A visitor to the ICR Discovery Center for Science & Earth History asked me, “Why can’t ICR avoid all this controversy about creation and just preach Christ?” Such a statement was surprising since it ignores clear declarations in Scripture that Christ is our Creator. John 1:1-3 stands out as one of the most emphatic, identifying the Word (Jesus Christ) as being present in the beginning, that He was both with God and was God, and that “all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”
The doctrine of creation as it relates to Christ is not a minor biblical principle of superficial importance. To ignore it is dangerous and is analogous to preaching “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4) when we neglect to present Christ as He truly is, along with His complete work.
But what exactly is Christ’s complete work? The apostle Paul masterfully outlined this in his letter to the believers in Colosse:
For by Him [Jesus Christ] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth….And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist….For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. (Colossians 1:16-20, emphasis added)
Paul reveals that the full extent of Christ’s work includes His past work of creation, His current work of conservation (“consist” in the Greek literally means “to hold together”), and His future work of reconciliation when He will banish death, sorrow, and pain and “make all things new” (Revelation 21:4-5). The dreadful price of reconciliation demanded “the blood of His cross” to cleanse us from our horrible offenses against Him—offenses that surely include rejecting His Word and denying that He is our Creator.
Thus, to truly preach Christ in all His fullness requires that we recognize Him as the almighty Creator who spoke the universe into existence (see Psalm 33:6-9) and walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). It wasn’t long before they sinfully rejected the Creator’s rightful authority, and their separation from Him ushered in the current world of death and decay. We can, thank God, be reconciled to Him again, but it is only meaningful to preach of Christ’s love and great gift of salvation when we acknowledge Him first as the offended Creator.
Jesus Christ was our Creator long before He became our Savior and coming Reconciler, and the full gospel must include all three components. ICR founder Dr. Henry Morris eloquently made this point in one of his final public speaking engagements:
A gospel without the creation has no foundation. A gospel without the consummation has no hope. And a gospel without the cross and empty tomb has no power. But…if you have the whole thing…then you have a sure foundation, a blessed hope, and all power in heaven and in earth—and that’s the gospel we are called to preach!1
This is the essence of ICR’s work. It is not enough to “just preach Christ” if we fail to present Him in all His fullness as our Creator and coming King. We are committed to the complete veracity of Scripture—including the truth of special and recent creation as recorded in Genesis and affirmed through scientific research. We are grateful to those who cheerfully “sow bountifully” with us in ministry through their prayers and gifts (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).
Reference
- Passing the Torch of Creation conference, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, May 2002.
* Mr. Morris is Director of Operations at the Institute for Creation Research.
