Systematic Creation Theology by Dr Philip Yeung
How Genesis Chapters 1-2 fundamentally transform our understanding of calling, identity, suffering, our relationship with God, and everything under the sun, and also how we read Wisdom Literature.
Creation Theology VS. Redemption (Salvation) Theology
The Bible provides two major realms of understanding God's relationship with mankind and His will for the world. The first is Creation, and the second is Redemption (or Salvation).
Yet almost all church teachings and Christian discourse today predominantly focus only on Redemption.
What is the Redemption Realm? You probably hear it everywhere in Christian discourse: We are all sinners. God is full of mercy and grace. The Word becomes flesh. Jesus died for us on the cross to pay the price and redeem us. We repent, and be saved and transformed by God. Jesus will come again. We will live in eternity with God in the new heaven and earth.
It's basically what we've accepted as the Gospel and basics of Christianity.
What happens when we only focus on Redemption and neglect Creation in the Church?
When the Church only focuses on the Redemption part of the Bible in its teachings, then everything in life is all about salvation. Several beliefs become common among Christians:
Life is all about how to be “saved”, not how to be human.
We tend to divide life into a dichotomy of either earthly things (the “Secular”) and heavenly, eternal things (the “Spiritual”).
“Secular” things are worthless, and Christians should always go after the all important “Spiritual” things.
God only cares about “Spiritual” things, not earthly things under the sun. He cares more about our future life in the new heaven and earth rather than the “non-spiritual” jobs we're doing right now.
In the workplace, a good Christian should mainly focus on sharing the Gospel because that's what God cares about. Other things related to work are not as “spiritual”
The world God had created and our life under the sun have become “fallen”. If we experience any struggles, problems or suffering today, it is because sin has entered the world and we're living in a “fallen” world and we are not "fully saved" yet. We look forward to the new heaven and earth that is truly perfect with none of these limitations. God doesn't really care about our body and flesh.
Those Christians who are called to be in full-time ministry work have a more “spiritual” and “sacred” calling than those who do “worldly” jobs.
The Book of John is more important than the Book of Job? Ephesians is more relevant than Ecclesiastes?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with teaching about God's salvation and redemptive plan. It is a major message of the Bible. But the Bible also offers another realm of understanding how God relates to His creation which, when taught together, forms a more three-dimensional perspectives of how God, people and life on earth relate to each other.
Creation | Redemption / Salvation | |||
Nature of God and human response | Sovereign, limitless, wisdom, abundance Human response: Humility – fear God Seeing own limitations – rely on God | Merciful, full of grace, powerful, triumphant Human response: Gratitude – love God Seeing own helplessness – rely on God | ||
God's action | To define and establish To give and provide | To conquer and defeat To rescue and free | ||
Results and human response | Creation of life 'It was good' Order: - physical - functional - moral Limits: Return to dust | Our response: Enjoy - Receive - Treasure, use - Make decisions Remember | Kingdom Reconciliation Covenant Incompleteness: Second coming of Jesus not fulfilled yet | Our response: Rest Keep the covenant Hope and wait |
Image of Man | Made in the Image of God Limited, always only a created being | Fallen, lost Find mercy and now share His glory | ||
Realm | Life under the sun: the wisdom of living out life | Everlasting relationship with God | ||
Concerns over time | Natural characteristics of creation remain continuous over time | A dramatic change in the defeat of sin and transformation of life | ||
People concerned | The whole human race | Those chosen by God | ||
How God reveals Himself to us | Experience the Creator in life | Redemptive history | ||
Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 (Creation as ORDER)
Proclamation
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (1:1)
Before God's creation
Empty, chaos, lack of order
"The earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep." (1:2)
Physical Order
Verses | Day | Set Apart | 'It was good' | Named by | God bless |
3-5 | 1 | Light and darkness (contrasts: Isaiah 54:7) | 👍 | God | -- |
6-8 | 2 | Water (space: Ecclesiastes 3) | -- | God | -- |
9-10 | 3a | Land and sea (boundaries: Job 38:8-11) | 👍 | God | -- |
Note the verbs being used regularly here is not to 'create', but 'say', 'set apart' (differentiate), and 'call' (name).
Functional Order
Verses | Day | Diversify | 'It was good' | Named by | God bless |
11-13 | 3b | Plants, food (resources and supplies) | 👍 | God | -- |
14-19 | 4 | Celestial bodies: day, time (patterns and routines) | 👍 | God | -- |
20-23 | 5 | Fish, birds (spheres of activity) | 👍 | Man | 👍 |
24-25 | 6a | Beasts, creatures (modes of activity) | 👍 | Man | -- |
26-31 | 6b | Human: image of God | 👍 | God | 👍 |
Verses | Day | Set Apart | 'It was good' | Named by | God bless |
2: 1-3 | 7 | Sabbath | 👍(Holy) | God | 👍 |
Genesis 2:4-25 (Creation as GIFTS)
Proclamation
"...the Lord God made the earth and the heavens." (2:4)
Before God's creation
Lack life or resources:
"Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground." (2:5-6)
Moral Order
Verse | Creation | Gifts | Man's role |
7 | Man | Breath (to anoint) | -- |
8 | Garden | Protection and shelter (to be enclosed) | -- |
9 | Trees | Food, beauty, enjoyment, life, but also a moral order | -- |
10-14 | River | Unlimited supply, abundance | -- |
15 | Garden | Potential to be cultivated | To cultivate and protect |
16-17 | Trees | Values and a moral order set by God | To receive and make decision |
18-25 | Woman | Partner, relationships | To experience and commit |
Physical, Functional and Moral Order in God's creation in Genesis Chapters 1-3
|
|
Physical
|
Functional
|
Moral
|
|
Distinction |
To set apart, to differentiate |
To diversify: each according to its kinds |
Know good and evil |
|
Nature |
Mortal, with boundaries and limits, not designed to fully satisfy us, unpredictable and uncontrollable to man |
God has a calling and plan for each of us, and God continues to works and shapes us to live out this calling. We can only fulfil it when we rely on God |
Knowledge of good and evil belongs to God alone. God is the one who owns the decision to call something 'good'. Man has the choice to decide whether to follow, and face the consequences of the decision |
|
God's Action |
God speaks |
God names (Adam also names the animals) |
God decides what is good |
|
Realm it governs |
Blessings and curse, |
character, roles |
Good and evil |
|
God's Provision |
Our 'portion' |
Our calling |
Principles, guide |
|
Man's response |
To receive |
To treasure and live it out |
To choose |
|
How man may spoil it |
Wrong expectations, desires more than what is assigned to us |
Living a false sense of self |
Choosing to define good and evil ourselves |
|
Purpose & Significance |
Enjoy the portion God has given to each of us and endorsed us to enjoy |
Be the person God has created us to be, live out the calling given us |
All values and moral ethical decisions |
|
Highlights of God's character |
Sovereignty |
Wisdom |
Holiness |
|
To be sustained / lived out by |
God |
God Man (to live out God's calling) |
God Man (to choose and execute) |
|
Our Application |
- Gratitude in the portion assigned to each of us. - Learn to accept boundaries and limits created for us - Not to idolize things that can never satisfy us |
- Listen. Calling is not to be 'found' or 'worked out' by ourselves, but to be known by listening - All work God has called you to do is sacred - Be the person God has called you to be, not to be driven by worldly drives |
- To resist voices of the world - Values are not to be decided by rewards or desires, but trust the Creator knows |
