Yesterday we began with a look at Hebrews 11:3 and Genesis 1. If you didn't have an opportunity to read the previous blog, please read it first before diving into this one.
One of the things that I feel so strongly about is that our Faith gives us the ability to have knowledge, to think and to reason. We don't suspend our ability to think when we have faith - which is contrary to some of the secularists who claim that faith is what we "believe" but cannot be based on reason, good thinking, knowledge.
The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 11:3 (ESV)
3 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.
It comes back to this, why is it reasonable, thoughtful, logical, to believe - by faith - that the world was created by God?
There are several things to make that point to agreement with the Genesis 1 narrative
First, Things That
Exist Demand an Explanation for Its Existence
Scripture makes no defense of Creation or
even of God’s Existence but if you think about it, we know that everything that
exists has an explanation for its existence.
We know the Universe Exists…it’s vast, and
beyond knowing it’s boundaries.
SO, the universe has an explanation for its existence.
While the Bing Bang theory is a theoretical explanation,
it lacks credibility in the sense that Evolution argues that all matter in the
Universe was condensed in a single cell, a sphere, the size of a period. “.”
BUT, What it doesn’t explain is “Where did the
period/sphere of that matter come from?”
1) It spontaneously generated
2) Eternal
3) Created
Both the first and second laws of Thermodynamics argue
that one and two are impossible to have happen.
The Universe has an explanation for it’s
existence….therefore the explanation of the universe’s existence is Creation by
SOMEONE… which scripture says is God.
Think about
it, apply Reason:
If I walk out the door of
my house, and there in the driveway sits a brand new boat wrapped in a bow with
a sign saying “Elliott’s”.
I can think: “Look what just spontaneously appeared”… but
what would you say to me?
It didn't spontaneously
appear, someone delivered it, someone bought it, and someone made it… So,
It has a creator, a
designer, a builder, a purchaser and a generous heart…
Creation itself is a witness of God.
I have a microphone I speak in at church and it is hooked
up to a battery powered wireless transmitter, which goes to a wireless receiver
and is broadcast through wires through these speakers...all of it in synchronous time.
SO…for all of that to
occur, SOMEONE had to create it. It
didn’t come from NOTHING, and it didn’t even come from SOMETHING, it came from
the creative design of SOMEONE.
Secondly, Think About the Complexity of Creation
Genesis 1 is not a scientific description of the
universe, but simply an explanation for God’s Design in bringing forth the
Universe, and the world in which we live on.
But what is clear in Genesis 1 is that Creation is done
with order and precision…a precision that cannot be underestimated on either a
grand scale, or on a minute one.
Let me give you some examples:
1. Think about the creation of the Universe and
Our Planet specifically.
i.
Our planet is 93,000,000 mile distance to the
sun. The distance makes life possible. On either side of us are the two planets: Mars has an average of temperature of -70 and Venus averages +860
degrees. Any closer we burn up; any farther, we freeze.
ii.
The circular orbit. Every other planet has
an elliptical orbit – egg shaped. If we had an elliptical orbit instead of a circular one we would freeze and burn.
iii.
The 23 degree tilt. Our planet is tilted on its axis by 23 degrees. This tilt provides seasonal
variation between the two hemispheres and for such a wide variety of growth of crops. Without the tilt, less than
half of the present land used for cultivation of crops would grow vegetables.
iv.
The 1,002 mile per hour rotation. Our
planet rotates every 24 hours and that makes it possible to moderate the temperature extremes. If not for that exact rotational speed, it would be too hot for vegetation on the lit
side and too cold for life on the other side.
2. Think about the complexity and the argument for a
Designer with a purpose; which is the opposite of the randomness required by
natural selection.
An example of irreducible complexity in creation is as
simple as…
The “simple cell.”
Within the cell is a
remarkable microscopic universe that involves a massive maze of microscopic
tubes as well as incredibly tiny cells within cells.
Michael Behe published the
book, “Darwin’s Black Box,” saying that evolution underestimates the incredible complexity of the simple cell.
He explains in an interview
with NPR News: “What we’ve discovered in
a cell in the past half century or so are quite literally molecular machines,
machines of enormous complexity. There are little machines in the cell
that act as trucks and buses that take supplies from one side of the cell to
the other. And they use little signposts, and there are garage doors that
open and shut to let the supplies into various compartments.”
3. Think about the wonderful animals of great complexity. Evolutionists
have never been able to explain the remarkable teeth of beavers; the complex
honeycombs of honey bees; the complicated migration patterns of hummingbirds;
the march of Antarctic penguins; the highly developed sonar system of bats and
dolphins; the aerodynamic system of the hummingbird; the V-Shape and migration
of Golden Plovers and Canadian Geese; the beak and tongue of woodpeckers; and the list goes on and
on.
Hebrews 11:3 (ESV)
3 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.
3 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.
The Creation and the Universe exist because of a Creator
who designed it to work on an incredible scale.
The Story of Creation makes clear
that God exists, and We are Designed on Purpose by God and Redeemed by God on
Purpose.
While Genesis 1 tells the story of creation, the overall purpose in sharing all of that cannot be lost.
Moses wrote down the account while the children of
Israel lived in the desert, freed from 400 years of slavery, and now being told
they were going to become a nation for God’s purpose.
When he goes back to the beginning of creation, he makes
it clear that God is a God of order and purpose…he’s always moving things
towards a purpose.
Genesis 1:26-28 (ESV)
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
When God created the
vegetation and the animals, He made them all 'after its/their
kind' (the phrase occurs ten times in vs.11-25).
When He created Adam and
Eve, He made them after the image of God — in the image and likeness of God.
NOW, what does that mean for us today?
It means things like Creativity, Thinking/Reasoning, Communication,
Relationships, [“let us make man”], Wisdom, Learning, Understanding, and
don’t forget, we are also Spiritual beings with a Moral sense…i.e, we reflect
the image of God in our very beings.
Psalm 8:1,3-6 (ESV)
1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your
fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
Yes, the Fall of humans into Sin marred that image, but
even after the Fall, humand are still said to be in God's image.
Acts 17:22-28 (ESV)
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,
28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,
28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
Every human being is a part of God’s creation, and
deserves that recognition of being made in God’s image.
However, this image was defiled by man's rebellion at
the Fall, and all aspects of God's image were tarnished.
What did God do to resolve the problem?
First he sent his own Son, Jesus Christ, who was and
is 'the image of the invisible God' to invade this Fallen world we
are in, and bring about
redemption.
Colossians 1:13-15 (ESV)
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
This world that Satan has a domain in, is assaulted by
Jesus’ Kingdom. And Jesus can do that
because he is made in both the image of God and in the likeness of we Humans.
Scripture reminds us that Jesus is "the express image of God..."
Hebrews 1:2-3 (ESV)
2 …in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
2 …in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Our Salvation isn’t just the forgiveness of our Sins, it
is also the means to make possible the restoration of God’s image in us.
The Apostle Paul says that we are transformed or renewed
into the image of God by the Gospel,
Colossians 3:10 (ESV)
10 [we] have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
10 [we] have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
But here’s the key…we cannot think we do this on our
own.
This is not something that we human beings can bring
about by our own efforts, but is the result of our 'receiving Christ' in faith
and repentance and that is accomplished by the Holy Spirit
Titus 3:4-6 (ESV)
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
God has given us the GIFT of FAITH.
Ephesians 2:8 (ESV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
I entitled this “Faith Beginnings”…because we were
reminded that Faith has its beginning in New Life through God’s son.
Hebrews 11:3 (ESV)
3 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.
3 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.
Do we realize that Faith is birthed in us in ways that
often appears invisible…but that very Faith is not invisible to God.
He sees our Faith as an act of love…the creator God who
made the world and everything in it, is who creates for us the opportunity to
step back into fellowship with Him.
Peace to You
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