Doctrine of CreationGenesis 1:1-31

Grace Community Church2013

Genesis 1:1-31

1. The Beginning2. The Act3. The Result4. The Problem

The Beginning1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Evolution of Science‘At this moment it seems as though science will never be able to raise the curtain on the mystery of creation. For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountain of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.’

Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow

Who made God?Who created the uncreated creator of all things?

• Exodus 3:14 “I AM”• Psalm 90:2 God is from everlasting to everlasting• Job 36:26 number of his years are unsearchable.

The Act of CreationGenesis 1:3–4 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.

• Bara (create: only God does) – vs. 1, 21, 27• Asah (made: God or man does) – vs. 7, 16, 25,

31

Psalm 33:6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

“And God said…” Vs. 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24…

The Results of Creation• And it was so… vs. 3, 7, 9, 11, 15, 24, 30• And God declared it GOOD… vs. 4, 10, 12, 18,

21, 25, 31

God declared creation good.

Why does creation move us?Psalm 19:1-31 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.• Dawkins – “Beauty is an evolutionary trick.”• Bible – Man is moved by art (things being and

doing what they were DESIGNED to be and do).

The Problem???Genesis 1:31a And God saw that everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good…

• We are awed by creation but its not all good.• There is death and suffering.• There is something not quite right with man.

How do we get the blessing back?• Asceticism does not work.• Hedonism does not work.• The law/religion does not work.

Genesis 1:2–3 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over

the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

John 1:12–14 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.