Creation - Roles and Responsibilities

In order to grasp the vast array of Biblical teaching which relates to holistic development, we need a clear framework to organize our thinking. Various teachers have suggested a four-stage process in the implementation of God’s plan to bring glory to Himself through His people. This process consists of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation. In the upcoming “Missional Musings,” we are going to look at these four phases of God’s holistic plan for the world.

CREATION

The starting point of a Biblical worldview comes in the understanding that God is the Creator. This fundamental premise is clear from the very beginning (Genesis 1:1), and on throughout all of Biblical revelation. It is clear that God has created all things in existence in the natural world (Genesis 1:1-25), and He is the creator of humanity as well (Genesis 1:26-31). As Creator, He is the Master of all that exists (Psalm 24:1-2, 89:11-12). Another way to say this is that God is the sovereign Lord, or that He reigns as King. As such, all created things are accountable to Him, and are made for His glory (Psalm 19:1; Psalm 95:6; Isaiah 43:7; Revelation 4:11).

The pinnacle of God’s creation is humanity, which God has made – male and female – in His own image. God designed humanity for a relationship with Himself. Humanity was designed to love and serve the only true God, his Creator. We can call this role or responsibility of man ‘worship.’ It is clear, however, that humanity was not designed to be an isolated worshipper. Worship is not the sole responsibility or role of man. God also designed man to be in ‘relationship’ with other human beings (Genesis 2:18-25). This responsibility of relationship is the foundation of human society. Finally, God also entrusted man with a role of responsibility over the natural order. The natural order still belonged to God, but man was expected to rule over it on God’s behalf as a vice-regent (Genesis 1:28; Psalm 8:6-8). Thus, we call this responsibility ‘stewardship.’

Each of these roles/responsibilities is also an area of need. Humanity needs a right relationship with God, a right relationship with other human beings, and a right relationship between his body and the natural order. This is clear in Genesis 2:16-18. God gave man a command – man must obey in order to be in right relationship with God. God created a helper for the man – to ensure that he was not alone. God provided food for the man – ensuring that he was in a right relationship with the natural order.

Thus, in creation we get a clear picture of man’s true identity and calling. He is made in God’s image, and is called to fulfill the roles and responsibilities of worship, relationship, and stewardship. It is little wonder that, when man truly fulfilled these roles under the sovereign Lordship of God, we call that condition ‘paradise.’

(These ideas are based on materials produced by John Steward for World Vision.)