Is creation complete?
Genesis 2:1 states: “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.”
The following verses are about God taking a break and resting on the seventh day. Many theologians take this verse to me that God is completely done with creation and that He cannot create anymore. They find this particularly important in establishing the attributes of God; namely, that He isn’t always changing; He is immutable.
What do you think about this? Here are some quesitons that I have been pondering and I am wondering if you all have some thoughts:
1. If creation is completed, how do we explain things such as micro-evolution? Is that just part of the process that God set in motion?
2. We certainly believe that God is actively at work in the world – creating babies, sending rain, answering our prayers, giving us strength etc. Are these acts of creation or are they something else?
Look forward to hearing your thoughts,
Hannah
Richard Venable
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on October 28th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Some really good points to ponder and process. I hadn’t really thought of this way but here’s my two cents to discuss your questions and provoke more thought.
My thoughts or how I’ve tried to understand it is that whilst we live in a 2 dimensional world ie. relative to Time, God transcends time and is the creator of time… what that means is that what is complete to God may not seem complete to us… Creator God transcends time…. complete to us at this point of time doesn’t mean completed to God… our view is limited by the fact that we are viewing something through our eyes to understand and comprehend… but God is bigger that this view/paradigm
The other thought is that completed – means brought to a completion. ie. nothing can be added or taken away from it… could it refer that there hasn’t been any new species etc. ie. no permanent change has been made in the course of the world…
Creation points to a Creator – there can be no creation without a Creator. Therefore, in response to your second question – i wonder if what you are describing could be considered “acts of creation” or just “creation” as they point to Creator God.
just some thoughts
…
on October 29th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Shireen,
Excellent point about God being outside time! I hadn’t thought about that in relation to this idea. That makes a lot of sense. We are trying to put God in a time box in saying that He completed creation on such and such a day when in reality He can work out of, around and in time!
Hannah