Salvation and Creation

Part Two of The Salvation Series

Unfortunately, we often treat creation and salvation as if they are relatively unrelated biblical topics. In reality, creation and salvation are inextricably linked. You cannot understand what it means to be saved, why salvation is necessary, or the goal of salvation unless you understand its connection to creation.

The Restoration of God’s Creation

One way to understand the overall story of the Bible is: creation, de-creation, and new creation. We can see this thematic pattern throughout Scripture. Though this isn’t the only lens through which to read the entire biblical storyline, it is certainly an important one, and key to fully understanding salvation.

Imagine an artist was talking about a picture she painted, when she said, “I was able to save my painting,” what would you think she meant? Wouldn’t you likely assume something happened to potentially ruin her painting? However, she was able to correct, reverse, and eliminate the ruin. “Salvation” would likely mean she was able to restore the painting to what she—as the creator—intended it to be.

Similarly, sin is what ruins God’s good creation. We will say much more about this later, but sin brings corruption into God’s creation; and corruption is de-creation. Again, think about a beautiful artistic masterpiece. Every color and brush stroke is originally in its intended place. However, if the painting is corrupted, it is literally de-created. The colors run together and the painting breaks down. What used to communicate purpose and meaning, descends into a chaotic and meaningless mess.

This is what sin does. It ruins, corrupts, and de-creates everything. So, when the Creator speaks of “saving” his creation, we should understand that the Creator is reversing the effects of ruinous sin, and restoring his creation to what he intended it to be.

God’s Creative Intent

Therefore, if salvation is God restoring his creation to what he intended it to be, one of the most important questions is, “What did God intend his creation to be?” Specifically, let’s focus on his creative intent for human beings.

“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.’” (Genesis 1:26–28, ESV)

Obviously, the creation account is not an obscure section of Scripture. It is literally “the beginning” of the biblical story. It is the foundational truth upon which everything else is built. This passage tells us what God intended humans to…

• BE, his image and likeness

• DO, fill the earth and subdue it

• HAVE, dominion

God intended for humanity to be royalty and rule with him over the earth. The psalmist asks in amazement, “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:4). It amazes the psalmist that humans are so important to God and that God intends for humans to play such an important role. The psalmist goes on to say:

“Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.”

The intention was for humans to be God’s royal stewards of the entire earth. Like Jesus, we should be able to say to the winds and waves, “Peace, be still.” However, sin brought corruption and de-construction.

The World to Come

God intended for human beings to rule and reign with him. However, the Hebrew writer testifies that, at present, “we do not yet see everything in subjection” to humanity (Hebrews 2:8). Because of sin, we no longer have dominion over the earth.

The present world is “in bondage to corruption” and is waiting to be “set free” (Romans 8:21). The earth is in rebellion to humanity’s rule and does not obey us. It has experienced ruin, corruption, and de-construction.

Some day, however, the world to come will be subjected to humanity (Hebrews 2:5). Thankfully, what we see right now is the world subject to Jesus, “But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9).

Jesus has already taken humanity’s rightful place, ruling with God. When he returns, his followers will join him in ruling over the world to come. He will bring “many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10) and “he is not ashamed to call them brothers” (Hebrews 2:11). Peter also prophesied, “Times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago” (Acts 3:20-21).

Did you see those phrases, “times of refreshing may come” and “the time for restoring all things”? This is what the biblical story line is all about. When Jesus comes, all things will be restored. God’s creative masterpiece will be what he intended and his people will rule and reign with him.

I love you and God loves you,

Wes McAdams

P.S. This is part two of The Salvation Series. You can read part one here.