Science and Faith

Lecture: Five types of apologetics

Like preaching, apologetics is both a science and an art. It is a science in that it may be researched and analyzed, but it is an art in that it has various forms, varying by artist. Because the stakes of apologetics are so high, many feel it necessary to necessitate their own particular science and artistic flair in regards to defending the faith.

There are four main schools of apologetics. They are as follows; classical apologetics, evidential apologetics, presuppositional apologetics, and fideism.

1. Classical apologetics places on emphasis on reason and presents the logical soundness and internal coherence of its claims. This approach to defending the faith marshals philosophy and evidences supportive of Christianity. It traces its roots to 2nd Century apologists like Justin Martyr, and its power is in the intellectual heft of adherents such as Thomas Aquinas, BB Warfield, CS Lewis, and RC Sproul.

2. Evidential apologetics at its foundation coalesces archaeology, anthropology, history, and science to present its defense of Christianity.

As John Montgomery noted, “The facts speaks for themselves,” meaning that the historical and salvific claims of Christ and His Word are irrefutable within the body of evidences existing in the world around us.

3. Presuppositional apologetics. This apologetic begins with the assumption that God exists and that the Bible is authoritative. As Cornelius Van Til noted: “Can I see the beams underneath the floor on which I walk? I must assume or presuppose that the beams are underneath. Unless the beams were underneath, I could not walk on the floor.”

Presuppositional apologetics means presupposing the truth of Christianity and then uses reason from that point.

4. Fideism. This was the apologetic of Martin Luther. Fideism believes that God is known by faith, not reason. It rejects reason and evidence, basing itself on faith alone.

What type of apologist was the Apostle Paul?

It would appear that the Apostle Paul was scriptural in his use of classical apologetics.

Josh McDowell was biblical in his use of evidential apologetics

Cornelius Van Til offered biblical support for presuppositional apologetics

Martin Luther made valid truth claims in fideism. It would seem, then, that the best of each of the four schools of thought could be integrated into a comprehensive apologetic— hence, the fifth apologetic is known as Integrative Apologetics.

In my view, there is validity and verity in each of these four schools. It is our view that because not one particular approach will win each gainsayer, it would seem helpful to become familiar with each of these four schools of apologetics. Just as our generation wrangles about the superiority of expository preaching over every other type of sermon, it would also seem helpful to come to a balanced view of God’s Word regarding apologetics. As preachers and apologists, we find ourselves in a myriad of settings in ministry in which God will use us in varied ways and will require of us adaptability in how we present the truth of His Word.

Consistency: a study of God's faithfulness and a call to constancy

On September 6, 1995, Cal Ripken broke what many baseball fans and commentators regarded the unbreakable streak of games played, which was set by Lou Gehrig. Gehrig’s record was 2,131 consecutive games. George Will wrote of this streak: “It was the sheer everyday-ness of it. What was being celebrated was a guy who got up and went to work every day. People can identify with that.”

HIs personal friend noted of Ripken, "He had to overcome game injuries that he managed to work through," Idelson said. "He managed the pain," including slipped disks, hyperextended elbows, dislocated fingers, head-jarring shots from errant throws.

It really is the “everyday-ness” of it, isn’t it, that we admire?

Have you ever heard of Herbert and Zalmyra Fisher? They are listed in the Guinness Book of records as having the longest marriage in US history: The couple had been married for 86 years 290 days as of 27 February 2011, when Mr Fisher passed away. They said in an interview on Valentine’s Day in 2010: "A friend is for life; our marriage has lasted a lifetime,"

What about Walter Orthmann. He, too, is noted as having been the longest-tenured employee in history. His 84-year employment began when he was 16 years old. He said, "I don't do much planning, nor care much about tomorrow. All I care about is that tomorrow will be another day in which I will wake up, get up, exercise and go to work; you need to get busy with the present, not the past or the future. Here and now is what counts. So, let's go to work!"

Then, I read of a man by the name of Mark Mueller. You probably don’t know him, either, but he’s worked out 10,000 straight days. During bouts with walking pneumonia, he had to find creative ways to stay consistent, but he noted, “I am afraid not to work out anymore.”

Consistency makes the difference!

When I talk about consistency, I’m not offering you a self-help which might provide 10 ways to your better self. I’m not talking like a fitness guru or a motivational speaker. I’m talking to you as a preacher of the gospel of Christ— and one who seeks to make known the nature of God to this world.

Nature Declares the Glory of God’s Consistency

Psalm 19:1-6: “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, And his circuit unto the ends of it: And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.”

Nature Proclaims:

a. God is- EXISTENT

i. Romans 1:19-20: “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

ii. The Universe gives testimony to God! It declares: “God is!”

iii. Hebrews 11:6: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

A trinity:

a. space- depth, length, and breadth

b. matter- energy, motion, phenomena

c. time- past, present, future

b. God is, specifically, consistent

i. day unto day and night unto night- all of the time

ii. no language barrier to this knowledge

iii. vs 4- all hear it and all see it; it is worldwide

iv. 5-6- the sun gives constant testimony to the care of God

Lamentations 3:22-24: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.”

Psalm 113:3: “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same The Lord’s name is to be praised.”

Nature continually says, “There is a God and that God is loving, personal and consistent.”

Francis Schaeffer: “The strength of the Christian system — the acid test of it — is that everything fits under the apex of the existent, infinite-personal God, and it is the only system in the world where this is true. No other system has an apex under which everything fits.That is why I am a Christian and no longer an agnostic. In all the other systems, something 'sticks out,' something cannot be included; and it has to be mutilated or ignored. But without losing his own integrity, the Christian can see everything fitting into place beneath the Christian apex of the existence of the infinite-personal God who is there (p. 81).” He is There and He is Not Silent

Psalm 102:27: “But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end.”

James 1:17: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

Malachi 3:6: “For I am the Lord, I change not; Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

Nature Demonstrates the Glory of God’s Consistency

I want you to think for just a moment of how God designed the world— and then consider that those things which are part of God’s design are static, never changing. This means that life is not only suitable for human life— but it is predictable for human life and sustains human life.

Scientists tell us that

• the earth is the perfect size

• if the crust where 10 feet thicker: the metallic elements in the crust would have combined with all the free oxygen in the atmosphere, ruling out the possibility of all animal life

• if the oceans were a few feet thicker, dangerous carbon dioxide gasses from the air would destroy all plants

• the moon is approx. 239,000 miles from earth. If it were only 50,000 miles away, the entire earth would flood 2x a day

• Jeremiah 5:22: “Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?”

• Job 38:10-11: “And brake up for it my decreed place, And set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: And here shall thy proud waves be stayed?”

• Proverbs 8:29: “When he gave to the sea his decree, That the waters should not pass his commandment: When he appointed the foundations of the earth:”

• then, there is the composition of the atmosphere

• 78 parts nitrogen

• 21 parts oxygen

• too much nitrogen and all bodily functions would slow to lethal speeds

• too much oxygen, the body would overexert and explode

• may I also note that the atmosphere serves as a protective blanket, making life sustainable?

• earth was made for man, the image bearer of God!

• Acts 17:26: “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;”

• Isaiah 45:18-19: “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, He created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.”

What we are saying is that God created a world and that world is predictable.

Imagine!

• Is. 11:6, 65:25, 11:8- the wolf lies down with the lamb

• the lion will eat straw and become a herbivore

• the calf and lion will feed together and a child will lead them

• a nursing baby will play on the hole of an asp

You say, there is something unnatural about all of these. In essence, we trust in the predictable nature of nature itself. Furthermore, God would have to intervene to change nature in order for these to be so— the natural order prevails to this day.

We might say it this way:

IT IS CONSISTENT WITH DESIGN THAT THE BIBLE REPORTS OF

• bear attacks

• lion aggression

• ants and preparation for winter- Pro 6:6-8...

• the nature of ravens- Luke 12:24...

• dogs- Luke 16:21...

• Job goes so far as to say this: Job 35:11: “Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, And maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?”

Maybe we ought to more sing of this idea:

When thru the woods and forest glades I wander And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees, When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze,

Chorus

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee; How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

or

Fairest Lord Jesus, ruler of all nature, O thou of God and man the Son, Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor, thou, my soul's glory, joy, and crown.

or

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest Sun, moon and stars in their courses above Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

Dr. Jason Lisle said: “The expression ‘contrary to nature’ or ‘unnatural’ can be used to describe not only fallen man’s worship but also his behavior.”

Romans 1:18-27...

“The practice of homosexuality among men is inconsistent with the practice of nature. Man’s ‘natural function’ is to worship God. Instead, man’s sin manifests itself in self-worship.”

Mankind Denies the Glory of God’s Consistency

An atheist is unable to answer for this logical, reasonable, and consistency in the natural world. But for a moment, I want to turn the figure and talk about us. We are the most inconsistent parts of creation!

The Bible NEVER intended for us to wander and go about constantly transplanting ourselves. Rather, the Bible uses words like these:

• he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water

• abide in men- John 15...

• remain- I John 2:24...

• cleave unto the LORD- Acts 11:23…Joshua 23:8...

• continue- Acts 14:22...

• grounded- Col 1:23...

• Building up yourselves…Jude 20-21...

Deuteronomy 30:20: “That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

LOVE

OBEY

CLEAVE

DWELL

What a progression!

It is most-interesting that the creatures who have been redeemed and blood-bought struggle MOST with this imperative.

Biblical Predictions Found in the Bible:

the circle of the earth- Isaiah 40:22: “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, And the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; That stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, And spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:”

a sphere

the suspension of the sun- Job 26:7: “He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, And hangeth the earth upon nothing.”

pillars of the earth- suspended on nothing but God

the circuit of the sun- Psalm 19: “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, And his circuit unto the ends of it: And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.”

mountains in the sea- Jonah 2:5-6: “The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: The depth closed me round about, The weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; The earth with her bars was about me for ever: Yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.”

https://www.google.com/search?q=video+comparison+of+mount+everest+and+challenger+deep&source=lmns&tbm=vid&bih=1028&biw=1920&client=safari&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1j87n6YmAAxXmCUQIHRxnDaoQ0pQJKAJ6BAgBEAY#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:cce67af2,vid:Q5C7sqVe2Vg https://www.google.com/search?q=video+comparison+of+mount+everest+and+challenger+deep&source=lmns&tbm=vid&bih=1028&biw=1920&client=safari&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1j87n6YmAAxXmCUQIHRxnDaoQ0pQJKAJ6BAgBEAY#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:bc7e1b0b,vid:UwVNkfCov1k

The innumerable number of stars- Jeremiah 33:22: “As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.”

the life of the flesh in the blood- Leviticus 17:11: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

water currents in the ocean- Psalm 8:8: “The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, And whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.”

The laws of Thermodynamics- Genesis 2:3-4: “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,”

Psalm 102: “A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. Hear my prayer, O Lord, And let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me In the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: In the day when I call answer me speedily. For my days are consumed like smoke, And my bones are burned as an hearth. My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; So that I forget to eat my bread. By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin. I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. Mine enemies reproach me all the day; And they that are mad against me are sworn against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mingled my drink with weeping, Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: For thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down. My days are like a shadow that declineth; And I am withered like grass. But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever; And t…”

Theology of Creation

Truth emanates from the character and nature of God.” -Redlin

God Himself

“Common sense tells us that we are just playing a game.”

Why do we have something rather than nothing at all?

1. some say that reality is an illusion

This theory is summarized by the famous words of Rene Descartes, who said, “I think, therefore I am.” Descartes was a mathematician who argued that if he were thinking, then he must “be.” “I think…therefore, I am not an illusion.” You cannot doubt the existence of yourself without proving it.

Did you hear about the college student who said, “Professor, i’m not sure I even exist!” to which the professor said, “Who, then, may I say is asking?”

2. some say that reality is self-created

How does one create themselves?

Stephen Hawking: “Because there is a law like gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.” If so, however, who created gravity? Eventually, you have to start at nothing.

You cannot start with gravity, motion, matter, energy, or space. Nothing is nothing. These are something and came from somewhere and created by someone.

“Nothing is what rocks dream about.” -Aristotle

A thing cannot be ontologically prior to itself. To create yourself, you must have existed prior to yourself. This is analytically false.

“Something exists. Nothing cannot create something, therefore a necessary and eternal being exists.” -Jonathan Edwards

3. some say that reality/matter is eternal

RC SPROUL:

Antony Flew was an English philosopher who, though known for his work in philosophy of religion, was a devout atheist for much of his professional career. In fact, in 1968, he published a book titled Reason and Responsibility, which contained an argument against the existence of God. His argument became known as “Flew’s Parable.” But at the age of eighty-one, Flew “converted” and became a theist, at one point saying, “I now realise that I have made a fool of myself by believing that there were no presentable theories of the development of inanimate matter up to the first living creature capable of reproduction.” Flew understood that, apart from this view, known as the “God hypothesis,” science itself would be impossible.

4. reality was created by something that is self-existent

WE NEED A REALITY CHECK!

Huxley, friend of Darwin: Christianity rises or falls on the Jewish historical scriptures.

“It becomes clear now that the whole justification of Jesus’ life and death is predicated on the existence of Adam and the forbidden fruit he and Eve ate. Without the original sin, who needs to be redeemed? Without Adam’s fall into a life of constant sin terminated by death, WHAT PURPOSE IS THERE TO CHRISTIANITY? NONE!” -Richard Bozarth, “The meaning of evolution,” American Atheist.

If Genesis is not true, we do not need the gospel.

“If Adam may be held to be no more real a personage than Prometheus, and if the story of the Fall is merely an instructive type, comparable to the profound Promethean mythus, what value has Paul’s dialectic?” -Thomas Huxley

Romans 5- Paul treats the story of Genesis as historical fact. The doctrine of sin is based upon a literal interpretation of Genesis.

Creation- laws, marriage, standards, meaning of life

Abortion- lawlessness, marital breakup, anarchy, suicide

Anglican- Garden of Eden is a myth- the myth contains great truths

“In no case could one person suffer every man’s punishment.”

Creation- Corruption- Catastrophe- Confusion- Christ- Cross- Consummation

REASONS WHY I REJECT EVOLUTION:

1. The worst expression of man’s depravity and rebellion against God

a. Romans 1:21: “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

b. Darwin: “I am determined to escape from design and a personal God at all costs.”

c. “Huxley: August 8, 1860: “my good and kind agent for the propagation of the Gospel— the devil’s gospel.”

2. makes a god out of chance

a. “Man is alone in the universe’s unfeeling immensity, out of which he emerged by chance…chance alone is at the source of innovation, of all creation in the biosphere. Pure chance, absolutely free but blind.” Jacques Monod

b. they have made chance a force in the universe…i.e. in daily life

3. devalues human life

a. if man was not created in the image of God, then we are all products of that single-cell philosophy

b. if evolution is true, there truly is no meaning for your life

c. racism is an evolutionary idea---->

4. it is unscientific and irrational

a. “If the universe is a product of chance, then the scientific method could never be relied upon; the results of an experiment could vary from time to time. The scientific method depends upon a personal belief or faith in underlying principles for which the evolutionary theory of time + matter + chance does not allow.” -Dennis Gordon Lindsey, The Origins Controversy

b. science is based upon unchanging laws, which presupposes a God of order which gave these laws to the universe

c. evolution is irrational= ignore the scientific facts

d. Stephen Hawking: “The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life. But finely adjusted by whom— if not by God?”

e. Isaiah 45:18: “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, He created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.”

f. This universe was made for man to live in. It’s a very theistic design.

5. it is contrary to all of scripture

a. couldn’t God use evolution? Yes, but why would he need to? And, He did not do it nor claim to do it.

b. Scofield- relegate the fossils to the primitive creation, then you have no problem.

God Exists:

WHY DENY THE POSSIBILITY OF GOD?

-Hawking: “Many people do not like the idea that time has a beginning, probably because it smacks of divine intervention.”

-Dr. George Wald: “I will not accept that philosophically because i do not want to believe in God, therefore I choose to believe in that which I know is scientifically impossible.”

-Etienne Gilson: “But why anything at all is, or exists, science knows not, precisely because it cannot even ask the question. To this supreme question, the only conceivable answer is that each and every particular existential energy, each and every particular existing thing, depends for its existence upon a pure Act of existence.”

THE CREATOR MUST BE:

• He must be supernatural in nature (as He created time and space). • He must be powerful (exceedingly). • He must be eternal (self-existent). • He must be omnipresent (He created space and is not limited by it). • He must be timeless and changeless (He created time). • He must be immaterial because He transcends space/physical. • He must be personal (the impersonal cannot create personality). • He must be infinite and singular as you cannot have two infinites. • He must be diverse yet have unity as unity and diversity exist in nature. • He must be intelligent (supremely). Only cognitive being can produce cognitive being. • He must be purposeful as He deliberately created everything. • He must be moral (no moral law can be had without a giver). • He must be caring (or no moral laws would have been given).

“Essentially, I realized that to stay an atheist, I would have to believe that nothing produces everything; non-life produces life; randomness produces fine-tuning; chaos produces information; unconsciousness produces consciousness; and non-reason produces reason. Those leaps of faith were simply too big for me to take, especially in light of the affirmative case for God’s existence … In other words, in my assessment the Christian worldview accounted for the totality of the evidence much better than the atheistic worldview.” -LEE STROBEL

Let us start there: the being of God. Who is God and how can we know Him?

Arguments for the Existence of God

Eric Metaxas in his book Is Atheism Dead noted that there are better questions to ask than a simple, “Is there a God?”

Questions like,

Why do we have something rather than nothing at all? Why are we here? Why is the earth here? Why is the universe here rather than nothing at all?

Of this, one theologian wrote, “In one sense man does not ask the question about God, his very existence raises the question about God!”

It was Jonathan Edwards who wrote, “Something exists. Nothing cannot create something. Therefore, a necessary and eternal ‘something’ exists.”

In classical theology, the following arguments have been made to argue the existence of God.

cosmological- a cosmos/world exists, and because something cannot come from nothing, there must be an original cause that is the reason for the world’s existence

teleological- the Greek word telos means “design,” so this argument suggests that there is order and useful arrangement in a system, which implies intelligence and purpose in the organizing cause

anthropological- Chafer: “There are philosophical and moral features in man’s constitution which may be traced back to find their origin in God.”

moral- this argument acknowledges that man has an awareness of right and wrong, a sense of morality. “Recognition of moral standards and concepts cannot be attributed to any evolutionary process.”

ontological- if a man could conceive of a perfect God who does not exist, then he could conceive of someone greater than God, which is impossible. Therefore, God exists.

All of these views are valid, but what is God’s view?

How does God argue for His own existence?

Psalm 19: “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, And his circuit unto the ends of it: And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof."

Isaiah 40:26: “Lift up your eyes on high, And behold who hath created these things, That bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names By the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; Not one faileth.”

Acts 14:17: “Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

This God must be. Man’s morality suggests it. The design of the world suggests it. And if there is this God,

• He must be supernatural in nature (as He created time and space). • He must be powerful (exceedingly). • He must be eternal (self-existent). • He must be omnipresent (He created space and is not limited by it). • He must be timeless and changeless (He created time). • He must be immaterial because He transcends space/physical. • He must be personal (the impersonal cannot create personality). • He must be infinite and singular as you cannot have two infinites. • He must be diverse yet have unity as unity and diversity exist in nature. • He must be intelligent (supremely). Only cognitive being can produce cognitive being. • He must be purposeful as He deliberately created everything. • He must be moral (no moral law can be had without a giver). • He must be caring (or no moral laws would have been given). These things being true, we now ask if any religion in the world describes such a Creator. The answer to this is yes: the God of the Bible fits this profile perfectly. He is supernatural (Genesis 1:1), powerful (Jeremiah 32:17), eternal (Psalm 90:2), omnipresent (Psalm 139:7), timeless/changeless (Malachi 3:6), immaterial (John 4:24), personal (Genesis 3:9), necessary (Colossians 1:17), infinite/singular (Jeremiah 23:24, Deuteronomy 6:4), diverse yet with unity (Matthew 28:19), intelligent (Psalm 147:4-5), purposeful (Jeremiah 29:11), moral (Daniel 9:14), and caring (1 Peter 5:6-7).

The Revelation of this God

The term “revelation” means, “unfolding; disclosure.” Thus, revelation is the disclosure of a thing or a person which is not or could not be known. Paul Enns notes that revelation is, “God’s disclosure to man, in which He reveals truth about Himself that man would not otherwise know.” This revelation is divided into two parts:

GENERAL

nature

Psalm 19--

content of the revelation- 19:1

continuousness of the revelation- 19:2

character of the revelation- 19:3

coverage of the revelation- 19:4-6 (Even a blind man can feel the heat of the sun)

One of Helen's friends was Philips Books who was a famous of his generation in america at one time. Helen was blind and deaf from the age of two, she had lived a life of isolation, unable to speak words she could not hear, unable to know what a word was. So, how did she know God? In one of her letters, Helen told Bishop Brooks that she had always known about God, even before she had any words. Even before she could call God anything, she knew God was there. She didn't know what it was. God had no name for her -- nothing had a name for her. She had no concept of a name. But in her darkness and isolation, she knew she was not alone. Someone was with her. She felt God's love. And when she received the gift of language and heard about God, she said she already knew. Phillips Brooks was thrilled by this. This was the God he knew. Read more: https://www.city-data.com/forum/christianity/687203-helen-keller-blind-deaf-but-knew.html

Romans 1:18-21: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

“Nature is God’s Braille for a blind humanity.”

history (Matthew 5;45; Acts 14:15-17)

Dr. A. T. Pierson says that-

History is God's age-long drama with its grand acts, its many scenes, its countless actors, and the whole universe the stage and theatre; only these are not fictions, but real august transactions. Details may be comparatively unimportant, because they are, like drapery and scenery, mere accessories to the main end--the great lesson God would teach, upon which attention should principally be fixed.

It can be truly said that "history" is HIS-story

In a measure, God has revealed Himself in His dealings with the human race. From Adam's day down through the ages, God has not left Himself without witness. Through succeeding generations.

God's over-ruling Providence has been at work. In conspicuous historical events He is found in the shadows, achieving His purpose.

conscience (Romans 2:14-15)

SPECIAL

Nature, history, and conscience only partially reveal the existence of God. It is to the Bible alone that we turn for the complete and final revelation of His words, works, and ways.

The Bible presents man with a four-fold revelation of God--

in nature, a God above us

in history, a God beyond us

in law, a God against us

in grace, a God for us and in us

SIX DAYS OR SIX AGES?

We need Jesus because a literal Adam fell.

Non-Christian worldview vs. a Biblical Worldview

Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

yom- may mean an age

God- day one- forming-

God- day four- He fills

God- day two- forms atmosphere

God- day five- fills sea

day four- forms land

day six- fills land

day six- forms and fills man

forms atmosphere and then fills the same

Plainest reading of the Bible-

science- the method through which man conceals his ignorance- CHS

There was a day when theology was the queen of the sciences.

Objections to the day theory:

• day can be mean a long period of time- yom- the day of the LORD for example (an era of God’s work in this world)

• when a day it modified by a number, it always means a 24-hour period

• 410x always has this idea

• evening and morning with day- 38x

• evening with night with day- 28x

• God told Moses that He created the world in 6 days; sabbath day is equivalent to the other 5 days

• there are words in the Hebrew which would allow for long periods of time- olam, qadem

• when do we start reading literally if we read chapter one figuratively?

Astonishing Scientific Facts in the Bible

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