The never-ending experiment… (pt 3)
Our lives are so much bigger than us. It’s far beyond what we can physically see. Though, our time on earth is temporary, it’s crucial that we recognize our purpose and live within that purpose. Once we fully accept who we are, then we can begin to live life in that purpose. Acceptance of who we are doesn’t come from who the world tells us we are, but it comes from who the Source of Life tells us we are. To do this, we must understand our history, beginning with the divine order of creation and then the purpose for which we were created.
Let’s look at the order of creation as revealed in Genesis 1 and 2:1-3. In the beginning, God created and spoke things into existence, and with each act of creation, He declared it good. In six days, God created the heavens and earth out of nothing. He spoke light into existence that separated day and night; next, the expanse of Heaven, separating the waters; then the dry land called earth, the seas, then the vegetation; then He created the two great lights—the sun and the moon—to define the passing of time along with stars; then came the various creatures to occupy the sky, waters, and land; finally, humanity. On the seventh day, God rested —not out of weariness from labor, but we learn from Scripture that He finished the work He had done (Genesis 1:2). From this foundational account alone, I want to highlight two things:
1) Divine Order: We learn from the very beginning that there is a precise order in which things must be done. God didn’t create humanity before the earth. Had He done so, where would humanity have dwelt? God created everything in divine order that would allow humanity, the image bearers of God, to live in His blessing: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28). It is in this divine order of creation that we learn of God’s sovereignty, meaning He has ultimate control over all creation.
2) Inherent Goodness and Image: God saw that everything He made was good. This means that His creation was without flaw and lacked nothing; it was perfect. In this aspect, we learn that humanity was set apart from the other created beings. God declared, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26a), thus, creating male and female in His image. This signifies that God intended for humanity to mirror His nature. Not for humanity to think that we are God, but to be a representation of Him in intellect, morality, and in relationships. Humanity was designed to lack nothing, because of being made in the image of a perfect God.
Here, we learn that there is a Creator for the created. God is sovereign and perfect. He doesn’t make mistakes and He operates in a divine order in the way things shall be done. Indeed, everything that has been created points to the existence and unchanging character of God.
Once the divine order of creation was established, we delve deeper into the specific creation of humanity. Before man’s creation, we learn that no bush or small plants had yet appeared because the Lord God had not sent any rain to water the ground, though mist came up from the land. In addition, there was no man to work the ground (Genesis 2:5). The Lord God in recognizing this, used the dust from the ground and formed the man, then He breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, making him a living creature. The Lord God then placed the man in the garden in Eden, where he was soon surrounded by every tree that was pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the midst of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Lord God put the man in the garden to work it and maintain it, giving him his first commandment, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). The Lord God then acknowledge that it wasn’t good for the man to be alone and that he needed a suitable helper. With this, He tasked the man with naming the other creations that were formed from the ground, but no living creature was found suitable to him. So the Lord God put the man to sleep, took one of his ribs, and using that rib, He formed the woman. The man and the woman became one flesh under the authority of the Lord God.
In these details, we discover the purpose for creation and the source of our true identity. We learn that humanity is fundamentally designed to be in relationship with God. We understand this truth when God said, “Let us make man in our image, and after our likeness.” This indicates that the essence of our being comes from God. Additionally, the shift from “God” in Genesis 1 to “Lord God” in Genesis 2 shows the intimate connection that God desires with humanity from revealing Himself. When God created the world, it was so that it might be His dwelling place. A place where His presence is manifested among His creation, displaying His glory. We learn that man is to cultivate and steward all that God has provided. We learn of God’s direct communication with the man He had formed, giving him his first commandment to be obeyed. We learn of humanity’s dominion over the animals, and the forming of the woman as a helper to the man—all part of God’s divine order and the way in which things should be done.
This historical account is vital because it reveals the original and unchanging identity and purpose of humanity at the beginning of creation that was established by God. This was to be the blueprint for our existence: created in God’s perfect image, inherently good, lacking nothing, and designed for intimate relationship with Him and stewardship of His creation. But then, sin entered the world—and there was chaos.
Morgan