Treasure Tree DNA: God defines reality.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). To put it another way, God existed before anything existed. That truth paves the way for all others because it upholds all others. And it is particularly significant for what it means about the way that the universe works–and for what it means about who we are.
When we affirm that God defines reality, what we are really getting at is a declaration about God’s nature and about our own. As one who is uncreated, God has always existed and will always exist. This is different from anything else in existence because all of creation is contingent. It was and still is reliant on some kind of source. Humans need food, water, shelter, and clothing. Animals need much of the same. Trees need carbon dioxide and sunlight. The oceans were set in their borders. The stars were hung in their place. Gravity, the laws of thermodynamics, the theory of relativity, all pointing to the fact that creation is governed and dependent.
But God isn’t. He is the one who governs, the one who fills our needs, the one who oversees all of creation. He doesn’t need anything from us but gives everything to us (Acts 17:24-25). Understanding this is essential to walking in wisdom, because what we believe about the origin of reality will determine what voices we listen to. The voice of wisdom calls us to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts. But foolishness tells us to only trust ourselves (Proverbs 3:5-6). It is a lot of pressure to place on one person to define reality.
But there is a deep peace in accepting that God, in His nature and power, has already done the heavy lifting. Not only did He create the world and everything in it, but He also has the wisdom to know how it all works. That is what we mean when we say that God defines reality. He governs His creation with all wisdom, insight, and love. From the beginning, He has had only the best intentions at heart, making a world that was very good and inviting us to be a part of bringing His goodness to full fruition in it. Although we rejected that invitation and attempted to set out on our own, putting ourselves in the place of God, He is not neutered in His wisdom or power. In fact, wisdom is justified by her deeds and His will is always for good in the world (Matthew 11:19).
That is why His commands are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). God’s position as the maker and definer of reality is not oppressive. It’s freedom. Freedom from the weight of figuring out who we are. Freedom from the burden of carrying our own story. Freedom from the pressure to know everything. When we can admit that to ourselves, we open the door to a world where we can rest in trust instead of exhausting ourselves through striving. We affirm that God is the maker of all things and the definer of reality, and we will follow His way, even if it means laying down our own.
We think, teach, and write with this core truth at heart. We will not seek to redefine things that God has already defined. We will seek to be honest and compassionate with truths that are clear, and humble and honoring in things that are not. We will uphold God’s Word as supremely valuable and trust that He will help us to know what is good, pure, lovely, and true.
