by Dennis Baker, Brotherhood President
The Christian world-view of creation is that there is no ultimate reality other than God. God did not have to work with material already in existence, He created the material that He used. God’s only limitations are those of His own nature and the choices He made. He did not have to work around the limitation of available materials. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
The Christian world-view of creation gives special meaning to the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Since God created all raw material, the material world is not inherently evil. The study of Christianity reveals that some denied the reality of Jesus’ physical body because they regarded the material world as inherently evil. John 1.1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:14 “And the Word was made 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.”
The Christian world-view places the responsibility of original sin on humanity. Because the material world is not inherently evil, sin did not originate with God and sin must be an exercise of human freedom. Since all of creation began with God, there is a connection and resemblance of all things. The Scriptures indicate that God loves all His creation. This should cause the Christian to be more concerned about practicing responsible stewardship of God’s creation.
The Christian world-view rejects the ideal of worship of any creature or combination of creatures. Only God is worthy of worship, praise, and obedience because He is the creator. The Implications of the Christian world-view is that everything has value. Each part has its place just as God intended it to have. Nothing other than God is self-sufficient or eternal. Since God is the creator, we must respect the creation, but we must maintain a clear distinction between God and His creation. Hebrews 11:3, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”
