Why This First Stone Must Be Laid
There are moments in the history of the Church when a subtle shift among scholars reveals a deeper crack in the foundations.
Today, with great respect and grief, I must name one such shift.
The recent trajectory seen in John Walton's Lost World series — culminating in the revision of Genesis 3 from a historical foundation of sin to a symbolic wisdom literature about human experience — mirrors a broader capitulation already visible in modern theology, science, anthropology, and philosophy.
This capitulation is not primarily an intellectual failure.
It is a deeper spiritual and ontological forgetfulness:
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A loss of the One who Is,
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A division between God's acts and God's words,
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A dichotomy between general revelation and special revelation that was never true, and must never be allowed to stand.
Scholars today — even those as brilliant and faithful as Walton once was — are trapped between two insufficient options:
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Either sacrifice the integrity of Scripture to preserve scientific credibility,
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Or sacrifice scientific and philosophical honesty to preserve a naïve literalism.
But truth is one because God is One.
Creation and New Creation are not enemies but spouses, one flesh, one witness.
General Revelation and Special Revelation are not two separate realities, but one seamless unveiling of the One God: God speaking Himself in what He does, and doing Himself in what He speaks —
creation itself is the speech of God made visible, and Scripture is the creation of God made audible —
both are the living testimony of the one Spirit who animates, orders, and perfects all things.
Thus, this First Stone is laid not against the world, but for its healing.
Not against Walton, but for his restoration.
Not against scholarship, but for its redemption.
We must build from the ground up again —
carefully, canonically, courageously —
a foundation that holds together the full counsel of God,
seen in creation, heard in Scripture, fulfilled in Christ.
What This First Stone Is
This First Stone is not an argument,
nor a theory,
nor a mere reinterpretation.
It is a return:
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To the true ontology of Good and Evil,
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To the true anthropology of human agency and conscience,
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To the true cosmology of creation as call and covenant,
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To the true Christology of Christ as the Firstborn of all creation and the Firstborn from among the dead.
It re-integrates everything modernity has torn apart:
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Philosophy and theology,
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Anthropology and covenant,
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Creation and redemption,
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Genesis and Revelation.
It defines sin and evil not first by law,
but by the order and being of God Himself.
It distinguishes between sinful desire (pre-Adamic humanity) and Sin proper (reckoned transgression through Adam's covenant breach).
It shows that death existed before Adam,
but that judicial death — exile from communion — entered through Adam’s conscious transgression alone.
It guards the holiness and glory of God,
and opens again the door for a truly integrated Christian vision of reality:
one that honours the sciences without compromising Scripture,
and one that honours Scripture without denying the full truth of creation.
How This Stone Was Laid
This First Stone has been laid through:
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Exhaustive theological reflection,
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Deep canonical integration,
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Close philosophical and anthropological coherence,
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Reverent listening to the entire sweep of Scripture —
from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 —
and to the living voice of the One who calls all things into being.
It has been crafted carefully, iteratively, without haste.
Every layer has been tested and cross-examined.
Every earlier misalignment has been corrected.
Every claim has been brought under the scrutiny of Scripture, reason, conscience, history, and prayer.
Who This Is For
This First Stone is offered:
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To scholars like John Walton and the BioLogos community,
who feel the tension between Scripture and science, and seek a way of faithfulness without betrayal. -
To theologians, pastors, teachers, and parents,
who feel the crumbling of old certainties and seek a way to rebuild without losing heart. -
To scientists, philosophers, and artists,
who know the beauty of creation and seek to honour the Creator in all wisdom. -
To my brothers and sisters in Christ across the world,
who must walk into an increasingly fragmented world armed with a coherent, compelling, truly Christian worldview. -
To my son Elijah,
and to my children and their children,
so that they may stand on unshakable ground,
able to speak truth with wisdom, grace, and courage. -
And finally:
To the Living God Himself,
the One who IS HE who is Being and Beholding and Bliss,
the One who called creation into being,
the One who calls us home to Him.
I. God Acts: Creation as the First Call
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In the beginning, God acts.
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Creation itself is God's first speech, His first word, His first call.
Creation is not autonomous material;
it is the speech-act of the Living God.
Everything that is, is:
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A doing of God,
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A manifestation of His being,
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A summons into order, meaning, and destiny.
Creation’s goodness is not neutral;
it is theophanic — the unveiling of God's own life and purpose.
II. Ciliation: The Primal Council of Existence
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Before covenant, before command, before law —
God calls creation into order and relation. -
He calls:
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Light "Day" (Genesis 1:5),
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Sky "Heaven" (Genesis 1:8),
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Dry land "Earth" (Genesis 1:10).
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Naming is not arbitrary;
naming gives identity, destiny, and eschatology.
Thus:
Ciliation is God's foundational Call to Communion.
It is the primal invitation to share in His life.
Creation itself is called before it is commanded.
III. Consciousness and Conscience: Awakening to the Call
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Humanity’s consciousness is not a brute evolutionary product;
it is God-awakened response to His call. -
God breathes into Adam (Genesis 2:7) —
bestowing not just biological life but awareness:-
Awareness of self,
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Awareness of world,
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Awareness of God.
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Conscience is:
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The inward memory of the Call,
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The testimony to the order of being.
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Thus:
Consciousness hears the Call.
Conscience bears witness to the Call.
IV. The Infancy of Humanity: Desire Without Accountability
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Pre-Adamic humanity possessed:
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Agency,
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Consciousness,
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Conscience,
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Desire — including sinful desire.
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Yet:
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Without explicit special revelation (command),
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They were like infants who wander from a Father they cannot yet understand (Deuteronomy 1:39; Isaiah 7:16).
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Thus:
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Sinful desire was active,
but Sin proper (reckoned transgression) was not yet present. -
Death reigned (Romans 5:14),
but not through sin —
it was natural mortality, not judicial death.
Thus:
Humanity was fallen in heart,
But not yet fallen in law.
V. Special Revelation: The Threshold of Mature Responsibility
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Adam receives special revelation:
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The covenantal Word of God,
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The command regarding the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:16–17).
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Special revelation establishes:
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Mature accountability,
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Covenant blessing or covenant curse.
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Thus:
To receive the Word is to cross the threshold
from infancy to mature moral agency.
As Paul says:
"I would not have known what coveting was if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.'" (Romans 7:7)
Thus Adam's situation mirrors:
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Israel at Sinai,
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Every human who hears the Gospel.
VI. The Nature of Sin: Desire, Law, and Reckoning
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Sinful desire — covetousness, autonomy, rebellion —
existed in humanity before Adam’s special revelation. -
But:
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Sin was not reckoned,
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Sin was not recognized,
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Sin was not judicially charged.
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As Paul says:
"Where there is no law, there is no transgression." (Romans 4:15)
And:
"Sin is not reckoned when there is no law." (Romans 5:13)
Thus:
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Before Adam's transgression, humanity lived:
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Under general revelation,
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Accountable to conscience,
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But not under covenantal command.
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Therefore:
Adam’s covenant is the origin of reckoned Sin,
even though sinful desire predates it.
VII. The Temptation of Eve: Infantile Disobedience Without Covenant
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Eve is deceived (1 Timothy 2:14);
she represents:-
The "childlike" humanity,
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Pre-covenantal agency,
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Desire without mature accountability.
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She misquotes the command (Genesis 3:3);
she doubts;
she desires;
but her action alone does not bring sin into the world.
Why?
Because:
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Eve did not receive the command directly.
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Eve was not the covenantal head.
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Eve’s rebellion mirrors infantile transgression — wrong but not judicially reckoned as covenantal breach.
Thus:
Through one man, Adam, sin entered the world (Romans 5:12).
Not through Eve.
Not through the serpent.
But through Adam.
VIII. The Fall of Adam: Mature Transgression Against the Covenant Word
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Adam was:
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Not deceived,
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Fully aware,
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The recipient of God’s spoken Word.
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His sin was:
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Conscious,
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Deliberate,
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Covenantally culpable.
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Thus:
Adam’s act transfigured sinful desire into covenantal Sin,
brought judicial Death into the human vocation,
and severed the path to glorification.
Through Adam:
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Death now reigned through Sin,
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Exile from the Tree of Life was enacted,
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The Sabbath Rest was barred.
IX. Death Before and After Adam’s Fall
| Death Before Adam | Death After Adam |
|---|---|
| Natural mortality, inherent to created frailty. | Judicial death, consequence of covenantal breach. |
| "Evening and morning" mortality: creational cycle. | Exile from Life: spiritual and ultimate death. |
| No condemnation for general rebellion. | Condemnation for covenant transgression. |
Thus:
Death is now a twofold reality:
biological mortality, and covenantal condemnation.
X. Cain and Sin: The New Reckoning
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In Genesis 4, for the first time:
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God speaks of sin explicitly:
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"Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it." (Genesis 4:7)
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Cain stands:
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As the first post-Adam human to inherit covenantal accountability,
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As one who heard the special revelation passed through Adam,
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As one judged under the standard of revealed law.
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Thus:
The world after Adam is a world under reckoned Sin.
All descendants of Adam inherit:
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The knowledge of good and evil,
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The burden of special revelation,
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The invitation to life through faith,
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The liability to judgment through transgression.
XI. General Revelation and Special Revelation After Adam
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General Revelation remains:
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True,
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Sufficient for basic accountability (Romans 1:18–21),
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Capable of convicting sinful desire.
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Special Revelation:
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Deepens responsibility,
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Defines transgression as Sin,
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Offers the Word of Life.
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Thus:
Humanity is judged according to the measure of revelation received.
As Paul says:
"All who sin apart from the law will perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law." (Romans 2:12)
XII. The Pattern Through Redemptive History
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After Adam:
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Seth, Enosh, Enoch — the beginning of public calling on the Name of YHWH (Genesis 4:26).
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After Noah:
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Humanity apostatizes again (Genesis 6; Genesis 11),
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Death and judgment spread not because of ignorance alone, but rejection of God’s revealed name and call.
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After Abraham:
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The promise of universal blessing is established,
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New covenantal lines are inaugurated.
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After Moses:
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Israel receives the Law at Sinai,
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Responsibility for covenant faithfulness is nationally intensified.
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After Christ:
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The Gospel is proclaimed to all nations,
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All are commanded to repent, for the final judgment approaches.
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Thus:
Special Revelation progressively clarifies and intensifies the call to life —
and the consequences of rebellion.
XIII. Universal Reconciliation Under Christ: Recapitulation of Adam’s Role
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Adam’s vice-regency over creation was real —
his fall brought creation into bondage (Romans 8:20–22). -
Christ, the true Son and second Adam (Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:45),
comes:-
To reclaim the throne,
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To reconcile all creation back under God's headship.
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As Paul declares:
"God was pleased... through Christ to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace through the blood of His cross." (Colossians 1:19–20)
Thus:
Christ does not merely redeem individuals;
He restores the cosmic order once broken by Adam.
XIV. Clarifying the Scope of Reconciliation
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Reconciliation is:
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Cosmic (Colossians 1:20),
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Covenantally structured (Romans 5),
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Christ-centered (Ephesians 1:10).
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Not all will be redeemed,
but all will be brought under Christ’s rule:-
Some willingly (faithful adoption),
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Some unwillingly (judicial subjugation — Philippians 2:9–11).
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Thus:
Christ’s reconciliation is universal in scope,
but particular in salvation.
XV. The Consummation: Return to and Beyond Eden
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The story begun in Genesis 1–3 finds its fulfillment in Revelation 21–22:
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A New Heavens and a New Earth,
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The Tree of Life restored,
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The curse reversed,
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God dwelling openly with His people.
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The seventh day of Genesis 2 —
the day without evening or morning —
is finally consummated.
Thus:
Creation moves not backward to Eden,
but forward to consummated communion beyond Eden.
The Sabbath rest of God becomes the eternal life of the redeemed.
XVI. Full Framework Summary of the First Stone
| Stage | Description | Key Reality |
|---|---|---|
| Creation | God acts; creation is His call to communion. | Ontological goodness grounded in divine being. |
| Ciliation | Naming and ordering invite responsive existence. | Creation is a temple ordered for communion. |
| Consciousness | Humanity awakens to the Call via conscience and agency. | Capacity for communion and rebellion. |
| Sinful Desire | Present from the beginning in conscious agency. | Desire is twisted but not yet reckoned. |
| Special Revelation | Spoken Word to Adam establishes mature accountability. | Covenant begins; sin is now reckonable. |
| Fall | Adam transgresses consciously, bringing sin and judicial death. | Loss of access to life; exile from glory. |
| Progressive Revelation | Covenant unfolds through Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Christ. | Increasing clarity, increasing accountability. |
| Christ’s Redemption | Christ fulfills the role of true Adam, true Israel, true Temple. | Reconciliation of heaven and earth in Himself. |
| Consummation | Creation is transfigured; communion is perfected. | God is all in all; the Tree of Life is restored. |
XVII. Canonical and Ontological Integrity of the Framework
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Creation is inherently good because it is theophanic.
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Sin is ontological rebellion, not merely ethical misstep.
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Sin is reckoned only after special revelation.
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Death precedes sin biologically but follows sin judicially.
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General revelation holds humanity accountable to what is seen; special revelation intensifies accountability to what is heard.
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The cross of Christ is the center of reconciliation, not only for humans but for all created reality.
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Communion, not mere forgiveness, is the telos (goal) of redemption.
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The beginning (Genesis 1) and the end (Revelation 22) are one movement toward consummated union with God.
XVIII. Summary Declaration of the First Stone
"Before time, the One who is, called all things into being;
in time, He called humanity to Himself;
through sin, death entered, but through Christ, life has come.
He who calls is faithful;
He will bring all things into consummation,
so that God may be all in all."
Conclusion to the First Stone
An Invitation to Review and Respond
This First Stone is now humbly but firmly laid before you,
for your full, careful, prayerful review.
I invite you — trusted advisors, friends, fellow sojourners, and wise counsellors — to:
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Read it attentively,
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Test it carefully,
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Weigh it canonically,
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Discern it spiritually.
I ask especially for input from:
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Scholars and theologians who know the depth of the issues at stake,
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Pastors and teachers who feel the burden of formation for future generations,
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Philosophers and scientists who seek integrity between revelation and reason,
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Parents and believers who long to walk in the light without stumbling,
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My son Elijah, whose spiritual inheritance depends on the faithfulness of this foundation,
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And every faithful child of the Lord who still believes that God speaks and that we must hear.
Please consider:
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Does this First Stone faithfully hold together all that Scripture reveals and creation declares?
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Are there still refinements needed, clarifications to be made, layers to be strengthened?
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What questions arise that we have not yet addressed?
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What cautions, confirmations, or counsels would you offer?
Outline of the Next Stones to Be Laid
If this First Stone is found faithful and true,
then God willing, I will proceed to lay the full foundation stone-by-stone.
Here is the projected outline of the next Stones:
Stone 2: The Ontology of Good and Evil in General and Special Revelation
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What the Good is ontologically (God Himself),
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What the Evil is ontologically (rebellion against Being),
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How general revelation bears witness to good and evil,
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How special revelation sharpens and fulfills this witness.
Stone 3: The Nature of Covenant: Call, Counsel, Communion
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The primal Call (Ciliation) in Genesis 1,
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The initiation of Covenant with Adam,
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The Law, the Promise, and the Gospel in seed form.
Stone 4: The Structure of Human Agency and Responsibility
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Consciousness, Conscience, and Call,
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Sinful desire vs. reckoned Sin,
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Accountability in relation to revelation.
Stone 5: Death, Life, and Glorification
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Natural mortality vs. judicial death,
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The Tree of Life as telos,
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Sabbath rest as the goal of creation.
Stone 6: Christ as the Fulfillment of Creation and Covenant
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Christ as Second Adam,
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Christ as True Temple,
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Christ as Firstborn of the New Creation.
Stone 7: The Church and the Proclamation of the Reconciliation of All Things
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The mission of the Church,
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The proclamation of reconciliation in Christ,
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The anticipation of consummated glory.
Stone 8: The Final Consummation: New Heavens and New Earth
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Revelation 21–22 as fulfillment of Genesis 1–3,
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The restoration of the Tree of Life,
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God dwelling fully with His people.
Closing Appeal
This project is not academic for me.
It is not hypothetical.
It is my act of worship, my work of love, my offering to the Living God,
and my legacy to my children and their children.
Therefore:
I ask not for polite feedback,
but for truthful, rigorous, honest engagement —
out of love for God, for His Word, for His world, and for His people.
Together, if we are faithful,
we may yet build something that will endure —
not because we are wise,
but because God is faithful.
The Chief Cornerstone has been laid once and for all (Ephesians 2:20) —
Christ Himself.
Now, in Him, by His Word and Spirit,
let us build.
—Joe
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