Creation and the Gospel
What, then, becomes of the doctrine of creation when we move into the New Testament? How does the Old Testament’s theology of creation impact our understanding of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Should we read the New Testament differently, or for that matter the Old Testament differently, because of how we understand God’s creative work as depicted in the Old Testament? We will address these important matters through examining three aspects of the New Testament’s theology of creation: 1) Jesus Christ is creator; 2) creation is groaning in anticipation for the day of full redemption; and 3) Jesus Christ is redeemer.
Jesus Christ Is Creator
John 1:1–3 (ESV) states, “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 were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”28 The author of Hebrews confirms John’s view of Jesus as creator when he states, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Heb 1:2 ESV). Paul concurs: “yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Cor 8:6 ESV).
Polhill points out that John 1:1 “contains three basic affirmations that are fundamental to Christian theology”: the Word existed before all things, there is a “relational difference” between the Word and God, and the Word and God are one.29 Having established the preexistent nature of Christ (John states that Christ is the Word in v. 14) as well as the unity of and distinction between the Father and Christ, John addresses Christ’s role in creation: Christ is the agent through whom all of creation came into existence (John 1:3). This confirms the unity of the Trinity, but also demonstrates the Son’s separate role in creation as its agent. Further, Ridderbos points out, “The range of action of God-in-Christ at the creation coincides with the range of action of the Word in his incarnation. Therefore Christ is the light of the world (cf. 8:12) and by his coming into the world enlightens every person (1:9).”30 Thus, our theology of creation impacts our understanding of Christ’s work his incarnation, for they reflect each other.
First Corinthians 8:6 confirms our understanding of the unity of the Father and Son in stating that the all things are from the Father and through the Son. Paul furthers our understanding of the Son’s role in creation by stating we exist through Christ. Thus, not only did the Father create us through the Son but also the Son’s creative work is ongoing. All humans who have breath in their nostrils are current recipients of Christ’s grace in upholding creation. This is called common grace and is true whether or not a person knows Christ personally. It is one more indication of God’s great care for creation both in its initial conception during those six days at the beginning of time and also now.
In sum, the New Testament witness fully confirms that Jesus Christ is the creator of all things. The Trinitarian implications of Christ as creator cannot be overlooked: when John and Paul and the author Hebrews proclaim Christ as the creator of all things they identify him with the Father and give a small insight into the mystery of the Trinity. Genesis testifies that God created all things, and the New Testament teaches that through Christ all things were created—indeed, the Father and the Son are one. All the praise and honor owed to the Father for his faithfulness and goodness in creation should be likewise given to the Son.
Creation is Groaning
Work is hard. Famine is a real concern in many parts of the world. Blights and locusts and droughts destroy crops. The land doesn’t yield to humans like we want it to. Genesis lets us in on why things are the way they should be: Adam and Eve sinned against our good and gracious God. God created all things “good,” even “very good.” He told Adam to work the ground and it would yield to him. Adam and his wife could eat from whatever tree they wanted—that is, whatever tree except the one tree. And we know the rest of the story. They ate from the tree and God punished them and here we are today where work is hard and bad things happen.
The New Testament says something about our relationship with the rest of creation—we caused it a lot of pain. Our sin through Adam resulted in the cursing of the ground and now creation is groaning:
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Rom 8:19–23 ESV)
Scholars have interpreted this passage myriad ways,31 but the overall intent is clear: creation suffers along with the rest of humanity because of our sin. And like us, creation anticipates that day when Christ will set all things right. We will return to this crucial issue in discussing how creation relates to the Christian church today; for now it suffices to note the interrelatedness of human sin and the suffering of creation.
Christ Is Redeemer
Finally, the New Testament clearly shows Jesus Christ as the redeemer of both humanity and the created world (e.g., Matt 1:21; Luke 2:11; 19:10; Acts 4:12; 13:23; 1 Tim 1:15; Titus 2:13; etc.). The narrative arc of the Bible is that God—in Christ—created a good world, humans bungled it all by rebelling against God’s Word, and then God set about a plan of redemption that climaxed in the death, resurrection, and ascension of his own Son, the one through whom creation was made.
Christ inaugurated his redemptive work two millennia ago when he lived a sinless life and died a sinner’s death. He took upon himself all of God’s wrath so that those who believe in him would experience God’s forgiveness and kindness toward sinners (Rom 5:9; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Thess 5:9). In this present moment, we can experience the forgiveness of sins and new life in Christ; however, we also experience the sting of death in this life, in this creation damaged by our sin. But Jesus promises that he will one day return and create a new heavens and a new earth, a place where there is no sin and no death and no mourning (Rev 21). Christ the Creator and Christ the Redeemer will re-create all that we have destroyed. Maranatha!
Creation and the Christian Life Today
How should Christians live differently in light of the Trinity’s work in creating and sustaining the world? Our discussion of Genesis indicated that God’s original intent for humans was that we function as priest-kings in right relationship with him. This was certainly the case with Adam and Eve, who lived in Yahweh’s presence in the garden of Eden, exercised dominion over creation, and enjoyed right relationship with each other. Of course, all that changed when they asserted their own authority and ate from the forbidden tree.
Genesis 3:15 sets the stage for the rest of the biblical narrative: a seed will come who will crush Satan’s head. That seed, we now know, is Jesus Christ, who indeed conquered death and crushed Satan’s head through his own death, burial, and resurrection. Being in Christ means, at least in part, that we have returned to that original role as priest-kings (see, e.g., Exod 19:6; 1 Pet 2:9). There is much to explore about how a theology of creation impacts the church’s