From Dean Ohlman on August 25, 2011

This is the last in a series of statements that looks at the Genesis creation account as it is referenced by the remainder of the Bible. These statements highlight the historic general view of the Christian faith regarding the facts and understandings about man’s origin and his moral history. The philosophical naturalist does not accept these Christian conclusions.

Our statements end with an affirmation of hope that was so aptly celebrated by Isaac Watts [photo] in his great hymn about the Second Advent of Jesus Christ and the eventual remediation of the consequences of the original spiritual rebellion: “Joy to the World” [Reread the lyrics here. It is unfortunate that we sing this only during the celebration of the First Advent. It is a forward-looking doxology that should be sung all year long.]

KEY SCRIPTURE:
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 nothing was made that was made. . . . He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-3,10-14).

8. When we declare that the Genesis account of creation is true, we’re saying we believe that there was a previous rebellion in the unseen spirit world and its evil influences were a threat to man and his environment.

This prehistoric revolt in the spiritual realm was carried over into the material realm by a sinful spirit who persuaded the first man and woman to disregard their Creator’s terms for the perpetuation of human life in harmony with His purposes. This disobedience resulted in the spiritual and eventual physical death of our first parents. It also had a negative effect on the rest of the creation. To remind the human family of its fallen condition, God added consequences to the human rebellion. Other judgments followed, many of which changed the nature of life on earth and distorted the original relationships.

According to Genesis, many of the problems that burden the natural world have their origin in God’s decision to add struggle and pain to the life of His creatures as a sort of severe mercy. These judgments, which confirmed that we could find fulfillment only in proper relationship to God, can be seen in the biblical descriptions of what happened in the fall (Gen. 3:1-7), the curse (Gen. 3:16- 19), the flood (Gen. 6–9), and the tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9).

The belief that much of our suffering and hardship is the result of spiritual rebellion spilling over into our material realm and our Creator’s consequent, but loving discipline is in contrast to the naturalistic worldview, which holds that until the advent of modern man all changes on the earth were unrelated to purposeful and intelligent activity—except perhaps from some extraterrestrial intelligent material beings other than God. The material realm is not influenced by a spiritual realm.

9. When we declare that the Genesis account of creation is true, we’re saying we believe that after the spiritual fall of our first parents, the experience of human sin and death created problems that people could not solve on their own (Gen. 3:15; Rev. 13:8).

Throughout the rest of the Bible, we read the record of our Creator’s loving pursuit of a lost and fallen humanity. This redemption theme runs throughout the Old and New Testaments and is fulfilled in the most inexpressible and miraculous act of intervention. The New Testament summarizes this redemptive rescue: “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 nothing was made that was made. . . . He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-3,10-14).

This belief that God personally appeared on earth and intervened to rescue us from sin and death is in contrast to the naturalistic worldview that all people, like all animals, will eventually die, decompose, and be gone forever—that nothing within the human being survives death except our chemical components, which will be recycled naturally to perpetuate life and its evolution.

10. When we declare that the Genesis account of creation is true, we’re saying we believe in a God who is powerful and merciful enough to bring about the eventual restoration, renewal, and reunification of the entire creation.

Even though the Genesis creation account gives us only a fleeting foreshadow of God’s redemptive purposes, this prefiguration is the beginning of a great story that ends with the abode of God the Father and reign of God the Son on the earth as it is pictured in the final two chapters of the book of Revelation. The rest of the story assures us that the paradise lost by our human parents will be regained. The apostle Peter proclaimed: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21; see also Isa. 11:6-9, Rom. 8:19-23, and Eph. 1:10).

The belief that God will eventually restore all that has been lost is in contrast to the naturalistic worldview that recognizes no God and no Savior for threatened humanity. Naturalism asserts that there is no future hope for the individual person, just a general hope for a humanity that will survive only by doing what it can to assure the “progress” of evolution.