Thoughts from The Bible

Thoughts from the Bible

Tuesday, 23 May 2023 10:20

God is creator, part 2
In the Bible, God reveals who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised to do. This revelation is the basis for our response to God in worship, service, and obedience to His Word. One of the most significant ways that God has revealed Himself is through Creation. There are many places in the Bible that refer to God as creating all things, but David writes one of the most notable passages. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1-3, ESV). Many scholars refer to this as the general revelation of God. Just as a painting demonstrates the work of an artist, so Creation demonstrates the order, design, beauty, and wonder of the God who created it.

But God has made Himself known through Creation in much more specific ways than simply observing its wonder. In fact, the very first thing that God wants us to know about Himself is recorded in the first verse of the Bible. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, ESV). Those initial words lay a foundation from which many other essential doctrines are constructed and understood.

A few of those doctrines and their direct relationship to Creation can be understood from Psalm 96. The Psalmist writes, “For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens” (Psalm 96:4-5, ESV).

First, God distinguishes Himself from all other gods as God alone. The very thing that gives Him the big “G” as God from all the other little “g” gods is the fact that he created all things. This very same principle becomes the basis and approach that the Apostle Paul used in communicating the Gospel to the great philosophers of the first century in the city of Athens (Acts 17:16-34).

Also, one of the reasons that God alone is worthy of all our worship and praise is tied to the doctrine of Creation. Notice how verse 4 of Psalm 96 calls for worship and praise, and the reason is that “the LORD made the heavens.” Being the Creator of all things will be one of the reasons we worship God in heaven. John writes in Revelation, “And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:9-11, ESV).

Third, the reason given in Psalm 96 for us to fear God or to obey God is for the fact that He has created all things. We surely do not owe God any sort of allegiance or obedience if He did not create all things. If He is not Creator, He is merely an idol, an invention of men.

The most significant doctrine that is directly tied to Creation deals with Jesus Christ, the Son of God and our Savior. There is more than one passage that links these two doctrines inextricably together. Colossians 1:16 is one such passage. “For by Him (Jesus) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through Him and for Him” (ESV). The Bible clearly states that the Son was alongside the Father in creating all things. In fact, all things were created by Jesus, through Jesus, and for Jesus.

There are so many doctrines that come unraveled and must be rejected if God did not create the heavens and the earth. For if God did not create all things, there is no reason to worship Him, there is no reason to fear and obey Him, and there is no reason to believe upon His Son for salvation.

In fact, if God did not create all things, the Bible should be rejected because the very first statement would be considered a lie.

-Joey Carroll