Atonement Series: Creation and The Fall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mcdw9K0fqQ

The goal of this series is to establish a deeper understanding of God's original design for humanity, how sin disrupted this design, and how Christ's atonement works to restore that relationship. We are going to do this using aspects of the account of Lazarus.

Out of Nothing

As any great account goes, to understand it completely you have to start in the beginning. Except, this is more than a story. It is a promise from our living God and recorded for us first by Moses then eye witnessed by the Apostle John. It is in from these two we are given Genesis and the Gospel according to John, respectively. This the account of creation, atonement, and later, the truths revealed to us by the account of Lazarus of Bethany. 

Our primary text will come from John chapter 11 and the creation account in Gensis chapters 1 through 4.

I like to start off with a quote, a most important quote. Although not as important as scripture, which we will use to anchor our understanding in all things.

St. Augustine of Hippo: In his book, Confessions, Augustine states, that God created the world ex nihilo (out of nothing) and that creation was originally good, reflecting God’s own goodness. Augustine writes, "For Thou didst create all things good, and there is nothing whatsoever that can be outside of Thy creation, nor anything which is not of Thy own substance" (Confessions, XI.9).

He famously developed the idea of “ex nihilo” which means “out of nothing.” Prior to this, it was debated that God or the universe came into existence from pre-existing material or eternally existing material. This of course was not so. In Genesis 1:1 we are introduced to this “ex nihilo”

Genesis 1:1 (ESV) “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Then, we also have John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

These passages communicate to us that there is an ability that God has, to create something, anything…from nothing! Now this is amazing all by itself, but it does not end here, because there are also two other components that exist with God’s creative power. Those two components being a divine imperative and a divine fiat.

A divine imperative refers to a command or decree issued by God that reflects His will. It is an authoritative directive that obliges obedience, rooted in God's moral authority. Divine Fiat Refers to God's creative and sovereign command that brings something into existence or causes an event to happen by His will alone. In other words, when God speaks, the words, His words, MUST obey his will. Not only obey, but obey in such a way that is consistent with the morality of God. Therefore, whatever comes from God it begins morally good!

This is why during the creation account, after God speaks different aspects of His creation into existence, he says “it is good.” This is also why there is an inherent value in all of God’s creations especially, in what was uniquely created in His image, and He identifies as Very Good! This is of course the creation of Man and Woman!

Inherently Good

Now at this point in creation, all has been created, and God has determined that His creation is good, and the creation of man is very good. However, what exactly does “good” mean, and how does it relate to our overall understanding of atonement?

Remember, when God creates, there is a divine imperative and a divine fiat that proceed from His power. This means the creation has built-in coding to obey God’s will and align with

His morality. This is why we read passages like:

Job 12:7-10 (ESV)But ask the beasts, and they will teach you;the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you;and the fish of the sea will declare to you.Who among all these does not knowthat the hand of the Lord has done this?In His hand is the life of every living thingand the breath of all mankind.

Romans 2:14-16a (NLT)Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts.

Romans 8:22-23 (NLT)For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as His adopted children, including the new bodies He has promised us.

Therefore, this goodness is there; it is designed into the creation. The problem is the alien component called sin that has corrupted this goodness, but we will better understand this point soon. Goodness means that:

1.     Good Reflects God’s Character. This reflects God’s moral goodness, and it aligns with His holy and perfect nature. Not meaning that what is created is without imperfections—because only God is perfect—but that it aligns with God’s perfect nature. The goodness we see in creation aligns with God's nature, even if the execution is not flawless. Like an artist’s painting or a composer’s music, the work is a reflection of the creator.

2.     Good Reflects God’s Purpose and Order. This indicates that creation was the way God wanted it to be, that the designed roles and order of creation were according to how it pleased God. Good reflects the harmony of complementation throughout His creation. It also attests to His divine plan and sovereignty. This is like a well-designed blueprint that shows an architect’s vision, with creation fitting together harmoniously according to God's divine plan and sovereignty.

Some of What was Lost

Original Fellowship with God

At this point in creation, we see that man is good. He is positionally good and morally good. Positionally means that there was no separation or estrangement between humanity and God. Morally means that man was endowed with integrity and the ability to live according to God's will. Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 7:29 (ESV), supports this by saying, “See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”

At this point in creation, prior to the Fall, humanity is in a direct relationship with God. Genesis 3:8 (ESV) reads, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” This illustrates the close, personal fellowship between God and humanity before the Fall. Similarly, we know that Jesus and Lazarus were close friends prior to his death. In John 11:5, we are told that Jesus loved Lazarus, and in John 11:11, He calls Lazarus His friend. Well, who else is called “friend?” You are! John 15:14-15 (ESV) says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends.”

This is what it looked like in the beginning. This is what God wanted in the beginning – to walk with us. There wasn’t a separation. The assignment of cultivating the garden was only the beginning. The greater mission was attached to having dominion over the earth and, later in His cosmic plan, to reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).

At its core, the atonement is all about you. It is about restoring you to your original state, your created position before God, and guaranteeing your inheritance. The atonement reestablishes the intimate fellowship with God that was lost due to sin, returning you to the purity and integrity of your original design. It also secures the promise of eternal life and dominion, fulfilling the divine plan for you to reign with Him.

Original Righteousness

In the beginning, we were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). While this sounds good, what exactly does this mean?

John Calvin writes:"Although the divine image has been almost obliterated in us, it is not utterly effaced. In this corruption, we may still see traces of our former dignity. Yet it is clear that these traces are so defiled that whatever remains is ugly. Therefore, in order to recover the full splendor of that image, it is necessary for us to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. And this renewal is nothing else than the restoration of righteousness, true holiness, and purity."— John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 7.

I would like to highlight three truths from this quote:

Righteousness indicates that we were without sin, with the capacity to live according to God’s commandments naturally, without struggle—this struggle, of course, being the war that is waged between sin and the Spirit.

True holiness is a role distinction. Holiness means that something is designated for a very specific purpose. In the beginning, God’s intention was to use humanity for specific functions and roles. Just as the angels, who are messengers by function, are used in that specific way.

Purity refers to being void of all inclinations toward sin or disobedience to God. Purity exists when the human heart, mind, and soul are completely undefiled. To be created in the image of God, one must possess a natural disposition to reflect who God is (Matthew 22:37).

Dominion and Stewardship over Creation

We were also created to steward over creation (Genesis 1:28). When I consider this, I think about how beautiful some places on this earth are—the waterfalls, rivers, gorges, gardens, beaches, and so many other features. Then I’m reminded that, no matter the beauty, because of the curse, the earth is less fruitful than the original creation; that no matter the scientific advancements, the ground is burdensome to yield its fruit.

When we read about Christ calming the storm (Mark 4:35-41), Adam naming the animals (Genesis 2:19-20), Moses parting the sea (Exodus 14:21-22), Elijah praying for drought and rain (1 Kings 17:1, 18:41-45), Elisha purifying the water (2 Kings 2:19-22), Daniel in the lion’s den (Daniel 6:16-22), Joshua commanding the sun and moon to stand still (Joshua 10:12-14), and manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16:4-5, 19-20), these are some glimpses of having dominion over creation.

Interpersonal Relationships

Perhaps this goes without saying, but God intended for there to be unity and complementarity between Adam and Eve, reflecting God's design for human relationships to be loving, supportive, and mutually fulfilling. Relationships are an important part of the kingdom of God, and everyone plays a role. We know this to be true from the second greatest commandment, to love one’s neighbor as yourself. We also know this from Matthew 12:46-50 (ESV), which reads:“While He was still speaking to the people, behold, His mother and His brothers stood outside, asking to speak to Him. But He replied to the man who told Him, ‘Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?’ And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.’”

In this passage, Jesus redefines the concept of family, emphasizing that spiritual relationships—those based on doing the will of God—are more important than biological ties. This teaching highlights the importance of obedience to God and the unity of believers as members of God’s family. God is looking to reclaim His family.

Eternal Life

The last point I will assert is that God intended for humanity to live in perpetual fellowship with Him, which included the gift of eternal life. The tree of life in the Garden of Eden symbolized this gift. Ecclesiastes 3:11 reinforces this truth, stating that God has placed eternity in the heart of man. Solomon knew this. Paul knew this, as he tells the Philippians that our citizenship is in heaven. Secular philosophers knew this, as Plato is quoted saying,"The soul is immortal and imperishable, and our souls will truly exist in another world."

The entire ancient world was obsessed with immortality, as if a knowing or a draw toward eternal existence was created in them. Even today, despite our prideful and misguided self-assigned state of enlightenment, we spend millions of dollars to slow aging, promote longevity diets, and explore regenerative medicines, genetic engineering, and cryonics. There are even companies (Alcor Life Extension Foundation and Cryonics Institute) that offer cryopreservation services. The idea is that once technology advances enough to reverse death or cure aging-related diseases, these preserved individuals could be brought back to life.

For man, eternal life can only be achieved through Jesus Christ; there are no alternatives. No one can enter through any other door than the door of Christ. Scripture tells us in John 14:6 that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him! John 10:1-2 tells us that anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in by some other way is a thief and a robber. This means that anyone attempting to come to God through any other means other than Christ is deceitful and illegitimate!

As we bring this to a close, we are setting out on a journey to uncover the truths revealed to us about Christ’s atonement, through the account of Lazarus of Bethany. The first truth we have learned today, a truth we will revisit again later, is the truth that God wants fellowship with us. Through the deep and genuine friendship that Jesus had for Lazarus, we learn about the fellowship God originally intended for us to have with Him. Let us grab hold of this truth and rejoice that one day we will be in perfect fellowship with our God.