As infinite love, God most likely created to spread His goodness and love. If God wants to create to spread His love, this has several implications for what He will create.
For one, this purpose entails that God will create beings with intellects and wills. If God did not create beings with intellects, there would be no one to know Him. If God did not create beings with free will, there would be no one to freely choose and love Him. Moreover, if God wants His creatures to love Him, He must also create the world in a way so it communicates His divine attributes.
All of this helps to make sense of the biblical concept of God creating the world for His glory. Narcissism entails that someone has an unhealthy, unrealistic, egocentric view of himself or herself, and he or she undeservedly wants praise.
However, God wills to create to spread His love to His creatures. It is not egocentric for God to create to spread love. Nor is it wrong for God to desire for His creatures to glorify Him. God is the perfect, all-knowing, all-powerful source of all life in the universe. As creator, God deserves glory, praise, and love. If people have no problem giving glory to and praising their parents, spouses, and favorite celebrities, then they should have little problem acknowledging that the One who sustains them in existence and provides for their eternal salvation ought to be loved and praised.
So, did God create the world with the sole intention of providing a place for humans to live so they can be happy and feel good about themselves? God created the world for His glory in that He created the world for the sole purpose that humanity knows and loves Him. In my next post, I will discuss the theme of creation found throughout the Bible.
God not only creates in similar ways throughout the Bible, but He also gives specific individuals and nations specific commands that are meant to carry out His purpose. Reposted with the permission of Kyle Kelts. Check out the blog, Bible Fanboy , for more articles from him.
Why Did God Create Anything? Aug MTD can be summarized with five statements: A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth. What would happen if the church caught a vision for creation care? If we let our attitudes and actions be guided by Scripture instead of our lifestyles and political preferences? What if we really believed the end of our own story, that Christ is reconciling the entire creation to himself and we have been called to be a part of that?
This posture empowers bold action. Christians are uniquely poised to act. Think of the number of churches, missionaries, and aid organizations all over the world. If we saw creation care as a strategic priority for helping us to fulfill the Great Commission, we could see massive changes see the Lausanne Movement statement.
We live out the Gospel and show the love of Christ to the poor and vulnerable by meeting their basic needs Matthew For example, Young Evangelicals for Climate Action has a Fellows program in which college students develop a project plan over the summer and execute it on their campus during the school year. Past fellows have installed solar panels on campus, begun composting programs in the dining halls, set up recycling programs, and engaged their legislators.
Many Christian colleges are leading the way by installing solar panels or white roofs, running sustainable agriculture programs, and leading mission relief and development trips that specifically include a sustainability or climate angle to them.
Even kids can make a powerful impact! There are so many ways to get involved, it can be overwhelming. The most important thing you can do may be to talk about it with others in your life. But your tangible actions, even small ones, do make a difference. Here are some ideas for getting started:. Finally, equip yourself with quality resources on the science and theology of creation care. Join us to receive the latest articles, podcasts, videos, and more, and help us show how science and faith work hand in hand.
As Christians, we have a call to care for the Earth and everything in it. Caring for creation is integral to loving our neighbors and bringing an authentic presentation of the gospel. Loving God means caring for his creation The Christian vision of creation care is rooted in Scripture. We should not feel threatened as Christians by any of these theories, because none of them can ever explain why anything exists in the first place.
Science is powerless to answer that question, because it can only speak in terms of cause and effect. Every worldview must believe in a cause that itself is uncaused, and Christians understand this uncaused cause as the creator God, maker of heaven and earth.
Join us to receive the latest articles, podcasts, videos, and more, and help us show how science and faith work hand in hand. The God of the Bible is much more than a god of the gaps. God is always at work in the natural world, in the gaps as well as the areas that science can explain. We affirm that the Bible is the inspired and authoritative word of God. We also accept the science of evolution as the best description for how God brought about life on earth.
Christian doctrine is broadly compatible with scientific accounts of our origins. Is either side right? More on this in Genesis 3 and following. Many Christians, who work mostly with material objects, say it seems that their work matters less to the church—and even to God—than work centering on people, ideas, or religion. A sermon praising good work is more likely to use the example of a missionary, social worker, or teacher than a miner, auto mechanic, or chemist.
Fellow Christians are more likely to recognize a call to become a minister or doctor than a call to become an inventory manager or sculptor. But does this have any biblical basis? Leaving aside the fact that working with people is working with material objects, it is wise to remember that God gave people the tasks both of working with people Gen.
God seems to take the creation very seriously indeed. Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1—15 , vol. Creating a world is work. In Genesis 1 the power of God's work is undeniable. God speaks worlds into existence, and step by step we see the primordial example of the right use of power. Note the order of creation.
On day one, God creates light and separates it from darkness, forming day and night Gen. On day two, he separates the waters and creates the sky Gen. On the first part of day three, he separates dry land from the sea Gen. All are essential to the survival of what follows. Next, God begins filling the realms he has created. On the remainder of day three, he creates plant life Gen. On day four he creates the sun, moon, and stars Gen.
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