And it was very good.

You may recognize that statement from the first chapter of the book of Genesis in the Bible.  According to the text, God, Spirit, repeatedly proclaims that each progressive step of His creation is good.  His ultimate act is making man in His image and likeness (see Gen 1:26,27) after which He declares that it is all VERY good!

The second chapter of Genesis is where we find the more familiar tale of Adam and Eve – an account whose ending is decidedly very bad.

What if, just for the sake of conversation, we consider the first chapter of Genesis the only version of creation? That “very good” was actually the end of the story?

One of the reasons for this exploration is Jesus’ own statement found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:48) “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”  Perfect here, according to Strong’s, is a Greek word meaning complete.  A very similar word is used to denote the creation story told in Genesis 1: finished, which includes as one of its meanings in Hebrew – you guessed it – complete.  (see actually Gen 2:1)

I see Jesus’ imperative as an invitation to try on and live up to a view of existence – including you and me – that is very good.  This powerful take on creation excludes the fall of man detailed in later chapters of Genesis.  That sorrowful saga is all about incompleteness and imperfection.  Certainly there are innumerable elements of both of those to be found in all directions.  But Jesus was telling us to look – not at the world around us – but at God.  And not just any god but perfect God, the God Jesus knew as Father, Abba.

You may find that what starts out as a huge stretch – just for the sake of conversation – could actually inspire you to learn something completely new about God and His very good creation.  And that kind of inspiration just might lead to healing.

For a more in-depth explanation of a very good creation click here.

Melissa Hayden is a Christian Science practitioner in Salem, OR. You can find more information and additional articles at this link.