The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the
ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a
living thing.
Genesis 2:7
Does the clay say to the potter, “What are you making?”
Isaiah 45:9
Why did God create mankind? Genesis
tells us there were at least two reasons: to enjoy joyful and unbroken
fellowship with God and to exercise authority and rule over a perfect (as in all
roses and no thorns) world. Does that sound like a bad assignment?
As we look at the sin and
sorrow around us, don’t we wish things had turned out differently? The good
news of Scripture is its promise that this perfect world will once again be a
reality—for all eternity.
From the Bible we learn that
we, and all who live in the time from Creation to that final Return of Christ, are
a part of the process and plan. Its culmination will be a glorious New Heaven
where the promises of Eden will see their fulfillment. Every thought and every
action of all mankind—God’s friends and enemies alike –has been factored in to
His plan. Nothing takes God by surprise nor delays His time table.
One of the differences between
Judaism/Christianity and Eastern religions is their view of time. Hinduism and
Buddhism see life as cyclical: what has been will be again, what goes around
comes around. But both Judaism and Christianity see time as linear: history
started at a fixed point and it is moving toward a pre-determined endpoint. We
are part of that progression of history and our lives can be a meaningful part
of that plan.
In Genesis, the word used
for “creation” is creation ex nihilo,
“to create out of nothing” and we are told that God created the material world
by His non-material word. Clearly super-natural business. But what from the
human perspective is impossible—something from nothing—just happens to be our
amazing Creator God’s favorite mode of operation. He is the Creator of the plan
of history, the Creator of the redemption of mankind and the Creator of a New
Heaven where He will rule in His people with love and great joy for all
eternity.
Does the clay say to the potter, “What are you
making?”
Nancy Shirah
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