Saturday, day to emphasize the sovereignty of the Creator

The message of creation and its meaning are central themes in our faith and in our religious experience. It appears in the book of Genesis, runs through the Old and New Testaments and resonates in Revelation 14: 7, calling on all who sit on the earth: “Fear of God and give Him glory, for the hour of His judgment; and worship him who made heaven and earth and sea and fountains of water.” Creation is, therefore, the thread that unites and gives meaning to the cosmic drama that has been installed on Earth since the creation and fall of man.
It is from creation that we understand The Great Controversy theme, the true nature of man, the life, death and resurrection of Christ, the experience of salvation, the Sabbath, and that we keep alive our greatest and most sublime hope: the soon return of Christ to this Earth.

Considering that there was no creation, and that man arose through blind and random evolutionary processes, over millions of years, makes it unnecessary and meaningless to speak of Adam and Eve's transgression and its consequences, since death and degeneration are parts of the mechanism of biological evolution, according to evolutionary thinking.

The disobedience and fall of the first couple only make sense in the light of creation. It is because of being created and receiving guidance on how to live according to divine precepts that Adam and Eve opted for transgression, paving the way for suffering, death, and the loss of eternal life.

Thus, without creation, there would be no fall and it would be unnecessary for the Son of God to come to this earth to live as a man, suffer, be tortured, and die on the cross to save each of us from sin. After all, if there was no transgression, for whom would Christ die? What good would the plan of redemption be if there were no fall? Therefore, redemption and creation are related; they are two sides of the same coin.

Recognition to the Creator

The plan of redemption implies a recreation, it implies the restoration of this fallen world and the formation of a new heaven and a new earth, free from pain, suffering, weeping, and death. Just as we are saved by grace, we were also created by the grace of a merciful Being who made us out of pure love. What a wonderful God it is that we believe in and adore!

On the other hand, we need to recognize the love and mercy of God in preparing a beautiful and perfect world so that we could live in it. Every creative act of God was an act of love. The Bible reports that at the end of each day God looked at the created works and recognized that everything was very good. It was only after everything was ready and perfect that He decided to create man, giving him the dignity of being formed in His image and likeness. 

The Sabbath is therefore a special moment of celebration! A chance to rejoice, to rejoice in all that He has done, and to rest with Him while enjoying His creation. It is a special day to turn our attention to this message that is so dear to us: the message of a God who loves us, who has redeemed us from death, and who offers us eternal and abundant life (John 10:10). 

That is why the Adventist Church has designated the fourth Saturday in October of each year as the Creation Sabbath. The purpose of this celebration is to recognize God as our Creator and the implications that this biblical precept has for us and our relationship with Him. It is an opportunity to create a worldwide sense of unity and devotion in the promotion of this God who created everything and who maintains everything.

Marcos Costa is a geologist and earned a PhD in Geology from the Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). He is president of the Brazilian Creationist Society (SCB) and of the Geoscience Research Institute for eight countries in South America.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site