In a few weeks the Christian Reformed Church will be holding its annual synod. The word, “synod,” is one that I never use except to refer to this annual gathering of pastors, elders, and deacons. This made me curious about the origins and meaning of the word.

“Synod” has its origins in the Greek language, and it literally means, “on the way together.” The word, “synagogue,” beginning with “syn” (often translated from the Greek as “with”), translated literally, means “brought together.” Or, we might use the expression “in sync” which means that we are in agreement.

A synod, then, is a gathering together of people who are travelling together on the same road, figuratively speaking. We should not picture a synod as being a group of people who are on the same highway, but rather as people who are on the same road, perhaps coming from a variety of places but all heading to a common destination. The question that a synod will answer is this: because we are on the same road with a common destination, how do we address the various things we find on the road? It is usually assumed that those who attend a synod have a common understanding of Scripture and have a common direction and goal.

The first synod to be held in the Christian church was held in Jerusalem (Acts 15) at around 48-50 AD. Its president was the apostle James, and it was attended by both church leaders from Jerusalem and missionaries who had been bringing the gospel to distant parts of the world. All those in attendance had one thing in common, namely that they put their faith in Jesus Christ and that they wanted the world to know God’s grace. Unfortunately, an object had been found in the road: what requirements are placed on Gentiles who come to believe in Jesus? Do we need to ask them to obey the Old Testament laws (circumcision being the first law, but also attend the feasts, practices and celebration of the OT), essentially asking Gentiles to become Jews in practice and culture as they became Christians. The Jerusalem Council concluded that except for a few restrictions, Gentiles were free from practicing the OT law. Faith in Jesus Christ is what brings us into God’s family and keeps us there, not adherence to OT laws.

As the years passed, more synods were held, addressing a number of topics. The word, “synod,” was not used but was substituted with the word, “council,” which implies that those in attendance were gathered to deliberate together to determine what the Bible said about various topics. In the early 4^th century, for example, a council/synod was held in Nicea in which the topic of the nature and person of Jesus Christ was discussed. The question: what Jesus just like God or was he truly God. The council, after consulting Scripture, concluded that Jesus is God, the second Person of the Trinity.

Following divisions in the Christian church (1054 AD) into the eastern and western parts and the shattering of the western church into multiple fragments in the centuries following the Reformation, it has become seemingly impossible for the Christian church to call a synod in which all Christians from around the world are represented. It is perceived that not all churches are on the same road, although most would agree that all Christian churches have the same goal, namely, to make Jesus known to the world and to live in obedience to him. After the Reformation, denominations began to hold their own synods (councils), working within themselves to face the obstacles placed in their way by culture and the world. Thus, the Christian Reformed Synod is attended by members of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, although, at each synod, representatives from other churches of the reformed traditions are invited to attend as well. The CRC synod deals specifically with issues faced by our denomination.

It might be interesting to note that at one time in the not-so-distant past, there was something called the “Reformed Ecumenical Synod,” later known as the “Reformed Ecumenical Council,” in which churches from around the world who were of the reformed tradition, gathered together to discuss the issues that faced us in common. Good discussions were held about a variety of issues although, unlike in the denominational synod, the conclusions were not seen as binding for all members. That synod/council has since been disbanded and replaced with a weaker body which tends to avoid the more robust conversations of the past, much to the loss of churches of the reformed tradition.

The purpose of a synod, thus, is to provide like-minded churches the opportunity to gather together to talk about how it is that followers of Jesus Christ can live faithfully in the world into which God has placed us. Over the years our synod has served the churches well by addressing questions raised in the churches through careful searching of God’s Word and by robust conversation. We do so as we recognize that we are on the same road together, trusting in Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord and seeking to have others know that as well. It is always best that we gather together to talk about those things that face the church in our time and place, for it is often in the voices of others that we hear God’s voice. Knowing that we are the road together, heading toward the same goal gives us a sense of assurance that as we navigate life with fellow believers, we do so with the best wisdom available to us, wisdom that has been given to us by the Spirit as he works in the hearts and lives of fellow believers.

A generation is often defined as the period of time from when a child is born until they have their first child. The length of a generation varies a little from culture to culture, but, on average, we can define a generation as being about 25 years ( Note that English translations of the Bible sometimes use the word, “generation,” but it may not be the best translation of the original language. For example, in Genesis 15:16, “generation” seems to refer to a period of 100 years. This is a mistranslation, not a problem with the original text.). It is approximately 2025 years since Jesus was born (give or take a few years because the original calculations were not quite correct), which means that 81 generations have passed since the incarnation of Jesus. That may seem like a lot, but if we had the records of those generations, it would not be an impossible task to memorize the names of our ancestors. Sadly, records do not exist for most of us before the 1600s, so we can’t do that memory work, but it would be fascinating if we could.

As I reflect on it, it would not have been hard for my ancestors to have taught their children the names of those who had gone before, and if they had been diligent in passing that information along, I would have had access to that list and maybe I would have been able to list my ancestors back to the time of Jesus. I’m not sure what benefit that would have, and perhaps that is why the lists have not been passed from one generation to the next. Still, it is fascinating to know that my grandparents from 80 generations ago lived at the same time as Jesus. And my ancestors from 160 generations ago lived at the same time as Abraham. Saying that Abraham lived 160 generations ago makes him seem a lot closer than if we say he lived 4000 years ago.

In the Bible we have a number of genealogies. The first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles are mostly genealogies, and we find many more scattered throughout the Bible. In the New Testament, there are only two genealogies, both of them of Jesus, one found in Matthew 1 and the other in Luke 3. These genealogies serve several purposes, but the primary purpose is connect people from different periods of history. Thus, Abraham, by means of genealogy, is connected to Noah. Jesus, in Matthew’s gospel is connected to Abraham and in Luke’s gospel, to Adam who is connected to God his Creator. Although genealogies played an important role in the Bible, Jews today do not keep the same genealogical records, for there is no significant reason for them to do so. As long as a Jewish person can trace their lineage back a generation or two to someone who is also Jewish, that is sufficient to guarantee them an identity as an ethnic Jew. They do not need to go back all the way to Abraham to prove that they are part of the people of Israel. Further, not all people who identify as Jewish can trace their ancestry back to Abraham because some of them are descendants of those who converted to Judaism and were accepted into the Jewish community. While for some Judaism is a mere ethnic attribute, true Judaism is a religious one, and someone who is truly a Jew by faith is considered part of Abraham’s family by other Jews.

For a Christian our biological ancestry does not determine our faith. I do not know when my ancestors first became followers of Jesus Christ, but from what I can tell, for generations my ancestors have been Christians. I am part of a long Christian heritage. I suppose I could go back to the church records and find dates of baptisms and professions of faith, and I could determine the depth of my Christian background, but that would not serve any real purpose. What includes me in the Christian community is not my ancestral heritage but my relationship with God through Jesus Christ. In other words, while I am grateful to belong to a long Christian heritage, I am even more grateful that by God’s grace, I am included in God’s family.

I am included in God’s family through adoption. My sister and her husband are in the process of adopting their foster child, and the paperwork should be finalized in a few weeks. Their son will gain a new family name, and his ancestry will become my sister’s ancestry, and, by extension my ancestry as well. In Christian-speak we would consider his adoption to be his conversion, for he is becoming part of a new family just as we become part of God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ.

I am an adopted child of God through Jesus Christ, and my genealogy has become the genealogy of God’s family. In other words, because I am Jesus’ adopted brother, his ancestry becomes my ancestry. While my biological genealogy might be unknown, my faith genealogy is found in the Bible. The genealogy of Jesus becomes my genealogy because of my adoption.

I suppose it would be nice had my ancestors passed down the list of names of my ancestors for the past 2000 years. It would not have been hard to memorize those 80 or so names. But for what point? What would I gain by knowing the names of people I have never met and will never meet this side of heaven? Probably very little. But God, in his grace, has adopted me as his child, and he has given me an ancestry which leads right back to him through Jesus Christ. Jesus’ ancestry becomes my ancestry, and, for that reason, I know to whom I am connected. I am connected to God and am his child. I may meet many of the people from those 80 generations when I get to heaven, but, more importantly, by God’s grace, I will meet the rest of my family, beginning with Jesus who I will see face to face.

In Genesis 1, we have the account of a six-day creation. There is a lot of debate about the nature of a day. Some would hold that the day is a literal 24-hour period while others would say that a day is more like an era. In all that debate, something fundamental is overlooked, something that should help us better understand why the creation narrative was written in the way that it was.

Genesis 1:1 tells us that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. This is often understood to be a summary statement for what follows. The next statement tells us that the earth was formless and empty and that the Spirit hovered over the face of the deep. God was there, but there was nothing to sustain life. It is then that God begins his work of creation. Again, we need to return to the statement that the earth was formless and empty to fully understand the significance of what happened on the six days of creation. In the first three days of creation, God gives that which is formless form and that which was empty fullness. The following chart helps clarify what the text is telling us.

As we look at this chart, we cannot help but see the pattern that has developed. Day 4 fills Day 1, Day 5 fills Day 2, and Day 6 fills Day 3. Again, the first three days are about forming, and the last three days are about filling as God forms and fills that which was formless and empty. What we have at the end of the sixth day is a world which provides a place for life and which is designed to sustain that life. When the earth begins to revert back to formlessness (floods, desertification, etc.), life can no longer be sustained. The life that is most affected by any reversions of creation is that which was created on the sixth day, animals, but most specifically human beings. We also learn from Scripture that human beings have the remarkable ability to cause formlessness and emptiness. Sin leads both to flooding (Noah and the ark) and the disappearance of sustainable farmland (the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were at one time fertile but are now a wasteland). We also notice that when God restores his people, he also does so in conjunction with the restoration of creation.

The forming and filling of creation is an often overlooked aspect of the creation narrative, but it is an important one. What is even more important is the seventh day of creation, the rest that God provides. By making one day holy (an important attribute of God), God transmitted to creation the opportunity to experience his presence and blessing. It is rest that is the goal and purpose of creation, for resting is the end for which creation was designed.

The sin of Adam and Eve (and all of humanity with them) results in the final form and fullness of creation to be destroyed. God, because of his holiness, is no longer able to be present in creation, and that empties creation of its fullness and robs it of its form. All of creation is meant to experience God, and sin reverses that experience.

It is God who makes the first move to restore what was lost, but his move must be careful and measured. Thus, when the holy God makes himself present first in the tabernacle and later in the temple, he must carefully guard himself against all that is sinful. Thus, these two buildings have curtains and walls which are designed to keep him from being tainted with sin. These two buildings restored to creation something which was lost when sin entered the world, but not fully. In Jesus Christ, God comes to us again, and he comes in power, for although he was God among us (and we are sinful), he is not tainted by sin; rather, he pushes back against sin and its impact, bringing healing and restoration. In the church, which consists of people who have been made holy, the Holy Spirit dwells, and God continues to be present in this world.

But none of these manifestations of God in the Bible are the final reversal of sin. It is only in Revelation when sin is cast into the lake of fire and all things are made new that God comes to dwell among his people, being present once again in creation and establishing the rest that was lost because of sin.

All of this is to say that the real purpose of the creation narrative is not to give a scientific explanation of the beginnings of this world but, rather, to give us an understanding of what was meant to be, no longer is, but will one day be restored. Often we talk about a 6-day creation, but that is inappropriate. Humanists believe that the goal of all things is the wellbeing of humanity, and a Christian humanist believes that humans are the epitome of creation and that creation was made to serve us. The Genesis account says something different, for while the world was ultimately created to sustain life for humanity, the goal of creation is not to serve humanity but, rather, to give humanity the opportunity to serve God (and to cause the rest of creation to serve him as well). God’s intention is that we live in a creation that is properly formed (he is with us) and is properly filled (he is present among us). Thus, our efforts are not so much to maintain the place where we live so that we can survive but to seek God who makes himself known to us. Having God among us is the first step in restoring the emptiness and formlessness caused by sin. The Genesis narrative was not given to us, first and foremost, to describe how the world was made but, rather, to reveal to us what God intended for creation: that we all experience his presence, something that is lost in sin but is made possible again through Jesus Christ.