Why is the doctrine of creation important for us today?
I think there are a number of reasons the doctrine of creation is important for us today. I want to take a moment to point out just three of the reasons why we should care about the doctrine of creation.
First, it reminds us of our origins, where we came from. Everyone wants to know about their origins. Most people who are adopted eventually want to know about their biological parents. There’s something about our origins that put us on the path to our destiny.
In our day and age, many scientists and naturalists point to evolution and chance as our origin. Popularly, people talk about being the descendents of monkeys. All of this bears on what we think of ourselves and how we treat one another.
If we are all just a bunch of animals, what are the reasons for being kind to one another and treating one another in moral ways? It affects every part of our society. It affects how we treat one another. But if they are wrong, and God created us, then we have a much higher purpose.
If God is our Creator, then he has high standards for us. He expects much more of us than random chance. We have a reason to think of ourselves in higher ways. We have a reason to believe in the afterlife.
Next, it reminds us that God is sovereign over his creation. We are only as much in charge of creation as God gives us charge. What I mean by that is that God told us to fill the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28). He gave us permission to be stewards of his creation.
This gives us something to do for God in the very beginning. How we treat the environment and creation around us matters much to him. How we treat one another matters much to him because he put his image on us when he created us.
He cares about the way we treat one another and the earth. But more than that, we are not completely in charge. Because God created us and everything around us, he gets preeminent say and everything that happens. We should look to him to find out what he expects and what he wants.
That means that he is also our sovereign Lord and King. He is in charge of us. We may think that we are in charge or give ourselves the illusion that we control everything. But ultimately, God is the one who decides all things in his creation. Our illusions will be shattered one day as we bow before the true King..
Finally, it reminds us that God made us with purpose and loves his creation. God made an effort to create. And when we read Genesis 2 and see how God stepped back from all that he created and then took special care in creating humanity, we see how much he loves us.
God spoke creation into existence with great power and authority. But then he personally involved himself in the creation of humanity. We are not an accident or something that happened by chance. God purposefully created us to love and serve him willfully.
We have a purpose to fulfill in our lives. God created us for more than just walking around the earth. He created us to love him and serve him as Adam and Eve did in the garden. He created all things good.
God took the time as he created us to have the conversation about creating us with his image. This means that we have a special place in all of creation. We are the pinnacle of creation. We have a job to do and God wants us to do it with excellence for his glory.
None of us should ever think that God doesn’t love us or care for us. He went to great lengths not only to create our environment and surroundings beautiful and useful to us, but he also took the time to create us. He wants to have a relationship with each human being that he has created.
He purposefully took the time to create us. He wants us to know him as he knows us. All it takes is for us to reach out to him and we will find a willing God seeking for his creation to know him.
