Goodness and Creaturely Finitude: Time and Limits in Genesis 1–11 and in Christian Practice

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 the goodness of time and limits in Genesis 1–11. God creates time and timekeepers in the ordered cosmos. God creates the weekly sabbath for humans. God reveals that humans are mortals who die when disconnected from God. God reveals human finitude through generations, genealogies, and limiting lifespans and initiatives. God reveals a plan to limit himself by entering his finite creation and by committing to relationships. Second, I explore the goodness of time and limits in Christian practice through my personal experience with illness and “creaturely finitude.”