Perfect Creation Vs. Perfect Plan

God’s Creation, was good, very good, and not so good but never perfect.

There is currently a very big problem with the idea of a “perfect creation”, I undertake to outline that this idea is non-biblical and it does not support what scripture says.

Good

In the creation act God called his creation good six times! Not once did God say His creation was perfect! God Himself only called it Good.

• Genesis 1:4 “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.”
• Genesis 1:10 “And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas: and God saw that it was good.”
• Genesis 1:12 “And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
• Genesis 1:18 “and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.”
• Genesis 1:21 “And God created great whales, and every living creature that move, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”
• Genesis 1:25 “And God made the beast of the earth after their kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps upon the earth after their kind: and God saw that it was good.

Very Good

• Genesis 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Not so Good

• Genesis 2:18 "Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Genesis 1 and 2 is the description of God’s creation event, not once does He say that His creation was or is perfect, God said it was good, very good and not so good, this is a far cry from the statement “Perfect Creation.” The that God's creation was perfect is non-biblical.

How perfect was creation really? 

Weeds, death, pain and suffering existed before the fall of man and I will use scripture to point out that the belief of a “perfect creation” is not supported by any scripture in the bible. This idea of a “perfect creation” has a major implication on the Gospel and is a man made ideology that contradicts the Bible. I will elaborate on this as we analyze what scripture really says.

Weeds & Work

Weeds had a purpose in God’s creation and existed before the fall of man, if there was not any weeds why did we have to subdue the earth and cultivate and tend to the garden? If it was perfect why do all this work?

• Genesis 1:28 “Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground."
• Genesis 2:8 “The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.”
• Genesis 2:15 “Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.”

Did plants die before the fall?

Some animals only eat the roots of plants, thus the whole plant would have died, in addition sea animals eat diatoms and microscopic plants killing entire organisms, it is clear that plant death existed already by the fifth and sixth day of creation.

Did animals die before the fall?

The text on creation event of animals does not explicitly say if these animals are herbivores or carnivores but we can understand what the Hebrew word for beast means, that word is; chayah. When we examine the word as it is used in the Bible it is clear that the Genesis account is referring to carnivores the very same verse also makes a distinction between carnivores and herbivores by including a, herbivore (cattle) and then a beast (chayah). If the animals where all herbivores cattle could be left out because they would have been included as chayah.

• Genesis 1:24-25 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and the beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.”

Adam named the animals using terms that described their carnivorous activity 

Before the creation of Eve God brought all the animals before Adam for him to name, Scripture makes it clear that Adam and NOT God named the animals.

• Genesis 2:19-20 “Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field”

What did Adam name these animals?

• Lion: 'ărîy/'aryêh; in the sense of violence
• Hawk: shâlâk; Bird of prey
• Eagle: nesher; to lacerate
• Owl: châmas; to wrong do violence to, treat violently do wrongly

He named them exactly by his observations of their activities, that he saw first-hand before the fall. It is reasonable to conclude that animal death did exist before the fall based on the names of the animals. Adam also knew what death was and this is evident when God said to Adam;

• Genesis 2:16-17 “But the LORD God warned him, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."

It is absurd to think that God would say something to Adam that he did not understand, has never seen or never experienced. It is clear Adam fully understood what death was he witnessed it first hand in the task God gave him in naming ALL the animals.

 God brags about feeding the Carnivores

The Bible indicates that God Himself is implicated in the death of animals. First, God killed animals to clothe Adam and Eve after the fall and then killed many animals during the flood. God set up the system of animal sacrifice for atonement of sin. In addition, scripture tells us that God created carnivores (chayah) on day 6. Contrary to a “perfect creation” doctrine, the scriptures indicate that God provides food for the carnivores of the Earth, therefore condoning the death of some animals for the survival of others.  If animal death was not part of God’s “perfect creation” I very much doubt He’d be bragging about it! 

• Job 38:41 “Who prepares for the raven its nourishment, when it’s young cry to God, and wander about without food?"
• Job 38:39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions," [God speaking]
• Psalm 104:21 “The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God.”
• Psalm 104:25, 27 “There is the sea, great and broad, in which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great... They all wait for Thee, to give them their food in due season.”
• Luke 12:24 “consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them.

Did pain exist before the fall

Pain was part of God’s original creation and therefore creation was not perfect. The passage above clearly states that God increased pain not give us a new sensation or experience that did not exist.

• Genesis 3:16 “Then he said to the woman, "I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you."

Why a perfect creation is not Gospel and why it matters 

If God’s initial creation was perfect and humans managed to bungle it up then Jesus would be nothing more than God’s plan B for us because it means that His design was flawed from the onset and he had to create a backup plan. On the other hand if creation was perfect and we never sinned because Adam never ate from the tree and there was no death ever in this supposed “perfect creation” then there could never have been a resurrection. Part of God's original plan involved the defeat of evil. According to the Bible, Satan, God's highest created angelic being, rebelled against God, taking one third of the angels with Him. These beings attempt to deceive human beings into following them into rebellion against God. Jesus Christ came to earth as part of God's original plan to defeat evil and redeem mankind. God has a higher purpose for this creation than the prevention of evil and suffering. The Bible indicates that evil and suffering provides believers with a means to witness to others, including angels, about our faith. Suffering also produces patience and endurance and conforms us to the image of Christ, the purpose for which we were created. 

God will not restore original paradise He will destroy it and He will create everything new 

If God’s original creation was indeed perfect as some believe then there would be no reason to destroy it, God can just restore it. The Bible is clear God will destroy this good, very good and not so good creation and will create a brand new perfect creation.

• 2 Peter 3:10 “As in the days of Noah, God is giving this sinful world an opportunity to repent before it is too late. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?
• Isaiah 65:17 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
• 2 Peter 3:13 “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”
• Revelation 21:1 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

What does Jesus have to say about his role in this?

When Jesus spoke with Martha he had the following to say;

• John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life” It is crystal clear that from the start there has been a perfect plan and not a perfect creation. Had it been a perfect creation tainted by humans then it would have been perfectly reasonable that Jesus would have said. “I have become the resurrection so I can save you”

In Conclusion 

Believing that God's original creation was "perfect" in every way; that had no weeds, no diseases, no suffering, and no death is incorrect. In reality, the "perfect paradise" paradigm fails in its lack of biblical support and also in the underlying assumptions that it forces upon a "Christian" worldview. Under the "perfect paradise" paradigm, God is relegated to the position of a poor desqigner, whose plans for the perfect creation are ruined by the disobedience of Adam and Eve.

In this "perfect creation" idea God is now forced to come up with " His plan B," in which He vindictively creates weeds, disease, carnivorous animals, and death to get back at humanity for their sin. This also contradicts the Biblical teaching that God stopped with creation on day six because God would have had to biologically change all the animals so they may become carnivores, this would mean that God had to extend creation and that is blatantly false. In contrast, the universe was created with a perfect purpose, in which human beings are to choose good from evil and bring glory to God. 

The perfect purpose as opposed to "perfect creation" states that God created the universe as a temporary place, in which evil and suffering fulfill the will of God toward a higher goal than just to give us pleasure or a supposed perfect creation for his creatures to live in.

It was through pain and suffering that we haven been enabled to witness the glory of God. Without pain and suffering being in God's  perfect plan there would never have been a Jesus. The bibal is clear " For Him and through Him all things were made."