Do We REALLY Believe It?
Notes
Transcript
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Part of the noted “Hall of Faith” of Hebrews
Main Idea: Necessity of faith in the foundations
Main Idea: Necessity of faith in the foundations
We’re not going to argue science versus the Bible
Follow-up, a look at how they are being attacked
Self-identifying Christians not understanding this
Creation is taught as a natural process
YET, Science has been unable to come up with a “first cause”
Bible accounts for a “first cause” as God exists outside of time and space
>Not bound by our concepts of reality
Three great moments in time; 2 past, 1 to come
Creation, Redemption, Re-creation (new Heaven and Earth)
>We’ll get to redemption another day
Today is Creation
Personal Statement:
I believe in the literal 6 day creation according to this account
I believe that Man was, and remains, a unique creation of God; not a product of any continuing process of evolution
The Intent of God
The Intent of God
Builds from nothing to chaos to orderly, sequential creation
Every use of the verb behind “create” (Bara) is used only of God and His action
>Of basics, of life, of types of life
>>Sets them apart by “kind” allows for grand variation among kinds
>>>Understanding of kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
>>>Allows for hybridization at genus or family levels (Terry’s Genesis class?)
>>>>Hybrids of polar/brown bears occurring—but they’re still bears!
Finally to man, the pinnacle
what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
Literal 6 day creation
This makes for a “young earth,” approximately 6000 years
Good sources of information at Answers in Genesis and Institute for Creation Research
Prevailing thought of the early church: Jesus, apostles, 1st hundred or so years...
Then, some interpreted metaphorically
>One momentous event; broken up metaphorically/allegorically
>>Prevailing method of interpretation until the Reformation (not just on creation)
>>>NOW—historical/grammatical system of interpretation.
>>>If it can be understood literally; understand it that way: God created…and God said...
>>>Only when it cannot (woman and the dragon of Revelation) see allegory
Must note that Jesus was the active force in creation
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
From our post-advent perspective, all members of the Trinity involved in creation
>Doubt that Moses, or any OT writer had that in view
Much discussion about plurality of Elohim; “let Us make....”
Does it reflect the trinity? Retrospectively, yes—did Moses see that? Most likely no
Plurality of majesty? Grammar not really supportive of it
Editorial we?
Speaking to the “Heavenly Counsel?”
The Image of God
The Image of God
What does this mean?
No answer we come up with is fully satisfactory
We are His agents, fulfilling His purposes for us here
We have many of his attributes; communicable attributes: love, mercy, justice, knowledge
We are to follow His directive to be fruitful and fill the Earth
We are to be His stewards of the Earth…its caretakers
It takes the complexity of both male and female to make all this happen
Valid question: Why did God create us? We know this much:
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
God is a creative Being, and it gives Him pleasure to create. God is a personal Being, and it gives Him pleasure to have other beings He can have a genuine relationship with.
(https://gotquestions.org)
The Insult towards God
The Insult towards God
What has mankind done to destroy the image bearers…thus attacking the one whose image we bear?
Three sub-parts of this
The product of chance and time
The product of chance and time
It starts here
Not the product of the omnipotent, omniscient being
>Each generation has bought into this more and more
>>Each step has taken us closer to throwing His Word out entirely
We have devalued human life
We have devalued human life
We are—in the minds of some—of no greater value…maybe less value…than a puppy
Moral dilemma study: Physiology Today, 40% would save a pet rather than a stranger
(https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/201308/is-dogs-life-worth-more-persons)
Local lawsuit to grant “personhood” to some locally held chimpanzees
PETA-type groups putting roses in meat counters “in memory” of the animals that died
Contrast with abortion, euthanasia, wanton taking of life for any and every cause
Blurring of genders
Blurring of genders
Creation was male and female
Not a matter of traditional gender-roles
Gender “confusion,” gender “fluidity,” transsexualism, gender reassignment
Mankind does NOT have a better idea
>We’ll deal with the sexual sin another time
>We’ll deal with the fall another time....
Why Does this Matter?
Why Does this Matter?
What we believe is NOT the dominant belief today
It is being force from the public
Science contrary to the prevailing (evolutionary) thought is suppressed
Statements regarding the image of God—currently gender issues—are suppressed
The foundations are being attacked
if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
Truth cannot be destroyed; but can be hidden
>Dominating forces of our political structure is contrary to Word of God
>Be overtly and subversively attacking the foundations…creation, image...
We are facing a major national election
This is less about candidates than platforms
>Not vilifying any person on either side
>>Not endorsing any candidate (though I used one as an illustration)
Referendum on much that we hold sacred…the foundations
We stand on a razor sharp edge of opposing ideologies
>One generally aligns with Biblical values
>One does not
>>This one opposes any mention of our values
The purpose of the church is not to advance one ideology over another
Our goal is to expand the kingdom, “make disciples”
But, we must oppose falsehood,
Pray, be informed, register, vote...
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