I was intrigued to see the post “Are you there Jesus? It’s me, Woman” and returning to the realm of Genesis and Creation. The other day I was reading my copy of the teaser edition of “Two Words”, and I noticed that the first entry was, appropriately, from Genesis. And so, my little mind got to thinking about understanding the words of creation in Genesis in light of the Two Words of Law and Gospel. When God said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), was that a word of law or grace? Both? Neither?
Let me actually begin my treatment of Genesis 1 by starting with Jesus and the Gospel. It is no secret that most Americans would readily categorize “the Gospel” as an invitation: Jesus comes to you and invites you to follow him. After all, that’s what he did with the twelve disciples, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). And Jesus knocks on the doors of our hearts and invites us to choose to allow him to come into our hearts, etc., etc.
This is, in fact, not the Gospel. The Gospel certainly requires a response, but it is a response that is made not to an invitation but, first and foremost, a response to a proclamation. Jesus has died for the sinner in his or her place and has been raised again according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). That is not an invitation, it is a declaration of the completed work of God’s grace to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). Those who hear this Gospel declaration respond by receiving it through faith (Romans 10:17). But so very often the Second Word, that of Gospel grace, is erroneously treated as a word of invitation, rather than a word of proclamation. God’s grace is not merely an invitation but a reality that is declared to sinners. Likewise, God’s Law is not an invitation but a righteous demand of which we fall short. By treating both Words of Law and Gospel as mere invitations we diminish the power and significance of both.
Consequently, it is dangerously easy to treat God’s word of Creation as an invitation. I have heard it put this way: in order to create, the Divine Essence had to ‘make room’ for the things that were made. In other words, “Let there be light” is an invitation to the light to not be afraid and be the light. It was meant to be and God would ‘back off’ and allow light to be light. Thus, the words of creation are also erroneously categorized as invitation rather than command(1).
for those who cannot and will not obey (we must also add that out of the faith which trusts this Gospel, obedience does spring forth; see Romans 6:17). Two final thoughts.
First, taking such an approach to Creation, wrt the Gospel, puts humanity in its place and God, rightly, into His. We are rendered very much passive to the God who both Commands and Forgives. I am amazed at how this also changes my understanding of what Genesis means when it indicates that humans were made in the image of God. Many people and churches over the millennia have taken that statement to remove humanity from its passive relationship to God, that in so creating people ‘in his image’ God made them active agents in the face of his Law and Gospel, rather than passive. But it is truly the passive sinner to whom faith is given who may trust and believe in the Active One.
And lastly, how are we to understand the Words of Creation? Are they Law or are they Gospel? In a very real sense there is the First Voice of the Law in Creation, God bringing things into existence under submission to his absolute moral authority. But on the other hand God makes no qualifications upon the created things other than to declare them ‘good’. However, the only giving of law really occurs on Day 7 (Genesis 2:1-3), when God rested from his work, thus establishing into the fabric of Creation the Law of Rest (Sabbath), which is a foretaste of the eternal rest that will come, remarkably, only as a result of the Fall and its remedy in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So we may also argue that in the Words of Creation (“Let there be…”) we also find Gospel – that God made something and someone in love, knowing that they would rebel, knowing that the irrevocable corollary to “Let there be…” is the crucified cry of “It is finished!”
1Walter Brueggemann is a good example of this position, that the Word of Creation is invitation, and vehemently opposes the idea that it is a command.
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9 responses to “Two Words on Genesis”
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Ben,
This is excellent and a very helpful exploration of the Creation account. There has been so much argument over this topic, but you have masterfully grounded it in the cross, for which I am grateful.
Keep them coming!
what a truly delightful read.
Reading through Lewis' (Miracles) at present, the thought struck me yesterday that there may well be a parallel between the moments referred to in Genesis 1:1&2 (the initial work of the Godhead in Creation) and those moments when the land were covered in darkness at Golgotha. Perhaps there is something major here to contemplate regarding the nature of the work of God (in creation, incarnation, crucifixion and regeneration).
Howard: there would most certainly be a connection. and thanks for bringing that up. I would see the darkness at the Cross as the moment that order is "re-established" out of the chaos of the curses…restoration is tangible: restoration between men and God, between women and God, and between men and women. The disjunction of the fall between the primary relationships is, once again, put back in order.
And, I think, from a creation stand-point, the darkness at the Cross symbolizes (and drives home) the FACT of the NEW COVENANT. In the Cross, Sin and death are stripped of their power–death is re-established as not having the final word (I'm thinking Eph 1 and 2 here).
Anyway, long way to say, thanks for that comment!
Ben: great post; I'm a sucker for anything about creation!
Ben,
What an excellent post, especially the part about the Gospel being a declaration and not an invitation. Damn that is refreshing to hear.
Although I am a bit hung up on the idea of Law and Gospel in creation and wanted you to explain this for me. If the Gospel is a declaration of forgiveness, than wouldn't the idea of Gospel being in creation nullify the idea that it was initially good?
Great post, loved how you set out proclamation contrasted with invitation.
Jacob, you're right to point out the differences between the word of the Gospel and the word of creation, but if one follows Barth (and Luther) in understanding that the Word of the Gospel is a creative word (Ben speaks of a declarative word), then the parallels between the creative word of the Gospel and the creative word of the world are incredibly similar. As Luther said, "The love of God does not find, but creates, that which is pleasing to it." So too in creation, God creates through his word and is pleased to call it good.
I hear you 100% Todd. Maybe, this is where I would begin to disagree with Barth, if the Gospel is a word of forgivness and redemption why would it be spoken before the fall (understanding that Christ was slain before the foundations of the world)? I wonder if covenant theology as our category (there being two covenants not one, a covenant of works and a covenant of grace) wouldn't be more helpful in understanding creation as oppossed to Law/Gospel in this instance?
Thanks again for responding Todd.
Jacob and Todd have really hit on some deep stuff, which is what I had hoped this post would do. Jacob rightly points out that I didn't exactly "land the plane" on whether the Word of Creation is Law or Gospel, I pointed out that it seems to contain elements of both. However, it seems to me that while Creation, the Law, and the Gospel are all declarations (as opposed to invitations), the content of each declaration is unique. One is a declaration of existence, one of moral order, and the other of forgiveness (for breaking that moral order). While Todd is right to point out that the Gospel itself carries a creative dimension(it creates in the sinner that which it desires, namely faith)we must note that it is actually re-creating (new creation as opposed to 'old' creation). Thus, while the Word of Creation brings existence and declares it good, it is not Gospel in the New Covenant sense, which brings forgiveness and declares righteousness (which is subtly but significantly different from calling something "good"). If the Law came that the trespass might increase, that is, as a necessary step in God's providential plan following the Fall, then I would argue that the Word of Creation ("Let there be light") is neither Law nor Gospel, but a distinct declaration upon which both Law and Gospel are predicated. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.