Proclaiming the Biblical Doctrine of Creation

2009 has been declared by some to be the year of Darwin; he was born Feb. 12, 1809 and his book On the Origin of Species was first published in 1859. There are many who are eager to commemorate 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth and 150th anniversary of the publication of his most acclaimed work. With the attention all of this is likely to receive, Christians must be renewed in their commitment to proclaim the biblical doctrine of creation. Preachers in particular must lead the way in proclaiming the truth of God’s Word on this issue. Why is it important for the church and for preachers to faithfully proclaim the Biblical message of creation? Let me offer four reasons.

First, in proclaiming the Biblical doctrine of creation the clear distinction between God and what God has made is maintained. Because of that distinction we are given the fundamental command to worship God alone and avoid the worship of that which God has made (Romans 1:22-25). God alone is to be worshipped; the creature is not to be worshipped. Although most in our congregations are probably not worshipping creation, they are tempted to idolatry. They are tempted to set things over and above God in their lives. Proclaiming the uniqueness and glory of God as Creator protects us from that temptation. We read in 1 John 5:20-21, “And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” God has revealed Himself to us through Christ His Son; we have the revelation of the true God in Jesus Christ. In proclaiming the biblical doctrine of creation, we are working to guard our hearts and the hearts of our congregations from idols. We are calling them to worship God exclusively and wholeheartedly (1 Chron. 16:25-26; 1 Cor. 8:4-6). A compromise in the area of biblical creation inevitably leads to a diminished view of God and sets the stage for idolatry (Isaiah 40:18-20, 25).

Second, in proclaiming the Biblical doctrine of creation the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus Christ is maintained. We cannot faithfully preach Christ and fail to preach that Christ Jesus is the Creator (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-20). A lot has been written about the foundational importance of opening chapters of Genesis in the formation Christian doctrine. The biblical message concerning sin and salvation is virtually meaningless without that foundation. The point is that the Biblical doctrine of creation is not a secondary concern or a peripheral doctrine that is somehow not essential for the church today. What we believe about the Biblical creation has implications for Christology, our belief in the person and work of Christ. We must be careful to faithfully expound God’s word concerning creation if we are to faithfully expound the person of Christ and His great work of redemption.

Third, the biblical doctrine of creation also provides a great source of encouragement to believers by calling for a consideration of God’s power. This seems to be at the very heart of Isaiah 40 which begins with the call to “Comfort, O comfort My people.” Closely tied to that comfort is the understanding of God as the Creator (Isaiah 40:12-17, 21-31). Knowledge of God as Creator is knowledge of God as the Almighty God who is sovereign over all that He has made. It is knowledge that our way is not hidden from God. He knows the suffering of His people and He is perfectly capable of helping them in their distress. He is the Eternal God, the Creator of the ends of the earth who does not grow weary or tired.

Finally, proclaiming the biblical doctrine of creation serves as a means to awaken unbelievers to the existence of God and as preparation for them to hear the gospel.
We have two very good examples of this in the ministry of Paul. One is found in Acts 14 at Lystra and the other in Acts 17 in Athens. In Acts 14, a man who had been born lame was miraculously healed, a miracle which provoked a very unexpected response from the people in Lystra. The people began to worship Paul and Barnabas as Zeus and Hermes; this is how they responded,

Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness (Acts 14:15-17).

A similar response is found in Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill in which Paul proceeds from proclaiming the one true Creator to proclaiming Christ and the gospel(Acts 17:22-31). In both of these instances, Paul used the doctrine of creation as a means of calling unbelievers to worship the one true God and to repentance and faith in Christ.

For these reasons, I pray that God will help each of us to be faithful to His Word and proclaim Him as our Creator and our Redeemer.