21.1 Designed to Create
The last chapter, “Human Judgment,” soon left the academic and became an investigation of the strongest role of judgment, judging others to life. Nonetheless the same principles of judgment apply to all human decision-making, from choosing what to cook for supper to deciding which arguments to weave together in an essay.
The highest level of the taxonomy, then, is to create something. Creating something new is the fullness of human expression, the crowning achievement of our lives. Being judges is how we are most like God, but creating something new is how we are His image, the Father expressing Himself through our hands and words.
The Meaning of “New.” The human capacity to create is our design by God by which God moves through us into our world. Creating something “new” goes in so many different directions and styles of expression. Writing this page, cooking dinner, building a house, designing a software program, all of these are included in human creativity.
However, when we say “new,” we are not speaking of “out from Word.” In the third lesson, we will consider creating with God, not out from nothing (for there is no such expression in the Bible), but rather, “out from Word.” When we say “new,” we are speaking of synthesis, that is, taking a number of things already in existence and weaving them together in new arrangements.
Synthesis. Syn – Thesis, that is, weaving together word already established. On the other hand, we could invent the word “exthesis” to reference creating out from Word, that is, the original creation of anything. Synthesis is “together with Word already established.” Exthesis is “out from Word not previously spoken.” But I must stop myself here, for that rabbit trail belongs in the third lesson, “Creating with God.”
This page is an example of synthesizing, for you are already familiar with every word on the page and how those words fit together into phrases. What you have never seen before, however, is this particular arrangement of the words woven together.
The Hands. I just completed a compilation of verses throughout the Bible that contain the word “hands,” in terms of “the work of the hands,” both God’s and ours. Specifically, it is with His “hands” that God creates, and human creation is signified by the “work of our hands,” whether for good or for self-worship. The “hand,” then, speaks of creating or synthesizing something new, whereas the “foot” speaks of our walk or journey.
In a sense, however, even going on a journey is the creation of something new, for you are putting together a story of understanding in your own mind when you travel to distant places and observe and experience things new to you. My own story of self is filled with many journeys.
Into His Hands and His Feet. The most striking of the verses, however, is “they pierced His hands and His feet.” Because we know that Jesus gave Himself for us, for our sakes, we know that this piercing of His hands and His feet, specifically, signifies to us that we can place all the work of our hands and all the steps of our feet into the Lord Jesus Christ through His cross. And inside the Lord Jesus, each thing our hand touches to work and each step our feet take, is together with the Father.
It was with His hands that Jesus blessed the children; it was with the touch of His hands that He healed the blind eyes. It is with our hands that we create with God; it is with our feet that we walk every step with Him, inside of Him.
Beginning with Purpose. What are the steps of creating something? Let’s consider a single kitchen cabinet. Before I can even start, I must possess much knowledge, understanding, and skill with wood, with cabinet structure, and with tools.
Creating always begins with purpose. I want to fill a specific need that fits into a specific place. We do not create randomly or thoughtlessly. We create to fill a need, whether a need for beauty or a need for utility, or, usually, both together. A kitchen cabinet is a work of art and ought to be beautiful as well as useful.
The Pro-Thesis. Of truth, purpose drives, even the learning of knowledge and skills. As is said, “Need is the mother of invention.” I learn best when I have great purpose directing me first.
Third, I draw a plan. This drawing is my pro-thesis, my set forth purpose. It is the cabinet in theory form. If it is a complex set of cabinets, I will always draw on paper, but if it is a simple cabinet, I still draw it specifically, but in my mind’s eye. This plan shows the size and shape of all the parts to be woven together, that is, synthesized, into my new creation, and it shows how all those parts fit with each other. The Pro-Thesis of our humanity and of the Church is Jesus.
Gathering, Shaping, Fitting Together. Next, I gather the chosen materials and cut each of them into its proper size and smoothness. Once each piece of that cabinet is shaped to its intended use, I fit all the pieces together and fasten them to each other, piece with piece, in its place of belonging. Next, I put the finish on the cabinet, its outward appearance, that it might be beautiful.
Once the finish dries, I install the cabinet, that is, I put it into its place inside the larger kitchen, that is, arrangement of things. Finally, the last step is that I begin to use the cabinet as a place to hold kitchen dishes, to keep them clean and safe and easily available for use.
Consider the Finish. With slight modification, this layout could be applied to any type of creation. In fact, you can see the description of God building the Church into His dwelling place in these steps.
Consider the finish, whether varnish or oil or lacquer, that I place on the outer visible wood of the cabinet. The wood itself is already wood and already beautiful. The varnish just causes that beauty to stand out, to be even more beautiful. The resurrection of the physical part of our bodies is the same. It is not something different; it is not an alteration of form. Rather, it is just a slight alteration in outward appearance that adds the tender expression of Jesus upon our weak humanity.
Already, this layout presents many rabbit trails we must ignore.
The Steps of Creation. So here, then, are the steps of creation.
1. Purpose. Purpose must include the acquisition of knowledge, understanding, and skill. (In God, this means drawing all the strands of His Word together, that is, the Lord Jesus.)
2. Pro-Thesis or drawing or outline. (In God, this is the Word spoken, that is, Jesus made known at any level or manner.)
3. The gathering of the chosen materials.
4. Shaping each of the pieces to fit its place.
5. Fitting all the pieces together.
6. Installing the finish on the final outward appearance.
7. Placing the created object into its place in the larger layout.
8. Making good use of the creation for its purpose.
Building God’s House. Of all acts of creation by God or by humans, of all fashioning of things for beauty and for function, nothing comes even close to the IMPORTANCE and VALUE of the building together of the Church, the House and Dwelling Place of God forever. Some people get all excited about new revelation, the next word from God. I get excited about commitment between two or more to walk together as a Community of Christ.
The Church for real is God’s burning passion; He has also made it mine. Christ life is corporate life. Christ IS a many-membered body. There is no greater act of human creation then for you and me to build together a Community of Christ with commitment.
Cooking Dinner. We can apply these eight steps to any type of creation. Consider cooking dinner. You follow all of these steps. But what is most important to the cook in setting the food before those who are dining?
Technically, nutrition is more important than anything, and a good cook considers nutrition above all. But the most important thing is the taste, does it taste awesome? And second is the appearance, does it look appetizing? And so we see the role and importance of resurrection. Being filled with abundance of word is much more important, but the kindness of Jesus as our appearance is what people want first.
As a cook myself, I find that great taste comes out from the harmony of the ingredients together, that is, metamorphy.
Purpose of Heart. Consider what just happened with step 1 in the above list. At first, I put the acquisition of knowledge and skill as step 2, but that did not seem right and it created 9 steps, not 8. I solved the problem when I realized that the acquisition of knowledge and skill belongs inside of purpose.
This fact, then, is the primary RULE of all human learning, that purpose of heart must always come first. It is purpose of heart that drives all acquisition of knowledge and skills. And, although there is definitely a thirst for understanding in the human soul, still, it is the end goal that drives us forward, the joy set before, the synthesizing of something brand new.
The Father’s Name. And that something brand new must have me in it, my stamp, my person, my name. That beautiful set of installed kitchen cabinets has my name on it, not literally, but still, it’s there. The book you hold in your hands has my name on it, in actuality.
The Church and every member of it has the Father’s name upon our foreheads. We together are the Father’s completion.
If I were to show you my writing course, I could take you through the story of the creation of every part of it. It is my story; it is a reflection of all that I am and have done. In essence, when I teach that course in the classroom, it is my dwelling place. I am so comfortable in it that I can answer any student difficulty instantly and with effectiveness.
God’s Expression. The title of this lesson is “Designed to Create.” In judgment we are like God; in creating, we are His expression.
Consider your hands. I never think about my hands when I am crafting something, including typing these words onto this page. My hands are always so capable of doing what I need, even without conscious thought. Your hands are made to create. At the same time, I never think about my feet when I walk or run over rocks or leap down a mountain slope. They just do what they are supposed to do, effectively and without thought. In fact, in both instances, my thought is only on where I am going and what I am working with, not my hands or my feet.
A Body Prepared. In purpose and motivation, in understanding and vision, in planning and executing, God has designed us in every conceivable way to create, to fashion what is at hand into new arrangements beyond count. I have never realized before this moment just how important and central this feature of our human capacity really is.
A body You have prepared for Me. – And there is nothing more important happening in all the universe right now than the formation, the synthesizing, the creation of a Body for God, the Church as His dwelling place.
Several months ago, I laid my desire for Christ Community down upon the alter. With every step, I expect God to raise it up again brand new.