In the current debate on creation versus evolution, Adventists typically go back to Genesis 1 and 2 which is appropriate. Yet it would also be worthwhile to consider the New Testament with its statements on creation, especially those made by Jesus (for instance, Mark 2:27-28; 10:6-8; 13:19), and those that speak about Jesus as Creator and Sustainer of the entire creation. The theological implication of understanding Jesus as both Creator and Savior is significant for the creation-evolution debate.

This is a unique contribution that the New Testament makes to the theology of creation. Although the Old Testament points to Christ as the Creator in a hidden way (e.g., the plural in Gen 1:26), it is the New Testament which clearly spells out that Jesus is the Creator. While a number of verses emphasize that God has created all things (e.g., Acts 4:24; 14:15; 17:24, 26; Rom 1:25; 1 Pet 4:19), several crucial New Testament passages stress more specifically that Jesus is the Creator (John 1:3; Col 1:15-16; Heb 1:2, 10) and thus exclude Him from the realm of created beings. In addition, the cosmic perspective, which includes more than the creation that we encounter on earth and its vicinity, is spelled out most clearly in Colossians.

John 1:1-4 portrays Jesus as the Word, as God, as the Creator, and as Life. Creation is expressed in several ways: (1) the Word existed already “in the beginning,” a reminder of Gen 1:1; (2) the Old Testament background is at least partially found in Ps 33:6, 9—Jesus is this creative Word of God; (3) John tells us explicitly that all things came into existence through Him.

Heb 1:10 applies a quotation, namely Ps 102:25, to Jesus, although the Old Testament context talks about Yahweh as the Creator. The phrase “in the beginning” alludes to Gen 1:1.

Col 1:15-20 is an extensive christological hymn. The first part, stressing Jesus as Creator (verses 15-16), corresponds with the last part (verses 18b-20) in which Jesus is the Reconciler. The very same person who has created all things is able to reconcile all things through His blood shed on the cross. The Creator is also the Savior. The two concepts are inseparably linked. Therefore, to claim that Jesus has saved us through His once for all death on the cross, a relatively brief event in history, and still maintain that He has created us through an evolutionary process, which takes millions or billions of years, is inconsistent.

Furthermore, Jesus’ creative power is seen in the fact that His followers are spiritually recreated (Eph 2:10; 2 Cor 5:17) and that Jesus has created His church (Eph 2:15). Neither of these creative processes, which depend on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, requires a long, evolutionary process.

On the other hand, if it is true that Jesus is the Creator, He can best inform us as to the process by which He has accomplished creation. His words carry a weight that surpasses all human knowledge. Since Jesus is the Creator, we cannot talk about the topic of creation and the problems related to faith and science without focusing on Him. As crucial as Genesis 1-11 is for the current debate, Jesus cannot be excluded from this discussion. Whatever we decide on protology, it has a direct impact on soteriology.¹