God Continues His Work
God works and creates. This is a part of his divine essence, his creative power. Genesis 1 and 2 show us God at work giving form to the human body, taken from dust (Gen. 2:7, 21) and planting a garden full of beautiful trees that give good fruit (Gen. 2:8-9). The Lord not only creates all things by his Word; His work continues as he sustains and preserves his creation, providing everything necessary for the life of his creatures. And he also reveals himself to fallen humanity in giving his Law and unveiling a plan for the redemption of the world that has rebelled against him. The Lord continues working in innumerable ways to show his glory to the world.
The entire creation reveals the glory of God and reminds us that we are beings created in his image and likeness. If we were created by God in his image (imago dei), then what is our role in the world? Where should we find our sense of identity?
God gives the response to these questions by providing us the opportunity to make him known through our work, as an agent of change and blessing to those around us.
In Genesis 1:26, the Lord says:
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over
all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ESV
God created us in his image to be his representatives and to exercise dominion over Creation by being fruitful and multiplying.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the
earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of
the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Samples of cultural renewal
The commandment to be fruitful and multiply means more than simply having children. It means filling the earth with works that reflect the character of God, his intelligence and creative power. The position that God has given us over Creation implies that we will “cultivate” the world, which is to say, create a culture utilizing everything that he has made and developing the potential that he has placed into creation. Tim Keller says in his book, “Every Good Endeavor”:
“Every time that we order something and avoid chaos, every time that we utilize our creative potential and transform something, we are imitating God’s pattern of the work in cultural development.” (p. 669)
“The difference between the wild world and culture is simply, work.” (p. 886)
Developing the potential of creation means working, inventing, imagining, ordering, and producing anything and everything that can contribute to the good of mankind. This includes all the areas of human tasks, for example: art, government, family, education, community, heath, technology, cuisine. Anything that leads to the flourishing of humanity.