“Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.†– Hebrews 2:17, ESV
Reflection
As you study the creation narrative in Genesis, you’ll notice that in the five days leading up to the creation of humanity, the result was good, whereas the result of the sixth day was very good. This suggests that humankind was God’s crowning achievement. We, as humans, are made in God’s image and that is precisely why we were given dominion over creation, rather than creation having dominion over us. Humans are very good, at least in their pre-fallen state, and even the creation itself is good, at least prior to its being marred by sin. But the Scriptures also teach that, even in spite of sin, the physical world retains a vestige of its original goodness. [Read more…] about Common Grace and Extra-Biblical Knowledge: An Advent Reflection (Scholar’s Compass)