CREATION AND REDEMPTION: CHRIST AND NEW CREATION
The New Testament unites creation and redemption in the person of Jesus the Messiah. Evidence abounds, but consider three poignant examples. In John 1:1-18, Jesus is spoken of as the agent of creation (1:3) and the redemptive agent of grace and truth (1:17).[3] In Colossians 1:15-20, Jesus is the “image of God, the firstborn over all creation (1:15),” illustrating his role as the eternal nexus between Creator and creation.[4] Furthermore, Christ is spoken of, again, as both the agent of creation (1:16) and reconciliatory redemption (1:19-20).[5] Finally, in Heb 1:1-4, the author of Hebrews takes special care to link the Son’s creative work with his redemptive work through a verbal parallel: through the Son, the universe and redemptive cleansing are both made (poievw).[6]
Doxologically, the link between creation and redemption is hard to overemphasize, for it provides the explanation, impetus, and goal of worship. By creating anew through Jesus the Messiah, the perfect Eikon[7] or Tselem (image) of God who has defeated Sin and Death, Elohim has begun to renew his holy temple, even as it yearns for full release from its bondage to decay.[8] This act of re-creation begins in the crucifixion and resurrection of the Messiah, reversing Death itself and displaying Jesus Christ as the pioneer of a new humanity, one untouched by God’s cosmic enemies. It continues in the Church, as the priest-kings are re-created in Christ and his resurrection into a new race of people able to worship their Maker by participating in the renewal of his universe, by once again extending his rule throughout the sacred realm, and by living in right relationship to him, to creation, to each other, and to themselves as they await the return of their Creator, Redeemer, and King, Jesus the Messiah.[9]
CONCLUSION
In light of these things, to relegate the manifold and rich uses of creation theology throughout Scripture to an ongoing origins debate which is thoroughly detached from the biblical text would be a tragedy. At the risk of oversimplification, the myriad creation themes in the Scriptures all lead to one common goal: doxology, as a brief analysis of just three of those themes has shown. Creation as temple provides the parameters for worship of the Creator, setting the foundation for humanity’s relational role as the priest-kings of Elohim. Creation as chaos reorients that worship toward humility and wonder in the midst of a purposefully untamed and sometimes dangerous temple, bringing the wildly complex beauty of Yahweh’s creation to bear on the human experience. Finally, creation as redemption ties the entire story together, explaining the Creator’s refusal to allow Sin and Death to drag his temple back to the watery depths of non-functionality. He has chosen to create anew, to redeem every aspect of his holy temple, from its priest-kings to its wild beauties, through Jesus the Messiah, the eternal intersection of Creator, creation, and redemption. This process of new creation began at the crucifixion and resurrection, continues through the Church, and anticipates the eschaton, when Sin and Death will not only be defeated, but utterly vanquished. The holy temple will again be filled with perfect worship, forever.
It is because of and within this story of creation and new creation that we worship our Maker. Biblical creation theology inescapably leads to doxology.