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Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 2
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Chapter 8: Creation (weeks 28-30)
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9. God Eternally Existed Before Creation Began: This is a difficult (actually an impossible) concept for us to understand. Humans simply cannot conceive of what it means to exist before time began (pp. 426, 428). "Scripture… speaks of a time before the birth of mountains, before the foundation of the world, before the aeons began (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 90:2; Prov. 8:22; Matt. 13:35; 25:34; John 1:1; 17:24; Eph. 1:4; 2 Tim. 1:9; Heb. 4:3; 1 Pet. 1:20; Rev. 13:8)" (p. 426). If we try to imagine what existence would have been like before creation, we are left with "nothing but the deep silence of eternity" because we simply cannot fathom what it means (p. 426). Nonetheless, we are taught in Scripture that God has always been working (John 5:17). He did not pass from rest to labor, from idleness to activity (pp. 342, 428). Rather, he has engaged in his eternal works before time began. See chapter 6, point #10 for more details. Properly understanding eternity humbles us before God. "As living, thinking beings in time, we stand before the mystery of the eternal uncreated being and marvel… in him there is neither past or future, neither becoming or change" (p. 429). Recall: "eternity" is altogether different than "time." They are not qualitatively the same thing. It's not that eternity is just a lot of time; eternity is something that cannot even be measured with or compared to time. "Eternity and time are not two lines, the shorter of which for a time runs parallel to the infinitely extended on; the truth is that eternity is the immutable centre that sends out its rays to the entire circumference of time" (p. 429; also see chapter 4, points #4 and 5).
10. All Things Were Created for God's Glory: Why was the world created? There is no deeper answer than simply saying that God willed it (Ps. 33:6; 115:3; 135:6; Isa. 46:10; Dan. 4:35; Matt. 11:25; Rom. 9:15ff.; Eph. 1:4,9,11; Rev. 4:11) (pp. 234, 430). It was not because he was needy and required the world for his satisfaction. In creation, God freely gives, but does not receive anything that is not already his. "God could not be conceived as needing anything; he could not have created the world to receive something from it but only to give and communicate himself. His goodness, therefore, was the reason for creation" (p. 431). In creation, God does not look to the creature to give him something that he lacks in himself. "[God] is and always remains his own end… The world, accordingly, did not arise from a need in God, from his poverty and lack of bliss…. [rather] God uses all creatures for his own glorification and makes them serviceable to the proclamation of his perfections" (p. 435). Everything is for God's glory. This is creation's goal: "all of nature is a revelation of God's attributes and a proclaimer of his praise (Ps. 19:1; Rom. 1:19). God created man after his image and for his glory (Gen. 1:26; Isa. 43:7). He glorified himself in the Pharaoh of the Exodus (Exod. 14:17) and in the man born blind (John 9:3), and made the wicked for the day of trouble (Prov. 16:4; Rom. 9:22). Christ came to glorify God (John 17:4)… God gives his glory to no other (Isa. 42:8). The final goal is that all kingdoms will be subjected to him and every creature will yield to him (Dan. 7:27; Isa. 2:2-22; Mal. 1:11; 1 Cor. 15:24f.). Even on earth already he is given glory by all his people (Ps. 115:1; Matt. 6:13 KJV). Someday God alone will be great (Isa. 2:2-22) and receive glory from all his creatures (Rev. 4:11; 19:6)… On this basis Christian theology almost unanimously teaches that the glory of God is the final goal of all God's works" (p. 433). "Voluntarily or involuntarily, every creature will someday bow his knee before him. Obedience in love or subjection by force is the final destiny of all creatures" (p. 434).
11. God Rightfully Seeks His Own Glory: There are those who object to the claim that God does everything for his own glory. Some would say that God's desire to glorify himself makes him self-centred and self-seeking. But, this objection can be easily answered by pointing out that God is the perfect good and therefore "God can rest in nothing other than himself and cannot be satisfied in anything less than himself. He has no alternative but to seek his own honour" (p. 434).
12. Creation Testifies to God's Perfection and Cultivates Proper Worship: The entire creation bears "the stamp of the Trinity" (p. 421). There is immense diversity in creation and yet, even in that diversity, there is an undeniable unity. Both the diversity and unity of creation find their origin in God. "God is the centre, and all creatures are grouped in concentric circles and in a hierarchical order around him… the world is a theater, a 'splendidly clear mirror of his divine glory'" (pp. 437-438). In response, "the Christian looks upward and confesses God as the Creator of heaven and earth… [the Christian] observes the unfathomability of the ways of God and the unsearchability of his judgments, but he does not despair, for all things are subject to the government of an omnipotent God and a gracious Father" (p. 438). It is then that man realizes his purpose, along with other creatures, is to glorify God. "This world is good because it answers to the purpose [God] has set for it… It is good because it is serviceable, not to the individual human being, but to the revelation of God's perfections" (p. 439). Praise God!
1. God's Counsel is Revealed Through Creation and Providence: "Creation is the initial act and foundation of all divine revelation" (p. 407); God's counsel continues to be revealed through his works of providence (cf. see Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q&A 8). It is a doctrine that is made known to us by (general and special) revelation, and is accepted as true and received by faith (Heb. 11:3) (p. 408).
2. All Things are Created by God for His Own Good Pleasure: "The idea of an existence apart from and independent of God occurs nowhere in Scripture. God is the sole, unique, and absolute cause of all that exists… The world is the product of his will (Ps. 33:6; Rev. 4:11); it is the revelation of his perfections (Prov. 8:22f.; Job 28:23f.; Ps. 104:1; 136:5f.; Jer. 10:2) and finds its goal in his glory (Isa. 43:16ff.; Prov. 16:4; Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 8:6)" (p. 407). "Holy Scripture… teaches that the Triune God is the author of creation. Scripture knows no intermediate beings… Scripture exclusively attributes the act of creation to God (Gen. 1:11; Isa. 40:12f.; 44:24; 45:12; Job 9:5-10; 38:2f.). It is what distinguishes him from false gods (Ps. 96:5; Isa. 37:16; Jer. 10:11-12)" (pp. 420-421).
3. The Doctrine of Creation is Practical: The teaching of creation is not merely philosophical. "No right relation to God is conceivable apart from [a proper understanding of creation]; it positions us in a proper relation to God (Exod. 20:11; Deut. 10:12-14; 2 Kings 19:15; Neh. 9;6). It is therefore of practical value, serving to bring out the greatness, the omnipotence, the majesty, and the goodness, wisdom, and the love of God (Ps. 19; Job 37; Isa. 40). The teaching of creation therefore strengthens people's faith, confirms their trust in God, and is a source of consolation in their suffering (Ps. 33:6f.; 65:off.; 89:11; 121:2; 134:3; Isa. 37:16; 40:28f.; 42:5; etc.); it inspires praise and thanksgiving (Ps. 136:3ff.; 148:5; Rev. 14:7); it induces humility and meekness and makes people sense their smallness and insignificance before God (Job 38:4f.; Isa. 29:16; 45:9; Jer. 18:6; Rom. 9:20)" (pp. 407-408).
4. God Created All Things Out of Nothing (Creatio Ex Nihilo): Creation was a voluntary and free act of God whereby he brought heaven and earth into existence out of nothing, as distinct from his own being. In Genesis 1, Elohim (God) is presented as the One who calls all things into existence by his Word (pp. 416-417). The distinction between the Eternal God and the time-bound created order is clear. "Everything has been created by him (Col. 1:16-17), exists only by his will (Rev. 4:11), and is of him, through him, and unto him (Rom. 11:36)… God was there before the mountains were brought forth, and his years never come to an end (Ps. 90:2; Prov. 8:25-26)… the visible world did not proceed from what is visible but rests in God, who called all things into existence by his word" (pp. 417-418). This doctrine of creation out of nothing (ex nihilo) is vitally important because (1) it opposes the pagan concept that there was a formless matter (an uncreated chaos) that eternally existed which was merely shaped and sculpted by God; and (2) it posits a clear distinction between God and the world. (This is in stark contrast to the pagan philosophies of dualism and monism, as discussed in point #5 below).
5. Pagan Opposition to the Christian Doctrine of Creation: For centuries, the church has fought against pagan views of creation (p. 409). The early church was confronted with dualism (e.g., found in Greek gnoticism and Manichaeism). Dualism proposes that there are two eternally coexisting but antagonistic principles: good and evil. This view posits a sharp opposition between spirit and matter, between God and the world (p. 424). Spiritual things are viewed as good, while the world is seen as profane. This view implies that "only part of existence would be due to God, the God of light: the spiritual world. Physical reality [on the other hand] would be the work of an evil power" (van Genderen, J., W. H. Velema, Gerrit Bilkes, and Van Der Maas Ed M. Concise Reformed Dogmatics. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Pub., 2008. pp. 248-249). By implication, an intermediate being is required to overcome this dualism, and to reconcile the opposition between spirit and matter—and this being is the Logos. In this view, the Son is made closer to the creatures and therefore subordinate to the Father (pp. 424-425; recall: chapter 6, point #13).
Another pagan view is monism (e.g., as expressed by Neoplatonic pantheism and materialism). According to monism, God is "a source that overflows with eternal necessity, a light that beams into the dark universe" (van Genderen, J., W. H. Velema, Gerrit Bilkes, and Van Der Maas Ed M. Concise Reformed Dogmatics. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Pub., 2008. p. 248). Pantheism attempts to explain creation by proposing that all things have eternally existed (as ideas) in the mind of God. Out of his abundance, God was moved from within himself to bring his ideas into existence. In doing so, God imparted himself to his creatures. The world, therefore, exists as an emanation from God. Creation automatically flows from God. According to this theory, God is the source of everything, but he cannot be truly called a creator (p. 426). Creation exists as a necessary pouring out from the divine being rather than as a free act of God. "It is God himself who first, in the ideas, creates himself, then flows down into his creatures and becomes all in all in order finally to return to himself… And the cause of this process is the goodness of God, his drive to become all things" (p. 410). Emanation eliminates the Creator-creature distinction (p. 419).
Closely related to pantheism is materialism, a philosophy also rooted in Greek philosophy (p. 412). While pantheism teaches that the divine essence is present in everything and that the material world is brought about by the spirit—materialism sees the spirit as a product of the material world (van Genderen, J., W. H. Velema, Gerrit Bilkes, and Van Der Maas Ed M. Concise Reformed Dogmatics. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Pub., 2008. p. 249). Materialism reduces everything to atoms. While we may be tempted to believe that materialism is grounded upon scientific principles, this is far from the truth. Science, after all, empirically examines the physical and cannot provide metaphysical answers to life and existence. "Materialism, accordingly, is not an exact science nor the fruit of rigorous scientific research but a philosophy… it is inherently self-contradictory; it rejects all absolutes and makes atoms absolute; it denies God's existence and deifies matter" (p. 414). We can ask: "How did the world originate from these atoms?" Materialism cannot explain how all things were set into motion (p. 415). Consequently, materialism is forced to revert back to pantheism by appealing to a mystical force that gives life to the world.
Neither dualism nor monism are compatible with Christianity. "Dualism is unacceptable because it gives part of the world a degree of autonomy [by denying its origin from God]. But God has created everything and everything is therefore subject to him. Monism is unacceptable because in principle it does not make a fundamental distinction between God and the world… [and] it leads to a deification of the world" (van Genderen, J., W. H. Velema, Gerrit Bilkes, and Van Der Maas Ed M. Concise Reformed Dogmatics. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Pub., 2008. p. 249). In contrast, the Christian worldview openly accepts all of creation as the work of God's hands, neither despising nature nor deifying it (p. 438). The Christian doctrine of creation places man in the right relation to the world because he has first been placed in a right relationship with God (p. 438).
6. The Doctrine of Creation is Related to the Doctrine of the Trinity: The doctrine of the Trinity is inextricably linked to the doctrine of creation (pp. 332, 42-). Recall: in previous chapters (on the Trinity and the Divine Counsel), we spoke of God's inward works (opera ad intra) and his outward works (opera ad extra). God has eternally communicated himself to his Son (who was in the beginning with God and was himself God) and in time to his creatures. God's communication to the Son was a necessary act according to his being (and is called eternal generation), whereas his communication to his creatures was a free act according to his will (and is simply referred to as creation). "By generation, from all eternity, the full image of God is communicated to the Son; by creation only a weak and pale image of God is communicated to the creature. Still, the two are connected. Without generation, creation would not be possible. If, in an absolute sense, God could not communicate himself to the Son, he would be even less able, in a relative sense, to communicate himself to his creature. If God were not triune, creation would not be possible" (p. 420).
7. Creation is the Work of All Three Persons of the Trinity: A necessary implication of the doctrine of the Trinity is that all the outward works of God (opera ad extra) are common and indivisible (communia et indivisa) (p. 422). In other words, the work of creation is attributed to all three persons in the Trinity. "God created all things through the Son (Ps. 33:6; Prov. 8:22; John 1:3; 5:17; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 1:3) and through the Spirit (Gen. 1:2; Ps. 33:6; Job 26:13; 33:4; Ps. 104:30; Isa. 40:13; Luke 1:35). In this context the Son and the Spirit are not viewed as secondary forces but as independent agents or "principles" (principia), as authors (auctores) who with the Father carry out the work of creation, as with him they also constitute the one true God" (p. 421). "While there is cooperation, there is no division of labor. All things originate simultaneously from the Father through the Son in the Spirit. The Father is the first cause; the initiative for creation proceeds from him… The Son is not an instrument but the personal wisdom, the Logos, by whom everything is created; everything rests and coheres in him (Col. 1:17) and is created for him (Col. 1:16)… And the Holy Spirit is the personal immanent cause by which all things live and move and have their being" (p. 423). "The creation thus proceeds from the Father through the Son in the Spirit in order that, in the Spirit and through the Son, it may return to the Father" (p. 426).