CHAPTER 2: THE CREATIONTHE HISTORICAL QUESTIONThe origin of the world is, and will probably remain, a hotly debated issue. Creation / evolution / big bang. "7 days" symbolizing 7 eras of evolution, gap theories, etc. Were Adam and Eve "real", or "only" myths? Did the Garden of Eden ever exist? For the purposes of the present writing, none of this matters. Whether Eden was real or "only" a symbol is immaterial. The historicity of Adam and Eve is insignificant. That is because the creation / fall accounts in Genesis relay essential truths to us which stand on their own, regardless of their association with material history. This is a difficult point for many people to grasp. I am not saying that Eden was "only" a symbol, neither am I calling it physical history. I will take no position. However, what it tells us about ourselves is true. If it is "only" a fable, then the fable has a valid moral. Understanding that moral is limitlessly more significant than worrying about its historical basis. Put another way, what if we were able to establish, to the absolute certainty of even the most skeptical and atheistic among us, that Adam and Eve were actual historical people? What if we had them eating the forbidden fruit on video tape? So what? Who cares? What does that have to do with me?? I am only concerned about the "so what?" We have a great deal to learn about life from the Genesis accounts of creation and Eden. That is what matters. That is what we will focus on. THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSEAs is often the case, it is best to start at the beginning. The very beginning. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Gen 1:1) The first Chapter of Genesis accounts that God spoke and the universe came into being. The key word in the account is "good". The light was good. The seas were good. The earth, trees, and vegetation were good. Every living creature, including mankind. "and God saw all that he had made, and behold, it was very good". (Gen 1:31) CRUCIAL POINT #1: Everything in the entire universe, every single thing that existed, everything everywhere was good. Beautiful. Wonderful. An extension and expression of the nature and attributes of the transcendently glorious being that had created it. Whether under the earth, in the water, on the land, in the sky, all the stars, all the planets, all the galaxies, absolutely all of creation, all of the entire manifest universe was good! Everything that was, was good. Goodness was the only reality. We have lost perspective on this central point. We tend to see the world as a horrid, wicked place. But even to this day, the underlying truth is that "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude..." (I Timothy 4:4) God is good. God is love. The creation, as an extension or projection of his being, shares in this goodness. You will find much more on this topic in "The Revealing Science of God." |
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