Recovering Our Creative Calling

Genesis 1:1-2:3

The Beginning

of Creation:

from Chaos to Order

Genesis 1:1-2 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

God is the creator of heaven and earth. Through His Word, God created the universe out of what is described here as “formless and void”.

From the literary point of view, unlike Genesis Chapter Two, Genesis Chapter One is written in an orderly, repetitive, poetic, and systematic style. For example we observe the repeated phrases:

“God said”; “Let there be”; “There was”; “God separated”; “God called”; “Each according to its kind”; “God blessed”; “Evening and morning”; “God saw that it was good/very good”.

The literary form and the content of the creation account shows that God created the universe in an orderly and systematic fashion. Besides, if we observe carefully the sequence of creation, we may notice a parallel structure:

Day	Form (Formless)	Method	Day	Substance (Void)	Method
1	Light and darkness	Separating	4	Sun, Moon, and stars	Filling
2	Ocean and sky	Separating	5	Fish and birds	Filling
3	Land; vegetation	Separating	6	Land, animals, human beings	Filling

Day 7

Rest

On Day 1, God created light to separate day from night. Compare this with Day 4 – the creation of big and small heavenly bodies to fill up the day and the night. Light solves the problem of darkness so that the fearsome darkness can become restful nights.

On Day 2, God used the air to separate the sky from the sea. Compare this with Day 5 – the creation of birds to fill the sky and fish to populate the sea.

On Day 3, God caused the waters under the sky to be gathered so that land may surface and that plant life may grow. The creation of plants (the source of food) anticipates the appearance of living creatures, which is recorded in Day 6 where God created land animals and human beings.

So, it was through the methods of “separating” and “filling” that the heavens and the earth and all that is in them came into existence. The problems of formless and emptiness, the great waters, and darkness were solved. Everything in the universe work accordingly to their respective natures, yet together they become a unified and harmonious and consistent system. This is the pre-requisite for scientific discovery into the universe.

On the seventh day, God rested. The seventh day is unparalleled, so it is distinct and it is the climax of creation. God has completed His work and He now enjoys His good creation. He also commanded human beings to observe a day of rest. There is no need to worry. Just put your trust in Him and rest in His bosom.

All in all, the creation account shows that God has created an orderly, systematic, and purposeful universe.

God Blessed Human Beings and Commanded Them to Rule the Earth

After preparing an environment that is suitable for human existence, we read in Genesis 1:26-28, “Let’ s (God) create human being in our image and likeness, male and female, so that they may rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, the whole earth, and every creature that creeps on the earth. God blessed them and commanded them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the whole earth, and govern it. He made them rulers over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the creatures on the earth.”

God’s purpose of creation is to bless humanity so that they may live a blessed life on earth and represent Him (having God’s image) to govern the earth for the benefit of all living things in accordance with His will.

Human beings are to maintain the orderliness of creation and to enhance its potential by expanding the harmony of the Garden of Eden to the whole world so that all human beings may have intimate fellowship with God.

God’s summary for every day of creation was that it was “good.” So, in every creation day, He commanded and drove the cosmos toward greater perfection. At the end of His work of creation, God looked at all that He had made and concluded that it was “very good” (Gen. 1:31).

God created humanity and the material world in a purposeful and orderly manner. He also established a world order that includes family, marriage, and the laws of nature. And God wants to dwell with human beings so that they may enjoy His goodness and blessings.

Resist Evil and Create

a Harmonious Blissful Life

The uniqueness of God’s creation is that, on the one hand, it is God who governs and exercises authority but, on the other hand, He requires the human beings He created to participate in the governing of creation and to enjoy His multifarious blessings and grace.

Unfortunately, Adam and Eve sinned and rebelled against God. They listened to the serpent and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The world has then transitioned from a state of blessedness to a state of curse.

When humanity violates the systems and the laws that God had established, they bring harm upon themselves. Extra-marital affairs, immorality, bringing harm to others, violations of natural laws, and bringing harm to the environment; are some examples of human beings violating the laws of God and courting disaster.

The world now is filled with death, violence, destruction, and injustice. The devil wants to destroy families and careers. He wants to ruin relationships. He seeks to confuse gender identities and to redefine sexuality from heterosexuality to homosexuality.

Market economy pursues a policy of over-development which brings harms to the environment. Our political world is corrupted because politicians pursue self-interest and power. This results in corruption and injustice.

The forces of evil are set to destroy the systems, boundaries, and the order that God established so that everything becomes ambiguous and returns to a state of formlessness and emptiness (or, void). The devil’s ultimate goal is to reverse God’s creation. The devil is anti-creation!

So, God sent the Lord Jesus (the second Adam) to come as a human being to overcome temptation, which reversed Adam’s failure, and to bleed and die on the cross in order to suffer the consequences of sin, so as to bring salvation to the world and sinful human beings.

The Lord Jesus rose from the dead so that those who believe in Him may receive a new life.

In Christ, we have recovered God’s image and received anew our mission to govern, to protect, and to enhance creation. Thus, Paul wrote, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12).”

Today, God wants to renew and create in you a harmonious, orderly, abundant, and blessed life.

Yet, due to weakness and ignorance, we often give ground to Satan and allow hatred, lust, and arrogance to enter our lives. This brings destruction to our careers, families, churches, and the nation. We stand to lose everything that is good and orderly. We tend to return to a state of formlessness and emptiness.

This is the unfortunate reality. May the Lord pardon us of our sins! We should repent and come together to resist evil, to uphold God’s creation.

Each and every one of us has a purpose in God’s creation plan. Let us make this place Eden again! This is what it means in the Lord’s Prayer, “let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.

Whether we are at work or at home, in our communities or in the church, we have the responsibility to accomplish the purpose of God for our lives. If we do not live according to this purpose, we will find our lives unsatisfactory and meaningless. Do you know your place and purpose?

Through His Word, God transformed formlessness and emptiness into an orderly universe. Through His Word, God transforms the world from one that is without life to one that is full of life. Today, God can also transform your troubled life and turn it into a life that is orderly. He can transform your old and corrupted lifestyle into a new and meaningful lifestyle.

Do we truly believe that God’s Word can transform lives? Is the Word of God really a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105)? How much time do we spend meditating upon the Word of God? How often do we apply God’s Word to our lives?

Calling and Prayer:

Let’s now seek the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to: “Build a closer relationship with God; Serve God with enthusiasm; Coordinate with one another to build the church; Live according to God’s will; Build a family that fears the Lord; Advance in our careers or our pursuit of education.”

Let’s pray with determination: “Father, may You again bring Your work of creation and Your mighty salvation into our families, schools, workplaces, the ministries of the church, and our relationships with one another. Grant us strength to co-labour with Your work of creation, renewal and healing. We want to participate in building for Your kingdom and restoring harmony to the world so that we may enjoy the abundant life in Christ.”