Transcript: Lesson 7 - The Story of Creation

Welcome, I'm glad to have you back as we continue to move forward and thinking about  sexuality and God's story. And so far in the last couple of units we've we've thought about  worldview and story and how those things are connected. We have looked at some of our  culture's stories, and thinking about the stories that our culture tells, and really stories that  are not just something that we take in through our minds, but, but stories that we embody,  and that are communicated to us through a variety of practices, images, and symbols, things  that really try to shape our understanding of who we are, and shape even our understanding  of what is redemption, what is salvation, what is this, this place where you can really find true rest. In this unit, and in the next several units, we're going to shift our attention now and start to think about the biblical stories, and try to look at the biblical story, through the lens of  creation, fall and redemption, understanding how the biblical story unfolds, specifically with a  view toward our bodies towards sexuality towards towards singleness, and marriage, and how all of those things are shaped and informed by the story of Scripture. And so we're going to be digging into some specific texts of the Bible. And also thinking about reflecting on doctrinally,  theologically, what are these things communicating about who God is, and who we are. One  of the things that we do see, all throughout Scripture is that knowledge of God and knowledge of ourself go together. And so the more that we are aware of who God is, the more it helps us  understand who we are and who we're called to be. And so we're going to see that throughout these next several units as the biblical story unfolds, and we we track with that. So we want  to start in this unit, talking about the story of creation, understanding who God is as creator  and understanding who we are as his creatures, especially with a view toward marriage and  sexuality. And what that means. Now, it's really important, I think, to understand how the  story of creation and who God is, as creator, is foundational, it sets the trajectory for  everything else. foundations are crucial. Several years ago, I went to St. Louis and visited in  St. Louis, they have this enormous arch, it's over 600 feet high, an archway that meets, it's  called the gateway to the west. Well, one of the things you can do when you're there is  actually watch a video, a documentary about how they constructed this arch. And to me, I  love watching these things, because my mind is not at all wired toward engineering in any  way, shape, or form. And so to just watch it absorb how they do this was incredible. But one  of the things that they talked about is to build this, this enormous arch, they had to start at  the bottom, and start at these two separate spots. And they said, you know, if they had been  off, in their measurements in their calculations, by as little as a centimeter, in terms of their  measurements on the ground, by the time they got to the place where the arches supposed  to meet in construction, that they would have missed by three feet or more. So part of what  that communicates is that foundations are important, if we don't get those, right, the ultimate trajectory of how we understand the biblical story is going to be skewed. And oftentimes what can happen is if we don't get the foundations, right, we end up adopting different dimensions  of our culture story. That's the story of romance. So the story of individualism, or the story of  naturalism, and we end up incorporating those into what we might even call a biblical view.  But we don't even realize that we've missed it. And so it's really important to get creation,  right to understand what this is telling us about who God is, and who we're supposed to be.w,  when we think about the biblical story, I want to start with just an awareness of the Torah.  And the Torah is the first five books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,  Deuteronomy, and this is, this is really foundational for everything else that follows. This tells  us who God is as creator, and it also tells us who God is forming his people to be. Much of  what you find in the Torah is instructions for how God's people are supposed to live, what it is  that they're supposed to do. And so I want to make a couple of observations about the Torah,  so that we can have the proper lens have the proper framework, when we think about what  we see there. Now the first thing I would note is that scholars are pointing The Torah is  polemical, what we mean by that that's that's kind of a big word. The Torah is polemical. What I mean by that is the Bible, the Torah, in this way, is specifically arguing for one view over  against another view, we might, instead of saying that it's political, we might say it's, it's  argumentative, or, or it has an agenda, it's trying to make a point over against something else that's out there. And so this is important, because we have to see that the Bible is written to  God's people. But they're in the midst of a world where other people groups, other visions of 

reality are very different. When we look at many of the practices in the ancient Near East, the  practices of the people of Babylonians, or the Egyptians, or the Assyrians, people who in  different ways at different times are interacting with, with the people of Israel, their view of  bodies, their view of sexuality, their view of marriage was was not what we find in Scripture.  And so what we need to see is that the Bible is actually making a strong point over against  other views of marriage and sexuality. And it has this very different view of God, that those  are all linked together. And so why is that important to know? Well, it's important to note  because sometimes, at least in my own cultural context, I hear people kind of talk about like,  talk about things like marriage and sexuality as though like people everywhere have always  known what the Bible teaches. And it was only with the sexual revolution of the of the 1950s  and 60s that there really people started started questioning scripture. But that really deep  down everybody everywhere kind of knows God's intentions for marriage, for sexuality for  singleness, and so on. And what I want to highlight here is, that's simply not true that God  gives scripture to his people, in contrast to what is seen as normal, appropriate, acceptable in the broader culture. And so we shouldn't be surprised if the Christian vision for for these  things for sexuality and marriage, it is a minority ethic is something that not everybody buys  into is something that not everybody lives out of, because even in the in the beginning, that  wasn't the experience of God's people, as God gave them scripture. It was clear that this is  quite different from what's out there in the, in the broader culture. And so, when we look at  scripture, I do want to highlight the Genesis One, two, is foundational for everything else that  follows when we think about marriage and family and sexuality. That, as we'll see, as we go  along, that Jesus comes back to Genesis one and two, that the Apostle Paul comes back to  Genesis one and two, that even later in the in the Torah, there, it comes back to Genesis one  and two. And so what we're seeing in Genesis one and two, when when we have this creation  of humanity, including creation of male and female, and this understanding of who we are as  human beings, this is not Genesis one and two is not just kind of saying, Well, here's what  happened. There's a sense in which Genesis one and two is giving us an enduring pattern, or  what what scholars call an archetype, that this is not just telling us what happened. But it's  saying, this is a pattern for how things should be. This is a pattern for how life should look,  when we understand who God is, and how he's created us and his intentions there. So  Genesis one and two is really foundational for everything else that follows. We'll dig deeper  into that in just a minute and look at a few specific things from that text. But I also want to  highlight another chapter in the Torah and that is Leviticus 18. Leviticus 18 is really the  baseline for Biblical sexual ethics. Leviticus 18 walks through here are it actually gives you  the list of do's and don'ts here are things that God says this is this is not God's intentions for  our sexuality, or our sexual relationships. And so Leviticus 18 is is, is really crucial because it  actually highlights in detail. Here's what it means to love your neighbor, and to love God when it comes to your sexuality when it comes to your sexual behavior and activity. And so, again,  sometimes the tendency can be to just treat the Old Testament, like it's outdated or has  nothing to say. But as we walk through here, we'll see that actually Leviticus 18 is is important in setting the baseline for sexual ethics. Now, I want to note a couple of other things about  Leviticus 18. That that I think is, are important things to note, that help us again, maybe see a little bit more how the Torah is, is polemical, in its own context. So the first is that there is this sharp contrast with Gentile sex ethics, that Leviticus 18 is really clear, you are not to function  like the Egyptians, your sexual practices should not look like the Canaanites, the people of  Canaan, that what I'm calling you to God says, looks very different from these practices that  are around you. And so there's this sense that in the Torah, God's people are going to be  distinct in in how they live in their sexual ethics, that that is one of the distinctives of of God's  people. And so that's important to see, again, there is this already in the Torah, there's this  understanding that the way God's people live and function, this area is probably going to be  in quite a contrast with those who are who are around them. The other interesting thing is if  you read through, actually Leviticus 17 and 18, is that you'll see that these these laws, these  regulations, this way of life with respect to sexual ethics, this is something that applies to  both the Jewish people, the Israelites, into Gentiles, who live among them. So God says, as  you go into this land, he recognizes that there are there there will be people in Scripture, like 

for example, Ruth, later on,who become part of the people of God, even though they're not  ethnic Jews. So they're, they're Gentiles. But God's expectation is that as these people come  as they live with his people, that these laws apply to everybody this is this is his intention for  all people. And so what you see here is that even while the people of Israel are distinct,  there's also this clear sense that God as creator has created all people to live in this way, that  he sets out that he's not just saying, You Israelites should do this, but everybody else can kind of do whatever they want. As creator god, he's made us he's made our bodies, he's made our  sexuality, so that it's meant to look a certain way. And you see this even in Leviticus 18. The  other thing that's interesting to note is that, in Leviticus 18, God actually punishes the  Canaanites for these sins for for their sexual sins. And this is a little bit it's important to see  what what this what what's going on here and what isn't. This is distinct from some of the  other laws that God gives to the people of Israel, for example, God tells them, you know, for  men, here's how to wear your hair. He gives them dietary laws, you hear foods that are  considered unclean, so don't eat those foods. And God never says, you know, I'm punishing  the Gentiles because they eat these unclean foods. So there there is a sense in which when  you look at Leviticus 18, God is saying, as Creator of all people, I don't hold all people to the  same standards in terms of dietary laws or food laws. But there is a sense in which, what I'm  setting out for you in terms of marriage and sexuality, how you understand yourself, and how  you live those things out. That that is unique, that you are called to be my unique people in  that way. But I expect everybody to understand that this is how I, as your Creator have have  made you. So God as creator holds all people, even the Canaanites responsible for how they  live in that way. So what I want you to take away, especially from this slide and understanding the Torah in this way, is that the views and practices of marriage and sex were an Israelite  distinctive, that for the people of God they were called to live in this way that actually did  stand out. Not because it was weird or strange, even though people might have thought that  as a they may be looked at them. But it's it's distinctive, because it's actually in line with how  God created all people to live. And because we're in this state of sin or rebellion against God,  it oftentimes is very hard for for us to actually understand what God's ways are without him  telling us as he does in the Torah as he reveals himself to his people, and so, so it's important  to understand this distinctiveness of marriage and sex for for the people of Israel. Now I want  to explore a little bit more a second biblical foundation. And that is what it means for males  and females to be made in the image of God. If you look at Genesis one, and I would  encourage you to do that, on your own, you can even pause the video right now. And if you  want and read through that text, but if you read through Genesis one, what you see is that  God creates his world with both diversity and unity, that as you walk through the different  days of creation, part of what you see is that, that God creates light and darkness that God  creates, day and night in that way, the God creates the waters below the sea, and the waters  above that the sky, that God creates the world, you know, with with both water and land. And  so there's a sense as, as the creation narrative unfolds, that you have this unity and diversity, things that are different, that that coexist, and that work together, and that it's all part of the  overall harmony of creation. So so it's not sameness, it's not unity, through sameness, we  have unity, because everything is the same. It's actually unity through this differentiation,  and diversity, that brings this sense of creation, sense of Shalom and rest and peace, to God's creation. And so it's very interesting, then, as you see these things that are different, but  working together in unity, that really the crown, the crowning achievement of all that is  humanity is male and female, made in the image of God. Now part of what you see, and let  me read Genesis 1:26, for us, so that we can have this as a background as we think about  what it means to be the image of God. So Genesis 1:26 says this, then God said, Let us make  mankind in our image in our likeness. So they rule over the fish in the sea, and the birds in  the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God, He created  them, male and female, he created them, and God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful  and increase in number fill the earth and subdue it rule over the fish in the sea, and the birds  in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. So I want you to notice a  couple things about this, what it means to be in the image of God. One is that there is a 

relational dimension to this, that when God creates us, he creates us to be in relationship with each other. And that part of what it means to be an image bearer of God is to be in  relationship. So that it's not just the isolated male, not just the isolated female, but male or  female together as they as they commune as they interact as they relate to each other. That  that's a part of what it means to be made in the image of God. The other thing to see is that  being the image of God means that they're given dominion over creation, in other words, that  they are called to be God's stewards, who are his his servants and his representatives to the  rest of creation. Now, this doesn't mean that they can exploit or dominate or mistreat  creation. But it means that human beings do stand in this very important position of being  God's stewards in relationship to creation. Now, one of the things that's important to note, I  think, in Genesis one already, is that it is both male and female, who together exercise that  authority who together have that position, so that it's not, for example, the male who is given  dominion, but rather it's male or female, together are called to exercise this, this authority  and together called to do this on behalf of God. A couple of other observations about what it  means to be the image of God. You see in Genesis 1:28, the, the procreation and the creation  mandate, and by creation mandate, I mean, there's a sense that God says, make something  of the world that I've given you be fruitful, multiply, increase, and, and in a lot of ways, you  can say, this is God's call to make culture, to exercise this loving stewardship over the world,  to make something of the world that God has, has created. So So think about all the ways in  which human beings do take the raw materials of nature and craft that and use that. For our  own purposes. That's, that's culture. That's technology, whether it's in the food that we that  we harvest, and that we make and you know, all the culture that goes into cooking and  baking, whether it's the clothes we wear, and the fact that these come from somewhere that  people do the work to create to make to design these sayings to just the everyday objects  that we use, all of these are examples of human beings having dominion, of exerting their  stewardship over creation. But there's also woven into this. The procreation mandate, that  God says part of your call as male and female as husband and wife is to procreate is that as  you share your love with one another, this is actually physical sexual love sexual union, that  there's a sense in which new life comes about because of that. So I think this actually helps us to see when later in Genesis two in Genesis one is kind of a big picture creation story in  Genesis two narrows in in God's creation of male and female, Genesis 2:17, God says, It is not good. That man should be alone. And part of this is because a person, one person by  themselves cannot exercise the creation or the procreation mandate. And so when God brings the woman to the man, part of the point here is that they need each other they are, they're  interdependent, if they're actually going to live out this call that God has placed on them to  be fruitful and multiply, to, to have this kind of Dominion that he's given them as, as his  image bearers. Now I do want to briefly before we conclude this video, I want to briefly  answer one question that sometimes arises, when people read the text of Genesis one and  two. Many English Bibles translate Genesis 2:18. This way, the Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make a helper suitable for him. Now, I'd be interested to know kind  of how you hear that word helper. Because some people have when they hear that, especially  English, does helper show an inferior status to women. This include that, yeah, it does,  because you when they think about helper, they think about, you know, maybe an assistant,  somebody who kind of comes alongside somebody who, who really knows what they're doing, and they just kind of help out. This was the case for me in in college. One summer I spent  working, doing doing some household remodeling, carpentry and construction, I knew nothing about that. But I was hired as a helper. Basically, the person who does know what they're  doing, tells me what to do, and I do it. So there's a sense that the helper is kind of in this, this  lower status. I want to be really clear here Scripture teaches in Genesis 2:18, when it says, I  will make a helper suitable for him. The word that a Hebrew word is there does not mean that  this person has an inferior status. In fact, when you actually look through the Old Testament in different places where this word is used, oftentimes, this word helper is used of God. And so  it's not a word that in any way, has the sense of inferior status. In fact, oftentimes, it's used to say, Here's somebody who is necessary to to help somebody do something that they could  not do on their own. And I think that's exactly how Genesis two is using this is to say, the 

woman partners with the man to together fulfill God's creation and procreation mandate, in a  way that either one of them could not do on their own. And so again, they need each other  they are interdependent, if they are to truly fulfill the task that God has set before them. And  so when we talk about who we are as image as image bearers of God, this is really crucial,  really foundational for understanding the biblical story and how male and female how  husband and wife are called to embody this story to live out this story together. In the next  video, we're going to take a little bit more about what is marriage and reaffirm the goodness  of creation. So until next time, blessings