Could He? Would He?

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. -- Romans 1: 20-21

In our February post in Oikonomia, we discussed the attempts on the part of BioLogos Forum to harmonize the account of creation as revealed in Genesis with uniformitarian geology and the neo-Darwinian origin of species over millions of years by means of time, chance, and natural selection. This logic is based on the belief that our interpretation of the biblical revelation should be "enlightened" by the unfolding of new scientific understanding. We are not opposed to the integration of science and faith while recognizing each as a legitimate approach to understanding God's revelation. However, as we have noted, the BioLogos Forum operates from a platform that accepts evolutionary gradualism as the creative mechanism and bends the Scriptures to fit accordingly.

The questions raised by a "theistic evolution" approach to Genesis are numerous and we have raised many of them in the February post. We also noted how this approach leads to a seemingly endless series of assumptions about the intent and the authority of Scripture; and, even to the point of questioning the knowledge of the incarnate Son of God. However, the most fundamental question is, "Could He?" That is, "Could God have created the world as described in Genesis 1 and 2; and elsewhere in the Bible just as it is stated in the biblical text?" While there are many unanswered questions, it is obvious that there are an equal number of major questions that arise from attempts to make the Scriptures fit a naturalistic "origins science." We will address some more of these below (coming soon).

At the same time that many are asking "Could He?" in regard to God's creative work; others are asking "Would He?" with an equally perilous risk. That is, "Would a good, righteous, and loving God condemn to the everlasting lake of fire those who have not repented of their sins by the time of their death?" The answer according to Rob Bell, in his recently published book, Love Wins, is "No, Bell writes in Chapter 1, page 2:

Of all the billions of people who have ever lived, will only a select number “make it to a better place” and every single other person suffer in torment and punishment forever? It this acceptable to God? Has God created millions of people over tens of thousands of years who are going to spend eternity in anguish? Can God do this, or even allow this, and still claim to be a loving God?

There you have it. “Would He?” Bell’s answer seems to be “yes.” While he claims not to be a universalist (believing that all will be saved regardless of their spiritual state or desire to go to heaven), Bell claims that love will win in the end and that many will be saved as a result of God’s endless pursuit of His image bearers even after their deaths.

Rob Bell is not a theologian, but Love Wins is selling well as a result of its controversial nature coupled with an effective promotional effort by publisher, HarperCollins. If you'd like to read a well reasoned critique of Bell's logic, see "God Is Still Holy and What You Learned in Sunday School Is Still True: A Review of Love Wins” by Reformed pastor, Kevin DeYoung.

In 2011, with the “new enlightenment” continuing to exalt the supremacy of human reason over divine revelation, parade of questions with a long history continues-- “Could He?”, “Would He?” And, they date back to the oldest question of Scripture, “Indeed, did God say...?” (Genesis 3:1). How do you answer these questions--"Could He? Would He? Did He say?"

Caution at the Gate to a Perilous Path

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
– Genesis 1:1

Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind... – Genesis 1:24

Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living being. -- Genesis 2:7

Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden
to cultivate it and keep it – Genesis 2:15
.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" – Genesis 3:1

Over the centuries, readers of Genesis have been introduced to the awesome Creator God through an account of His acts of creation ex nihilo. In a brief, concise fashion, the first three chapters of Genesis reveal the creative acts of God, the special creation of man in God’s image, the basis for human sexuality and marriage, the human responsibility to exercise dominion over the Earth, the first mention of Sabbath as a regular time of rest, and the temptation and fall of mankind. The account has been accepted as a divine, authoritative revelation by scholars and followers of the major monotheistic religions of the world--Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Later passages in the canon of Scripture, including Exodus 20, Job 38-41, Psalm 8, Matthew 19, and Hebrews 4 support a literal interpretation of Genesis.

Missing from Genesis is any suggestion that God used genetic variation and natural selection over millions of years to gradually create, through deaths of unfit individuals, the plants, fish, birds, cattle, etc. from the “formless and void (Gen. 1:2)” on planet Earth. However, theistic evolution claims that God used the genetic variation from random mutations as the “raw material” and He used natural selection as the means of screening out less fit phenotypes. Consequently, the fit phenotypes survived and reproduced their traits, forming the biodiversity of life on Earth.

The BioLogos Forum encourages the evangelical church to recognize that agreement between science and faith is possible and, in fact, necessary for the spread of the Gospel in the modern era of science. The Forum website states:

We cannot know the exact time that humans attained God’s image. In fact, it may be that the image of God emerged gradually over a period of time. Estimates of the historical time of Adam and Eve are varied. While some literalist interpreters of Genesis argue that God created Adam and Eve in their present form, the evidence of DNA and the fossil record establishes that humans were also participants in the long evolutionary continuum, and God used this process as his means of creation.

But if natural genetic processes now explainable by science account for the evolution of life, then what particular role does theistic evolution attribute to God over the course of millions of years of evolution? And what is there about a landscape littered with reminders of decay and death brought about by natural selection over millions of years that would cause our Creator to rejoice seven times as recorded in Genesis 1? On the contrary, wouldn’t such a pre-Adamic and pre-fall world resemble the current Earth under sin’s curse in which, as Romans 8 declares, “the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God....[when it]...will be set free from its slavery to corruption”?

The BioLogos Forum lists two scientific observations, “the evidence of DNA and the fossil record....” in support of its claim that humans are a product of “a long evolutionary continuum.” How does BioLogos interpret each of these “evidences” for an old Earth and an evolutionary origin of mankind?

First, BioLogos apparently sees in the “evidence of DNA” the evidence of gradual evolution based upon two unprovable presuppositions which are also held by evolutionary biologists. First, given the complexity of DNA with its molecular sequences of nucleotide bases that form the “genetic code,” long ages of time would have to be allowed for its formation and replication out of inorganic constituents. On the other hand, if BioLogos would interpret Genesis as a literal account of the creation of distinct genetic “kinds” by supernatural means, they would have to sacrifice the forum’s goal of harmonizing Scripture with naturalistic science. However, the price of this harmony is very high. Not only does their interpretation of the Genesis account raise serious questions as noted above, but modern science has failed to produce any evidence to explain either the origin of DNA or the complex molecular apparatus of transcription and translation necessary for gene expression.

Second, BioLogos presupposes that close similarity of genomes of different species means close evolutionary relationship. This presupposition, if true, would appear to explain apparent genetic similarities between humans and other primates. However, science is not capable of verifying this presupposition of origins any more that it can verify the presupposition that genetic similarity owes to One Creator Who created genetic kinds with varying degrees of similarity.

The second line of “evidence” for human origin by evolution, according to BioLogos, arises from the fossil record. Here, the forum agrees with evolutionary biologists as stated by Dr. Darrell Falk, President of BioLogos, “The earth is old and macro-evolution has occurred..” This conclusion arises from observations of massive layers of rocks formed from sediments believed to have been deposited over millions of years, as seen in places like the Grand Canyon. Here again, good science demands that we recognize that one who offers a uniformitarian explanation can legitimately be challenged by one who postulates that a catastrophic event such as the eruption at Mt. St. Helens could have caused major sedimentation and rock strata within a much shorter period.

Young-Earth creation researchers working at Mt. St. Helens, Yellowstone Petrified Forests, and in the Grand Canyon are raising strong evidence for a more rapid, recent, catastrophc cause of rock formations and the fossils they contain. In addition Mary Schweitzer’s laboratory at North Carolina State has presented evidence that organic molecules such as DNA and proteins have been found intact within fossils assumed to be tens of millions of years old. Either these molecules are much more stable than heretofore thought, or the fossils were formed relatively recently as suggested by other creation science research.

In conclusion, BioLogos claims that the evidence of DNA and the fossil record establishes that humans were also participants in the long evolutionary continuum, and God used this process as his means of creation. This claim is grounded in naturalistic presuppositions and is not based on any claim of Scripture that the Earth is millions of years old. Nor is the claim supported by a robust scientific explanation for the origin of complex genomes or an unequivocal understanding of the fossil record. Rather, it appears that the claim of an “old Earth” is required simply because BioLogos has sought to be in harmony with evolutionary biologists who invoke undirected natural causation for the formation of DNA, living organisms, and the fossil bearing rock layers.

A departure from the literal interpretation of Genesis 1 and 2 raises serious theological problems and inconsistencies, particularly when these accounts are compared with other portions of inspired Scripture including the words of Jesus Christ or the writings of the apostles. To do so is to embark on a perilous path that leads to questioning the inerrancy of Scripture as pointed out by Dr. Albert Mohler, and to questioning the sinless perfection of the incarnate Son of God Whose words affirm the historicity of Adam.

The mission of the BioLogos Forum to emphasize “the compatibility of Christian faith with scientific discoveries about the origins of the universe and life” is commendable. In this spirit, Dr. Falk has stated in the forum blog,

Scientific knowledge is specialized. it takes a long time to acquire and those who don't have that time because they are doing other important things have to decide whether they can trust those who do take the time. Trust us, please, for the sake of the Church.

Perhaps it should also be said, for the sake of both the Church and origins science, that those well educated in theology or natural science should be careful to recognize the limits of their expertise, and be willing to listen with hearts submitted and attuned to the Holy Spirit. What is at stake is God’s truth, accurate representation of His actions as revealed in Scripture; honor, respect, and praise for His Son through Whom God created the universe, and a proper understanding of the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage, and the responsibility of humans as stewards of the Earth.

Christmas: Self-Examination Time for Stewards

Christmas affords us a wonderful opportunity for self-examination. An opportunity to take inventory of our spiritual and material resources that, in turn, influence our outlook on life, our priorities as God’s stewards, and our hope for the future.

Temporally speaking, the arrival of Christmas near the end of the calender year causes us to reflect upon how well we have utilized the previous 12 months of the year. And yet, Christmas is close enough to January 1 to begin reflecting on our goals for the coming year. As we participate in our daily spiritual warfare of keeping “self” from Christ’s rightful throne of our hearts, we can find great encouragement in the message of Christmas. The Christmas season bids us to slow down and “take time” to meditate on what God has done on our behalf. When we stop in this way, we can hear God’s Word to us. The God of eternity stepped into the time-space world of Bethlehem to deliver us from the tyranny of ourselves and our pride, from our lust for power and “stuff,” and even from our failed efforts to “keep the law” as a means of producing our own righteousness.

But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. -- Galatians 4:4-7 (The Message)

Jim Elliott, one of the young men who was martyred while taking the Gospel to the Waodani (Auca) Indians of Ecuador, suggested that one of Satan’s greatest fears is when believers allow time for quietness that fosters deep mediation and prayer. Dr. Al Mohler, in his 11/12/2010 AlbertMohler.com entry entitled “The Glory of God and the Life of the Mind”, emphasizes the importance of quiet study and meditation in the development of a Christian worldview:

"Christian faithfulness requires the development of the believer’s intellectual capacities in order that we may understand the Christian faith, develop habits of Christian thought, form intuitions that are based upon biblical truth, and live in faithfulness to all that Christ teaches. This is no easy task, to be sure. Just as Christian discipleship requires growth and development, intellectual faithfulness requires a lifetime of devoted study, consecrated thinking, and analytical reflection."

This Christmas season, we should especially value the quietness that was also valued by Mary whom the Scripture states on two different instances treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart (Luke 2:19; and see Luke 2:51).

As we ponder the deep significance of God’s entrance into Earth-time at Christmas, may we also realize that His entry as the Incarnate Christ was an entry into the material-spatial dimension of our personal human existence. In the midst of our enjoyment of Christmas trees and the nighttime dazzle of multicolored lights, may we take time to look high and beyond the nearby glow of man-made sparkles and urban lights and gaze into the vast array of stars and galaxies that pierce the dark sky above us. Amazingly, when the brightness of the nearest star gives way to the tiny points of light from billions of distant stars, we can sense more clearly the penetration of their light into the very depths of our soul. Here in the dim moonlight and starlight our souls are laid bare to the greater questions of life – Who am I? Is there anyone ‘out there?’ Or, ‘in here?’ Does God really exist, and if so, did He come to Earth seeking to save my soul?

Christmas lights and the splendor of the nighttime sky do not ultimately bring us answers to the deep questions of life. Indeed, many people we pass during the busy holidays are fearful of being alone in the quietness of the starry night sky. They have no personal relationship with the One Who created the Earth, other planets, and the stars. Many even resent those who believe in God and His Son Whose birth we celebrate at Christmas.


According to the American Atheists Website “Statistics show that nearly 50 million Americans are atheists. Some use names like freethinker, agnostic or humanist to describe or modify their position, but atheism (the absence of a belief in a deity) is broad, and encompasses all those terms. If you don't have an active belief in a god, you're an atheist. It's a very good thing!”

The website goes on to state, “Millions of atheists are closeted, choosing to go along to get along, and feigning religion to their friends, family, and coworkers. American Atheists understands the pressure to fit in, but we maintain that for people to love you, they must know the real you.”

But atheism fails to provide an objective answer to the questions, “Who am I? Why am I here? What’s wrong? What can be done to ‘fix it’?” Thankfully, the Scriptures answer these questions with resoundingly clarity:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1: 1, 14).

The atheistic and materialistic philosophy of naturalism claims that the natural world and the laws that guide it are the only reality, and science can and will eventually answer all of our questions. But the Bible counters with the clear revelation that

...since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (Romans 1:20-21).

The only hope for “foolish, darkened hearts” is the truth that the Eternal God pierced the darkness and stepped from eternity into Earth-space-time in the form of the Incarnate Christ, conceived by the Spirit of God and born of a woman. Thus, Deity took on the material substance of a human being and signified to us His love of the groaning, sin-cursed creation. The incarnation and the cross bridge the gulf between Heaven and Earth, between the spiritual and the material world. Through the redemption and reconciliation provided by Christ’s coming and sacrifice for our sins, the original sin that came through Adam’s abuse of God’s creation and rejection of his stewardship role (Genesis 3) is atoned for by the Second Adam, Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:22). Through faith in Christ, we remove “self” from the throne of our lives and allow Christ to reign. The reigning Christ redeems and reinstates us as stewards, not only of God’s creation here on Earth, but as stewards of the manifold grace of God (I Peter 4:10).

Christmas is a season to reflect on the incarnation of Christ, the message of God breaking into time and space of Earth, not to take [us] out of the world, but to keep [us] from the evil one (John 17:15). When the splendor of the night sky and the glow of Christmas lights shine on my face, do they reveal an expression that radiates the joy of Christ from deep in my heart? I hope so, for this is the joy that comes from the faith assurance that God does indeed exist. And, He is not only the Creator of the material world and the vast starry sky, but also the One Who gives dignity to my stewardship of His creation. A dignity that allows me to handle the “stuff” of the Earth in such a way that I can enjoy it without becoming soiled by excess; but instead, use it to bring glory to Him and draw others into faith in His saving Grace.

Additional Thoughts and Resources:

1. In what way does the Christian doctrine of the incarnation present a rigorous challenge to the philosophies of naturalism (natural world is the only reality) and major oriental religions (true reality is in the transcendent world)?

2. In what way does the biblical environmental stewardship ethic oppose the extremes of being so earthly minded that one ignores the transcendent reality of heaven; or, being so heavenly minded that one has no reverence or respect for the "natural world?"

3. For an additional reading on the importance of quietness, or silence, in the human experience, see another blog entry by Dr. Al Mohler entitled “‘Where Do All the Colors Go at Night?’ — Children and the Need for Silence”

Tree Rings Record History

Early December finds us between two great holidays. Thanksgiving allowed us to reflect on the past year and give thanks to God for His provision. Looking forward, Christmas offers us the opportunity to turn thankful hearts toward the greatest reason for “thanks-giving” – the gift of God’s Son Who was born of a lowly peasant girl.  As we remember the Savior’s birth in Bethlehem two thousand years ago, may His indwelling Spirit stir us in renewed hope of the coming return and reign of Christ, our Creator Who is already at work “to reconcile all things to Himself...whether things on Earth or things in heaven (Colossians 1:20).”

Because God wants his people to remember His deeds and to be thankful, He has provided tools to help us to be remembering, thankful people. Thus, God has given most of us a memory– at least for the younger years of life. Because of the finiteness of human life and our limited capacity to learn and remember large amounts of information, our God-given creativity provides another tool for remembering. Many cultures have gone beyond oral tradition to record information on rock and cave surfaces, or on animal skins (parchments) or on paper made from plant fibers. The Hebrew tradition beginning at the time of Moses involved meticulous hand-copying of the content of God’s special revelation, resulting in the Old and New Testament Scriptures today.

Of major importance to recorded history are trees which provide pulpwood used to make paper. But there is a second way that trees are involved in recording information; namely, by their annual growth rings which provide a record of history that may extend backward for centuries. The examination of tree rings in Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pines by Brunstein and Yamaguchi (1) have revealed individual trees that were over 2,400 years old.  [Click HERE for reference.]  More recently, combining ring chronologies of living and fossilized tree trunks has attempted to extend the span of historic and ecological knowledge backward to over 4,000 years [Click HERE to read more.]

The science of dendrochronology utilizes the number and width of annual growth rings of trees to determine the ages of trees and forest communities as well as to infer climate trends and ecological impacts such as fire, insect attacks, and disease. Thus, the number and width of rings as seen in the cross-section (or hollow-bore drill samples) of tree trunks and branches provide an indication of each year’s effect on growth, for better or worse.

During the summer, Abby and I removed a large Colorado Blue Spruce tree that had begun to overtop our house and replaced the tree with a perennial garden. When the tree finally rested on the ground, we were greeted with an interesting chronology of its life displayed on the cut stump. I have photographed the stump and marked the chronology back to its first year of life, probably somewhere in a tree nursery.  [Click on photo to enlarge.]

Notice that our family has experienced some of the same joys and trials as those of many other families. Throughout this time, the tree was steadily growing new wood each year, some years having more favorable growth and wider rings than others. During certain years, our family were forced to “branch out” into new challenges that affected us for years to come. Likewise, tree branches can be seen in radial patterns across the annual rings and they, too, require adjustments in growth of the tree trunk.

We understand that as the winds cause trees to sway and twist they also cause the tree to develop stronger wood in the trunk and branches. Although it is sometimes hard, a thankful family will also thank God for the challenging storms as well as the sunny days of life.

We have recorded only a few highlights of the past 35 years, but as our family grew physically, emotionally, and spiritually through the joys and trials, we have learned more about God’s grace, mercy, and loving kindness. Perhaps you will join us in looking back across time to thank God for His blessings in your life and family; and then, look forward to Christmas with hope and joy. Indeed, one of the main focuses of Christmas is the “Christmas tree” which reminds us of our Creator Who came to Earth as the Light of the World. During His early years, Jesus labored with wood in a carpenter shop. Then, his three years of public ministry ended when He willingly gave up his life as he “hung on a tree” bearing our sin to provide for our atonement with God.

Thank you God for your Word, inspired through your Holy Spirit, and recorded on paper by many different authors. Thank You for trees from which paper and many wood products are made. Thanks for their beauty and grace while they live, providing shade, protection from wind, and an annual growth of edible leaves and fruits to give food to mankind and many different creatures. Thank You also that trees can tower above us and cause us to see our own creations of towers and buildings in proper perspective. Finally, we thank You that many trees outlive us and remind us of our finiteness and dependence upon You our Creator and Savior. As trees “record” our history, may we see that history as evidence of Your work in our lives and families because we trust You as the giver of “every good gift that comes down from above.”

 1 See Brunstein, F. C. and D.K. Yamaguchi. 1994. Arctic and Alpine Research 24(3): 253-256.

 2 Web Article: Lorey, F. 1994. Tree Rings and Biblical Chronology. Acts & Facts. 23: (6).

Autumn Coloration and Economy of Creation

It’s the last day of October and probably the last Sunday afternoon in which to soak in the beauty of autumn coloration at our Midwest latitude and elevation. How beautiful the sugar maples and hickory trees were today as the afternoon rays filtered through their rustling yellow and golden leaves. While hikers, tourists, and artists enjoy the beauty of the autumn colors as green gives way to yellow, golden, and red, there is much more here than meets the eye.

Every Autumn season represents a major biological or ecological event in which millions of tons of leaves on deciduous trees and shrubs enter a transition that eventually leads to the familiar fall of autumn leaves. This marvelous phenomenon which is particularly striking in the temperate latitudes of North America, Europe, and Asia, is a great example of how the created order of planet Earth, noted in our previous entry of Oikonomia (see Finding Purpose in the Created Order: Stewardship of Time), includes a provision for the survival and fruitfulness of the forest trees and shrubs.

Leaf coloration is an outward display of the internal physiological processes that are at work preparing broad, thin, delicate leaves to avoid the rigors of the cold, dry, winter air. Some plant species such as the pines and other conifers retain their leaves (needles) throughout the unfavorable season. In these plants, preparation for winter or drought involves more subtle changes such as development of antifreeze compounds in the needles and twigs. These changes enable evergreens to tolerate cold and dry conditions and allow the leaves or needles to gather the rays of sun to a limited extent in winter and then revive to full activity again in Spring.

Unlike the evergreen trees and shrubs, deciduous species prepare for the harshness of winter by more drastic measures. Each leaf is subject to something like an amputation, more commonly called leaf abscission by physiologists. But, what many observers do not know is that this preparation for winter in the temperate zone begins long before the cold temperatures of October and November arrive.

There are two reasons why cold temperatures themselves are inadequate to prepare trees and shrubs for winter. First, if trees and shrubs are not preconditioned or acclimated to freezing temperatures before they arrive, the freezing conditions will kill the leaves right on their branches. Second, as we can see from the unseasonably warm temperatures of this month, daily temperatures are too variable to be a reliable predictor of closeness to winter. Therefore, our questions must become, “How are trees and shrubs “alerted” to the fact that winter is coming, and how are the leaves prepared for abscission?

Although cold temperature can influence the processes of leaf coloration and abscission, the plants have a more reliable signal–the shortening daylength. Thus, the consistent laws of creation and especially the predictable relationships of planetary motion– the revolution of the Earth around the Sun, and the Earth’s rotation on its tilted axis–afford the trees and shrubs with a predictable pattern of decreasing daylengths such that leaves can be acclimated before cold temperatures arrive.

The fact that deciduous woody plants are programmed to respond to this “warning in advance” of the cold temperatures is a wonderful illustration of how our Creator uses the light of His Word to warn us of danger in advance. Indeed, by His grace, we are often warned repeatedly. Hopefully, we eventually will experience the tender but firm pulling of His Spirit to turn from our wandering tendencies to the safety of godly paths.

Another picture or metaphor of God’s created order is evident through what physiologists have revealed about the changes leaves undergo during their acclimation in response to shortening days of late summer. When we observe the first hint of leaf coloration, it is evidence that the green chlorophyll pigments are being broken down. Along with chlorophyll, many of the leaf proteins are also digested into soluble amino acids. Did you know that leaves can digest their own proteins? The resulting amino acids, soluble nitrogen (e.g. from chlorophyll), and other nutrient constituents of the summer leaf now become transportable. Guess what their destination will be?

Soluble products of pigment and protein digestion are transported from the now coloring leaf to the nearby woody twigs and branches where they will be stored in readiness for growth of new shoots and leaves when the buds begin growing in the spring. So, instead of simply allowing each leaf to abscise from its place on the branch, many of its valuable nutrients are “rescued” from the leaf and retained for use by the parent plant before leaves are lost. Some nutrients, including lots of carbon remain in the falling leaves and become nourishment for arthropods, earthworms, and microbes of the soil below.

We can see in this a marvelous “economy of creation” in which the woody plants retain access to nutrient building blocks while also preparing their leaves for abscission and leaf fall. At the same time the “rescue” of these nutrients is not so efficient or extreme that the leaves are of no food value for consumers in the soil below.

Thus, in response to predictable daylengths which are based on predictable laws of planetary motion, deciduous woody plants are prepared for the onset of cold temperatures through changes in their branches and leaves while at the same time allowing for the conservation of nutrients for future growth.

Thanks be to our Creator for His wisdom as evidenced through His provision of a mechanism to “forewarn” creatures of damaging temperatures as well as to allow conservation of valuable nutrients otherwise lost during leaf fall. May we as God's image-bearers exercise good stewardship of the light of His truth and wisely steward the resources He has loaned to us–our time, opportunities, talents, and natural resources.

Finding Purpose in the Created Order: Stewardship of Time

In a world faced with economic and political uncertainty and instability both within the borders of the USA and beyond, it is not unusual to encounter those who are striving to make sense and purpose out of the world. Who among us has not experienced the dark cloud of hopelessness and despair if even for a short season? Upon what can we rely for our sense of purpose?

The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes states:
Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "Vanity of vanities! All is vanity."
What advantage does man have in all his work Which he does under the sun?

Of course “the Preacher” eventually proclaims that the real world of meaning and purpose can be found when we realize what is “beyond the sun” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). But suppose we choose to deny that such reality exists “beyond the sun?”

British ethologist and evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins, denies the existence of supernatural reality. Indeed, he expresses a viewpoint and outlook that may be responsible for the widespread sense of hopelessness and gloom among many in our day. Dawkins states:

“The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind pitiless indifference.”

I believe that our sense of purpose and hope is linked to how we perceive the universe. Do we see the universe as being the result of order, design, and purpose; or one that is random, chaotic, and amoral. If one accepts the Bible as authoritative, then its first book, Genesis, can provide a foundation for hope and purpose in life. In my experience, one way that Genesis encourages an outlook of hope and purpose is by its clear teaching that God acted in creation to bring about a world, or kosmos, that is bursting with order and purpose.

The account of creation is an account of how God created matter from nothing. Then He created order, form, and purpose from matter that apparently lacked order, form, and purpose (Genesis 1: 1-2. The subsequent purpose-driven acts of creation introduced order and form to energy-matter, time, and space. First, God separated light from darkness. Then, He separated the heavens from the earth; and He separated the land from the waters.

Then, God created distinct kinds of creatures and enabled them to reproduce according to their kind. Finally, He created mankind as a combination of the dust of the earth and the breath of God. His purpose in creating mankind was to show forth His nature and purpose within the created order as mankind would exercise dominion in a God-honoring manner. Each creature was “programmed” genetically to grow and reproduce under the control of an internal biological “clock” which could be set and reset in response to daily and seasonal cycles. Biological rhythms were possible because God had also ordered time into years based on what we now understand as the time of Earth’s revolution around the Sun; and , months based on lunar events, and days, based on Earth’s rotation.

Finally, God divided time into what we now call weeks of seven days. Unlike years, months, and days, weeks have no known basis to mark their duration in the physical realm. Instead, they are rooted in the purpose of God to institute a seven-day cycle of work and rest. God was the first to demonstrate this ‘cycle’ of a “six-day work week” followed by a day of rest (Genesis 2:1-3.

So, we find a spiritual and emotional “prescription for hopelessness and despair when we acknowledge and submit our lives to the cyclic rhythm of time that God ordained? Submission to a pattern of work and rest requires an act of the will. Can we deliberately stop what has been our focus for six days and say, “Enough.” Have we learned how to be arrested– to submit to God’s purpose that time be given to regular pausing as God did to see what He had done? [God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. Gen. 1:31]. Do we pause and reflect upon the work of our hands and minds, to express thanks to God for giving us the strength and ability to perform the work? If we do this, we are regularly reminded that even our ability to work comes from God; a God Who desires to fellowship with us through His Word and in prayer, and to give meaning and purpose to our lives “under the Sun.”

Dear God, the Eternal One Who has given order to the world around me, help me to live by the order and purposes that you have for my life. You have searched me an known me. You know when I sit down and when I get up again; when I am depressed and when I am joyful. Even before I was formed in my mother’s womb, you knew the number of days that were allotted for me. Help me to trust Your plan for the use of my days, both the days for work and that special day each week for rest and refreshment. Help me on those special days to take time in Your Word and in prayer; and to pursue You, the only one Who ultimately can infuse eternal blessing and, meaning, and purpose into my life. Amen.

In subsequent entries in Oikonomia, we will examine other aspects of God’s created order and how they each provide a framework for our growth and maturation as human beings. Your comments, insights, and questions are ever so welcome here.

Stewardship of Righteousness -- Part Two

In the previous Oikonomia entry, we considered the trend in which increasing numbers of evangelicals are responding to calls to care for God’s creation, or to the poor and powerless by taking a stand for “social justice.” Recently, creation care and social justice ministries have begun to merge into a more broadly integrated “environmental- social justice” movement in efforts to address issues formerly considered quite separate– climate change, affordable housing, immigration, and accessible health care.

We emphasized that Christian environmentalism and other forms of social activism need not be at odds with biblical evangelism. Indeed, Christian environmental stewardship can foster a biblical foundation on which to build a life and a home to be salt and light in a world that has lost its moorings and is adrift on the waves of moral relativism, economic materialism, and scientific naturalism. Yet, we need wisdom to “balance” between maintaining our individual spiritual disciplines while using our gifts and abilities to exercise influence at the community and institutional levels.

If we are to nurture a growing love and obedience to God, extend charity toward our neighbor, and exercise stewardship of God’s creation, I believe we need to adopt a “stewardship of righteousness” (see Oikonomia, June 30, 2010). Individually, we must work to keep the “spiritual fire of our hearts” burning if we are to be good followers and leaders in a corporate or social sense. With great humility and recognition of my own need of grace, I will note that we are not without examples of respected evangelical, environmental leaders who have ended up in moral and/or ethical bankruptcy.

So, how can I judge the intensity of the “spiritual fire within my heart?” Church attendance and service? Prayer life? “Amount of time spent reading the Bible? What others say about me? All of these may be expressions of righteousness, but let’s hear the psalmist speak from the fire of his love, devotion, and felt need of God:

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God? – Psalm 42: 1-2

His “spiritual fire” is expressed not by his desire to “do the things of God; or for God” but by his desperate need for the presence God Himself. Elsewhere, we read the psalmists expression of his desire for God’s temple and the opportunity to worship:

How lovely are Your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts!
My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. – Psalm 84: 1-2

Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God. – Psalm 43:4

My “stewardship of righteousness,” requires that I regularly “kindle afresh” (2 Timothy 1:6) the fire of the Spirit within me through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Scripture reading, and meditation in Scripture. As a result, the life of the Spirit within me stirs a yearning for God, for fellowship with His people, and for worship. These words from the psalmist are indeed inspired (“Spirit-breathed”) because they speak of the very desire of God in the person of His Spirit within us to be in communion with God.

Interestingly, as the psalmist expresses his longing for and need of God, he also notices that God’s welcome of him extends to His other creatures as well. Our Creator not only welcomes fellowship and intimacy with us, but His presence is also a place of welcome and safety for the sparrow of which God is mindful.

The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
My King and my God. – Psalm 84:3

Could it be that when we practice the disciplines above to keep the “spiritual fire” of our heart burning for a growing desire and felt need of God in our daily lives that we gain an additional benefit? Might we also begin to see the creation, our families, our neighbor, the environmental and social needs around us as God sees them?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to reflect on the above thoughts myself so that this inspiration may provide for me and for readers of Oikonomia the wisdom to be stewards of our gift of righteousness in Christ our Savior. Help us then to express this stewardship in our daily walk and service so that it will resemble more and more the walk of Christ as we see the world through His eyes. Amen.