“THEN GOD SAW EVERYTHING THAT HE HAD MADE, AND INDEED IT WAS VERY GOOD.”
GENESIS 1:31A
THE WONDER OF CREATION
Revelation and nature both testify that the universe is an incredible place. As scientists discover fact after fact about the natural world, this truth becomes even clearer. For example, DNA, the sequences of genes found within every living thing, giving it its characteristic make-up, is quite small. And yet, if all the DNA in your body were unraveled and laid end to end, it would measure thirty-four billion miles long—six times the distance from here to Pluto! Speaking of our solar system, scientists have determined that our sun accounts for 99.86% of the total mass of our solar system; in fact, 1.3 million earths could fit inside the sun! Scientists have also estimated that there may be as many as three sextillion stars in the universe (300,000,000,0 00,000,000,000,000), which is more than the total grains of sand found on earth.1 Nature is truly amazing!
But, where did it come from? Where do we come from? These are some of the most basic questions worldviews seek to answer. The psalmist writes, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Ps 19:1). The natural world is intricate and beautiful, reflecting the wisdom, might, and love of its Creator. This is where our stories begin: in the hands of the Creator.
WHO IS GOD?
While this first act is entitled “Creation,” before we even talk about the creation of the world, we need to discuss who God is. A very basic question of worldview is: does God or some other superior being exist? As should be expected, within a biblical worldview, the answer is yes. In the very first act of the story of the great controversy—creation—the Bible tells of the beginning of life on earth through the work of God. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). There is something very interesting to note about this verse: at the very beginning, before the heavens and the earth existed, God was. Before any other entity could be identified, God existed (see Job 36:26; Ps 90:1–2; 1 Tim 1:17; Rev 10:6).
So, who is this eternal God? This is another key question that worldviews seek to answer. Scripture describes for us many aspects of who God is.
God Is Love.
1 John 4:8 says simply that “God is love.”2 He is compassionate, gracious, and caring. This is who God is—the essence of His character. “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love” (Ps 145:8). Before the world began, He was full of love, and as He began His work of creation, His character of love was clearly demonstrated.
God Is Powerful.
The prophet Jeremiah is in awe of His power when he writes, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you” (Jer 32:17; see also Rom 11:36). There is no one more powerful and no one above Him. “For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods” (Ps 97:9). In a world full of different worldviews and religions, Scripture tells us that God is the greatest above all others.
God Is Good.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (1 Chr 16:34; see also Ezra 3:11). His goodness gives us hope and strength. “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Ps 27:13). It is God’s desire to show His goodness to all people, that we all may celebrate what He has done for us.
God Is Righteous.
“You are righteous, Lord, and your laws are right” (Ps 119:137). Creation itself declares the righteousness of God (Ps 19:1). His judgements are right, causing the very earth to rejoice. Deuteronomy tells us that we can count on His justice and righteousness. “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deut 32:4). God Is Holy. The prophet Isaiah writes, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa 6:3; see also Isa 57:15; Rev 4:8). God’s holiness is incomparable to anyone else. “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God” (1 Sam 2:2). Our spirits are lifted because of who He is. “In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name” (Ps 33:21).
All these aspects and more comprise God’s character. This is who God has been from the beginning of everything, and as He spoke and began to form the heavens and the earth, these qualities of His character quickly became evident. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Rom 1:20). Creation reveals who the Creator is.
GOD’S CREATIVE POWER
The Creation of the World
Now that we have discovered the character of God, let’s look at His work of bringing everything we know into existence. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. . . . For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Ps 33:6, 9). “He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved” (Ps 104:5). These verses from Scripture answer our question of origin: through God, all else came into existence. “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3). Throughout Genesis 1, God speaks each day and the world flourishes more and more. Over and over, God comes to the end of His day of creating, looks over the world, and sees that it is good (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25).
Ellen G. White describes the pristine world in this way:
As the earth came forth from the hand of its Maker, it was exceedingly beautiful. Its surface was diversified with mountains, hills, and plains, interspersed with noble rivers and lovely lakes. . . . Graceful shrubs and delicate flowers greeted the eye at every turn. The heights were crowned with trees more majestic than any that now exist. The air, untainted by foul miasma, was clear and healthful. The entire landscape outvied in beauty the decorated grounds of the proudest palace. The angelic host viewed the scene with delight and rejoiced at the wonderful works of God.3
The Creation of Adam and Eve
God’s final touch in creation was Adam and Eve, man and woman. “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:26–27). As humans, therefore, we were created in the image of our Creator. In His hands is where your story began and where your story continues. “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28a). But why did God choose to create humans? Why are we even here? In John 17:3, Christ is praying to His Father in heaven, saying, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Jesus prayed that we would know God. This was part of the original plan of why we were created—that we would know our God.
We were also created to love God. Deuteronomy 6:5 states, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” God created us so that we may love Him, but He didn’t decide this selfishly. God also created us so that He could love us, and we could enjoy Him. “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps 37:4). “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). We were meant to be recipients of love and delight through the hand of God. Ellen White notes that God lovingly blessed Adam and Eve in such a way that they could truly enjoy their world: “The Lord blessed Adam and Eve with intelligence such as He had not given to any other creature. He made Adam the rightful sovereign over all the works of His hands. Man, made in the divine image, could contemplate and appreciate the glorious works of God in nature.”4
Finally, we were created to bring God glory. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Rev 4:11). God deserves praise and honor. Our voices were meant to be raised to Him in awe and appreciation. For these reasons God intended our existence: that we might know God, love Him, be loved by Him, and give Him praise.
CONCLUSION
The biblical account of creation answers many of the basic questions of worldview. In this story is found the explanation for why and how humanity came to be. It explains the existence of a supreme Creator and tells of who He is. In fact, all of nature testifies to His character. Ellen White writes of this beautiful phenomenon, saying, “From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.”5
This is the beautiful work of God’s nature in our lives: it tells us of His love and draws us to Him. The God of creation is a God of love, deserving our worship and praise. His heart of love and His vast omnipotence mean that we can trust Him to take care of us. Because He created us, we can know that the meaning of life is found in Him. In fact, all the answers to every one of our questions can be found in God. He has been our answer from the very beginning. In the next article, we will see how God has continued to be our answer even after the perfection of creation was disrupted by the entrance of sin.
1 Facts found from Ali Sundermier, “You Could Fit the Entire Human Race into a Sugar Cube—and 13 Other Facts to Put the Universe into Perspective,” Business Insider, August 23, 2016, accessed November 17, 2020, https://www.businessinsider.com/14-facts-about-theuniverse-2016-8.
2 Emphasis added.
3 Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1890), 44.
4 Ellen G. White, “Redemption—No. 1,” Review and Herald, February 24, 1874.
5 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1911), 678.
S. Joseph Kidder, DMin, is a professor of pastoral theology and discipleship at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in Berrien Springs, MI, USA.
Katelyn Campbell is an MDiv and MSW student at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in Berrien Springs, MI, USA
