Creation is Revelation

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

This is how the Bible begins… with a simple but bold declaration that God created all that exists. But does the Doctrin of Creation really matter?

As it turns out... it really does. There are many ways in which Creation sets the stage for the rest of the biblical story, but one of the most important ways it does this is by giving us our first revelation of who God is. Creation reveals quite a bit about God to us!

First, it reveals that God is powerful. Genesis 1 tells us that God spoke creation into existence. He created by His Word. God simply said “Let there be light," and there was light. He said, "Let dry ground appear.” And it did appear! And God did the same with the sun, the moon, the stars, the plants and the animals. He simply spoke them into existence. That’s power!

Second, creation reveals God’s glory to us. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” In the same way that the moon has no light of its own but only reflects the glory of the sun, creation itself is only glorious because it reflects the glory of God. The evidence of God’s glory is all around you!

Third, creation reveals God's goodness. God didn’t have to make food taste good. He didn’t have to create beauty. He didn’t have to give us the ability to feel happiness or joy or pleasure... but He did.

Fourth, and finally, creation shows God’s wisdom. Who but God could have designed the eye? Who but God could have set the planets on their courses through the heavens? Who but God could have set the tides and currents in motion? There is such order and such wisdom to creation that God’s wisdom is unassailable.

I could go on. Creation reveals even more than this about God’s nature. But for now let me ask... when was the last time you looked up at a clear sky or out over a planted field and glorified God? Your worship shouldn’t be contained to the church sanctuary. If you will only open your eyes, you’ll find that there are more than enough reasons to praise God all around you. Don’t let all that creation reveals to us about who God is go to waste. Take it in and worship the Lord.

God is Good to All

The Lord is good to all;

 he has compassion on all he has made.

Psalm 145:9

Sometimes people imagine that God is like the little boy sitting over the ant hill with his  magnifying glass grinning maniacally as he burns and tortures the little ants and watches them run helplessly for their lives. But this verse proves that that picture of God is a lie. 

It says that God is good to all and has compassion on all He has made. He isn’t just good to believers. He isn’t just good to the righteous. He is good to all people. And even beyond that. God isn’t just good to people. God shows His goodness and compassion to all His creation. Matthew Henry put it this way, “[God] is good to all…from the highest angel to the lowest worm.”* Or we might say down to the smallest ant.

Jesus speaks of this common grace of God in the New Testament when He says “God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45) What this verse teaches us is that God is so good that He’s good to everyone! He’s so full of goodness and compassion that they overflow out of Him in abundance and spill over into our lives. Every single one of us has been touched and blessed by the goodness of God.

Perhaps life has been particularly difficult for you lately. Perhaps it has even been difficult for a very long time. You may be tempted to think of God as that little boy over the anthill. You may be tempted to think He is torturing you for His own pleasure. But that isn’t who God is. No matter how hard life has been on you, I can say with confidence that God has been good to you. I can say with confidence that He has compassion for you, because that is who He is. He doesn’t show you compassion or love because you deserve it but simply because it is who He is.

*Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged. (Hendrickson Publishers) 1991. p948.