Christians’ Creation Beliefs
Origins refer to how life began and various beliefs surrounding God and humanity. Genesis chapters 1 and 2 give the account of creation that God made the universe and everything in it, including humankind whom He created in God’s image and likeness (King James Bible). After creation, God beheld what He had done and said everything was good. The first chapter presents the summary of how the world was made, with a central focus on human beings who were made to fulfill God’s purpose and maintain order in the world (Brown, 2019). Genesis chapter 2 gives a more focused approach to creation, specifically Adam and Eve’s creation, thus providing the close connection that existed between God and humankind (Brown, 2019). Therefore, the first two Bible chapters document the origin of the world and place God as the creator and sustainer of life.
Revelations from Creation Accounts
The general revelation from Christian creationism is that God revealed Himself to human beings through His creative works. He presented Himself as the originator of order, morality, and consciousness. The specific outcome is that He revealed Himself to a few people He carefully selected by giving them dreams, visions, prophecies, and more specifically, Jesus Christ. The latter, Christians believe, is incarnate of God, born in the human flesh. Therefore, the creation accounts put God in the central position as the originator of the world and humans as the keeper of God’s works through His guidance.
Three Christian Creation Approaches
Christians view creation from three distinct approaches supported by various biblical understandings. First, the Young Earth creation model explains that God created the world in six days and that the world has existed between six and ten thousand years. Second, it is believed that the world has existed for about 4.6 billion years and that life happened in stages, but God did not take a key role in human evolution. Third, the Theistic evolution approach explains that God guided all the processes, making the world what it is currently (Larmer, 2018). Thus, Christians affirm their belief in God by integrating these approaches, which they believe revolve around God as the creator and sustainer.
Current Understanding
I closely resonate with Young Earth Creationism, which postulates that the Earth is about four to ten thousand years old since its creation. I believe that the Earth has existed for thousands of years, but at the same time, I hold that the Theistic theory has much weight on the creation of the world. I strongly affirm that the hand of God has been on every development of the universe.
I believe that the Bible’s creation account is accurate as it provides some evidence of how the world operates since evolution does not give a definitive understanding of the existence of the universe. I also think that the Biblical perspective is more accurate, especially with the findings of fossils attributed to the worldwide flood, which killed all organisms that did not enter Noah’s ark. I find it hard to believe that humans, as special as they are before God, evolved from primates and were not created by a higher power. Thus, it is easier to believe that God made everything and commanded Adam and Eve to procreate and produce their kind, as everyone continues to see.
Impact of Current Understanding
As I mentioned earlier, I believe that God organized the Earth and made it for humans to inhabit. I also believe that God is all-knowing, ever-present, all-powerful, and immutable. At the same time, it is impossible to search and know God’s mind, which is why it is difficult for humans to fully understand what He created and how everything came to existence (Bentley, 2020). However, God gave humans the ability to explore the world and make it more pleasing to all creatures.
On the contrary, we have used the knowledge we have wrongly, including trying to think that God has no place in our lives. God is loving, and He puts this very nature within us, which is why we also need to show charity and kindness to fellow creatures. We should care for and protect the Earth to demonstrate our love for ourselves since God, in His infinite wisdom, made it sustain human beings. By caring for plants, water, soil, and air, we affirm our existence’s very nature and purpose. While God created serene environments, our selfish nature has created monsters, which harm us.
Some of the monsters we have created include climate change and global warming. Though important in the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing and mining activities have resulted in more harm than good. For example, when God created Adam, He instructed him to replenish the Earth and make it more habitable for himself and his generations. However, the same keeper has been the destructor of the very essence of his existence because of greed (Bentley, 2020).
I believe that Noah’s ark was a reality, the times of warning were real and that what happened to the antediluvians may happen to the modern world if humans do not change and take care of the Earth. As it was when a worldwide flood occurred, destruction such as never was will come upon the Earth. This will result from human’s defiance to heed their creator’s voice to take care of the Earth, who used intelligent design to create a self-sustaining world (Larmer, 2018). Therefore, we should show love to each other, and at the same time, love our environment and make it better for the good of future generations.
References
Bentley, W. (2020). If God is everywhere, is God in a black hole? A theology-science discussion on omnipresence. Acta Theologica, 40(2), 185-199. Web.
Brown, A. J. (2019). The days of creation: A history of Christian interpretation of Genesis 1: 1–2: 3. Brill.
Larmer, R. (2018). Theistic evolution, intelligent design, and the charge of deism. Philosophia Christi, 20(2), 415-428. Web.