HEAVEN AND EARTH

MODULE 4: SESSION 19: Reflections on Where All Creations is Headed

The ultimate goal of creation defines what is truly good: humans as God’s image-bearers living on dry land, farming, and raising families. Genesis 1 presents this as an ideal pattern, but when the story moves to history, people fail to reach that ideal. Instead, Scripture keeps pointing forward to a fulfillment still to come. The garden of Eden held potential, not flawless perfection as English speakers might assume. Its goodness lay in its capacity for growth and partnership with God, not in static completeness. This narrative invites readers to see creation as purposeful and open-ended, where God’s plan for human flourishing—cultivating the earth and forming enduring communities—remains the guiding vision, awaiting its final realization.