tough topics - why christians disagree about the ...… · 8/10/2019 · why christians disagree...

10/8/2019

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Tough TopicsWhy Christians Disagree about the Interpretation of Genesis 1:1-2:3

Reasons Christians Disagree

•Presuppositions•Cultural Impact

•Asking the Bible the Wrong Questions

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Questions to Ask Genesis

•Why did Moses write this historical narrative?

•What was God intending to teach the Israelites through this historical narrative?

•How would the Israelites, during the Exodus, have understood this historical narrative?

•Finally, what is God trying to communicate to us?

Ex Nihilo

•Out of/from nothing•Colossians 1:16‐17•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. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

The New International Version. (2011). (Col 1:16–17). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

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Ex Nihilo

•Out of/from nothing

•Colossians 1:16‐17•Revelation 4:11 & 10:6•You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

The New International Version. (2011). (Re 4:11). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Ex Nihilo

•Out of/from nothing

•Colossians 1:16‐17•Revelation 4:11 & 10:6•And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it…

The New International Version. (2011). (Re 10:6). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

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Questions to Ask Genesis

•Why did Moses write this historical narrative?

•What was God intending to teach the Israelites through this historical narrative?

•How would the Israelites, during the Exodus, have understood this historical narrative?

•Finally, what is God trying to communicate to us?

The trap of interpretation!

If you don’t believe what I believe, YOU might be wrong

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“We believe the Bible (the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments) is the Word of God, written. As a "God‐breathed" revelation, it is thus verbally inspired and completely without error (historically, scientifically, morally, and spiritually) in its original writings. While God the Holy Spirit supernaturally superintended the writing of the Bible, that writing nevertheless reflects the words and literary styles of its individual human authors. Scripture reveals the being, nature, and character of God, the nature of God's creation, and especially His will for the salvation of human beings through Jesus Christ. The Bible is therefore our supreme and final authority in all matters that it addresses.”Reasons to Believe. Our Mission and Beliefs: Scripture. Reasons.org/about

“The 66 books of the Bible are the written Word of God. The Bible is divinely inspired and inerrant throughout. Its assertions are factually true in all the original autographs. It is the supreme authority in everything it teaches. Its authority is not limited to spiritual, religious, or redemptive themes but includes its assertions in such fields as history and science.”Answers in Genesis. Statement of Faith. Answersingenesis.org/about/faith

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“We believe the Bible is the inspired and authoritative word of God. By the Holy Spirit it is the “living and active” means through which God speaks to the church today, bearing witness to God’s Son, Jesus, as the divine Logos, or Word of God.”Biologos. What We Believe. biologos.org/about‐us/what‐we‐believe/, 2009.

“Holy Scripture, being God's own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God's instruction, in all that it affirms; obeyed, as God's command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God's pledge, in all that it promises.”The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. A Short Statement, article 2. October 1978.

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Some views on creation…

(1) Young Earth Creation

(2) Old Earth Creation

(3) Theistic Evolution

(4) Temple Inauguration

Young Earth Creationism

“…as an historical account, events that took place in

time‐space history, which teaches that God created

everything in six 24‐hour periods.”Turpin, S. (2016) Is Genesis 1 Literal, Literalism, or Literalistic?

https://answersingenesis.org/hermeneutics/is‐genesis‐1‐literal‐literalism‐or‐literalistic/

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Young Earth Creationism“The understanding of Genesis 1 by biblical creationists is that the events of Genesis 1 are a reliable historical account of the creation of the world and humanity since they were divinely revealed by God to Moses (Exodus 20:11, 31:17‐18). Because all scripture is God‐breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), it is trustworthy and authoritative when it comes to history, and thereby is trustworthy in the scientific inferences from that literal history.”Turpin, S. (2016) Is Genesis 1 Literal, Literalism, or Literalistic? https://answersingenesis.org/hermeneutics/is‐genesis‐1‐literal‐literalism‐or‐literalistic/

Young Earth Creationism“Young‐earth creationists believe that the creation days of Genesis 1 were six literal (24‐hour) days, which occurred 6,000–12,000 years ago. They believe that about 2,300–3,300 years before Christ, the surface of the earth was radically rearranged by Noah’s Flood. All land animals and birds not in Noah’s Ark (along with many sea creatures) perished, many of which were subsequently buried in the Flood sediments…

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Young Earth Creationism…Therefore, creationists believe that the global, catastrophic Flood was responsible for most (but not all) of the rock layers and fossils (i.e., some rock layers and possibly some fossils were deposited before the Flood, while other layers and fossils were produced in postdiluvian localized catastrophic sedimentation events or processes).”Mortenson, T. (2011) Young‐Earth Creationist View Summarized and Defended. https://answersingenesis.org/creationism/young‐earth/young‐earth‐creationist‐view‐summarized‐and‐defended/.

Young Earth Creationism(1) The idea of evening and morning.

“And there was evening and there was morning, the first day” (Gen. 1:5b NIV).

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Young Earth Creationism(1) The idea of evening and morning.

(2) Day/Yom (mAy)

(3) WAW consecutive (w)

(4) Scripture Interpreting Scripture(1) Exodus 20:11

(1) “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (2011, NIV)

Old Earth CreationismMultiple Views:

(1) Day‐age

(2) Progressive Creationism

(3) Analogical Days View

(4) Framework

(5) Theistic Evolution

(6) Temple Inauguration

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Old Earth CreationismTwo Books of Revelation

(1) Scripture – Special Revelation

(2) Nature – General Revelation

If both the Bible and nature are interpreted correctly there will be no division.

Old Earth CreationismDivergence – Literal vs. Figurative

How does one decide what is literal and what is figurative?

Genesis 1:6‐8 – description of the creation of the “firmament” ([;qir;))

Psalm 148:4; Genesis 7:11, 8:2 – the waters above from the floodgates.

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Old Earth CreationismMultiple Views:

(1) Day‐age

(2) Framework

DAY 1 – Night/Day DAY 4 – Lights

DAY 2 – Sky/Separates Waters DAY 5 – Birds/Sea Creatures

DAY 3 – Dry Land/Vegetation DAY 6 – Animals/Humanity

Old Earth CreationismPerceived Timing Difference between Gen. 1 & Gen. 2

Genesis 1:11-13, 26

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.”…13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image…

Genesis 2:5-7

5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man w from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

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Old Earth CreationismChange in Interpretation based on Scientific Findings

Geo‐centricity vs. Helio‐centricity

• Joshua 10:12‐14

Old Earth CreationismJoshua 10:12‐1412On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”

13 So the sun stood still,and the moon stoppedtill the nation avenged itself on its enemies,

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!

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• Joshua 10:12‐14•Psalm 104:5 ‐ “He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.”



• Joshua 10:12‐14•Psalm 104:5 ‐ “He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.”

• Job 38:4‐7

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Old Earth Creationism4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?Tell me, if you understand.

5Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!Who stretched a measuring line across it?

6On what were its footings set,or who laid its cornerstone—

7while the morning stars sang togetherand all the angels shouted for joy?

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Theistic Evolution“By “theistic” evolution is meant the belief that a theistic God used an evolutionary process he had created to produce all living species of life. In addition, “theistic” means that God performed at least one miracle after his original creation of the universe ex nihilo.”

Geisler, N. L. (1999). Evolution, Theistic. In Baker encyclopedia of Christian apologetics (p. 233). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

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Theistic Evolution“We know Him by two means: First by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe; which is before our eyes as a most elegant book, wherein all creatures, great and small, are as so many characters leading us to see clearly the invisible things of God, even His everlasting power and divinity, as the apostle … says in Romans 1:20. All which things are sufficient to convince men and leave them without excuse. Second, He makes Himself more clearly and fully known to us by His holy and divine Word; that is to say, as far as is necessary for us to know in this life, to His glory and our salvation.”Pipa, J. A., Jr., Futato, M. D., Collins, C. J., Longman, T., III, & Walton, J. H. (2017). TH331 Perspectives on Creation: Five Views on Its Meaning and Significance. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Temple InaugurationCreation as Religious Polemic – Which God did it!!!

“The creation described in Genesis 1 reflects ancient pre‐scientific cosmology, not science. How one understands the days is irrelevant to the actual purpose of the account: to assert which deity deserves credit for creation while denigrating the claims of rival deities associated with the cosmology and its descriptive elements.”Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

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Temple InaugurationDr. John Walton:

Establish Functions Functionaries

Day 1 ‐ Time Day 4 – Lights to Tell Time

Day 2 – Space/WeatherDay 5 – Birds/Sea creatures fill space created Day 2

Day 3 – Dry Land/FoodDay 6 – Animals/Humanity

who are sustained

Genesis 1:1‐2:3It is no accident that God is the subject of the first sentence of the Bible, for this word dominates the whole chapter and catches the eye at every point of the page: it is used some thirty‐five times in as many verses of the story. The passage, indeed the Book, is about him first of all; to read it with any other primary interest (which is all too possible) is to misread it.

Kidner, D. (1967). Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 47). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

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Genesis 1:1‐2:3Ancient understanding example

•Psalm 139

Genesis 1:1‐2:3Genesis 1:1 without vowel markings

׃בראשיתבראאלהיםאתהשמיםואתהארץ

nthbgnnnggdcrtdthhvnsndthrth

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Genesis 1:1‐2:3(1) When does Day 1 begin?“What we have here is the initial act of creation, and as we look at this, we need to understand that there were two ways to translate verse 1. Grammatically both are correct. One is: “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,” and then what we have in almost all of our versions of the Bible (if not all) is: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Both are grammatically possible, but the first is not exegetically or theologically possible because it does not assert a time difference between, or a line between, God’s eternity and the work of creation.

Genesis 1:1‐2:3(1) When does Day 1 begin?It gives the impression that things were in existence and then God began to create. When, in fact, the other view states categorically that there was a beginning, and in the beginning, God is the one who created the heavens and the earth. And so we have in Gen 1:1, in the first place, is this demarcation between an eternal God and all other things.”Pipa, J. A., Jr., Futato, M. D., Collins, C. J., Longman, T., III, & Walton, J. H. (2017). TH331 Perspectives on Creation: Five Views on Its Meaning and Significance. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

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Genesis 1:1‐2:3(1) When does Day 1 begin?

a. Dependent Clause (tyv)IariIB);)“When the president arrives…”

b. Independent Clause (tyv)IariIB.)“The president has arrived.”



Genesis 1:1 (heavens and earth); 1:3 (And God said…and there was…and God saw)

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(3) Toledot (tAdl.At)

“These are the generations.”

Genesis 2:4 (Earth), 5:1 (Adam), 6:9 (Noah), 10:1(Noah’s Sons), 11:10 (Shem), 11:27 (Terah, Abraham’s Father), 25:12 (Ishmael), 25:19 (Isaac), 36:1, 9 (Esau), and 37:2 (Jacob)




(4) Sequence questions?

Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 (vegetation/humanity)

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Perceived Timing Difference between Gen. 1 & Gen. 2

Genesis 1:11-13, 26

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.”…13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image…

Genesis 2:5-7

5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man w from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 1:1‐2:3(1) When does Day 1 begin?(2) WAW consecutive (w)(3) Toledot (tAdl.At)(4) Sequence questions?

Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 (vegetation/humanity)Light before the sun (Day 1/Day 4)

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(4) Sequence questions?

(5) Exegesis? Studying God’s word.

ExegesisAre we asking the right questions of the text?

(1) What is the text/author talking about?

(2) What is the text/author saying about what they are talking about?

(3) How would the original audience have understood the text?

(4) Finally, and only after all these have been answered, what is the text saying to us today?

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ConclusionWhy do Christians disagree about the interpretation of Genesis 1:1‐2:3? Why do they disagree about the creation?

We walk into this theological topic, as we do others, with our own presuppositions about what we will find in the text; often reading into the text (Eisegesis not Exegesis) what we have already concluded will be there.

The call to Love

John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love another.”

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tough topics - why christians disagree about the ...… · 8/10/2019 · why christians disagree...

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