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Doctrine of God 0004 - Lesson 2
Attached Audio:
- THE WORKS OF GOD (Continued)
- Creation (Continued)
- Scientific importance of creation
- If creation is the purposeful work of the Creator instead of a random chain of unplanned events, then we can expect to see certain qualities in the universe (Romans 1:20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
See All...): - Order and purpose in creation.
- Evidences of design and intelligence.
- Examples of beauty that would be the result of a creative genius.
- This being the case, those who study creation would expect to see evidences of the Creator in it.
- Modern science was greatly influenced by a belief in biblical creation. The early scientists of the modern era (before Darwin) were almost without exception believers in God and in supernatural creation.
- This includes men like Johann Kepler (1571-1630), Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), Robert Boyle (1627-1691), Isaac Newton (1642-1727), Michael Faraday (1791-1867), Louis Agassiz (1807-1873), Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) and William Kelvin (1824-1907).
- Although modern media and the scientific establishment treat those who believe in creation as great hinderers of modern science, it was exactly this belief that initiated the push for modern science and brought so much good from it.
- In 1934, in the English journal, Mind, M. B. Foster stated that the elements of modern science that make it so peculiar to the Greek philosophy of science had one major cause: “The Christian doctrine of creation.”
- As the bulk of scientific endeavor has rejected the Creator and His connection to creation, several trends have emerged.
- The scientific community is politically charged to keep creationists from having any validity in intellectual circles.
- Scientific endeavors strive more and more to do away with the Creator by putting undue emphasis on evolution and extraterrestrial life.
- Theological importance of creation
- Creation gives purpose to the universe (Proverbs 16:4The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
See All...; Isaiah 43:7Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
See All...; Revelation 4:11Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
See All...). - Creation gives glory to the Creator (Psalm 8:1-4 [1] O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
[2] Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
[3] When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
[4] What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
See All...). - The Creator should be worshipped by the creation (Acts 17:24-27 [24] God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
[25] Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
[26] And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
[27] That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
See All...). - Creation should not worship creation; to do so is idolatry (Romans 1:21-25 [21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
[22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
[23] And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
[24] Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
[25] Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
See All...). - Created beings have certain responsibilities to the Creator.
- They should not deny the Creator (Isaiah 29:16Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?
See All...). - They should not rebel against the Creator (Isaiah 45:9Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?
See All...). - They should not question the actions of the Creator (Romans 9:20Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
See All...). - Spiritual importance of creation
- Creation endows humans with dignity
- Argument against murder (Genesis 9:6Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
See All...) - Argument against cursing (James 3:9Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
See All...) - Creation gives meaning to morality. If we are nothing more than the result of random events, then upon what basis can we declare anything right or wrong?
- Creation sanctifies marriage (Matthew 19:3-6 [3] The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
[4] And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
[5] And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
[6] Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
See All...) - Creation equalizes all men before God (Acts 17:26-29 [26] And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
[27] That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
[28] For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
[29] Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
See All...) - Creation makes sense of the Fall of Man and paves the way for Salvation. Therefore, without creation, there is no salvation. How could anything be lost, if we have been evolving upward? What is there to save, if there has been nothing lost? Without creation, men are nothing more than the beasts of the field (Ecclesiastes 3:18-19 [18] I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
[19] For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
See All...). - The problem of evil
- Why God and evil existing in the same universe is a problem.
- If God is all-knowing, then He knew that the universe He created would be filled with evil. But He created the universe anyway.
- If God is all-powerful, then He could destroy evil. But He does not.
- If God is all-loving, then He should destroy evil. But He does not.
- As can be seen, the problem comes down to why both God and evil exist in the same universe. However, the problem of evil consists of several different problems to be discussed below. Much is taken from Norman Geisler’s Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics.
- The origin of evil
- The problem stated
- God is absolutely perfect.
- God cannot create anything imperfect.
- But perfect creatures cannot do evil.
- Therefore, neither God nor His perfect creatures can produce evil.
- The error in this line of thought is a misunderstanding of the nature of God’s creation. Here is a better approach to this problem:
- God is absolutely perfect.
- God created absolutely perfect creatures.
- One of the perfections God gave some of His creatures was the power of free choice.
- Some of God’s creatures freely chose to do evil.
- Therefore, a perfect creature caused evil.
- The origin of evil in Satan
- Satan was created perfect in every way (Ezekiel 28:15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
See All...) - He had a covering of precious stones (Ezekiel 28:13Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
See All...) - He had the pipes and tabrets in him that made him able to make special music of praise to God (Ezekiel 28:13Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
See All...) - He was the “anointed cherub that covereth” (Ezekiel 28:14Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
See All...) - Since he is more powerful than Michael the archangel (Jude 1:9Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
See All...), he must have been the most powerful of God's creation. - As Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
See All...), he was the light-bearer. - Since in his rebellion he determined to exalt his throne (Isaiah 14:13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
See All...), it figures that he must have had a throne given to him by God. - In Luke 4:5-6 [5] And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
[6] And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
See All..., Satan claimed that the kingdoms of the world had been given to him and Jesus did not dispute the fact. So, not only was Satan a special instrument of praise directed toward the Almighty, he must have been given a special position of trust and importance in the heavenly hierarchy. - Satan turned against God and sinned of his own free will.
- His fall into sin and rebellion came because of his own pride. Timothy is warned against placing a man into the office of bishop who is a novice, "lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil" (1 Timothy 3:6Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
See All...). - Satan determined to lift his throne above the stars of God and brought condemnation on himself (Isaiah 14:12-15 [12] How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
[13] For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
[14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
[15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
See All...). - In the form of the serpent, Satan tempted Eve to sin and brought evil into this world (Genesis 3:1-6 [1] Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
[2] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
[3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
[4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
[5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
[6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
See All..., 13-19). - This put the entire universe under a curse with even the lower creatures suffering from its effects (Romans 8:19-22 [19] For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
[20] For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
[21] Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
[22] For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
See All...). - The curse will not be fully removed until Satan is cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
See All...) and God creates new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness (2 Peter 3:12-13 [12] Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? [13] Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
See All...; Revelation 21:1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
See All...; Revelation 22:3And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
See All...).