The creation account answers the question, "What's it all about?" Its chief purpose is to explain the meaning of creation, not its mechanics. It does not purport to give the "how" of creation (that's a matter for science) but the "why." The question it addresses is not "How did the universe physically arrive at its present state" but rather, "What is the meaning of it all?"

Our perspective on creation impacts everything. Creation is the stage upon which we live our lives. What we believe about creation influences what we believe about life - its meaning, purpose, and design.

Belief in divine creation is foundational to Christian faith. It is the starting point for every major Christian creed: "We believe in God the Father, Maker of heaven and earth." Belief in a Creator is an invitation to view all reality through the lens of faith. It gives meaning to the whole of human existence. Faith helps us answer the question, "What's it all about?"

Interpreting Genesis - Days 1-6

In order to understand Genesis, we must recognize its significance to its original audience. Genesis 1:1-2:3 was not written to provide us with a universal time-table (creation in seven 24-hour days) or to argue against evolutionary theory (its real argument is for monotheism and against polytheism). Its purpose is to provide us with meaning - a way to interpret life in this world.

Everything - life, the universe, and everything - is included in the summary statement that begins the account: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).[1] The phrase, "the heavens and the earth" is a merism, a form of speech where contrasting parts serve to express the whole. Since there is no Hebrew word equivalent to our words "cosmos" or "universe," the merism "heavens and earth" serves to encompass the whole of reality.[2]

The account is structured by progressive days. This is the framework that moves the account forward. The "days" serve a liturgical function (which will be explained below) and are not meant to be woodenly interpreted as referring to seven 24-hour days. Physicist John Polkinghorne and theologian Michael Welker, in their book Faith in the Living God, argue that the Genesis account itself speaks of "two different time systems." God's creation of light and separation of the light from darkness do not refer to the simple differentiation of natural light from natural darkness. This is reserved for Day Four and the creation of the sun, moon, and stars. Ancient interpreters, like Augustine, recognized that God's relationship to time is different than ours (see Psalm 90:4). The frame of reference in the Genesis account is not human, but divine. God is the actor and observer and we should assume that time is recounted from the divine perspective rather than from human experience. For this reason, "Gerald Schroeder, a physicist committed to Orthodox Judaism, argues that the six days of Genesis in God's time are fifteen billion years on our time-scale, since in relativity theory time measurements vary according to the frame of reference of the observer."[3]

Before God begins to order creation, the earth is "formless and unfilled" (Heb. tohu and bohu). "Darkness" draws attention to its "unfilled" stated and "the watery deep" represents its "formlessness."

It is necessary to note that there is nothing sinister about this primordial chaos. It simply indicates that God has not yet begun the work of creation. Theologian John Walton paraphrases: "The earth was nonfunctional; primordial, watery darkness prevailed, and a supernatural wind that was permeated with the power of God circulated over the surface of the waters." Unlike other ancient accounts, creation does not arise from conflict. The formless chaos is not presented as a dark power that is opposed to God, but rather as the shapeless stuff from which God effortlessly creates. As we will see, each day is an effortless stroke of the artist's brush.

Day 1 begins with a formless and unfilled cosmos that is empty of purpose, meaning, and function. From this primordial state God begins to "form and fill" - to form environments in order to fill them with life.

Out of the chaos God brings order through divine actions. God is the chief actor in Genesis 1:1-2:3. The word, "God" (Heb. Elohim - the mighty one) is mentioned thirty-five times in thirty-five verses. God speaks, creates, sees, evaluates, separates, orders, and names. The creation of light marks the beginning of order. God declares the light to be "good" and separates it from the darkness.

On Day 2, we witness a vertical separation as the earth is distinguished from heaven. Structurally speaking, the "expanse (Heb. raqia) in the heavens" was perceived by the ancient audience as a solid dome in the sky. The stars, sun, and moon are set "in the raqia" (Genesis 1:14, 17). The birds fly "across the surface of raqia" (Genesis 1:20).

On Day 3, we witness a horizontal separation. The earth is distinguished from the sea. This allows "the earth to put forth vegetation" - plants that yield seed and trees that bear fruit. This was particularly significant in an agrarian culture. For the first time, God evaluates God's creation and twice declares: "And God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:10, 12). God is pleased with creation.

Having established the basic form of things, God begins to fill the form:

On Day 4, natural lights - the sun, moon, and stars - are established as rulers over the domain of time. "And God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:18).

On Day 5, the sea creatures and birds are established as rulers over the domains of sea and sky. "And God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:21).

On Day 6, land animals, domesticated and wild, arise from the earth (Genesis 1:24).[4] And again: "God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:25).

Humankind is established as the ruler over the domain of land. Unlike anything up to this point, the special creation of humankind is preceded by divine reflection. Humankind is God's "special project" - the result of divine counsel. Humankind is given a special relationship to God (image-bearer) and to the earth and its creatures (steward). God communicates directly to the image-bearers, blessing and instructing them.

Day 6 ends with God's final evaluation: "God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good" (Genesis 1:31). Everything is good, indeed, very good. Nothing greater could be said about creation. Creation has God's complete approval and blessing.

It is important to note that creation is "good" but not perfect. It is good in that it is suited for the divine purpose - it conforms to God's intention. But it is open to further development - a task given to humanity as its steward.

Further development of creation was intended by God and expected. Created reality was not made perfect in the sense of being at its final goal; it still had to develop in the direction of ultimate perfection. The original creation was itself the beginning realization of the full embodiment of Gods purpose for creation.[5]

Day 7 - The Meaning of Creation

Though divine creation is finished (Genesis 2:1), the creation account is not yet over (Genesis 2:2). The account does not end at chapter one but continues through the opening verses of chapter two. These final verses shed insight on God's ultimate intention for creation.

Day 7 is not an appendix to the creation account, but rather, its climax. Though many assume that the creation of humanity on Day 6 is the climax of the creation account, this is clearly not the case.[6] The climax of the creation account is Day 7. What happens on this day is the key to the meaning of creation.

Day 7 is the day in which God rests. God's rest is not the rest of exhaustion, but of exuberance and delight. God is not tired - wiping the divine brow and exclaiming, "Schewww!" Rather, God is contented. The divine purpose has been realized. The cosmos finds its blessing and sanctification in the fact that it now is a home in which God rests. The cosmos is a sanctuary for God's glory - a cosmic temple divinely formed by God in order to be divinely filled by God.

Day 7 reveals the ultimate purpose of creation - the grand meaning of the cosmos. Humankind is the pinnacle of creation, but not the purpose. The profound truth that Genesis reveals is that creation is made by God for God to fill it with the divine presence - the divine glory.[7] That is, creation is God's temple, God's sanctuary. God says through the prophet Isaiah, "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool" (Isaiah 66:1).

The beginning foreshadows the end. And the end is a return to the beginning. God is creator of all things in heaven and upon earth. And in answer to human sin, God is also the redeemer of creation. Redemption is the renewal and restoration of a fallen creation. It marks the return to God's original intention for creation, an intention revealed in the creation account. Therefore, we should not be surprised that the final chapters of the Bible prominently picture the cosmos as God's temple. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1) concludes with "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1). In this new creation, there is "no temple", but rather, "its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb" (Revelation 21:22). God is "all in all" for the glory of God pervades and permeates all (see 1 Corinthians 15:28).

The Cosmic Temple

If God's original intention is that creation would be God's temple, and creation's ultimate destiny is for this to be fully realized in new creation, what then do we make of ancient Israel's tabernacle and temple?

Ancient Israel understood that the temple was patterned after creation. Psalm 78:69 says, "And he built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which he has founded forever." The temple is a microcosm of the cosmos - a small picture of a much larger reality. It represents the ultimate truth - all creation exists for and will be filled by God.

The verbal parallels between Genesis 1 and Exodus 39-40 reveal the intentional similarities between the cosmic temple and Israel's temple:

Just as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth (Isaiah 6:3), so the glory of the Lord fills the temple: "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34; cf. 1 Kings 8:11). Just as creation is a place of God's rest, so God rests in the temple: "For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation. This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it" (Psalm 132:13-14).[8]

Viewing the temple as a microcosm of the cosmos, we now are in a position to better understand the structure of the creation account. The seven days serve a liturgical function. The seven-day pattern of creation would remind Israel of its most significant seven-day pattern - that of work and Sabbath. Their temple worship was rooted in a seven-day rhythm that climaxed in praise and worship of the God who chose to be present among them. The rhythm of worship reflected the rhythm of creation. The reason: Temple worship is a window into ultimate reality. What God does in the temple reflects God's intentions for the world, for the divine design is to fill the world with God's glory. It is this that Israel celebrated in its worship.

New Creation in Christ

The profound truth of Day 7 is that the form of the cosmos is perfectly suited to be filled, not only with a seemingly endless variety of creatures, but with the divine presence. The cosmos is God's temple. Israel's temple served as a constant reminder of this great truth.

The purpose of the cosmos foreshadowed in the creation account comes to its fullness in the incarnation. God fills creation with divine glory in the person of Christ. A new move of God's Spirit brings about new creation through Christ.

This new creation begins with the new light - the "uncreated light" of Christ:

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. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness (John 1:1-4)

The new light of new creation shines in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6), who brings "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). To be "in Christ" is to share in the beginning of God's new creation. Through God's saving work, we are illuminated and enlightened by the "uncreated light" - the light not of the sun, but of the Son. We are filled with the Spirit and long for the day when God will be all in all: "And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb" (Revelation 21:23; cf. 22:3-5).

Christ opens the door to the return of all creation to its original divine purpose - to be filled by God. This is the reason that the cosmos exists - in order to be a sanctuary for God. We participate in this future reality now by seeking to be filled with God's Spirit in the temple of our bodies.

Conclusion

We need to recover a robust theology of creation. Years ago, when I began my first serious study of the biblical account of creation, I recognized that too much attention was given to arguing for or against evolution - treating the Bible like a scientific text - rather than unfolding the meaning of creation - treating the Bible as a sacred text. Because of this, our view of creation is often anemic.

Outside of God, creation is the largest playing field possible. We need a robust, well-thought out theology of creation. And in order to have a biblically informed perspective, we must not start with original sin, but original goodness and original blessing.  Creation is good. It is designed to be filled, flooded, and drenched in God.

Salvation is the redemption of creation - a restoration to God's original purpose to fill the world with divine glory. Redemption is restoration of original goodness - the renewal and restoration of a fallen creation, a return to God's original intention for creation. Redemption comes about through new creation in Christ - a new filling of the human form with the divine glory in Christ and through the Spirit of God.

In the redemption story of sacred scripture, creation is not abandoned but inhabited. Salvation is not an escape from creation but the ultimate sanctifying of creation. The Christian tradition, therefore, takes issue with materialists and spiritualists. Materialists reduce reality to mere matter and fail to see the God above, behind, beyond, and within creation. Spiritualists deny that matter actually matters, relegating it to illusion. Gnostic, new-age tomes that claim "consciousness must not identify with forms or materiality" undermine creation. Because of its understanding of creation, the Christian tradition is at odds with eastern traditions that claim creation is "maya" or illusion. We may live an illusion, but the world is not an illusion. What we need is to awaken to the true and ultimate meaning of reality - a meaning revealed in Genesis.

Creation is good, indeed, very good. Though the divine intention of a world full of God's glory has been temporarily subverted through human sin, God's glory still shines through. But God's glory is not everywhere embraced. It is still resisted. But the prophetic hope remains: "the earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea" (see Numbers 14:21 and Habakkuk 2:14).

© Richard J. Vincent, 2008