The Creation of All Things
Notes
Transcript
Where did we come from? Why are we here? Is there a creator? Why did he create? What’s his relationship with his creation? These basic questions have boggled the minds of men for millennia.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Admittedly, these are not just challenging questions, but hugely significant questions. When confronted with the crushing weight of such questions, some worldviews give up. Postmodernism doesn’t even attempt an answer. You’re on your own to make sense of such questions. And even naturalism, that juggernaut of the scientific elite, doesn’t attempt to directly answer such questions. For Darwinian evolution, it isn’t about origins (where did matter itself come from), but merely beginnings (how did mankind arise as one species among other species).
But the Bible’s not bashful about such things. It’s bold and confident in its assertions. So, where would you turn in your Bibles to learn about our origins?
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Let’s reflect on these first ten words for a moment. What do they tell us about creation?
God created. Creation owes itself not to chance and impersonal forces, but to God.
God created in the beginning. God created time. He’s pre-existent, eternal. Matter is not, matter will come later.
God created the heavens and the earth. So all we see, all there is, all that exists owes itself to God.
God’s not embarrassed by the biblical worldview. He doesn’t bury this account deep within Israel’s history because he’s timid and apprehensive. This might be hard for my people to accept. “I’ll introduce it later, soften the edges a bit. Make it compatible for them.” God doesn’t do this. He boldly and confidently leads with the doctrine of creation. If you want answers to some of the most pressing questions in life - look no further than the first words of the Bible.
And there’s an enormous amount of theology contained in those first ten words! There is no Christianity without creation! That the Bible begins with creation establishes who God is and the entire God-world relationship. It helps establish the proper interpretation and place of human beings in the world. It teaches the goodness of the world and thus what eventually goes wrong with it. But the beginning of history also points to the end of history. Creation, fall, redemption, to new creation. It points us forward to our everlasting hope as Christians. It’s hugely important, especially in today’s skeptical age.
This word Genesis literally means “beginnings.” Moses penned these words, but he obviously wasn’t there to observe and record what happened (Luke 24:44, John 7:22). Like Revelation, which speaks to the end of all things, this had to be revealed to him.
But this raises the question about how Gen 1-2 should be read? Is it merely mythical? Poetic? Scientific? It’s not a scientific textbook. It’s not merely giving cause-and-effect as if we live in merely a natural world governed by impersonal forces. Nor is it merely poetry. Moses uses symbolism (like Rev), yet he speaks plainly and concretely. The main point of Gen 1-2 is to give us a theology of creation, especially God’s relationship with humanity.
Now there are many parallels between this account and other pagan accounts of the time Moses was writing (c.1500BC). But that shouldn’t surprise us. It’s what we should expect as God wants his people, after their deliverance from Egypt, to shed itself of the polytheism and paganism of Egypt. Therefore, it’s the points of difference, not similarities, that are most significant. Namely, Yahweh is the covenant Lord.
Now if you were to tell someone on the street that God created the heavens and the earth - what kind of discussions might ensue?
You would be bombarded by a barrage of questions. What about dinosaurs? Age of the earth? Carbon 14 dating? The fossil record? Evolution? Etc.
So often creation is co-opted by these conversations. And if we’re not careful, all these competing voices will drown out the one voice we need to hear - that’s God’s voice. We’re going to think more about age of the earth, how exactly we’re to read Gen 1-2 etc. at the end of this class. But what we first need to do is NOT put God in the dock and start drilling him like he’s on trial. What we need to do first is close our mouths, so we can hear His.
So what does God have to say about creation? We want to consider 7 specific statements from the Bible related to the opening chapters of Genesis. Then, with that foundation, we can talk about the age of the earth and other matters.
7 BIBLICAL TRUTHS ABOUT CREATION
1. God Created the Universe out of nothing
1. God Created the Universe out of nothing
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
2. God created all things - visible and invisible
2. God created all things - visible and invisible
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
The inclusion of heaven and earth and everything in them indicates that God created the entire universe.
The creation of the entire universe includes the creation of an unseen, spiritual realm of existence. In addition to creating the visible, tangible, physical universe, God created the angels and other kinds of heavenly beings. He also created heaven as a place where his presence is especially evident.
This is explicitly stated in both the Old and New Testaments. In the book of Nehemiah, Ezra prays...
You alone are the Lord; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
Here, the creation of invisible heavenly beings is also explicitly affirmed.
So, God is the creator of all things, the physical as well as the spiritual.
3. God Created Time
3. God Created Time
Physics tells us that time is a property resulting from the existence of matter. The succession of moments one after another which is dependent on the existence or a material substance. Accordingly, time exists when matter exists. But God is not matter; God, in fact, created matter. Before that, God was simply existing. Since there was no matter, and because God does not change, time had no existence and therefore no meaning and no relation to Him. This is why he can say in verse 1, “in the beginning” … He created the beginning.
So what does this mean? Well, it means that God is not bound by time like human beings. God’s existence is independent of time. Not only did he create the reality in which we live … not only did he create you and me … he actually created the space-time continuum that we exist in. How amazing is our God!
Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will have no end.
These verses show that God is eternal. And, in contrast, it also shows that universe is not eternal. The universe had a beginning. It’s temporal.
This strikes a blow to our Darwinian friends who look for a time-space answer to the problem of beginnings. God has no beginning and, so, has not time-space limitations. They are, in a very real sense, looking in the wrong place.
So, God not only created the universe, he created the time-space continuum that the universe is found in.
4. God Created By His Word
4. God Created By His Word
“And God said...”
Ten times in the Genesis account we find those words, “And God said….” The point is unmistakable - God calls things into existence by his word.
God literally spoke the universe into existence by His word and created something where there was nothing before. God spoke, and it was done. God’s Word is necessary for salvation, as we learned in the first class, but it’s also the means to life, as we know it. And so we see that God’s word brings life both spiritually and physically.
By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Consider for a moment the power of God’s word! The picture is not of God sweating, toiling, laboring for years if not millennia to create. He merely speaks, and it is so. It may take us more than a decade to build light rail out to Dulles, but in a nano-second God speaks galaxies into existence. There is unbridled power when God chooses to speak. We speak, and our words trail right off into the air. How many mornings do they pass right through my son’s ears, without any change. How often do my wife’s words sadly pass through my ears without any change. But not so with God. His word is effectual. It creates. The world doesn’t just turn at God’s command, the world literally hangs on God’s word.
The picture is not one of trial and error, like some crazed inventor scratching his head. God’s word is powerful (it creates), and perfect (it creates exactly what he intended them to create).
So, God created everything by his word.
5. Creation is a Triune Act
5. Creation is a Triune Act
Genesis 1 shows that the Creator is Triune.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
The Father is primary which we see in Gen. 1-2
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
The Son is also involved
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
And the God the Holy Spirit is also involved
The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth.
And in John 6, we see that it is the Spirit that indwells a person upon regeneration, giving spiritual life to the spiritually dead.
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
So, the Father gives creates. The Son creates. And the Holy Spirit creates, bringing new life.
6. The Universe God Created was “Very Good”
6. The Universe God Created was “Very Good”
What’s the constant refrain of Gen 1? And God saw that what He had done was “good” (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). Then at the end of the six days of creation,
Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
God delighted in the creation that he had made, just as he had purposed to do.
Though sin has marred this material world, even to the point that creation groans (Rom 8.22), the material world is still good in God’s sight and should be seen as “good” by us as well. This knowledge will free us from a false asceticism; that is, the belief that the use and enjoyment of God’s material blessings is wrong. For Paul says that those who “forbid marriage” and “order [people] to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth” (1 Tim. 4:1-3) are giving heed to the “doctrines of demons.”
One author put it like this, “whereas God could have created air filtration machines, he instead chose to create trees. Whereas God could have chosen to cast creation in black and white, he instead chose to paint from a vast pallet of colors.” (Doctrine, 88).
Creation teaches us he’s a wonderfully good God who’s open-handed with his people. He’s pro-pleasure, pro our joy. His good gifts are for our gratification, so that we might give him praise and thanks. That’s the logic of...
For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
7. God Created the Universe to Show His Glory
7. God Created the Universe to Show His Glory
Both mankind and the universe were created for the glory of God.
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.
We are designed, created even, to glorify God for his creation. That’s why God can say in
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth— Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
He designed it all so that he could bring glory to his name.
But it’s important to understand that God did not need to create to bring him glory. He is, by himself, already infinitely glorious. God desired to create the universe to demonstrate his excellence. He created it to take delight in his creation and creating powers.
The song of the living creatures in Revelation 4 shows that God’s creation is to give praise and glory to its creator. The creatures sing,
“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
The World Doesn’t Make Sense Without God
The World Doesn’t Make Sense Without God
There’s no reason to believe in right or wrong if man is just rearranged chemicals. As the Creator, God has the right to make the rules.
The God of the Bible cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:13), which is the basis for the law of non-contradiction. A logical and all-knowing God made us in his image, and this is why we can understand logic and knowledge and learn how a logical God upholds his creation. A logical God created our senses, so they are basically reliable in a biblical worldview. Of course, due to sin and the curse, people sometimes make logical errors, have sense problems, and so forth. But God’s Word, which comes with the authority of God himself, is always right and the standard by which we can judge all matters. If the universe came from nothing and has no meaning, then why do the laws of logic and laws of science even exist if the universe is random and always changing?
Scientists assume things will continue to work the way they have in the past. But why? In a universe where there were no laws and then there were some laws that changed (i.e., at the big bang), why assume the laws of nature won’t change tomorrow? Why do the laws of nature exist if the universe is random and in flux in the first place? In reality, the secular world borrows biblical presuppositions and usually doesn’t realize it.
Why Biblical Creation Is Important
Why Biblical Creation Is Important
Biblical creation is important because of everything it entails. If someone denies biblical creation, they actually reject some vital theological points at the same time. The opening chapters of Genesis and related creation passages teach several important biblical truths including
God’s power to create everything in the universe (Genesis 1:1)
The creation of all astronomical bodies including the sun and stars (Genesis 1:14-19)
The goodness of God in declaring everything he made as “very good” (Genesis 1:31)
God’s order in creating in a logical sequence in six days (Genesis 1:3-31)
The origin of all the animals on earth (Genesis 1:20-25)
God created mankind in his image (Genesis 1:26-27)
The origin of death through sin (Romans 5:12)
Suffering in the world because of sin (Romans 8:20-22)
The foreshadowing of God’s plan to save humanity through his Son (Genesis 3:15)
Most importantly, a biblical creation mattered to the Lord Jesus: "But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female’” (Mark 10:6).
But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’
Jesus taught that Adam and Eve were made at the “beginning of creation,” not billions of years after the beginning. If the universe is billions of years old, Jesus’ statement was a lie. But Jesus did not lie. He affirmed creation, reasoned from creation, and taught the truth of a biblical creation.