In the Beginning, God...
Notes
Transcript
Wrong ideas of God
Wrong ideas of the Bible and truth
Lacking purpose and hope
Bible
Bible
40 different authors
1500 years
but...
1 true author - God, who
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Ryrie’s Basic Theology II. A Definition of Inspiration
God superintended the human authors of the Bible so that they composed and recorded without error His message to mankind in the words of their original writings.
The Bible is God’s message to all mankind, whereby we might know and understand Him, ourselves, the world, and the hope of being—and the means by which we can be—His people, and He our God.
What do we see about God?
What do we see about ourselves?
Where do we see hope?
Each one teach one.
Each one teach one.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning God...
In the beginning God...
Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
What do we see about God?
What do we see about God?
Eternal
Self-existent - not needing anything
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Overview Statement… chapter 1 will focus on the earth, chapter 2 will give more detail on man
Heavens - Atmosphere, Universe, Abode of God (3rd heaven - 2 Corinthians 12:1–3 “I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—”
It was likely at this time that the abode of God was formed with all of the angels, for we know that the angels were already made before the earth - Job 38:4–7 ““Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?”
Now our culture wants to make more of angels, but in reality the scriptures do not focus on angels. The focus is on God and mankind. So, we will keep that focus as well.
Let’s move on...
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
God Created
God Created
bara - verb that is only used when God is the actor
Earth - formless and void (no life on it yet)
Dark
Spirit of God hovering over the waters…
How did he know? He just does. All knowledge, perfect knowledge and understanding
And, he is powerful! He speaks and it happens!
Spirit of God? Word for God is Elohim (plural), verb is singular… A pluralistic God that is a singular actor
Light - day; darkness - night
He gets to name it because he made it. It belongs to him.
What do we see about God?
What do we see about God?
Eternal
Self-existent - not needing anything
All knowing
All powerful
Pluralistic, yet one God
Sovereign - Creator/Owner
Timeframe
Timeframe
jn the beginning… this was the beginning of time, for before, there was no need for time. what does an eternal being need with time?
We, the created beings that are not eternal, are the ones who use time
evening, morning - the first day
Jewish culture counted days as starting in the evening, going through the night, and then going through the day until evening, which would be the next day starting.
Thus, using the common language of the original audience, this was one 24-hour period.
yom - day, used with an ordinal, always is a 24-hour day.
Let’s move on...
And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”
So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so.
God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
Atmosphere
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.
God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.
The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
Ground, seas, vegetation, reproduction
And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,
and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.
God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,
to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
purpose… time - signs to mark sacred times, days and years
who keeps track of days and years? who has sacred times?
And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”
So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”
And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.
God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
I am going to pause here…
Have you noticed anything about God through all that we have read so far?
Everything he made was good!
Have you seen how everything was done in the right order?
Where would plants be without the nutrients of the ground?
Where would plants be without the atmosphere?
Where would plants be without light?
I mean, where would fish be without water?
Where would fish be without the atmosphere?
Where would fish be without plants, and food?
Where would birds be without water, land, atmosphere, plants?
Where would the water be if there was no atmosphere? Evaporation and gone!
Where would the animals be without land?
Where would everything be without light and darkness? If there was not rotation of the earth, one side would be way to intensely hot, and the other would be too cold.
If this took millions of years, how would the plants survive without the pollinators? Ecosystems show us that all needed to develop at the same time for things to work.
So it was all good, and it was all done the right way.
What do we see about God?
What do we see about God?
Eternal
Self-existent - not needing anything
All knowing
All powerful
Pluralistic, yet one God
Sovereign - Creator/Owner
Good
Righteous
All wise
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
What do we see about God?
Pluralistic, yet one God - let us make in our singular image
God made in his (not their) image
God has a special place in his heart for man
Man is his final creation, and he is uniquely in God’s image. And man is given authority, under God, to rule over the rest of creation.
God made it, he can do with it what he wants, and he delegates authority.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Now it is very good. before it was good. Now that mankind has been made, it is very good! Shows God’s heart for mankind.
What do we see about God?
What do we see about God?
Eternal
Self-existent - not needing anything
All knowing
All powerful
Pluralistic, yet one God
Sovereign - Creator/Owner
Good
Righteous
All wise
Loves mankind
Communicates / Instructs / Teaches
What do we see about mankind?
What do we see about mankind?
Has a beginning
Dependent
Limited knowledge (given instructions)
Limited power
Singular individuals, male and female
Delegated authority
Good
Righteous
Limited wisdom
Created to love God and others
Receives communication / instruction
Image of God - not physical
Image of God has to do with the immaterial… Let’s move on...
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.
Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Rested - work of creation was completed. It was as it was intended to be. Rest is possible knowing things are as they should be, that God has worked.
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground,
but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
More details about the creation of man...
body - formed from the dust of the ground, material
soul - God breathed, immaterial
In scripture, this immaterial parts is described in a number of terms: soul, spirit, mind, heart, inner man, flesh, nature, conscience, will
This immaterial part was in the image of God:
Holy (unique), Righteous
Ephesians 4:24 “and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.
The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.
(The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.)
The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.
The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
What do we see about God and man?
What do we see about God and man?
God
Provider
Man
Needy
God gives a command and a warning.
God is sovereign.
The warning shows that God is Just. He will punish disobedience.
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.
Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Ah something in creation was not good… part of the progression of Creation.
God works things progressively.
God has a plan.
God is all-knowing, and helps man to see his need.
God is the provider of good things.
Man at this point is still holy and righteous.
What do we see about God?
What do we see about God?
Eternal
Self-existent - not needing anything
All knowing
All powerful
Pluralistic, yet one God
Sovereign - Creator/Owner
Good
Righteous
All wise
Loves mankind
Communicates / Instructs / Teaches
Provides for / Cares for man
God is Just
God works progressively
God takes time to show man his need
What do we see about mankind?
What do we see about mankind?
Has a beginning
Dependent
Limited knowledge (given instructions)
Limited power
Singular individuals, male and female
Delegated authority
Good
Holy and Righteous
Limited wisdom
Created to love God and others
Receives communication / instruction
Needs God’s provision
Is to obey
Needs to learn from God
Needs relationship
