In this paper, I offer a reading of Genesis 1-11 through the lens of Kelly Kapic’s theological reflections on the themes of creation, anthropology, embodiment, time, and limits. I attempt to integrate the discipline of textual exegesis with the discipline of Christian theology and to apprehend a biblical theology of time, incarnation, and weakness as it relates to progressive sanctification.
First, I explore time and limits in Genesis 1-11. In Genesis 1, God creates time and timekeepers in the ordered cosmos. In Genesis 2, God creates the weekly sabbath for humans. In Genesis 2-3, God reveals that humans are mortals who die when disconnected from God. In Genesis 4-11, God reveals human finitude through generations, genealogies, limiting lifespans, and limiting initiatives. In Genesis 1-11, God reveals a plan to limit himself by entering his finite creation and by committing to a relationship with people.
Second, I explore the role of time and limits in Christian practice. My personal experience with illness is a perpetual reminder of my “creaturely finitude.” God made me finite and limited, and I am learning to accept my human experience as an essential part of God’s “good” (or purposefully ordered) creation. I am learning that my physical weakness, pain, and disability are catalysts which cultivate a sense of personal insufficiency and desperate dependence on God. I suggest, therefore, that creaturely finitude is a gift that God designed to facilitate progressive sanctification.