oldest human remains have been found there, as well as Josephus’ idea that Pishon is the Nile.
It has also been reasoned that Eden was located in the Holy Land, with the river Jordan being the water source in question. This is partly due to the prophet Ezekiel tying in his account of Eden with Jerusalem; “You were in Eden, the garden of God;” … “You were on the holy mount of God.” The mount being specified is generally regarded as Mount Moriah where the Dome of the Rock now sits.

Two Reasons We Will Never Find Eden

1) The Flood

In order to properly investigate the whereabouts of this paradisal Holy Grail, we need to take in a major factor: the flood.

The global flood that wiped out all of humanity, save for Noah and his family, changed the surface of the earth to the point that it was left unrecognisable.

If most of the sedimentary layers that rest on the earth’s surface were formed as a result of this catastrophic event, then how could we possibly know where the Garden of Eden was located? In a modern flood, land erosion occurs in one area, with the water moving and redepositing the sediments in another area. Because of the sheer size of the flood in question, we can assume that the effects of this were far more intense, and certainly global. No place on the Earth’s surface could have remained untouched.

We have no hope of logically pinpointing the original location for the Tigris, the Euphrates or Eden after the surface of the earth was completely restructured under water damage.

2) Guarded Entrance

“So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”

This last sentence of Genesis 3 tells us everything we need to know about our quest to find Eden.

After the expulsion, Genesis tells us that God placed one of his angels at the entrance to Eden, in an attempt to keep humanity from re-entering. If the flood did not stop us from entering the garden, this precaution certainly would.

Even if we can determine the general location for the garden, the physical parameters of it, and can authenticate its existence, how can we get there?

Put simply: we can’t.

God has ensured that we cannot precisely locate or enter this garden of paradise. It has become the forbidden fruit for all humanity.

For fallen humans, Eden exists only with the pages of the Bible.

If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe or sign the petition to establish Creation Day as an officially recognized holiday. To sign, go here

Lenspiration photos courtesy of James Staddon

www.lenspiration.com

5 Reasons Why You Should Celebrate Creation Day

The Bible, as we have seen, is full of beautiful things to say about God’s creation, and is clear that humanity is called to love and nurture it as part of our earthly responsibilities.

The focus of Creation Day is to take the time to find ways to praise God and his created order. This includes animals, plants, the solar system, humanity and the environment – all the parts of the created universe. The earth is an incredible and complex place and is really quite magnificent. It contains millions of vibrant and complex ecosystems which support the ideal conditions for many forms of life. It is a wholly remarkable, intricate created work of art that is certainly worthy of our attention.

There are many ways to praise God’s creation but the most popular ones include taking the time to reflect on God’s creation, and taking actions to help his creation. As Christians, we are called by God to speak out, act and advocate for things which affect God’s creation. One of the ways that we can act is by celebrating Creation Day as a national holiday.

I think if you really think about it, you will see that reasons to celebrate Creation Day are a no brainer. But…just in case you need further convincing, here is a list of five reasons why you should celebrate Creation Day;

REASON 1 – Because Creation Deserves It

For many churches, biblical holidays and themes are the perfect cause for a special celebration.

It is quite common for churches to dedicate services to these specific themes. Annually, most churches commemorate Christ’s Crucifixion in a Good Friday service; celebrate His resurrection in an Easter Sunday service or celebrate Jesus’ incarnation at Christmas. Some churches even dedicate monthly services to certain themes such as ‘Communion Sunday’ or ‘Baptism Sunday’.

Despite all of these fantastic reasons to celebrate, we fail to dedicate a service to the doctrine of creation, and set aside a ‘Creation Day’ to worship the creative work of our God. Creation is one of the main themes in the bible and yet we don’t seem give it the same special treatment that these events receive.

The bottom line? If a special service is good enough for Ash Wednesday and Christmas Eve Candlelight then it’s good enough for creation.

REASON 2 – Because The Ten Commandments Honors Creation

Creation is mentioned several times in the Decalogue.

In Exodus 20, we are told;

“…the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns…

…for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.”

The fact that the Ten Commandments mentions creation, and places such an emphasis on the Sabbath indicates a need for us to honor it also by dedicating one of these the Sabbath days to reflect on, and act upon, God’s creation.

REASON 3 – Because It Forces Us to Set Aside Time To Act

Creation Day not only offers an opportunity to reflect on God’s creation. With some planning and passion you can also take advantage of the special day to do something which serves creation.

Some ideas might include:

Holding a Creation Day themed service at your church
Handing out flyers addressing a specific issue
Changing the light bulbs in your home to eco-bulbs
Starting a compost heap in your backyard
Hosting a coffee afternoon and serve organic food and fair trade coffee using re-usable plates, cups and napkins
Inviting a guest speaker to your church to talk about relevant issues
Planning or take part in a community service project such as a local clean up
Cleaning up the church grounds and establish some eco-friendly aids such as setting up barrels to catch rain water
Going on a hike at a local trail
Holding a Creation Day festival at your church and ask local environment groups to set up informative booths or local produce growers to sell their products
Holding a church service outdoors

REASON 4 – Because It’s The Least We Can Do!

It goes without saying, but celebrating Creation Day is really the very least that we can do. I think we can all agree that without God’s gift of creation, we would not be here. I can’t think of a better to reason to celebrate Creation Day than because of our sheer existence!

As well as being able to participate in creation, God also gave us the ability to truly engage in it. God could have simply put us here with the need to eat to sustain ourselves but without giving us the opportunity to really savor our food. But he didn’t! He bestowed on us the gift of taste which allows us to enjoy eating. We have eyes which see colour and nature, the ability to smell food and flowers, the ability to hear the sounds of animals, and touch so we can feel the world around us. Creation is the gift that keeps on giving.

Creation gives us cause to celebrate each and every day and at the very least, and it deserves one special day where we pay tribute to this amazing privilege we have been given.

REASON 5 – Because Through Creation God Will Redeem The World

In Christ’s life, death and resurrection, humanity and the entire cosmos was brought back into right relationship with God.

In Genesis we saw that God looked at his creation and declared it to be good. Created with inherent goodness, humanity’s fall into sin meant that creation’s order was disrupted. Since the fall people have continued to misuse the earth, participating in a process that has caused deterioration in many areas of the world, and of life.

God’s overarching redemptive plan for the world is to restore his creation to its original goodness. We must dedicate ourselves to participating in the redemption that God has planned for his creation. Pledging ourselves to a thorough and committed participation in Creation Day is a great step towards caring for God’s redemptive purposes.

So what are you waiting for? Start celebrating creation!

Celebrate the trees, the animals, the birds, the fish, the flowers, the mountains and the people. Praise God by enhancing your appreciation for his creative work and celebrate Creation Day.

You might start by signing the petition to establish Creation Day as a national holiday. To sign, go here.

Last week we looked at the theme of creation throughout scripture, from the creation of the earth in Genesis to the establishment of God’s new, eschatological creation which is yet to come.

If you missed the article, you can read it here

The Bible: From Creation to New Creation

Though the Bible is filled with many different books and authors, it tells a cohesive story about the history of the world, functioning within God’s holistic and redemptive purpose – from creation, to new creation. God’s creative activity unfolds throughout scripture, providing a meta narrative that reveals our God and his plan for the entire created order.

The Bible begins and ends with creation, and ultimately uses creation as a way of reflecting on the nature of God, of humanity and of His plan for the cosmos. Scripture affirms that God has been intimately bonded to creation from before the creation of the world, in the now, and through to the ‘not yet’.

Original Creation

One of the most well-known stories in the Bible is the seven day creation of the world seen in Genesis 1. This chapter reveals the creative process and creative nature of God, and sets the foundation for creation as a theme throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Through God’s creative activity, we learn that our God is a God who is actively present within his creation, and who continues to care for and sustain this creation throughout history.

Genesis 2 outlines the creation of the first man and woman, and once again reveals a God who is deeply connected to the earth, so much so that he breathes his own breath into Adam as part of his creative process.

When we come to Genesis 3 we see that all is not well within creation. Though God is seen to be walking with Adam and Eve in the garden, they have forgotten God’s creative generosity and have taken it for granted. In eating from the tree, Adam and Eve set off a chain of events which not only affects their own existence, but unravels the very fabric of the created order. This unravelling will continue to deteriorate until God takes action in Genesis 6.

The Flood

By Genesis 6, the created order has declined into a state of irreparable disrepair, and God feels compelled to take matters into his own hands. Scripture describes God’s grief and regret at having created, and his plans to flood all of creation and remake it through Noah.

In carrying out His plans, God is returning the earth to its pre-creation state of watery chaos that preceded his six day creation process – he is carrying out a systematic reversal of his own creation. This ‘de-creation’ is done by destroying everything in the order that it was created;

The windows of heaven are opened, and the fountains of the deep are released. This parallels Genesis 1 where God separated the water from the land
Noah’s ark is seen as floating on the face of the waters, an echo to God’s spirit which hovers over the face of the waters
Land animals, birds and sea creatures are destroyed
Humans are destroyed
God manifests a wind to blow over the waters, alluding to the breath of life God gives in Genesis 2

Finally, the flood episode ends with a reinstatement of the original creation – God gives Noah and his family directions akin to what he gave Adam in the garden, and even instructs him to “be fruitful and multiply”, an exact replica of the command given to Adam and Eve.

After establishing a convenant with Noah, God offers him a sign in the form of a piece of creation – a rainbow.

The Torah and Deuteronomistic History

God’s desire to renew his created order is bound up with the renewal and recreation of Israel as a nation. The writer of the Torah describes this and acknowledges God as the creator of the earth;

^“Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.”

These first books of the Bible also point to the responsibility that we have as humans to become diligent stewards of creation. Leviticus states that creation is the property of God, and is not to be defiled. Moses, the likely author of Leviticus, even commands that creation itself, including the land, will observe the Sabbath.

In Numbers, the Israelites are told;

“You shall not pollute the land in which you live…. You shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I also dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the Israelites.”

…and this mandate is repeated in Deuteronomy.

The Old Testament closes with the Prophets, who urge Israel to come back to their creator and their God. The Prophets also urged God’s people to care for creation, and respect the earth in a way that adequately pays homage to the creator of all things (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Hosea).

The Gospels

John opens with a retelling of Genesis 1.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.”

This mirrors the words of Genesis, and gives us insight into Jesus’ role in the cosmic order – he himself was a fundamental part of the original creation from the beginning.

Later in John, Jesus is described as having breathed on the disciples, in order for them to receive the Holy Spirit. This has echoes to Genesis 2 where God breathes into Adam.

The Gospels portray Jesus as asserting authority over all of creation – defying natural laws by walking on water, stilling a chaotic storm, multiplying a small amount of fish in order to feed a multitude, raising the dead and defying death himself.

Jesus

John’s passage reflects on Jesus as being integral to the creation of the world. As the New Testament goes on, it become more and more clear that Jesus was not only involved in creation, but is central to it. In this way, we must regard all of creation as thoroughly Christocentric in nature. Paul tells us in Colossians that “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created…”

In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes that:

“…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…”

The same God who created all things in six days has now established a new creation through Christ. All those who embrace Jesus are now living out of this new creation.

Through Jesus, God reconciles himself to his created order once more, bridging the gaps that were made broken through sin. Christ’s life, death and resurrection do not only affect the human condition, but affect the fundamental order of the entire cosmos.

Groaning Creation

We know from Romans 8 that the entire created order longs for redemption – and that the brokenness established at Eden reverberates throughout the entire natural world.

“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God… in hopethat the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.”

We can see this groaning as early as Genesis 4 when Abel is slain and God tells Cain that:

“The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.”

The entire created order all looks forward to the restoration of the world through God’s redemptive plan. This includes the stars, the spiders and everything in between!

New Creation

As early as Isaiah, we are told that God will

“…create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.”

Revelations confirms this, when John has a vision;

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

Paul also validates this when he writes in Peter that:

“…according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

The promise of a new creation is a promise which will be fulfilled throughout the entire cosmos.

Tracing the history of the world from creation to new creation helps us to see that creation was never merely a background theme in scriptures – creation is in itself the story of salvation. The entire created order was made, fell from glory, groans in anticipation, became a new creation in Christ and looks forward to the complete and final restoration of the entire cosmos. There is no biblical narrative without creation, and without an understanding of this fundamental theme, we cannot fully grasp the biblical story.

To honor the redemptive purposes of God from creation to new creation, please sign our petition, to establish Creation Day as an officially recognised holiday!

To sign, click here