Genesis 1: 1
1 In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth.
Upon reading the first verse in
our Bible; Each human being is tested whether or not they will believe The One
True God or dismiss Him as a liar or non-existent. The creation account is a theological issue
primarily and not a scientific issue. Scientific research is noble on our part
but is unable to teach origins because scientists were not present in the
beginning to observe creation nor are scientists today able to replicate the creation
of the universe and everything in it no matter how scientifically advanced, we
may claim to be. (Job 38:4
“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me,
if you know so much.) Genesis; which is the word of God; is the only relevant,
accurate, trustworthy, authoritative account of the beginning of time because
the Bible claims that God was present in the beginning; (Genesis 1:1)
and is therefore able to recount the concrete facts about the creation account.
The church fathers understood this timeless truth as follows. (Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command,
that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.)
God is the
creator of heaven and earth:
The universe is not the result of
nobody plus nothing equalling everything. The idea of the universe randomly
creating itself is utterly absurd. The second law of thermodynamics states that
any isolated system will degenerate into a more disordered state. The Bible
presents a clear and logical explanation that all created matter in the
universe was created by an omnipotent, creator God in a literal six-day span. (Genesis 2 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in
them was completed. 2 On the seventh day God had
finished his work of creation, so he rested[a] from
all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and
declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of
creation.4 This is the account of the creation of the
heavens and the earth.) (Psalm 146: 6 He made heaven and earth, the sea, and
everything in them. He keeps every promise forever.) In Genesis; we read
that God created every kind of vegetation on day 3, all aquatic creatures and
birds on day 5, and all land creatures and human beings on day 6, each created
kind complete with its corresponding genetic information that was to be passed
down through reproduction. (Genesis 1:22 Then God blessed them, saying,
“Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds
multiply on the earth.”) (Genesis 1:28 Then God blessed them and said,
“Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in
the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the
ground.”) God Almighty created all things through His spoken word. (Genesis 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and
there was light.) The reason many people deny that an all-powerful God created
the universe and everything in it is that they are haplessly or willfully
ignorant of the facts concerning creation. (Isaiah 40 Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand? Are
you deaf to the words of God—the words he gave before the world began? Are you
so ignorant? 22 God sits above the circle of the earth. The
people below seem like grasshoppers to him! He spreads out the heavens like a
curtain and makes his tent from them.23 He judges the
great people of the world and brings them all to nothing.24 They
hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and they wither. The
wind carries them off like chaff. 25 “To whom will you
compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.26 Look
up into the heavens. Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because
of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. 27 O
Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel,
how can you say God ignores your rights? 28 Have you
never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting
God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can
measure the depths of his understanding.
Why the literal interpretation of a six-day creation account is
important to God’s redemptive plan for mankind:
The
Bible makes the claim that everything God created was good. (Genesis 1: 31
Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!)
Original creation was free from the consequence of sin and therefore free of
death. Adam and Eve would have lived forever if original sin hadn’t taken place. (Genesis 2:17 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.”) The only 2 sections in the entire Bible that are free
from the consequences of sin are the first 2 chapters of Genesis in Eden before
sin enters the world causing death and after God creates a new heaven and a new
earth and restores Eden in the last 2 chapters of Revelation. The reality of
death as a constant problem was only introduced after original sin. (Romans
5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death
through sin, and in this way, death came to all people, because all sinned—) (Genesis 3:19 By the sweat of your brow will you
have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made For
you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”) The problem with so
called fossil records pre-dating the first original humans; Adam and Eve,
implies that death was accruing on the earth prior to original sin which is a
direct contradiction about what the Bible teaches about how death began upon
the earth. In addition; ascribing death upon the earth prior to the fall
slanders God’s character because God said His creation was very good and death
is not good objectively even from a human perspective. Furthermore; if terrestrial creatures lived
and died upon the earth for millions of years prior to Adam and Eve eating the
from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil causing original sin; than
there is no distinct consequence for original sin and the process of death upon
the earth is a natural phenonom apart from the consequence of Adam’s sin. Furthermore;
if death is the constant natural state upon the earth and not the result of
sin, then humanity has no need of a redeemer because death is natural and not
the result of transgression against their creator. To attribute death as
natural is to acquit humanity of being guilty of sin before God and excusing
them of guilt; thus, freeing them from needing to be redeemed in the first
place. Of course; mankind’s need of redemption by the savior Christ Jesus is
the central theme of the gospel message of the New Testament. (1
Corinthians15:22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam,
everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.)
The Moral implication of creation:
Creation has a tremendous moral implication on mankind. The
word of God states that “God created.” Firstly; God created the heavens and the
earth, and shortly after; God created all other created things including mankind;
(Genesis 1 : 27 So God created human beings[d] in his own image. In the image of God, he created
them; male and female he created them) mankind is therefore accountable to
their creator for the use of that given life. God is the giver of life. Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the
dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and
the man became a living person. A rational person must therefore reckon that
the God who created them and gave them life must therefore have a purpose for
doing so. The Bible tells us that the purpose for which God created us is to
bearers of the “image of God” (Genesis 1 :27) How we spend our life maters; whether
for good or evil. The Bible says that God will one day judge each person. God will
reward faithful living that seeks to reflect His image by living obediently to
his commands. (2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged.
We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in
this earthly body.) God will also judge sinful living that refuses to reflect
the image of God by disobeying His commands.
(1
Peter 4:5 But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready
to judge everyone, both the living and the dead.) Therefore; the doctrine of
creation presents an accountability dynamic to being human that would be non-existent
apart from a creator God who created us to reflect His image. Think of it this
way; If human beings are on earth as a result of evolution taking place over
millions of years based on survival of the fittest; human beings are par with
other creatures in that they have no accountability to live to any higher moral
standard other than to out-compete others of their kind to ensure their
survivability. Evil actions such as murder or genocide could be justified as a
means of survival for example with no transcendent consequence from a superior
being. On the other hand; If we were created with a transcendent purpose beyond
merely surviving; than there must be a standard by which to govern right and
wrong. This is exactly the case according to Biblical Christianity. The word of
explains God created mankind with a conscience as an inner compass to
inherently know right from wrong. (Romans 1:19-20 They know the truth
about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world
was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made,
they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature.
So, they have no excuse for not knowing God.) Furthermore; God revealed his
standard of holiness through his covenant people; the nation of Israel. (Exodus 20 Then God gave the
people all these instructions[a]:2 “I am the Lord your God,
who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.3 “You
must not have any other god but me.4 “You must not make
for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on
the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to
them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who
will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the
parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the
third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But
I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those[b] who love me and obey my commands.7 “You
must not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.8 “Remember
to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You
have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but
the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your
God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you,
your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any
foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days
the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in
them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed
the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.12 “Honor your
father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land
the Lord your God is giving you.13 “You must
not murder.14 “You must not commit adultery.15 “You
must not steal.16 “You must not testify falsely against
your neighbor.17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s
house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or
donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
God rested after His work of creation and we must therefore
learn to rest in our saviour Christ Jesus:
God concluded His work of creation in
6 literal days and then ceased to create on the seventh day. (Genesis 2: 1-3 So the creation of the
heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2 On
the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested[a] from all his work. 3 And
God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when
he rested from all his work of creation.) Likewise, the way for people to be
saved from their sin concluded when Christ Jesus died upon the cross. (John 19:30 30 When Jesus had tasted it, he
said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his
spirit.) Jesus is the fulfillment of the 7th day rest whenever we
trust in his finished work for the forgiveness of our sins and cease labouring
to be made right with God. (Hebrews 4:3 For only we who believe can
enter his rest. As for the others, God said, “In my anger I took an oath: ‘They
will never enter my place of rest,’” even though this rest has been ready since
he made the world.
Let
us pray…
Dear
Heavenly Father; thank you that you are all powerful, all wise, and all knowing
to create the physical universe and everything in it. We are thankful for
planet earth that we now call home and for the wonder that you inspire in our
hearts when we consider the vastness of the universe and the diversity within
creation. Thank you that you showed us an example of how we must cease to try
to work for the forgiveness of our sins and trust in the finished work of your
son; Christ Jesus, who died upon the cross to pay the penalty of our sins; that
we may enjoy peace with you, for now and all eternity.
Amen
