I will begin by stating the mission of TASC: “to rebuild and strengthen the foundation of the Christian faith by increasing awareness of the scientific evidences supporting the literal Biblical account of creation and refuting evolution.”
While the TASC Board invests considerable time and energy in pursuit of scientific evidences for explanations of the universe, earth, and life as we know it, we never want to lose sight of the importance of the Creator Himself, Jesus Christ. It is the constant desire of TASC to have all peoples recognize first and foremost the Creator Himself.
Abraham Kuyper, a Dutch theologian and politician, has said it well when he stated the following: “…there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’” 1 Therefore it seems obvious to me that TASC should not lose sight of the Creator, Jesus, and remember that since He is sovereign over His Creation, we should recognize who He is and why it is important to keep our focus on Him and the purposes of His Creation. It is also important to remember how His attributes are manifested in His Creation. I’m not suggesting that any of the TASC board members are not aware of Jesus and His importance in their lives or the importance of His Creation, only that it might be time for all of us, TASC board and readers of the newsletter to refocus again on Him.
Over the years TASC has arranged various events such as debates, conferences, monthly meetings, etc. to confront those who oppose evidences for creation and espouse evolutionary dogma. More recently the emphasis of TASC has been to strengthen the faith of believers to help both with understanding of Biblical creation and also the many flaws of evolution. When I use the term evolution I mean the world view that all of our universe, earth, life, and earth history and topography are the result of naturalistic processes apart from a Creator.
TASC still provides platforms for presenting evidences for creation to nonbelievers with the hope that they might ultimately recognize The Creator and come to a saving knowledge of Him.
Throughout the Holy Scriptures we see references to the creation. I will begin with the creation account in Genesis. The TASC board members all subscribe to the authority of scripture and therefore believe that God said exactly what He meant when Genesis describes the creation as having happened in six, 24-hour days. My purpose in this article is not to discuss the details of why we believe this to be true, although I will say that the text seems quite clear in stating that the days were established in the beginning and are consistent with our present knowledge of days, weeks, and years as we measure these today. Exodus 20:11 states “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day and made it holy.” Some, even in Christian circles, are now even questioning the existence of the first humans Adam and Eve. To that we say that Jesus verifies Adam and Eve in Mark 10:6 when he declares “But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.”
My goal then is to establish the sovereignty of Christ Jesus over his creation. Let me next ask and answer a few questions.
Who is this Jesus?
John 1:1-5, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 2
John 8:58, Jesus said to the crowd, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Galatians 4:4, But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law.
Galatians 4:4, But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law.
Colossians 1:15, And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him.
Colossians 1:19, For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.
Colossians 2:2-3, Christ Himself in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:9, For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.
Hebrews 1:1-3, God after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When he had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
The apostle John says many more things could have been said.
The Character of Christ Jesus:
Holy, Luke 1:35; Righteous, Isaiah 53:11; Just, Zechariah 9:9; Guileless, 1 Peter 2:22; Sinless, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Spotless, 1 Peter 1:19; Innocent, Matthew 27:4; Gentle, Matthew 11:29; Merciful, Hebrews 2:17; Humble, Philippians 2:8; Forgiving, Luke 23:34.
Again referring to the abundance of references to creation in scriptures I will reference some of these and then continue on to the “New Creation” which is yet to come.
How does Creation express attributes of God?
His Deity: Romans 1:20, For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made…
His Might, Strength, and Power: Isaiah 40:26,28, Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the one who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and strength of His power not one of them is missing. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired, His understanding is inscrutable.
His Glory: Psalm 19:1, The heavens are telling the glory; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
His Goodness: Psalm 33:5-11, The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
His Care Over His Creation: Psalm 104: Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty, Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind; He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers. He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters were standing above. At Your rebuke they fled, At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away. The mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the place which You established for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass over, So that they will not return to cover the earth. He sends forth springs in the valleys; They flow between the mountains; They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; They lift up their voices among the branches. He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works. He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth, And wine which makes man’s heart glad, So that he may make his face glisten with oil, And food which he may make his face glisten with oil, And food which sustains man’s heart. The trees of the LORD drink their fill, The cedars of Lebanon which He planted, Where the birds build their nests, And the stork, whose home is the fir trees. The high mountains are for the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge for the shephanim. He made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the place of its setting. You appoint darkness and it becomes night, In which all the beasts of the forest prowl about. The young lions roar after their prey And seek their food from God. When the sun rises they withdraw And lie down in their dens. Man goes forth to his work And to his labor until evening. O LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions. There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great. There the ships move along, And Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it. They all wait for You To give them their food in due season. You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good. You hide Your face, they are dismayed; You take away their spirit, they expire And return to their dust. You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the ground. Let the glory of the LORD endure forever; Let the LORD be glad in His works; He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD. Let sinners be consumed from the earth And let the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD!
His Sovereignty over His Creation: Revelations 4:11, Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.
What were the results of His Creation?: Universe (sun, moon, stars, planets, etc.), earth, plants, animals, mankind, etc.
How is God’s Creation of particular significance to us?: We are privileged to enjoy the fruits of His creation: sky, clouds, sunrises, sunsets, mountains, seas, lakes, rivers, plants, animals, human relationships, our ability to hear, see, smell, taste, touch, observe, learn, create, work, and most importantly to worship our Creator. Of course I have only mentioned a few of the numerous “fruits” that could be named. I personally continue to marvel each time I see a horse or giraffe or a mushroom or a baby’s smile or any other of God’s creations and consider what an awesome God who has done all of this. To paraphrase the apostle Paul who said “no one has any excuse to not believe in the one who did it.”
We are given good evidence from scripture of the work of the Triune God in creation. Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in Our image, according to our likeness…“ Genesis 1:27, God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him: male and female He created them. God the Father: Hebrews 11:3, “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
Jesus Christ: Colossians 1:16-17, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
The Holy Spirit: Psalms 104:30, You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the ground. God then tells us to observe His handiwork as evidence that He and He alone made all things. Psalm 19:1 states, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God.” Psalm 89:11, “The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have founded them.” In Ephesians 1 we are told that God chose us, in Christ He redeemed us, and by the Holy Spirit He sealed us. Hebrews 1:1-3, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.”
What do the scriptures say about mockers of the creation? Here are a few examples: 2 Peter 3:3-4, “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming ? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4,“For the time will come then they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.” Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
So let us not be so involved in creation evidences that we forget to worship Jesus, The Creator. We must not get so involved with our focus on understanding the creation and miss the author. After all Christians know how the story will end as evidenced in Philippians 2:5-11, Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (emphasis added)
I am compelled to confess that as I move closer to the day I will be with the Lord in all of His Glory, I feel God tugging at my heart and asking for more of me. I am doing a lot of good things for the Lord, but it is my greater desire to be doing all things in the Lord. Clearly His desire is that I am living in Him and He in me. To that end, I know that what He wants most of all is a closer relationship with me personally. Psalm 139 reminds me that among many things, He created me, has me in His hand, knows me intimately and sustains me. I hope this article has helped someone, perhaps all who read it, to desire a more intimate relationship with the Creator.
1. Bratt JD (1998) Abraham Kuyper, A Centennial Reader, Wm B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI, 488
2. All scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible.
Source URL: http://tasc-creationscience.org/content/christ-creation
Links:
[1] http://tasc-creationscience.org/topics/bible
[2] http://tasc-creationscience.org/topics/jesus
Triangle Association for the Science of Creation
P.O. Box 12051, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2051
E-mail: tasc@tasc-creationscience.org
Mission Statement
TASC’s mission is to rebuild and strengthen the foundation of the Christian faith by increasing awareness of the scientific evidence supporting the literal Biblical account of creation and refuting evolution.
