Introduction
Before anything else, we must begin this discussion with this statement: God’s creation is good. There are many views on creation today and, unfortunately, many of them view all of God’s creation as evil. Far too often do Christians forget their duty to be stewards of the earth because they label all of creation as condemned and forgotten. We will face this view among others as we continue our discussion on the doctrine of creation.
Creation in the Beginning
Original Creation
In the beginning, God created everything in the heavens and the earth, and at the end of each day He called His creation good. That we know from Genesis 1. God created the earth as He saw fit for a suitable home for the ultimate peak of His creation: humanity. God is a relational being and, therefore, He created us to have a relationship with Him. He created us in His image; this meaning that we were created in the likeness of His Spirit and His character, not necessarily His physical likeness.
Everything that God created was perfect, from the billowing clouds to the tides of the sea and everything in between. Nothing was created with flaws or shortcomings; after all, a perfect God could not label something imperfect as good. All of creation basked in the glory of the Lord as He walked there daily at the sides of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. They walked together in the Garden of Eden (meaning the garden of “paradise”[1]). Humanity ruled over the beautiful creation God had made. There was a loving, intimate relationship between God and Man. Not a single thing was out of place. Everything was as God had intended it to be.
Original Sin
However, God had created something else (someone else) long before the time of earth that sought out to destroy His creation. Once held in high esteem as an angel of the Lord, Lucifer betrayed God and was cast out of heaven as a fallen angel. He lived in bitterness and jealousy, seeking to thwart all of God’s plans. When God created Man, he saw the perfect chance to do just that.
God had given Adam and Eve only one command: do not eat out of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He told them that if they disobeyed that command, they would die. That is where Satan came in. He came to Eve disguised as a snake, and he began to plant seeds of doubt with lies. “Before there was death, there was the lie.”[2] He whispered in her ear that surely God would not let her die if she ate it, and surely God would not withhold knowledge from her. Satan twisted the consequences of disobedience from sudden death to instant wisdom, and Eve believed him. She ate from the tree, and she convinced Adam to as well.
It was in that moment that not just humanity, but all of creation fell. When God came and saw what they had done, He cursed all of creation with death. Animals were now vicious and violent, the earth was now riddled with thickets of thorns, birth was now horrible painful, nature was powerfully disastrous. Everything that God had created to be good was tainted with evil through the act of one man. That is how the salvation story begins.
Creation in the Future
Restoration
“If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore, just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.”[3]
In the passage above, Paul puts the doctrine of restoration beautifully. Each and every word is impactful and filled with the life-giving Spirit, but I would like to specifically focus on the word “all.” Paul does not say that Jesus’ sacrifice will bring restoration to some. He does not say that Jesus’ sacrifice will bring life to a few. Paul says that the righteous act of Jesus dying on the cross will restore all. While Paul is talking about humanity here, the entirety of creation can be included in that all. As he says later on in Romans, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”[4]
Creation is not doomed. All of nature will be restored come the day of our Lord Jesus’ return. God will create a new heaven and a new earth, purging all of the evil that tainted His original creation. Satan’s influence will be cast away and all that will remain is perfection and goodness, just as was so in the beginning.
Resurrection
Just as the rest of creation will be restored, as will humanity. God’s ultimate plan for us is that we be resurrected and given new life in the new heaven and earth. “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have died.”[5] Of course, this resurrection to life is offered to those who have accepted the eternal life that was given to them by the Father through the Son. The Bible does say that those who have not accepted Christ’s sacrifice will be resurrected not to eternal life, but to eternal judgement.[6]
Conclusion
God created everything to be good. Creation is good. Yet, sin came in and corrupted God’s perfect creation. Satan thought he had won, but the God we know will never let that happen. He put in place a plan to restore all of creation; He gave hope to what looked like a lost cause. This hope reached a climax with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it will be completed with the restoration and resurrection of nature and humanity. Therefore, if God did not give up on creation, neither should we. There will come a time when once again will creation be what it was always meant to be: a manifestation of God’s will for His glory, a place where He can walk in loving intimacy with all of humanity.
Bibliography
“Eden.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Accessed April 22, 2020. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Eden.
Wilson, Jared C. The Gospel According to Satan: Eight Lies about God That Sound like the Truth. Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2020.
[1] “Eden,” Merriam-Webster (Merriam-Webster), accessed April 22, 2020, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Eden)
[2] Jared C. Wilson, The Gospel According to Satan: Eight Lies about God That Sound like the Truth (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2020))
[3] Romans 5:17-18 (NRSV).
[4] Romans 8:21 (NKJV).
[5] 1 Thessalonians 4:14 (NRSV).
[6] John 5:29 (ESV).