Old Testament Reading: Genesis 1:26-27

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26–27, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Colossians 1:1–17

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:1–17, ESV)

Introduction

I stumbled across a news article the other day which reminded me of how much confusion exists within our society, and even amongst those who claim to be Christians, concerning basic biblical doctrines, such as the doctrine of God and the doctrine of man. 

The title of the article was, “What Does God Look Like? Liberals and Conservatives Have Different Views, NC Study Finds” (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Attached to  the article was a sketch of the face of a man. This was the “composite mugshot…” “created from the… responses” of the 551 people who were asked what they thought God looked like. Now keep in mind, all 551 of those included in the study claimed to be “Christians”. Some identified as “liberal”, and others “conservative”. 

The point of the article was to say to that “liberals and conservatives see God differently…a lot differently” (I could have told them that). Also, they found that our view of God is impacted by race, gender and socioeconomic status (this too is not surprising).  

Now my concern with the results of this study was not that the composite mugshot created from the responses of those interviewed was something other than what I though it should be, but that any Christian would describe God in such a way that a “mugshot” could be drawn at all, for God is a most pure spirit. He does not have a body. He is not composed of parts. Even a most basic understanding of what the scripture say concerning God would lead one to say, “I cannot describe God’s appearance, for he is invisible. He is not made up of matter as we are, but is something like the angels, who are spirits, or the soul of man, which, though real, cannot be described so as to draw a picture of it.” Draw a picture of a soul, friend! Can you do it? Neither can a picture of God be drawn, for God is not composed of mater. He is spirit. 

To be fair, the study did not say how many Christians replied correctly to the question, what does God look like?, by saying, God is invisible, a most pure spirit, without, body, parts, or passions. It very well may be that 10,000 Christians were asked this question and 9,449 gave a good reply. But it is still troubling that 551 who name the name of Christ would describe God in such a way that a sketch could be drawn of him.

The article did also acknowledge that some verses in scripture indicate that God is a spirit, and does not, therefore, look like a man at all. John 4:24 was cited where Christ himself says, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24, ESV). But right along side that the article insinuated that the scriptures also teach that God looks like a man. And what text do you think they appealed to? Genesis 1:27 was cited, which says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27, ESV).

This is a common misconception, I think. When people read, “So God created man in his own image…” they mistakenly interpret it to mean that God himself has an image, and as if man were made to look like God. In fact, what the text says is that man is the image of God. It is man that is image, not God. God is spirit. He does not have a body. He does not have a visible appearance. But God, when he made man, male and female, he made them to image himself. Man was created by God in such a way that something of the invisible God might be known from looking upon man. Indeed, this is, in some respects, true of all creation. But it is particularly and supremely true of man – man, made by God as male and female, is alone called “the image of God”. 

I wish to linger here in this passage and on this subject for two or three weeks to ensure that we have a firm grasp on what the scripture mean when they say that man was made in God’s image. There is much confusion on this subject. There is confession within our culture, and also within the church. Brothers and sisters, this is a foundational doctrine. If we get this doctrine wrong, it will have a negative effect upon many other doctrines.

Today I will make some general observations concerning man being made in the image of God.

God is Spirit

First of all, let us say something, not about man, but about God. God is not a man; he is God. He is not human; he is divine. God does not have a body, but is most pure spirit. He is invisible. 

Jesus said it in a most plain way when he said, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24, ESV). There you have it! But Jesus’ statement concerning the spiritual nature of God was not made out of the blue, but was something known from the creation of the world, a truth preserved and promoted by fathers and by the Jewish people who descended from them. 

The second of the ten commandments forbids idolatry when it says, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Deuteronomy 5:8, ESV). The foundation for the prohibition against the making of an image to represent God is that God himself does not have an image, but is invisible. Listen to Deuteronomy 4:15-19, which comes before the listing of the ten commandments. Moses spoke to Israel saying, 

“Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.” (Deuteronomy 4:15–19, ESV)

Did you hear it? The reason the Israelites were forbidden from making images to represent God was that they did not see a “form” when God spoke to them “at Horeb”. The Israelites were to understand that God, in his essence, is formless. True, God made man to image him. And true, God made the world in such a way that the created world reveals something of the God who made it. These vestiges of God in the created world are a gift from God – in them God condescends to us to reveal himself to us. But how wrong it is to forget the distinction that exists between Creator and creature and to approach these created things as if they were divine. And how wrong it is to think that these created things are somehow to be identified with God, as if God were in fact composed of these things are looked like these things essentially. God reveled himself in the fire at Horeb, but God is not fire, friends. At other times he revealed himself in wind, but God is not wind. Indeed, God reveals himself in all of creation, but let let us not confusing God with creation in assuming that the two are one. Supremely, the invisible God reveals himself in man, who was made in the image of God. But let us not think that God is man, nor that he has the appearance of a man. God is spirit. 

How then are we to understand those passages of scripture that speak of God as if he had a body? The language is anthropomorphic. Human features are applied to God, not because he actually possess those features – a face, an arm, a hand – but so that we might understand something true about God. To understand the truth we must strip away that which is human and allow to remain the principle which is rightly being attributed to God. For example, the words of the Psalmist are beautiful when he speaks of God, saying, “You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand” (Psalm 89:13, ESV). Indeed our God is powerful! Indeed he is to be trusted! But all should understand that he does not in fact have arms or hands. 

Do you see, brothers and sisters, how God condescend to us. He reveals himself in lowly ways so that we might lay ahold of him. He reveals himself in the media of creation so that we might perceive him. He shows forth is power in the earthquake and in the whirlwind. His holiness and justice is seen in the fire. Indeed, his fingerprints, as it we, are scattered all about in this created world. But let us not confuse the Creator with his creation. Let us not identify the one with the other. Instead, let us appreciate the vestiges of God in creation. Let us give thanks to him that, though a great distance exists between he and us – though he be transcendent, high and lifted up and beyond our comprehension – he has come down to us – he has made himself known in and through his creation and by his word. 

When the scriptures say that God made man in his image it is not to communicate that God has a form own an image, but that man was made to be the image of the invisible God.   

The Whole of Man is the Image of the Whole of God

Secondly, it must be affirmed that the whole of man is the image of the whole of God. 

When I say that the man is the image of the whole of God I mean that man images the Triune God, and not a particular person within the Godhead. Some have claimed that man was made in the image only of the second person of the Trinity. Others have claimed that man was made in the image of Christ. But neither of these views find support in scripture. Man is the image of the whole Triune God, Father, Son and Spirit. 

When I say that the whole of man is the image of God I am saying that we must fight the impulse to equate the image of God with some particular aspect of man. Some claim that the image is found in the intellect of man, others the moral capacity of man, and others the relational capabilities of man. Some have identified the soul of man as the image of God, to the exclusion of the body. But any attempt to reduce the image and to strictly identify it with one particular aspect of man will be found wanting. No, man in his entirety – man as a whole person, body and soul, is the image bearer of God.   

Whereas God is simple, without body and without parts, man is complex. Man is composed of parts. And these parts do together make constitute man made in the image of God. Let us briefly consider the various ways in which the parts of man image God. 

1. Man is a soul. There is a part of man that is non-material and invisible. Man, in this respect, can be compared to the angels who are in heaven. The angels are spirit and man has a soul or spirit. Man shares this in common with God, then. Just as God is spirit so too man is spirit or soul. The personhood of man is situate in the soul. When the body goes into the grave, the soul goes on living, and the person remains. By this we can under something of God who, although invisible, is a true and living person. 

2. Let is also consider the faculties that man possess. Man has a heart, a mind and a will. The heart in the scriptures refers to the center of man’s life. It is the center of man’s emotions and passions, desire and will. The heart of man effects the mind of man – his thinking. The heart and mind of man drive the will of man – what motivated man to do what he does. The scriptures speak often of the importance of keeping the heart holy and pure, of thinking thoughts that are true, so that we might will and do that which is right before God. Man possesses a heart, mind and will. Saint Augustine saw in this an image of the Triune God. Just as the heart, mind and will of man can be distinguished from one another and yet are inextricable bound up together in the person, so too the Father, Word and Spirit can be distinguished, and yet they are one God. The Father can be compared to the heart, who enlivens the mind (the Son), who in turn enlivens the will (the Spirit). It seems to me that there is some truth in this. 

3. Man when he was originally created was endowed with the virtues of knowledge, righteousness and holiness. Bavinck points that man was created “physically and ethically mature”. Adam and Eve were created physically mature as full grown adults. Ethically they were mature in that they possessed true knowledge, righteousness and holiness. This corresponds to what has just been said concerning the faculties of man. Man, as he and she came from the hand of God, possessed true knowledge in the mind, true righteousness in the will,  and true holiness in the heart.  They knew God and themselves truly. The they were able to will that which was right, and they hearts were upright, pure and holy. In this way the first man and woman imaged God. 

4. It would be a mistake to assume that the body of man is unrelated to the image of God. We have already established that man was not made to look like God. But he was made to image him! It is through the body that man’s faculties are exercised. It was through the body that the first man and woman were to live according to their true knowledge, righteousness and holiness. Man’s was made to dwell on earth. He was to have dominion upon the earth. He was to serve God in this world, advancing his kingdom here and promoting his worship here. This he was to do in body. Man is a whole person only when he is body and soul. The soulish existence that the saints who have departed from this world is indeed a blessed existence, but it is not ideal. Man was created by God body and soul. This is how the redeemed will live for all eternity after Christ returns – body and soul will be reunited for all eternity. The body of man is also in the image of God, therefore. It is not that God looks like man, but that man was made to represent and image God on earth through the body that which God prepared for him at creation. 

5. Consider that man’s capacity to enjoy God in paradise was greater than any other creature that God had made. Man was made to dwell on earth given his physical features. He was also made to commune with the God of heaven by his spirit or soul. No other creature enjoys a privilege like this. The angels in heaven are spiritual and heavenly beings. The animals of the earth do not have souls. But man, made in the image of God has the ability to dwell upon the earth and to relate to his God in heaven.  Not long from now we will see that God entered into a covenant with the man that he made in his image. Man has the capacity to relate to the God who made him.

Do you see that the whole of man is the image of the whole of God?

The Image of God and the Fall 

Thirdly, we should ask the question, was the image of God lost when man fell from his state of innocency and into sin?  

The answer is both yes and no.  

Image lost at the fall? (Bavink 554 substance, quality) Bavink 551 blind man sight, sick man health), lame man  

Broadly considered we must confess that man retains the image of God even after his fall into sin.

Genesis 9:6 can be held forth as a proof of this. Capital punishment is put forth as the just consequence for murder on the basis of man being the image of God. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image” (Genesis 9:6, ESV).

James 3:9 can also be put forth. Here James, speaking of the power of the tongue, says, “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God” (James 3:9, ESV). The words “likeness” and “image” are nearly synonymous both in Genes 1:26-27 and as they are used throughout scripture. James says that people are still the likeness of God.  

So, does the image of God remain in man after the fall? Broadly considered, the answer must be yes. Man retains the image of God substantially.  

But more narrowly considered, we must say that the image of God in man has been lost with mans fall into sin. Here we considering the image, not in terms of its substance, but in terms of the quality of it. 

Does man possess knowledge still? Yes he does! But the mind of man is now dark. He thoughts concerning God and self are not true, but he is ignorant of God and the things of God by nature. 

And what should we say of man’s righteousness? It was lost at the fall so that none is righteous, no not one. 

And what of man’s holiness? It lacking altogether. Man’s heart, far from being holy, is sick and bent towards all evil – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV)

Substantially, man still possess the image of God, but in regard to it’s quality it is gone. A blind man may still have his eyes, but he has lost his ability to see. A lame man may still have his legs, but he has lost his ability to walk. A deaf man still has his ears, but he cannot hear. So it is with man made in the image of God. His body, his soul and his faculties remain, but they are all bent out of shape and corrupted so that they do not function as God made them to function, namely to bring glory to his most holy name. 

Christ is the Image of the Invisible God

Lastly, let us say a word about the image of God as it relates to Christ Jesus our Lord. Whereas Adam was made in the image of God, Christ is the image of God par excellence. 

Adam fell from his state of innocency, came short of the glory of God, marred and misused the image of God with which he was endowed. Christ, having been born without sin, fulfilled God’s purpose for him, lived according to true knowledge, righteousness and holiness, and entered into the glory of God. Truly Christ “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15, ESV)

If you are in Adam, you bear the image of God marred by sin. It is there, but it is twisted up, distorted and bent towards evil. If you are in Christ, the image of God has been and is being renewed in you. It is one or the other! You are either in Adam or in Christ!

If you are in Christ you are “to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and… be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:21–24, ESV).

No longer are you to live in sin “seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:9–10, ESV).

The work of Christ might be described as a rescue mission and renovation project. The eternal Son of God took on human flesh, came in the likeness of sinful man, and was, therefore, the image of the invisible God. This he did so that he might redeem fallen man. And having redeemed those given to him bu the Father, he is now renovating them after the likeness of God, after the image of our Creator.

Application 

Think of man as he is today. Can you see remnants of the image of God in him? But can you also see how he is, from birth, all bent out of shape and distorted. 

Image man (male and female) as God created him to be. Can you picture it? Men and women upright, living according to true knowledge, righteousness and holiness. What a blessed existence this would be! Men and women loving right, feeling right, thinking right, doing right in body and soul, worshipping and serving God and one another in perfection. 

Are you having trouble visualizing it? Think of Christ who is the image of the invisible God, the redeemer and restorer of the image in us.  

Do you long to be renewed? Do you long to live in a world that has been renewed? Look to Christ, the God-man, our brother, redeemer and friend. 

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 2:1-3

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” (Genesis 2:1-3, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 4:1–11

“Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, ‘As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’’ although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.’ And again in this passage he said, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:1–11, ESV)

Introduction

This is now the third sermon devoted to the days of creation of Genesis 1:1-2:3. The first two sermons were big picture sermons. I was flying at 30,000 feet and making general observations about this text. 

If I were to briefly summarize the first sermon I would say that the process whereby God created the world reveals that God is God Most High – he is Lord of all creation. 

If I were briefly summarize the second sermon I would say that the created world itself reveals the glory of God Most High. In other words the world was made in the beginning to be filled with the glory of God; and the world was made to declare the glory of the God who made it.

This third sermon will also be a big picture sermon. We will fly together at 30,000 feet to make some general observations concerning the days of creation as they are recounted in Genesis 1:1-2:3. When all is said and done we will again walk away from the text seeing God as God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth, the only one worthy of our devotion and praise. 

In this sermon, we will give special attention to what God did on each day of creation. Again we will ask the question, why did God create in this way?

We have already admitted that God could have created the world as we know it in an instant. But Genesis 1 declares that God chose create progressively. First he created the realms of heaven and earth.  The earthly realm, we are told, was at first without form and void and was clocked in darkness. And then God formed the earth to be a place suitable for human habitation. This he did in six days time. When we noticed that God created progressively we began to ask the question, why the process? Certainly God could have created in an instant. Why did he take time to create the world? The answer given was that the process of creation reveals truth about the Creator and his relationship to his creation. 

Today we are looking more closely at the process of creation. And as we consider the days of creation we will ask, not only, why the process?, but more specifically, why this process? Why did God choose to create in six days and to rest on the seventh, blessing the seventh day and setting it apart as a day to be treated as holy? Why did he make what he made in the order that he made them?

Again, the general answer to the question, why this process? is that the process of creation was revelatory. God was saying something when he created the world in this way. God was making a statement, as it were. But today I intend to be more specific.  

Elohim

First, I want to remind you of something. Remember that the name used for God throughout Genesis 1:1-2:3 is, in the Hebrew, Elohim. This is the more generic name for God. This is the name used for God when his supremacy is being emphasized. The God of Genesis 1:1-2:3 is the one true God, Maker of heaven and earth. He is God Most High. This will become even more significant when we move to Genesis 2:4 and following and see that a different name for God is used in that passage. 

In Genesis 2:4 and following God is called, in the Hebrew, Yahweh Elohim. This is not a different God, of course, for there is only one God. But the change in name indicates a change in focus. In Genesis 2:4 and following it will be God, the covenant making and covenant keeping God, who is in view. There the view is of God drawing near to man and entering into covenant with him. Elohim – God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth – is also Yahweh Elohim – the relational, covenant making and covenant keeping God. 

But let us keep things in their proper place. The truth being emphasized here in Genesis 1:1-2:3 is that God is God Most High. He is the Supreme One. He is Creator of heaven and earth. All of his creation, therefore, owes to him devotion and praise by virtue of their existence. If you are alive and breathing today you must know that you are in a relationship with God. This is even true of those who deny his existence. You are his creation, and he is your Creator. You opinion of him does not alter this reality. Elohim is supreme over you. Therefore, you owe to him obedience and praise. 

Realms and Rulers

Not only does the name “Elohim” communicate that God is God Most High, so too does the narrative. 

Notice that God made all things seen and unseen. There is God and there is his creation. Nothing else exists to compete with God. He is supreme.

Notice that when God created he did so by first creating realms, or territories, and then he filled those realms with rulers who were to do his bidding. These rulers were to function as vassal kings or under lords in the place that God had placed them. 

In ancient times when a king would conquer another king, a treaty would sometimes be made between the kings. In these treaties the conquering and supreme king would tell of the victory he had won,  he would communicate what was expected of the conquered king, who was taking the position of vassal  king, or under lord, and then sanctions  would be communicated should vassal king rebel against the supreme king. 

Something similar happened at creation. The Lord Most High accomplished his creative work. He called realms into existence. Afterwards he filled those realms with rulers. As we will see, man is the pinnacle of creation. He was given dominion over all creation. But he was to exercise his dominion in perpetual submission to and in obedience to God Most High. Man was indeed made to rule as king, but not as supreme king. He was made to live as a vassal kings who would live in perpetual submission to and in service of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The covenant made between God and man is described in Genesis 2. There the sanctions of the covenant are communicated. If king Adam rebels against the King of kings, he will experience death. These things we will consider in great detail when we come to them in the text. Today I want for you to recognize that God created as he did in order to establish this relationship between himself and his creation. He is God Most High. He is King of kings, and Lord of lords. Whatever dominion man has, it is not absolute and supreme, but is to be exercised in perpetual submission to our Creator. 

Realms Created

As we consider the days of creation, please recognize that God Most High first made realms and then filled those realms with rulers who were to function as vassal kings. 

Day One

On day one God created light and separated the light from darkness.  

Verse 3: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” (Genesis 1:3–5, ESV)

Some have wondered if we should take the days of creation as ordinary 24 hour days, or if each of these “days” might instead represent ages or eons. I will not bore you with the exegetical details, but I will say that there is no reason at all to think that the days of creation are anything other than ordinary 24 hour days. 

Yes, it is true that the word day, which is in the Hebrew is yom, can be used to refer to a period of time. In fact, the word yom is certainly used in that way in Genesis 2:4 where we read, “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens” (Genesis 2:4, ESV). The days of creation having been descried to us in 1:1-2:3 are now referred to as “the day”. In 2:4 the word yom is clearly referring, not to an actual day, but to a period of time, namely the seven days of creation that have just been described to us in 1:1-2:3. 

There are many reasons to take the days of creation of Genesis 1:1-2:3 as referring to ordinary days. 

One, the word yom is ordinarily used to describe an ordinary day. If it is being used in an unusual way (in reference to a period of time) then the context will make it clear.

Two, the repeated phrase “evening and morning” found at the end of each of the days of creation (with the exception of the seventh, which is itself significant), shows that these are to be taken as ordinary days.

Three (and I think this is most telling), when later scriptures look back upon the days of creation they speak of the days as if they were ordinary days. Indeed, as we will see, the way in which God created serves as a pattern for us. Because God created in six days and rested on the seventh, we too are to live according to that pattern. We are to work six days, and rest from our labor and worship one. Six and one, six and one. This is the pattern we are to follow until the consummation. More on this later. 

More arguments could be given. E.J. Young in his, “Studies in Genesis One” makes some rather detailed exegetical arguments which, though very good, are not well suited for presentation in a sermon. 

Some, having noticed that the sun and moon and stars are not created until day four, have wondered how days one through three could be considered ordinary 24 hour days, given that it is by the rising and setting of the sun that we tell time. 

Well, first of all, notice that it is was not “we” who were tracking time in the days of creation, but God. And God is able to keep track of time without the sun. And secondly, notice that the sun is not needed to track seconds, minutes, and hours. All that is needed is matter and movement. Remember that Genesis 1:1-2 informed us that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was without form, was void and dark. There is no reason to think that the globe was not at that time spinning on it’s axis, which is, in fact, how a day is measured. It is not the rising of the sun, but the rotation of the earth which makes a day a day. Your watches and phones track time without any consideration of the sun, but rely upon the movement of material.

And so what was accomplished on the first day? The answer is that the invisible heavenly realm was made on the first day, and so to was the material world. The material world was at first without form, void and dark. And the first act of God’s formative creation was the calling of light into existence. The creation of light did not happen at the beginning of day one, but in the middle of it. The first day began cloaked in darkness. The first morning dawned when God said, “Let their be light.” Thus the pattern is not, morning and evening, the first day, but evening and morning. For the Jews a new day began not with the the rising of the sun and the in breaking of light, but with the setting of the sun and darkness. And so it is for us. Each of our days begin cloaked in darkness and after some time dark day gives way to the morning light. Day one of creation began with the activity described in Genesis 1:1. Day one of creation was at first dark. And then God said, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light… And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”

And so in this way God created the realms of day and night by separating the light from the darkness. 

Day Two

Let’s move a little more quickly now. On day two God created the realms of the sky above and the oceans below as he separated the waters from the waters. 

Verse 6: “And God said, ‘Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.” (Genesis 1:6–8, ESV)

Notice that three things are in fact called heaven in Genesis 1. The invisible spiritual realm is called heaven in 1:1. Outer space, as we call it, is called heaven in 1:15. And the sky where the birds fly is called heaven here in 1:8. And so according to the scriptures there are three heavens. And this is why Paul wrote as he did to the Corinthians saying, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven…” (2 Corinthians 12:2, ESV). In other words, Paul saw something of the heavenly and spiritual realm.  

On day two God created the realms of the sky above (the first heaven) and the oceans below when he separated the waters from the waters. 

Day Three

On day three God created the realm of dry land and he also filled that realm with vegetation in preparation for the creatures that would soon be placed there. 

Verse 9: “And God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day” (Genesis 1:9–13, ESV).

And so by the end of day three theses realms had been created by God. Light had been separated from darkness, day from night. The sky above and oceans beneath had been formed, the waters above and the waters below having been divided. And the dry land had also been formed and given the power to bring forth vegetation. 

Rulers Created

Next God created rulers or creature kings to have dominion over each of these realms. 

Day Four

On day four God created the luminaries – the sun, moon and stars. 

Verse 14: “And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day [the sun] and the lesser light to rule the night [the moon]—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day” (Genesis 1:14–19, ESV).

I do want for you to notice the word rule. The sun, moon and stars were created on day four to rule over the realms created on day one, namely, the realms of light and darkness, day and night. 

Day Five

On day five God filled the waters below and the sky above with creature kings. 

Verse 20: “And God said, ‘Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.’ So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day” (Genesis 1:20–23, ESV).

Though the word “rule” is not found in here in verses 20-23, it is implied that theses creatures are exercise a kind of dominion over these realms when God commands them saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill” the realms to which they have been assigned.  

Day Six

On day six God filled the dry land with creature kings. 

Verse 24:  “And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.’ And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:24–25, ESV). 

In verse 26 we read of the creation of man: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Genesis 1:26, ESV).

Notice two things. First, man is unique in that he alone is said to be made in the image and likeness of God. Secondly, notice that man is supreme over all creation. Man is given dominion “over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” This is why the language of ruling was not directly applied to the fish and birds nor the land animals. They do have a kind of dominion. It is right for us to say, for example, that the birds rule the air and that the tiger is king of the jungle. But it is man who was in the beginning crowned by God as king of the earth. 

That man was created to function as a vassal king or under lord  on earth is made clear in the narrative that follows. 

Verse 27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27, ESV)

Now listen to the kingly language of verse 28: “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” (Genesis 1:28, ESV). 

Man was created to function as king of the earthly realm. His task from the beginning was to fill the earth. He was to subdue it and to have dominion over it. This he was to do, not independent from the God who made him, but in perpetual subordination to him. He was to rule as a king, but more specifically, as a king under the authority of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Adams task was to fill the earth and to expand, not his own kingdom, but the kingdom of God who had created him, who had prepared this place for him, and who had blessed him. 

Much more could be said about all of this. And much more will be said about it in the weeks to come. But for know I want to you to see that God first created realm and afterwards he  filled those realms with creature kings and commissioned them to fill those realms and to exercise dominion within them. Furthermore, if we consider what God made and the order in which he made it we see a progression from the more basic and lower forms of life to the more complex and higher forms of life with man being the pinnacle or apex of God’s creative activities. Man, being made in the image of God, was blessed by God and given dominion over all the earth as God’s vassal king. 

Day Seven

Let us now consider very briefly day seven of the creation week. We will return to this text in the future and we will engage in a prolonged study of the Christian Sabbath. But for now would you notice the importance of the seventh day. On it God, having created the invisible heavenly realm and having finished the earthly realm, “rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (Genesis 2:1–3, ESV).

God rested from his work of creation, not because he was tired, but because he was finished. Having made a temple for himself – his heavenly throne and his earthly footstool – he sat down, as it were. He ceased from his work of creation but he continued with his work of providence. This is what kings do. After winning a great battle they rest from war and go on with the ruling and reigning of the kingdom. After building the palace, they sit on the throne. After securing the kingdom they rest from the process of securing it and begin the process of ruling and reigning as king. This is similar to what is described to us in here in Genesis 2:1-3. God, having finished his work of creation, ceased from his created work and entered into rest. He took his seat on his heavenly throne. 

His newly created kingdom was to be advanced on the earth. And who was to do the advancing? King Adam was to do the advancing. He had a task to accomplish! Fill, subdue exercise dominion over the earth. And he was to do so living in perpetual submission to the King of kings and Lord of lords. 

We will come to conserver the Sabbath much more carefully in the future. For now please see that, “The Sabbath rest of the Creator [as described in Genesis 2:1-3]… is an invitation for Adam to be like his Maker, working as a temple-builder and then, upon final completion of the task assigned to him, entering the rest  of God. It is a symbol of a state of creaturely existence to be entered into after the creature’s faithful work.” (Barcellos, GTGR, 112)

God created in six days time and entered into rest in the seventh day in order to reveal something and in order to establish a pattern for man to follow. Adam was to work six days and he was to rest on worship on the seventh in imitation of his Maker. This he was to do until his work was completed. And once completed, he would enjoy eternal Sabbath rest along with the God who made him. 

Notice that not only did God rest on the seventh day, but he blessed the seventh day and made it holy. This he did, not for himself, but for the man and woman whom he created and for all their posterity. He made the seventh day a blessed day for them! He set the seventh day apart as distinct from all of the other days and holy for them! They were to follow the pattern established by God in creation. And following the pattern faithfully would mean they two would enjoy the unending Sabbath Rest of God.

Application

Truly, we must take care in our application of this text to our lives today, for we do not live in Eden.  

For example, it would be very wrong to suggest that we are capable of entering into the Sabbath rest of God by fulling the task that was given to Adam at the beginning. That way of obtaining eternal rest was closed off to man in the moment that man fell from his state of innocency and into sin. Genesis chapters 2 and 3 will help us understand that.

But this text must be applied! 

One, we must see that this eternal Sabbath rest is still available to us by God’s grace. Adam didn’t earn it. He failed very quickly. But God y his grace provided a redeemer, Christ Jesus our Lord. He was faithful to keep the covenant of made with him. He earned Sabbath rest, and he has entered into it! Having accomplished his work of recreation, he sat down at the Fathers right hand. And all who have faith in him also enjoy this rest! We have tasted of it. All who have faith in Christ will indeed enter into the fulness of the rest that he has earned when Christ returns and makes all things new. Then we will forever cease from our labors. Then we cease in our struggle with sin. Then we will no longer we tormented by sorrow, sickness and death. We must trust in Christ. In the first Adam there is no rest but only death. In the second Adam, who is Christ our Lord, true rest is found.   

Two, we must recognize that we were created by God in the beginning to live in subordination to our Maker. At the very heart of sin is pride. At the very core of sin is the desire to be autonomous, to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong, true and false. In our sin we insist on gong our own way. Oh that we would truly submit to God and to his word to live in subjection to him. Oh, that we would truly live with God as King over us, with Christ truly as Lord. Here is where find life abundant. Friends, “put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word [of God], which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21, ESV).

Three, let us serve the Lord faithfully in the places that he set us, living in perpetual obedience to our Maker. Are you a husband? Serve the Lord faithfully in your home. Are you are wife? Fulfill God’s calling upon by living according to his word. Are you a child? Obey God and show honor to your parents. Are you single? Walk in purity day by day trusting in the Lord always. Are you employed? Work to the glory of God exercising dominion in the place that God has set you, never for your own glory and according to your own wisdom, but in perpetual submission to your Maker and to his glory alone. 

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:3

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, ‘Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, ‘Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. And God said, ‘Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.’ So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.’ And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” (Genesis 1:1–2:3, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Romans 1:18–25

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Romans 1:18–25, ESV)

Introduction

Have you ever asked yourself the question, why is the world as it is? I’m not here thinking of the state or condition of humanity, but have in mind the physical universe. Why is the world – that is, the physical universe – as it is? Why the sun, moon, and stars? Why this planet with this atmosphere, these lands and these oceans? Why the mountains, rivers and trees? Why this world filled with these creatures? Why is the world as it is?

The atheist will respond to this question by saying, the world is as it is by chance. This world, the atheist says, is the one that worked out – this world is the one that simply came to be.

I find this answer to be very unsatisfying intellectually and also spiritually. Intellectually, the idea that this world came into existence by chance, by some unguided process of evolution, doesn’t square well with the intricacy that we find in the natural world. This world is very complex. Everywhere we look we see evidence of design. Spiritually, this answer is unsatisfying because it strips life of all meaning. If indeed the world is at it is by chance, then there is no meaning at all to our existence. But this is the only answer that the atheist can give to the question, why is the world as it is? It is as it is by chance, the atheist must say.

But the Christian will respond to the question, why is the world as it is?, by saying, this is how God designed it and then made it to be.

This is true. But let us think a little more deeply about this.

For The Manifestation Of His Glory

Tell me Christian, did God have to create the heavens and the earth? Was he compelled or bound or obligated to bring this world into existence? The answer is that God did not have to create. Before the creation there was nothing external to God compelling him to create, nor was there anything lacking within him which moved him to create. God was not lonely, friends. He was not in need of companionship. There was nothing lacking within God that moved him to create. But rather the Triune God was complete and perfectly satisfied within himself when he determined to create as he did, being driven only by his good pleasure and the counsel of his will (see Ephesians 1:5, 9 and 11, for example).

And tell me, once God determined to create could he have made the world different from the one that he has made? Of course God could have a made the world different from the one in which we now live. God is most free. He is all powerful. He can do whatever he pleases. The only thing impossible for God is for him to act contrary to his nature. God is most holy – never can he do evil. God is true – never can he lie. God is faithful – never can he leave a promise unfulfilled. But certainly God was free and capable of making a world different from the one that he made.

Why then this world? All Christins will answer saying, the world is as it is because God designed it and made it this way. But why did he make it this way? The better and more developed answer to the question, why is the world as it is?, is that God made the world this way, one, simply because it pleased him to do so, and two, because this world effectively reveals something of the God who made it.

This is exactly the point that our Confession of Faith makes when it address the subject of creation. Listen to Chapter 4 of our Confession, Paragraph 1: “In the beginning it pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, to create or make the world, and all things therein, whether visible or invisible, in the space of six days, and all very good.”

First of all, notice that our Confession states that the Triune God created what he created because it “pleased” him to do so. Secondly, notice that he created “the world, and all things therein, whether visible or invisible” for the “manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness.” God was please to create all things so that he might manifest his glory within his creation.

What is meant by the word “manifestation”? I use the word often, so I suppose it would be good to define it. The word “manifest” means to display or show forth something. It describes the process whereby something that is invisible is made visible and apparent. If I have an idea in my head you cannot see it, but if I write it down or draw it our build it, then that idea is made manifest. The writing or drawing or building is a visible manifestation of that which was once invisible.

Our Confession rightly asserts that the invisible heavenly realm (invisible to us, mind you, but not to the angels nor to the souls of the departed saints) and the visible earthly realm were created by God so that “the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness” might be manifest there.

Tell me friends, when did God begin to be infinitely powerful, wise and good? Was it is at creation that God began to be these things? No, God’s “power, wisdom, and goodness” are “eternal”. So it is with all of God’s essential attributes. Just as God is eternal, without beginning or end, so too are all of his essential attributes. God simply is. He cannot be divided up into parts. He does not gain qualities or loose them with the passing of time, for he does not change, but is the same yesterday, today and forever.

What then happened at creation? Did the act of creation bring about a change in God? Certainly not! But rather it is in the creation that God’s eternal attributes are gloriously manifest! God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is unchanging. But who saw God’s infinite “power, wisdom, and goodness” prior to the act of creation? Only the Triune God was aware the Triune God. But in the beginning God created the heavens and earth “for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness”.

In the previous sermon I made the point that the way in which God created revealed truth concerning himself and his relationship to the world that he made. By considering the process whereby God brought the heavens and earth into existence we learn that there is a distinction between the Creator and his creation. There is God, and there is creation. We see that God is supreme and sovereign over all his creation. We understand him to be good. We learn that he is relational. Certainly God is to be served and worshipped by his creatures because he is their Maker. All of this can be gleaned from the way in which God created.

Here I am saying something different. I am saying that the creation itself reveals truth concerning the Creator. The world which God made reveals something of the glory of God.

The Heavenly Realm Is Where God’s Glory Is Manifest

When God called the heavenly realm into existence he did so to manifest his glory there before the angels. Do you remember how in the book of Revelation John the Apostle tells us of the visions that he saw of the heavenly realm? Consider, for example, Revelation 4:1-6:

“After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven!… At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.” (Revelation 4:1–6, ESV)

Do you see that the heavenly realm was created for the “manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness”? Heaven is a realm or dimension where God, who is “infinite in being and perfection… a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions… (2LBC, 2.1)” manifests, or makes visible and apparent, his glory to his creatures. John was shown this glory. Throughout the book of Revelation, he is found laboring to describe the glory of God that he saw in heaven.

By the way, where is this heavenly and spiritual realm? Is it a territory situated just beyond the edge of our ever expanding universe? Is it tucked behind a star somewhere, hidden from sight? Of course there is mystery here, but I think it is best to view heaven, not as a territory tucked away in some corner of the universe, but as another dimension that is ever about and before us, but is now hidden from our sight.

You would do well to remember the story of Elisha and his servant. In 2 Kings 6:15 we read,

“When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?’ [Elisha] said, ‘Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:15–17, ESV)

This story illustrates the point. The heavenly realm is not a territory set far off, but is all about us and is hidden from our sight. From to time to time this heavenly dimension is shown to men. Here in 2 Kings 6 Elisha and his servant saw it.

Do you remember what I said in our or study of the book of Revelation how in the end heaven and earth will become one. When Christ returns we know that he will establish the new heavens and new earth. When those in Christ die their souls go to heaven now. But at the end of time those in Christ will be brought body and soul into the new heavens and the new earth. The heavenly realm that is invisible to us now where the glory of God is manifest before his elect angels and the souls who have died in Christ, and the renewed earth, will become one. It is not that God will take a the heavenly realm from a far of place and bring it to the earthly realm to press the two together, but that heavenly, which is around and about us always, will be visible in the new heavens and earth. The glory of God which is manifest in heaven now, will fill the earth. All will be aglow with God’s glory. Indeed, “we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13, ESV)

As we progress in our study of Genesis we will see that this was God’s design from the beginning – that the heavenly realm and earthly realm be one. God’s design from the beginning was that his glory which was manifest in the heavenly realm from the start would fill the earth too. The book of Revelation makes it clear that this was the end goal. Christ, the second Adam earned it. Which proves that this is what was offered to the first Adam through the covenant made with him and symbolized by the tree of life. Should Adam have passed the test by abstaining from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and eating from the tree of life, Adam would have been confirmed in glory. He would have passed from life to life, from paradise to glory. Adam fell “short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23, ESV), But Christ, after suffering as he did “[entered] into his glory?” (Luke 24:26, ESV).

The Earthly Realm Was Created For Glory

So not only did God create the heavenly realm to manifest his glory, but also the earthly realm. Heaven is a place created by God where his glory is now manifest so that his creatures may bask in his glory. There the angels in heaven give praise to God and enjoy him continuously. And earth is also a place created by God for that purpose. It too is capable of housing the glory of God. It was designed by God to be a place filled with his glory where his human creatures would give praise to him and enjoy him forever and ever.

But never has the earth been filled with the glory of God. It will be at the consummation! But never has it functioned in full according to God’s design. God’s glory has been shown forth upon the earth. The glory of God was shown on Mount Eden. The glory of God was shown on Mount Sinai. And the glory of God was shown on the Mount of Transfiguration. But these were but isolated foretastes of the glory that is to come. When all is made new, God’s glory of God will fill all. “Night will be no more. [Those who occupy the new heavens and earth] will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5, ESV). Brothers and sisters, please recognize that God created the world in the beginning so that his glory might be manifest in it just as it is manifest in the heavenly realm now.

The Earthly Realm Declares The Glory Of The Lord

We long for that day, do we not? We long for the day when heaven and earth will be filled with the glory of God. But for now we live in a world that is fallen. We live in a world which has come short of the glory of God.

But though it is true that world has not reached its telos, or the end for which it was created, this world does still reveal the glory of God. God made this world in such a way that it tells of his glory. The world, even in it fallen condition, declares the glory of the God who made it.

Psalm 19 says,

“The heavens [here it is the starry heavens that are in view] declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” (Psalm 19:1–4, ESV)

What is the meaning of this? Psalm 19 teaches that God has designed the world to declare or to reveal his glory. Why is the the world as it is? It is as it is so that it might show forth the glory of God. The word, even now in fallen condition, manifests “the glory of [God’s] eternal power, wisdom, and goodness.”

Heaven And Earth: Distinct, Yet Corresponding

Let us make a few observations from the text of Genesis 1:1-2:3 to prove that this was God’s intention from the beginning, that the earth reveal and declare the glory of the God who made it.

Notice that in Genesis 1:1 a distinction is made between the heavenly realm and the earthly realm. Some have referred to this as the upper and lower registers (Kline). This distinction is maintained throughout Genesis 1:1-2:3 and, given the fall, the distinction between heaven and earth is maintained throughout the rest of scripture unit the two become one in Revelation 21.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, ESV).

In 1:2 All attention then goes to the earthly realm, or the lower register. “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep…” But we are told that “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2, ESV). To which realm does the Spirit of God belong? The earthly and visible, or the heavenly and invisible? The Spirit belongs to the heavenly realm, but he seen here hovering like a bird over the earthly realm, ready to create.

And then a word is spoken? God says, “Let there be…” This he says again and again in the days of creation. And where is God when speaks? He is in the heavenly realm.

And to every “let there be…” there is a corresponding, “and it was so…” God’s word spoken from heaven has an effect on earth. The two realms, though distinct, correspond to one another and are interrelated.

All of this creative activity being accomplished by the Triune God, Father, Word and Spirit, culminates on the seventh day. “God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation” (Genesis 2:1–3, ESV). God rests, therefore, in the heavenly realm. He sat down, as it were, having accomplished his work of creation, as king would sit upon his throne after building palace for himself.

There is heaven and there is earth. The two are distinct, but they correspond. What God said in heaven was accomplished upon the earth. And if we look as bit closer we see that what was made upon the earth was made to reveal heavenly realities.

Man Made In The Image Of God

Nowhere is this more obvious than in the creation of man, who is said to be made in the image of God. There is God in the heavens, and there is man on earth, but man is made in the image of God. Man is like God in some respects. He was made to correspond to him. When we look at man, therefore, something may be known about God. This we will consider in much greater detail in the weeks to come, but for now simply see that it is so. God made man in such a way that something of God may be known by looking at man. Man was created in the image of God.

The Second And Third Heaven

Isn’t it also interesting that the word “heaven” is used to refer both to the spiritual and invisible heaven, and also the heavens that belong to the natural world. This is true in Hebrew, Greek and English. The word heaven can be used to refer to either the invisible or visible heavens. The same is true of the word “hosts”. The word “hosts” as it appears in Genesis 2:1 can be used to refer either to the armies of heaven – that is, the angels – or to the sun, moon and stars.

I do not think that this is coincidence. The heavens above and the sun, moon and stars that reside there are called “heaven” and “hosts” because they were created by God to image the invisible heavenly realm and hosts that worship and serve God day and night.

When you see the sun rise, and you feel it’s heat, and observe how it makes the plants grow, you are to to be reminded of God, who is himself the source of light. When you look up at the starry skies you are to be reminded of the heavenly hosts who worship and serve God perpetually.

The two seem most obvious to me: man made in the image of God, and the physical heavens and hosts being called by the same name as the spiritual heaven and hosts. But many, many other observations could be made concerning how the created world declares the glory of the Lord.

The creation of light reveals something of the God who created it, who is himself light. In him there is no darkness at all. The mountains lift our eyes to heaven. The trees function like a kingdom for the birds. They are place for them to rest, just as God is our resting place.

Friends, it is not that the universe came is at it is by chance and that God made analogies from the things that happened to be, but that God created the world to be analogous. The world was made by God to reveal God. The world was made in such way to show how things are in the heavens.

Adam’s Ability To Know God In And Through The World

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like for Adam and Eve to engage with the created world in their uprightness? The world that they the observed was the same world that we observe in terms of its features (sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, plants, tree, and animals). How did they perceive it?

Our Ability To Know God In And Through The World

In our sin we do not see the glory of God in the created world. It is not as if it is not there. But in our sin, we twist it all up.

“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things… they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Romans 1:21–25, ESV)

But in Christ our ability to see the creation aright has been restored. God, by his grace, has regenerated the Christian by his word and Spirit, and now the Christian is able to look upon creation and appreciate as God intended – as a world designed to declare the glory of the Lord who made it.

Application