THINKING DEEPER: PART 1 – CREATION REGAINED 1
Abstract
The first sin did not just affect Adam and Eve but had catastrophic significance for Creation as a
whole. The effects of sin are extended to all Creation, and nothing is left unscathed or
undamaged by the Fall. The only biblical doctrine that can be experimentally proven is sin. All
facets of life, such as marriage, family, state, politics, business, labor, culture, education, and
personal health, are affected by sin. Humanity has been rendered abnormal and anti-normative
due to human sin, which lies at the base of all the perversion of God's good Creation. Human sin
and disobedience lie at the base of the perversion of God's world. This paper will describe the
effects of sin on humanity, how that sin creates psychological concerns such as trauma, and how
researchers might seek to mitigate and repair the trauma results.
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Thinking Deeper: Part 1 – Creation Regained
Albert Wolters' classic statement of an integrated Christian worldview has been revised
and enlarged to attract new readers beyond the generation who have benefitted from this clear,
simple solution for overcoming the false dichotomy between holy and secular. Wolters begins by
separating a worldview from philosophy and religion. Hence, describing its essence and scope.
He then presents a Reformed explanation of the three fundamental themes in human history:
Creation, Fall, and redemption claiming that while the Fall affects every corner of the globe,
Christians have the opportunity to take part in Christ's salvation of all of Creation (Wolters,
2005).
The division between structure and direction, psychology and religion, and other
concepts is discussed in an integrative worldview of psychology, which also recognizes how
these concepts may be connected to our daily lives. God's goodness to all people, believers and
non-believers alike, shows that God's dedication to Creation continues to bear fruit in people's
individual, societal, and cultural lives. All Christians have a responsibility to work toward
bringing the lost back into the fold, just as trauma psychologists have a responsibility to look for
ways to lessen the effects of trauma. The logical next step is to reconcile the two if one believes
that persons who experience the impacts of trauma are similar to those who experience the
ramifications of sinful action.
Discussion
The Bible teaches that Adam and Eve's Fall into sin was a catastrophic event for all of
Creation, not just a single instance of disobedience. No created creature is, in theory, immune to
the corrosive consequences of the Fall since sin affects all of Creation. "For we know that the
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whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now'' (MacArthur, 2019,
Romans 8:22). When a catastrophic event results in trauma, it is the duty of practitioners in
trauma psychology to engage in research that strives to discover the root cause of the trauma.
Though the Fall of man is a foregone conclusion, trauma psychology can seek to remediate the
effects of that Fall on those who genuinely seek to return to God's grace.
Everywhere we look, God's Creation's positive potential has been abused, perverted, and
utilized for wicked purposes. The impacts of the Fall are arguably most visible in our intimate
life, where distortion is most likely to occur. The destabilizing pressures of a materialistic culture
put tremendous strain on the family. The corruption of God's excellent Creation may be found
everywhere we encounter anti-normative, wicked, twisted, or diseased behavior. All evil in the
world eventually results from humanity's Fall, one of the unique and distinctive aspects of the
Bible's teaching on the human condition. Ultimately, all problems on earth are caused by human
disobedience and guilt.
When that disobedience leads to horrific behavior, such as a pedophile harming a child,
trauma is likely to be a long-lasting result. Trauma psychologists seek to alleviate said trauma, so
it stands to reason that the Fall of man will always be linked to the field of trauma psychology.
The bondage to decay from which Creation will be free appears to be the same as that
disobedience. Ultimately, the Scriptures link human sin to all forms of evil, including disease,
death, and immortality. However, the scriptures tell us that "creation was subjected to futility, not
willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope” (MacArthur, 2019, Romans 8:20).
The main argument is that sin does not eliminate or become synonymous with Creation.
The created order is given an entirely new dimension by sin. Sin does not fit in any way with
God's excellent Creation; instead, it makes a new axis along which different levels of good and
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evil might be plotted. These terms may be improved upon, and some have suggested that
conserving grace is preferable to common grace since God's grace in Christ is also common in
that it is extended to all humans. Still, they are essential in that they reflect an understanding that
God never lets go of his creations, even in the face of apostatizing, unbelief, and perversion.
Again, we must emphasize that a biblical worldview places the utmost value on the precise
separation between structure and direction, notwithstanding how closely they may be related to
our everyday experience.
The most significant risk is always to single out some part or phenomena of God's good
Creation and blame it for everything instead of attributing it to human apostasy. Such a mistake
is equivalent to limiting direction to structure and considering the good-evil duality to be a
fundamental aspect of Creation. As a result, something positive from God's Creation has always
been distorted and labeled evil by secular society. I believe the Bible is singular in its
unwavering rejection of any attempts to conflate structure with direction or cast any one aspect
of Creation as either the Devil or the Savior. The trap of failing to distinguish between Creation
and Fall is one that all other faiths, ideologies, and worldviews fall into, and it remains a constant
threat to Christian thought.
From this perspective, the first three chapters of Genesis are essential. The first two
chapters discuss the excellence of Creation and humans' role in it, whereas chapter three narrates
the Fall of humanity and its repercussions. The significance of this order has seen in the fact that
there was no corruption of the world before the Fall, making it possible for an untarnished
creation. However, the Fall of man has repeatedly led to humanity harming itself. Trauma
psychology as a field can and should strive to fix what has been broken, resulting in a return to
God's grace and the living of a righteous life.
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In addition to depriving these chapters of their radical message, adopting the current
liberal viewpoint—which is held by almost everyone save conservative evangelicals—that good
and evil must always coexist—contradicts the precise argument these chapters are trying to
express. There was once a perfect creation, and there will be again, so evil is not innate to the
human state. As a result, Creation can be restored. Nothing in the world should be cause for
hopelessness.
Even in circumstances where it is gravely violating, the good Creation is always
persistent, which is the foundation of hope. We saw in the chapter before that since sin entered
the picture, the law of Creation reveals itself differently. It avoids the destruction of the terrestrial
sphere, which serves as our home, by containing sin and the ills that it produces. In other words,
the law impacts its creatures. The legislation is "legitimate" because it is recognized, applicable,
and has taken effect. It is not possible to disobey the law of Creation.
The law is like a spring; it can only be compressed or forced out of sight with
considerable effort, and even after being suppressed for a very long period, it still exerts its
influence. A thing's "structure" is the rule that governs it, and no amount of suppression or
distortion will ever be able to negate its existence and effects. Amid oppression, there is a
demand for justice. Only by deliberately turning a deaf ear to it can the creational urge for
commitment and love in human sexuality be disregarded, but it will not be ignored. Man's
treatment of other people always entails a more or less deliberate ignoring of their humanity, and
the word "ignoring" always connotes an active contempt for anything we perceive to be a call on
our attention. The poisonous ramifications of the Fall have polluted every part of Creation, just
as contaminated water contaminates a pristine pond. The Bible uses the term "world" to allude to
this extensive range of iniquity specifically.
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Biblical bondage refers to servitude to a spiritual dominion. Satan is at the top of a
hierarchy of wicked spirits that want to corrupt and destroy the Creator's valuable gifts. To sin is
to bond with Satan, yet the excuse "the devil made me do it" is never valid. The Devil did not
cause the Fall per se, but he does take advantage of fallen sinners to inflict further pain and
trauma upon God's children.
Conclusion
The Fall described in Creation Regained (Wolters, 2005) is about all of Creation and
becoming the failure of God's kingdom. It performs an excellent job of bridging the
sacred/secular gap, insisting over and again that everything can be holy when it is under God's
control. When humanity falls and strays from the path of righteousness, trauma, pain, and despair
are inevitable results. Ongoing research into the cause of that trauma can and should discover
new ways to alleviate the negative impact of sin and restore those that believe in God's grace.
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References
MacArthur, J. (2019). Romans 8:20. In The MacArthur Study Bible: New King James Version.
essay, Thomas Nelson, Inc.
MacArthur, J. (2019). Romans 8:22. In The MacArthur Study Bible: New King James Version.
essay, Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Wolters, A. M. (2005). Creation regained: Biblical basics for a reformational worldview.
William B. Eerdmans.
