The Bible has is the standard by which God's people choose to live their lives. However, the creation story in the book of Genesis has long been a much debated truth. "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1), is the very foundation of Christian belief. The idea that there is a God who created mankind and is actively involved in our "evolution" is gloriously addressed in the opening chapter of this Book of Life. As believers, we have the challenge and the opportunity to deliver this truth to those who may not believe. Also, our response to the ever changing ways the world views Christianity must be based on the truth in the Word of God, not by what we feel or see. Our world, and everything in it, was created by a forever God who chose to share His creation with us. The love story that is creation extends to all who will believe. In his book, "Genesis 1-11: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture," Kenneth Matthews states; "Creation's mystery and its Maker beckon us to know the One in whom "we live and move and have our being." This truth is central to our understanding of what God desired in His creation. We are to have our being in Him! God desires for us to know him intimately and to experience Him through His creation.
The world around us is filled with awe-inspiring wonder. It is as complex as it is beautiful. God's amazing handiwork can be easily seen in the smallest insect, a towering forest landscape or the expansive night sky. Nature speaks eloquently of God's amazing grace and His desire to provide for us. After the creation of Adam and Eve, God told them to have complete dominion over every animal, every plant and every fowl of the air. The Creator placed His ultimate creation in the perfect environment and gave them control. It was to be a perfect beginning for mankind set in place by a perfect Creator! As the Lord God completed creation, His greatest desire was a genuine, trusting relationship with Adam and Eve. In the first recorded conversation between the Creator and man, God specifically established that man was to have free will in the Garden. "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you will surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17). There was only one command, one rule that man was tasked to honor. There are no references in the Bible as to how long man and woman lived together before they disobeyed God. But Adam and Eve found our all too soon that they were not alone in paradise. Through one quick temptation, mankind was deceived by a subtle serpent and everything was ruined. Sin crept into Eden and God was forced to remove His most beloved creation from His perfect paradise. No longer would mankind be able to walk and talk with God in the garden. Sin opened the eyes of man to all that is wicked and ungodly and striped away his identity with God. Man suddenly found it necessary to hide from the Creator because he was ashamed. The relationship was broken and it took thousands of years before it would be restored. It's so difficult to comprehend how this could have happened. A once in an eternity opportunity to have a perfect relationship with the God of creation was destroyed by one decision to disobey. Not only did this "choice" affect Adam and Eve, it has brought misery and despair to every descendent since. The result of one brief moment of exercising free will would be felt by every human being, every descendent of Adam and Eve to walk the earth since that day. No longer would man be able to enjoy living with ease in the Garden of Eden. From that moment on, God intended for man to toil and labor for every meal and every possession.
There are those who feel as though the necessity of work is a result of the curse that God placed on mankind and there may be some validity to that thought. However, working is also related to God's initial decree that man was to care for the garden when He placed him there. "The Lord God took man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and watch over it" (Genesis 2:15). If one looks at this event in scripture through the eyes of the Creator, it might also be said that God allowed man to express himself diligently through his work.
In his article, "Human Identity, Biblical Worldview, Creativity and the Meaning of Work, author Uno Middelmann states, "It was not merely a matter of man’s survival. It was a part of man’s original purpose. It tied in with his being creative and imaginative, with his being God’s vice-regent. So it isn’t that man did not work before the fall but that his work had a different character." This insight tends to agree with the idea that God's intent from the beginning was for man to not only work, but to enjoy his labor creatively. Imagine how it would drastically change the way people feel about work today if they viewed their chosen profession as a means to be creative. Man's ability to relate work to his relationship with God in today's world could potentially give hope and confidence to how life is lived.
In our world today, there are many external influences that affect how we live and how we relate to those around us. How we respond to such things as disappointment, heartbreak, political upheaval and the increase in events related to terror are often a direct reflection on our relationships with others and our witness for Christ. It can become easy for one to harshly judge their reaction to any of these events as a failure to exhibit Christ-like attributes.
In his book, "Courageous Faith: Life Lessons from Old Testament Heroes," author Ed Hindson shares the following: "It is so hard for people to face failure. People don't want to fail. People don't want to admit failure. People don't want to do anything about it. That's where God comes in. He turns failures into leaders." The ability to admit and overcome failure in any area of life is what moves a person from being a passive follower to a dynamic leader. Using failure as not only a catalyst but also as a testimony for Christ can have a profound effect on the life of another. Our commitment to helping someone else rise from perceived failure and press on is the hallmark of "loving thy neighbor." What the enemy of our souls meant for harm is now turned into victory and the world becomes a better place in which to live.
How we choose to view the world in which we live is vitally important to the welfare of not only ourselves, but those with whom we share our lives. The God of creation has given us the truth we need to not only survive, but to become overcomers in the faith. From the beginning of creation, throughout the course of history, God has provided redemption from sin and a path on which we may navigate safely and successfully until that great day when we join Him in eternity.