Creation...Take 2

I grew up in a very conservative household.  Even though we did not talk politics the vibe was that of a right leaning nation.  Looking back on those times I find it odd that even though we watched the evening news which highlighted the number of Americans who had died in Viet Nam, I can’t remember a conversation with my parents about the war.  I graduated high school in 1969.

We were also a very conservative family when it came to our faith.  I grew up in a denomination called The Independent Fundamental Churches of America, the IFCA.  My denomination was told to not support Billy Graham because he had a black man join him on the platform at one of his crusades.  Wow.  In addition, my father was the secretary treasures for the Creation Bible Society (I believe that was the name) that sued the state of California to teach Creation on an equal footing with Evolution.  Today the same group promotes what is called The Young Earth Creationism and they believe in the literal 6 days of creation as spoken about in Genesis 1.  A very conservative upbringing. 

But what about the second story of creation?  The emphasis was always on the first story, the 6 literal days, the power of God, the voice of God.  Why was there a need for Moses to clarify things by telling it a 2nd time?  Here is my take.

If the first story of creation is about order and the Orderer, the second story of creation expands upon the statement from the first account where it says:

26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, …

27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them;

Male and female he created them.

To me, a major understanding of the Imago Dei is that it is relational.  As Christians we believe in the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  In some incredible way, God is a relational being.  John Milton in his classic work Paradise Lost developed this theme in his depictions of the actions of God in heaven vs. earth.  On earth God always acted in a monotheistic, singular voice.  But, when the scenes shifted to heaven, it was always the Triune God in dialogue.  It was his attempt to walk the fine line between his monotheism and the “Us…Our” statement from Genesis 1 which sounded very much like polytheism.  Such an image got him excommunicated from the church for heresy, a decision that was rescinded a few decades after his death. 

John Milton was right.  God is plural, “Us…Our” that works in perfect union with each other and therein, GOD IS ONE.  But how did that work out in the creation of human beings?  Genesis 2 focuses us on that portion of “The Image of God” that is relational.

From my perspective there are four key types of relationship highlighted in Genesis 2: Spiritual,  Psychological, Environmental and Intimate. The first relationship God created is Spirituality.  Genesis 2:7 reads:

7 then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.

The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old Testament tells us that "the word 'Breathed' is

nešāmāh:  A feminine noun meaning breath, wind, spirit. Its meaning is parallel to nep̱eš (5315) [often translated soul] and rûaḥ (7307) [often translated spirit]. It refers to the breath of God…" Before the 'breath of God' we were simply lumps of clay.  After God breathed into us God’s breath we became “living beings.”  The source that animates us is the breath of God, the spirit of God.  To me, spirituality is having a relationship with the God who has breathed into me “the breath of life.”  It is the first and most important relationship from creation because it is the foundational one.  If you do not have this relationship with God you are cutting yourself off from life itself.  You might be able to hold your spiritual breath for a while, but, if you hold it too long you will die.

There is a game that children sometimes play where they see who can hold their breath the longest.  Sometimes in the process of trying to win this silly game, a child might pinch their nose or worse yet, close it up with a clothes pin.  Under the worst of circumstances, if a child is successful in cutting themselves off from oxygen they might pass out.  It is then that the automatic system of the body kicks in and they begin to breath again through their mouth.  A person must have oxygen to live.  God made sure we would.    

Breath is essential to life.  In like fashion, God’s breath is essential to being a human being created in the image of God.  We live in an age in the Western World where the phrase, “I am spiritual but not religious” describes many, especially those in the younger generations.  Many traditional Christians have lamented this description.  At times I have been one of them.  But, its premise is actually quite good if we mean by “I am spiritual…” that I am working to establish and maintain a vital, life-giving relationship with the God who has breathed life into me.  Religion, any religion, should only be a tool to aid in that life-giving relationship. 

But, as happens with so many institutions built to aid in the pursuit of something beautiful and life-giving, the institution and its preservation can become more important than the very thing it is attempting to aid.  In my experience I have found some people who seem to be more committed to the Presbyterian Church than to Jesus Christ himself.  To me this is tragic.  God's intention through creation was to allow the breath of God to fill me and grow me and expand me as the unique human being that I am.

So, are you holding your breath or allowing God’s breath to flow freely into you?  How do you become aware of that breath?  Do you make the time to become aware?   One of the key components of the growing practice of Yoga is to teach people to be aware of the breath.  To me this should be especially true if we believe in the life-giving breath of God.  Jesus talked about going into your closet to communicate with the Father (Matthew 6:5-6), essentially separating yourself from the world so you could focus on your spiritual intimacy with the One who breathed life into you.  Do you do that?  If not, why not start?  It might be awkward at first, but, it could be a practice that could change your life. 

Breath.