Being Firm in the Foundations of the Christian Faith

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

Being Firm in the Foundations of the Christian Faith

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

Gripping The Sword The Bible - GW MarProofs & -isms The Trinity - GW

AplAbba Father God The Father - AG MaySaviour not Super-star God the Son - GW JuneWho ? not What? God the Spirit - GW July

In The Beginning Creation Matt Frost

God's Image Smudged Man - AG OctMissing the Mark Sin - GW NovGod’s Plus Sign The Cross - AG

DecGod's Image Salvaged Salvation - GW

JanGod's People Together The Church - GW Feb Jesus Returns The 2nd Coming - AG Mar  Know Who You Believe………………

………………Know What You Believe

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

The Scriptures were not given to increase our knowledge

but to change our lives.•Dwight L. Moody

Study 1The Bible

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

sufficiently understandablebut ultimately incomprehensible

Study 2The Trinity

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

Study 3God the Father

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

JesusSaviour…….

....Not Superstar

Study 4God the Son

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

Study 5God the Holy

Spirit

The Holy Spirit

Who?... ….not What?

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

Study 6Creation “In the

Beginning God....”

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

- ‘How’ of creation- ‘Why’ of creation- ‘Who’ of creation

• God’s Glory

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

- ‘How’ of creation- ‘Why’ of creation- ‘Who’ of creation

• God’s Glory

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

Hebrew title: ‘In the Beginning’

Greek Title: ‘Genesis’ (origin)

Author: Moses (mainly)

Date of Writing: c. 1280-1240 BC

Location: Mesopotamia

• No time to address all ‘contextual’ issues (see John H. Walton – NIV application commentary)

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

Genesis 1v1: “In the beginning God created (‘bara’) the heavens and the earth”.

“And God Said….and God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning, the nth day”.

1 Light and dark 2 Sea and Sky3 Earth, vegetation and separation of water. 4 Sun, moon and stars 5 Birds and Fish 6 Animals and humans“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”7 God rests.

Genesis 2 – retelling - role of humansGenesis 3 – Fall (Adam, Eve, Serpent)Genesis 3–11: remaining section different to Genesis 12 - 50

Charles Darwin

Origin of Species (1859)

Descent of Man (1871)

• Myth

• Age day theory

• Gap-theory

• Revelatory Day theory

• Literal (Young-earth creationism)

• Framework (literary) approach

MYTH• popular understanding of ‘myth’ (Walton, J)

• Not ‘how we fell’ but ‘how we fall’.

• Removes apparent conflict

• Still speaks of human condition (& need for redemption?)

• New testament understanding (Jesus / Paul)

• Day (‘yom’) = ages / period of time.

• Broadly similar progression:

matter life complex life Humans

• But……

Earth with no sun and moon?

Trees before marine life

Birds before land animals?

Age-day (concordist)

Gap Theory

Thomas Chalmers

v1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”.

V2: “Now the Earth was (became) formless (‘Bohu’) and empty (‘Tohu’).

GAP

Revelatory days

• Gods revelation to Moses over 6 days.

• P. J. Wiseman (1948)

v1: “In the beginning God created (‘made known’) the heavens and the earth”.

Literal (Young-earth creationism)

• creation occurred about 6000-1000yrs ago.

• days are 24 hour periods

Flood Geology

Omphalos: an Attempt to Untie the Geological Knot (1857)

Origen (2nd century AD): “What man of intelligence, I ask, will consider a reasonable statement that the first and second and the third day, in which there are said to be both morning and evening, existed without sun, moon and stars, while the first day was even without a heaven? And who could be found so silly as to believe that God, after the manner of a farmer, ‘planted trees in a paradise eastward in Eden’…I do not think anyone will doubt that these are figurative expressions which indicate certain mysteries through a semblance of history.”

Augustine of Hippo (4th century AD): “..of what fashion those days were, it is either very hard or altogether impossible to think, much more to speak. ….That day in the account of creation, or those days that are numbers according to its recurrence, are beyond the experience and knowledge of us mortal earthbound men. And if we are able to make any effort towards an understanding of those days, we ought not to rush forward with an ill considered opinion, as if no other reasonable and plausible interpretation could be offered”

Framework (literary) approach

DAY 1 Light and dark DAY 4 Sun, moon, stars

DAY 2 Sea and sky DAY 5 Fish and birds

DAY 3 Fertile Earth DAY 6 Animals, humans

DAY 7 God rests.

Ultimately Genesis 1 is about ‘who’ not ‘how’.

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

- ‘How’ of creation- ‘Why’ of creation- ‘Who’ of creation

• God’s Glory

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

-Why did God create the world?

NOT because he needed us or because he was ‘lonely’: "The God who made the world and everything in it … is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything" (Acts 17:24-25)

“Creatures came into existence when the key of love opened his hand.” (Thomas Aquinas) Fulton Sheen, when asked why God created the world, responds, “Love overflowed.” (see also the divine romance by Gene Edwards)

Ultimately – we don’t know!

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

- ‘How’ of creation- ‘Why’ of creation- ‘Who’ of creation

• God’s Glory

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

“it [Genesis] explains in story form the nature and character of God, and the place of man in God’s creation”

ESV study Bible (Ed. Wayne Grudem)

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

• Genesis1: 1 -25.

“This is not a passage about the ‘how’ of creation, nor even primarily about the ‘why’ of creation. Rather, it is a passage but about the ‘who’ of creation....an overture that introduces us to the Creator God”

Bible Speaks today: Creation. David Wilkinson

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

God as the creatorGen 1v1 : In the beginning God Created

Heb 11v3: By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible (NIV)

Key doctrine: ‘ Creation ex nihilo’

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

Creation myths: - Egypt: creator god Ptah uses waters (god: nun) to create earth- Ra and Toth (sun and moon deities)- Mesopotamia: gods of watery chaos - Apsu, Tiammat & Mummu. (‘Bara’ Gen 1v1, 21&27)

Monotheism NOT Polytheism

God as the creator

Scientific materialism: - Big Bang (Quantum Vaccum) vs steady state:- Multiple universes

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

God as sustainer“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being”. Revelation 4v11

“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” Colossians 1: 16&17

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

God as sustainer

Key doctrine: ‘God is immanent and transcendent’

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” Matthew 10: 29.

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

- ‘How’ of creation- ‘Why’ of creation- ‘Who’ of creation

• God’s Glory

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

Psalm 104: “How many are your works O Lord, in wisdom You made them all”- Job 38 – 41: “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations......”

- Romans 1v20: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse”

Key scriptures:

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the

work of his hands”. (Psalm 19)

“That is the eternal question, is life all there is of life or do we only know one

hemisphere before our death? Speaking for myself I have no idea what the answer is but the sight of the stars

always sets me thinking” (Van Gogh)

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

I see Your face in every sunrise The colors of the morning are inside Your eyesThe world awakens in the light of the day I look up to the sky and say You’re beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night Where planets are in motion and galaxies are brightWe are amazed in the light of the starsIt’s all proclaiming who You areYou’re beautiful, You're beautiful

I see you there hanging on a tree You bled and then you died and then you rose again for meNow you are sitting on Your heavenly throne Soon we will be coming homeYou’re beautiful, you're beautiful

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

When we arrive at eternity’s shore Where death is just a memory and tears are no moreWe’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring Your bride will come together and we’ll singYou’re beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful

I see Your face, You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautifulI see Your face, You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautifulI see Your face, I see Your faceI see Your face, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FAITH

Bibliography

David Atkinson. The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Genesis 1 – 11.

David Wilkinson. The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Creation.

John H. Walton. The NIV Application Commentary: Genesis.

Ernest Lucas. Can we believe Genesis today?

Denis Alexander. Creation or Evolution: do we have to choose?