Integrating biological with political evolution (Theory of Wise Design, 3 of 4)

[Dale (evolutionary providentialist)]

@mitchellmckain and I are pretty much on the same page (we are occasionally ; - ) about God’s motivation.

@Dale

@mitchellmckain

the most natural and logical motivation of a being who has everything, is everything, and needs nothing, is to give of His abundance to others. And if there are no others then He will have reason to create them.

That I will echo pretty much entirely, except that Jesus as God Incarnate doesn’t have as much joy as he will have (I don’t know about God the Father and the infinitude of his joy)(and I may have quoted this a time or two before, probably not more than once per week ):

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2

This was originally drafted to counter YECism’s claim about the original creation being ‘perfect’:

@Dale

God’s motivation is really quite understandable, and purpose for our lives, if you belong to him, is also intimately involved in it: joy for himself in our love for him and our pride in him as our Father, and joy in us and joy for us in reciprocated familial love.

The original unfallen creation was merely ‘very good’, not perfect:

God’s purpose was and still is to magnify the most valuable thing there is, namely himself (he would be lying if he said otherwise), and to increase and share his joy. He is happy in himself.¹

Father’s intended purpose in creating the world was to was not to create a ‘perfect’ one. His purpose was not thwarted. Since it was a two creations model² from the get-go, the first one was subjected to futility on purpose, from its very start and before death occurred.

The original unfallen creation was merely “very good”, not perfect, since it did not and could not magnify God’s justice, mercy, grace and love through our Lord, Jesus, the Christ. Jesus’ motivation is also explicit and clear, and it was forward looking³: “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.” Hebrews 12:2. That joy is us(!), if you have been adopted into his family.

The New Earth will be perfect.

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¹ See The Pleasures of God.
² “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34
³ Our motivation should be forward looking, too, toward future grace. See Future Grace.