Hi All
Thinking further about George's challenge to reflect on the theology of
creation (TOC) in the NT (and not looking at the OT by way of
discipline) I submit the following thoughts.
WHAT DO WE LEARN OF CREATION FROM THE NT?
1. God is creator and sustainer of the entire universe (Rev 4:11).
2. God's power and glory is clearly visible in creation, so there is no
excuse for unbelief. Sinfulness however blinds people to the evident
signs of God's power and glory in creation (Rom 1:20-21).
3. Creation is temporary and will come to an end (2 Pet 3:5-10). This
is in contrast with God, Who is eternal (Heb 1:10-12).
4. Humanity is sinful, estranged from God because of wrong choices made
by the first man called Adam and a woman (Rom 5:12-21, 1 Tim 2:13-14).
All creation suffers from the consequences of these choices (Rom 8:22).
5. God is saviour and redeemer and will redeem His creation (Eph
1:9-10). This redemption culminates in a new heaven and a new earth
(Rev 21:1).
All this repeats and emphasises what is in the OT. Is there anything we
gain in the NT that is absent or unclear in the OT?
WHAT IS ADDED TO THE TOC IN THE NT?
1. God is triune. The second person of the Trinity is active in
creation and redemption (John 1:1-4).
2. The second person of the trinity is incarnate as the man Jesus (John
1:14), Whom even the winds and waves obey (Mk 4:41)
3. Redemption is effected through the incarnation and the cross (Col
1:20). The Resurrection is the demonstration of the effectiveness of of
that redemption (Eph 1:19-21).
4. Salvation through Jesus is not God's plan B. It was always His
intent from before the creation (Eph 1:4).
5. The indwelling Holy Spirit brings new life and the new creation to
the believer, making them God's people (Eph 1:13-14)
6. This process will eventually extend to the whole of creation, which
looks forward with anticipation to that day, when the new heavens and
earth are complete (Rom 8:21).
7. God's position as creator can only be appreciated through the gift of
faith, despite its evident nature (Heb 11:3).
The great contribution of the NT to a TOC is the revelation that it is
through Jesus that redemption, not just of individuals and peoples, but
of the whole of creation is effected.
Sorry George, I now have to let the OT creep in. What do we lose from
the TOC if we confine ourselves to the NT?
WHAT DO WE LOSE FROM THE TOC BY USING ONLY THE NT?
1. The statements about God as creator and sustainer in the NT are
rather bald. I for one would think the doctrine poorer (though not less
true) with out the rich illustrations of them from Job and Psalms. Not
to mention the loss to our imaginations.
2. The context of the fall is rather cryptic without the OT. Who was
Adam exactly? Not that we necessarily know the answer even with the OT!
:-) However I was surprised how much of the essentials I could
reconstruct from the NT.
3. Loss of the role of the Holy Spirit as creator and sustainer. I
think this is the greatest loss to a TOC. I can't think of any NT
reference to the Spirit's role in creation to match Gen 1:2 or Psalm
104:29-30. I would be happy to be proved wrong. Of course the
significance of the Spirit of God in these OT references (which could
also be translated wind or breath) is not clear until seen from a
Trinitarian NT perspective.
4. Human accountability as steward of creation is not clear. We would
lose much by not having Genesis 1 and 2 and Psalm 8 for reference. The
best we could do would be to extrapolate from the use in Hebrews 2 of
Psalm 8 and perhaps the parables of the servants.
In conclusion I think this clearly demonstrates that the NT is built on
the foundation of the old. It shows that almost all the essential
aspects of the OT TOC (apart from little on stewardship and the possible
exception of the Spirit) is repeated in the NT. Significant new
revelations are the fact that the fall was not plan B of God, and that
God's redemption of individuals, peoples, and the whole creation is
worked out through the Incarnation. The NT is essential in that it
provides the big picture, the whole timeline. The OT looks at the
present and back to beginnings. The NT restates the theological facts
about the present and the past but is focused on where things are going
and what is to come.
The NT shows the centrality of the cross to the whole creation drama,
our faith, and our hope. This centrality of the cross (not of mere
creation) shows the heresy (and I make no apology for such a strong
word) of one AiG poster which I remember saying "Answers in Genesis.
Help us make creation a foundation of faith".
GB
Jonathan
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