In the beginning God created heaven and earth. God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good.
Gen 1.1,31a
A. Personal Existential Expositions
a.1.) Acknowledgement of the Sovereignty of God
I begin this dogma synthesis by submitting to the sovereignty of the Almighty God who created the world and everything on it. It is an inescapable truth that the doctrine of creation is the fact of the sovereignty of God. Creation, inevitably, is rooted in divine sovereignty. This doctrine presupposes mighty creative power, something which St. Paul makes clear to the Romans when he says that "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" (Rom. 1:20).
I was born second in the family of three. I thought for the past 13 years that I was the youngest in the family. Being the youngest, I had all the privileges and love. I was so grateful for the love and care my parents had given to me until the day I knew that a new member was to be born. At first, I had a feeling of disappointment knowing the fact that the presence of the new baby would change everything in my life. I had a lot of fears that my parents would not mind me anymore because their attention would all be now to the youngest. The title that I had enjoyed a lot in past 13 years, “the youngest,” would be now stripped from me. I was not prepared to be set aside and I was not used to be neglected by the family.
However, when the baby was born, I had sensed something which I did not expect. Deep in me I was so happy to see a new creation to be a part of our family. My fears and anxieties then, became my joys and excitements. Indeed, instead of being afraid of losing importance in the family, I insisted to care my younger sister, seeing her as a precious gift God ever given to me and to my family. My care to our youngest made me more loved by my parents and made me more important as ever.
Thinking of those experiences, I cannot but reflect on the greatness and sovereignty of the Almighty God. Whoever thought that in the past 13 years we would have a new member in our family? And whoever thought that after the birth of our youngest, my point of view on many things changes everything in my life. Creation is about God ultimate power, it is about God’s overflowing love and out of that love that we are created.
a.2.) Created in the Image and Likeness of God
The creation of mankind acquires special significance in the Biblical Creation Story. It is here where God creates a creature that is higher than the animals — a being which possesses a special likeness to Him, and is created in His very own image. It is this creation — God's final — that is the pinnacle of the Story. The prior six days, and every creation event occurring within, has led up to this profound moment. For in humanity, God has developed a being that is capable of developing a personal, spiritual relationship with Him. In addition, for the first time in the Bible, God directly communicates with mankind. He does this in Genesis 1:28 when, after blessing the first man and woman, He instructed them to "Be fruitful and increase in number . . ."
The personal relationship that spiritually bonds us with God is unique on our world. Plants, though certainly living entities, are incapable of thought. The animal world primarily consists of creatures that act on instinct. Some of the "higher" animals — mammals, such as dogs, apes, or monkeys — appear capable of intelligent thought, but do not form a spiritual relationship with God. In all of creation, we alone have been blessed with this wonderful ability and opportunity.
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.” - (Psalms 8:3-8 NIV)
We have all been made in the image and likeness of God, and because of this, each of us is capable of determining our own destiny. Unlike the plants and animals, God has endowed us with the ability to form a relationship with Him, the ability to increase our knowledge and wisdom, and the responsibility of caring for the world that He has given us.
The fact that we are made in His image and likeness should inspire us with a sense of duty and purpose. As His primary creations, we are obligated to emulate and exhibit His divineness. We may find it complimentary that we have been made in His image, but all too often we have neglected the responsibilities that it entails. Above all of His Earthly creations, God has endowed each of us with a unique soul — making us accountable for all of our actions.
B. Doctrinal Expositions
b.1.) The Doctrine of Creation
The doctrine of creation is that God created everything, both the visible worlds and the invisible, out of nothing. Without the continuing creative activity of God at every moment, the cosmos would not be; it would be naught. Speaking of the Logos-Word of God, holy John the Theologian writes, “Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him.” (Jn 1.3 [NJB])
Creation, as we have seen, is rooted in the divine decrees (cf Ps. 8:3), is a manifestation of divine power (Rev. 4:11), and, was pronounced "very good" on its accomplishment. In addition, it is clear from Scripture that creation was an act of the triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The act of creation provides a clear demonstration of the Trinitarian doctrine.
b.2.) Creation absolutely an Act of God
The work of creation is attributed to the Godhead, the one living and true God, revealed to us in Holy Scripture. This is clear from the Genesis narrative, and also from many other Old Testament passages (cf Deut. 4:32; Ps. 104; Isa. 45:5-19; Mal. 2: 1 0) and also from New Testament passages (cf. Mark 13:19; Acts 17:24; Eph. 3:9; Rev. 10:6). Such references may correctly be taken as referring primarily to the creative activity of God the Father. Specifically, however, we are told that "all things" owe their origin to "God, the Father" (I Cor. 8:6).
b.3.) Creation through God, the Son
While creation is predicated primarily of God in the unity of His being, there are specific instances of this creative work being accomplished through God, the Son (the Lord Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. In His incarnation (John 1:14; Phil. 2:6-7) Jesus took human flesh, without sin (Phil. 2:5). He was "sent" by the Father (John 5:37). But he had existence before His incarnation. This is beautifully brought out in His prayer recorded in John 17: "And now, 0 Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world was" (v.5).
In another place He is recorded as saying: "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). Specifically, the work of creation is attributed to the Son (cf John 1: 1-5). This is most explicitly brought out in the Letter to the Colossians where we read that is was by the Son that all things "were ... 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" (Col. 1: 16-17). This enlarges on a statement of Paul's elsewhere, that "of him and through him, and to him are all things: to whom be glory for ever" (Rom. 11:36; cf Heb. 1:2).
b.4.) The Spirit in Creation
The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14), "eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son" (WCF, II, 3; cf John 15:26). He too is active in creation. The first indication of this is given in Genesis chapter 2 where we are told that the 'Spirit of God moved upon [or, hovered over] the waters" (v.1). This is confirmed by such texts as Job 26:13 (cf 33:4) and Psalm 104:30 (cf Ps. 33:6) and Isaiah 40:13.
Moreover, the creation is good because it is created by God, who is the author of good. He is, himself, good and goodness, light and life, and so the work of his hands is innately good for that very reason.
God creates the cosmos out of nothing, and it is very good. That is the essential dogma of creation.
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