In the last issue in this series we arrived at the final stage of the six days of creation with the creation of man. This week, I’ll quickly summarize each of the stages we discussed to bring them together in one place. Hopefully, this will help us see how all of the stages lead into one another, build upon one another, and direct us to one goal: Christ.
As we discuss these stages, remember that while they may build on one another, we do not complete and graduate from one stage to another in our experience with the Lord. Rather, each stage represents a lifelong aspect of our growth and development as Christians.
Day 1: The Beginning
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1 (NASB)
Our Christian life may have begun the day the light of Christ came into our lives and we were saved, but it is far from the only “beginning” we have. The whole of the Christian experience is an accumulation of “beginnings”! The day you first called on the name of the Lord? A beginning. When you first began to love Jesus? A beginning. The moment you first consecrated yourself to God? A beginning. Each beginning brings us deeper into the knowledge of God and into the experience of His Son. Our Lord always has a fresh, new, and exciting “beginning” for us to experience.
As we pass through each beginning in our life with God, we also find that we pass through evenings and mornings, Days and Nights, highs and lows. Whether in the peaks of joyful times, or in the depths of hardship, through it all we learn that the “Spirit of God [is] brooding.” The hardships of the Night bring us into a real growth in the experience and reliance upon God, while the Day equips us with the enjoyment of Him to prepare us for the dark times which lie ahead. “Don’t despise [the] dark. Love [the] dark — because only when darkness is here do you know how to appreciate the Day” (Titus Chu. 2017 Winter Conference. Message 1)
Day 2: Three Realms
On the second day of Creation, God separated the waters above from the waters below to create an expanse between them. This represents the Christian learning to drink of heavenly water in Christ and to enjoy the earthly blessings given to us so that we might grow into the fullness of what is laid out for us: the expanse between the waters.
Day 3: Workable Ground and the Spread of Life
and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Romans 6:13 (NASB)
This next day and stage in our Christian life sees the earthly waters gathering together so that dry land may appear. While we can enjoy the earthly blessings given to us, a maturing Christian will find that these blessings have their place. The less we allow these earthly blessings to consume our time and energy, then the more we can offer back to God. As we simplify our living and enjoyment of earthly things, we find that dry land appears. In other words, we give room for God to build in us, grow in us, and develop us to testify of Christ.
As workable ground appears in the life of a Christian, God quickly makes use of it. Also, on the third day He created plant life: grass, herbs, and trees. These are the first signs of life in the story of Creation, and where there is life, there is multiplication. These three types of plant life show the spreading of the life of Christ in us. Like grass, the life of Christ can spread to our neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family. As we mature, we become like an herb, capable of being moved by the wind to new soil and bringing the good news of Christ near and far. On this dry ground, we may even begin to produce fruit. That is, through the exercise of the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to each believer, we see fruit produced for the edification of the believers around us. We see men saved, fellow saints loved, and younger believers developed. These are just some of our fruits.
Day 4: The Governing Bodies
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
Revelation 22:16 (NASB)
On the fourth day, we step back from life to introduce governing bodies: the sun, the moon, and the stars. As a whole, this stage represents Christians learning obedience to Christ as our Lord. The more we mature as Christians, the more we should experience Christ as the sun, governing our living. In this we learn to yield to Him, to follow Him, to obey Him. As the sun shines, it reveals what is not adequate in us, shows us our stubbornness and our independence from God, that we might repent and return to Him. The more Christ shines His light, the more He governs our living. In the night, when we feel far from God, He has given us His Church (the moon, which reflects the sun’s own light) and the saints around us (the stars) to comfort, guide, and govern us even when we cannot see Christ’s light for ourselves.
Day 5: The Power of the Divine Life in Us
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
John 5:24 (NASB)
As we experience these various stages in our life, we may come to the question: how can we continue through so much? What can keep a person going like this? The answer is found in the divine life in us. As Christ grows in us through these stages, so too does our experience of His divine life develop. On the fifth day of Creation we see two new kinds of life appear: fish and birds. In these two classes of animals we see two aspects of the divine life abiding in all Christians: first, just as fish live while surrounded by the waters of death, so too does Christ’s life overcome death in our lives; second, just as birds fly high above the earth, so too does this divine life bring us above every earthly situation. The more we grow in Christ, the more we experience both the surviving and transcending elements of His wonderful life in us!
Day 6: To Be Like Christ
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;
Genesis 1:26 (NASB)
Just as we have borne the image of the earthy [man], we will also bear the image of the heavenly [man].
1 Corinthians 15:49 (NASB)
On the final day of Creation, God formed man from the dust of the earth. Finally, we see the end of all that was going on during these crazy stages, these amazing days of Creation. The end, the goal, the pinnacle of all of this series is with man. And not just any man! With Christ. The first Adam sinned, brought death into man, and with him the whole human race fell away from God. Then, after many years, Christ came, and as the last Adam He “became a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). Now, as believers, we are being transformed and conformed into the image of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who is Himself the image of the invisible God (cf. Romans 8:29, Colossians 1:15). This is a wonderful finale for our look at these stages, and really highlights the absolute centrality which Christ ought to have throughout our whole Christian lives.
Conclusion
Through the many stages and beginnings we may encounter in our Christian life, at the center of them all should be none other than Christ. By Him we are born again. By Him we grow. By Him we overcome death. By Him we are transformed to be like Him.
I hope you all enjoyed this series as much as I enjoyed writing it! Which stage struck you the most? Which parts are the most relatable to your experience? How has this series impacted your own view and walk with the Lord? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Next time we will start into another series following the theme of Stages in the Christian Life by looking at the Tabernacle, including its structure and various furnitures.
