Thursday, January 17, 2019

The King of Creation

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:11).

The opening words of Genesis 1 say that God created the heavens and the earth. This does not mean “sky and ground,” but is a Hebrew way of saying God created all things. The statement that God created all things is not to be taken merely in some philosophical sense, though of course, it is true that Genesis 1:1 tells us by whom the universe was created. Beyond this, though, the immediate implication of the verse is that since God created all things, God owns all things. He is the sovereign Lord of all the universe, and the sphere of His authority covers the entire realm of the created order.

This might seem obvious, but we are living in a day when God’s authority has been greatly challenged. Too often God’s lordship is confined to a special compartment of our existence that we call “religion,” as if He is not considered relevant to government, art, the cinema, agriculture, economics, and so forth. We have become so accustomed to the separation of church and state that we have separated God from the state.

God is the Creator King and His kingdom extends to every sphere. The theme of the kingdom of God, which pervades all Scripture, is introduced in Genesis 1:1. In a special sense, the kingdom of God is where His authority is gratefully acknowledged. The kingdom, however, is everywhere, regardless of who acknowledges it or to what extent it is respected.

Another implication of Genesis 1:1 is that God and nature are not “one.” Throughout the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms, we find that nature shows forth God’s glory to His praise; but never do we find nature being worshiped. This is one of the most important contrasts between the religion of Israel and that of her neighbors. All of them had shrines and rituals dedicated to aspects of nature. God transcends His creation and is never to be confused with it. However, the glory of God is mirrored in the creation, and thus the world reveals the Artist who made it.

The resurgence of paganism as described in the above paragraph is the basis of the New Age Movement. God and nature become “one;” nature is worshiped and man ultimately becomes a god. If you are unfamiliar with New Age beliefs, ask your pastor for resources that will help you understand how it attempts to dethrone the King of creation.