"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth", and I offer the question, why creation? Why was God compelled to create? He is beyond the instinct of earthly organisms to procreate. Are we comparable to a build-your-own ant farm? because we are mere ants to such a caliber of being. He is beyond needs and wants so could it all quite possibly be pointless? I am hoping there are indications of reasons in the bible and reassurances other than "have faith".
Sincerely,
stray, wavering reader
I find myself chuckling at the build-your-own ant farm analogy. I had an ant farm once. It lasted about a week. I grew bored with it and didn’t give it the care it deserved. The ants died, so I threw it out and moved on to playing with my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Action Figures. So is this what we are in relation to God? Are we nothing more than God’s “hobby,” completely expendable so that if something with this ant farm that we call the universe goes wrong, God can just throw us out and move on to another hobby? I’m sure we all hope not, and moreover, the Bible assures us that this is not the case.
In the beginning of Ephesians 2:10, we are told that we are “God’s workmanship” (NIV). The word translated “workmanship” is the Greek word “poiema.” Poiema is an interesting word. In the Bible, it’s used nearly exclusively to describe the creation of God. In other Greek literature from around the same time period, though, it’s used to describe the work of an artist. (The English word “poem” is actually derived from “poiema”) I think this is a much more helpful analogy. God is artist/poet.
Imagine, if you will, a master painter in his studio. He’s just created a masterpiece. The beauty of it is captivating, so much so that it captures the attention of anyone who catches a glimpse of it. In the painting, one can see the very personality of the painter. He’s put his emotions, his experience, his very being into the work. It’s a masterpiece not to be matched, and it has become the painter’s prize possession. Now the painting obviously is not essential to the painter’s life. He could live with out it. But he nevertheless takes great joy in his masterpiece; he will never part with it.
I think this is a better, more biblical, analogy for thinking of creation. We are God’s masterpiece. By His very nature, God is a creative God. That’s simply who He is, it’s in His very nature to create. So, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God made them beautiful, with just the right balance of color, light, texture, forms, variety and any other aspect of creative expression to make His masterpiece perfect. God could still be with out His creation, but He still takes joy in it and delights in it, just as the painter with his masterpiece painting.
Pastor Matt, your thoughts?
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"Why is there something rather than nothing at all?" I think it was Heidegger, one of the great philosophers of the past couple hundred years, who asked that question. In any case, whoever asked it, both your question and this philosopher's are responses to a mystery. By "mystery", I don't mean a problem -- something to be solved -- and neither do I mean something for which the only answer is "have faith". Mysteries are questions you could spend forever reflecting on, always moving deeper into ever more profound territory. Mysteries are the kind of reality where the more you know, the more you know you don't know -- like standing on a beautiful beach, staring out at a storm brewing over the Atlantic and feeling "Wow!" Or like an astronomer gazing out at the Universe and always meeting with something new. That's a mystery: and Existence, Life, from a theological standpoint, is a mystery.
The reason I go into that long description of mystery is to draw out something of Pastor Mike's comparison of the world and our lives in this world to Artistic Masterpiece. A true work of art is a mystery. Some of you are art or architecture majors. You know by experience that a truly beautiful or intricate work invites endless reflection and appreciation. When you think about why you are here in God's design, view yourself like that -- not as a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be appreciated. God created you -- and recreated you! -- in Christ Jesus for Eternity. That means you're not here till your "purpose" is accomplished. Like a work of art, God made you to show forth His Glory and invite infinite gasps of delight and awe from every corner of creation.
One more thing -- a glimmer of a vision of that infinite purpose God has for you -- is described in the book Pastor Mike quoted from, the Book of Ephesians. I'm not going to tell you the "answer", though. You have to read it for yourself. Go read the Book of Ephesians and reflect on what it means that "In love [God] destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved." Let your mind roll over and over again on just one word of that sentence -- "destined" -- and ask what Paul means by it in Ephesians.
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