In the Beginnining
The Test: Believe or Not Believe
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis: Origins, Beginnings
In the Beginning (time), God (force), created (action),
the Heavens (space), and the Earth (matter).
A loving, eternal, all powerful, personal God
created us in His image for a purpose
OR
Nothing X Nobody = EVERYTHING
True Science
True science is the direct, firsthand knowledge that comes from observation, testing, repeating: the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
- So by definition creation/origins is not and cannot be “science”.
- Evolution, uniformitarianism, Darwinism, the Big Bang… they are all called “science” because the world knows this will elevate those ideas in authority and perceived credibility rather than the words: theory, ideology or material “religion”.
If we want to understand creation, origins, and how the universe came into existence and everything that is in it, we have to look at theology, not science.
- Genesis gives a very straightforward and unmistakable account of the origin of the universe and the earth and everything on the earth.
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And 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.
- It is not an ambiguous. It is not unclear. It does not need explanation.
- And yet in those simple, clear, unmistakable words there is a treasure of profound data.
- In the Beginning (time),
- God (force),
- created (action)
- the Heavens (space)
- and the Earth (matter).
The Test
You are not going to get past the first verse in the Bible without facing a test: do you believe the Scripture? Do you believe the Bible to be authoritative Word of God? Do you submit to Scripture?
- Either you believe what the Bible says or you don’t.
- You can accept what Genesis says or you can reject it.
- You can’t change it. You don’t have that privilege.
And yet, even millions of Christians have made the Bible subservient to “science”.
- There is no such thing as the science of creation.
- There is no scientific way to explain creation.
- It was not a natural event or a series of natural events.
- It was a brief series of monumental super-natural events that cannot be explained by science.
- All science is based on observation of natural events.
- No one but God observed the supernatural creation.
Nothing Miraculous Can Ever Be Explained by Subsequent Scientific Observance
Take any miracle (supernatural occurrence) in the Bible. Can observing the results or aftermath give you the “science” to explain the original event?
- Could observing Lazarus after being risen from the dead explain scientifically how it happened?
- Can observing the wine at the wedding, testing it, measuring it, explain how it miraculously and instantly went from water to wine?
- Can setting experiments, theories, re-creations or tests on the five loaves and fishes reveal the science behind how they became thousands and thousands of loaves and fishes?
Creation Was a Series of Supernatural Events
You can observe the way things are now but that doesn’t tell you anything about how they became what they are.
- Creation cannot be understood any other way than by believing the revelation of the creator in the Book that He provided that has passed every test of veracity and authenticity.
- Creation is not a scientific event and cannot be explained scientifically as if natural law or processes played any part.
Believe It Or Not
The Genesis account is clear, written in indisputably historic terms without ambiguity or nuance.
- God does mention, imply or leave room for “gaps”, evolution, long days, uniformitarianism, explanation by material processes or competing theory.
- Take it or leave… but don’t presume to improve upon God’s account by declaring it must conform to some human declaration or understanding.
God’s Response to Those Who Presume to Correct Him
Job 38:1–40:2 (NKJV)
1 Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said: 2 “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.” [You, the one who declares that God’s Word is wrong, YOU answer all these questions since you are so smart!]
- We never have a right to take something the MAN declares as fact, and make the Bible bend to it.
- If what we think we know doesn’t match Scripture, then we will be proven wrong when the truth is discovered
The Writers of the New Testament Affirm the Genesis Account
Every New Testament writer refers to Genesis and universally affirm the plain meaning and truthfulness of Genesis.
- Genesis is alluded to by the New Testament 200 times; 165 of them are quotes or direct references.
Creation Focuses on Redemption
Redemption is the reason why the universe exists.
- It is the reason why there is an earth. It is the reason why there is a supporting life system for man.
- Creation is the very beginning of the purposes of God in redemption.
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Genesis 1:1 (NKJV) 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Show the slides from “The Size of Things”
The plain meaning of Genesis 1:1 is unmistakable.
- Let the Bible determine your system of belief…
- Or bring your system of belief to the Bible and make the Bible fit it.
“The only proper way to interpret Genesis 1 is not to ‘interpret’ it at all. That is, we accept the fact that it was meant to say exactly what it says.” (Morris)
“Where the Bible makes plain sense,
seek no other sense,
lest you turn it into nonsense”.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved. https://www.crossway.org/