Systematic Theology I1
Fall 2015
THEOLOGY PROPER — Lesson 6:God’sWork of Creation
“In the searching out, considering, and setting forth of the creation of the whole and the parts thereof, all the diligence of all wise men, both within and without the Church, hath been set on work, doth labour, and shall be troubled so long as this world endureth…what is He at this day, which, although He use the aid and industry of most learned writers, is not compelled to wonder at more and greater things than either they ever did, or He ever shall, attain unto you? The most wise Lord will always have witty men, that are enriched with heavenly gifts, to be always occupied and evermore exercised in the searching out and setting forth the secrets of nature and of the creation. But we do simply by faith conceive, that the worlds were made of nothing, and of no heap of matter, of God through the Word of God; and that it doth consist by the power of the Holy Ghost, or Spirit of God.” – Heinrich Bullinger
Douglas F. Kelly:Creation- Foundational Doctrine of Scripture
I.The Biblical data on creation
A.There was a time when the world did not exist
“And if the sacred and infallible Scriptures say that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...it may be understood that he made nothing previously”
– Augustine (430 AD, City of God, XI:6)
Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
John 17:5, 24 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed…Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Ephesians 1:4a even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him…
1 Peter 1:20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
Derek Thomas:Creation Ex Nihilo (from nothing)
B.Nothing exists that was not created by God
Ephesians 3:9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things
Jeremiah 10:10-12 But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. Thus shall you say to them: “The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
John 1:3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Colossians 1:16-17 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Carl Sagan’s weak “save a step” argument to avoid the necessity of God for the existence of the universe/matter (video, 1:30)
C.The three Persons of the Trinity were active in creation
“For with Him were always present the Word and Wisdom, the Son and the Spirit, by whom and in whom, freely and spontaneously, He made all things. He speaks to Him, saying, ‘Let Us make man after Our image and likeness.’”– Iranaeus (180 AD)
1.The Father
1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
2.The Son
1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Hebrews 1:2 but 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.
John 1:3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
Colossians 1:16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
3.The Holy Spirit
Genesis 1:2 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.
D.Creation occurred at a definite time
Genesis 1:1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
“Admittedly, the most comfortable position for the evolutionist is the idea that the Universe is eternal, because it avoids the problem of a beginning or ending and thus the need for any ‘first cause’ such as a Creator. …The conclusion to be drawn from the scientific data was inescapable, as Dr. Jastrow himself admitted when he wrote: ‘The lingering decline predicted by astronomers for the end of the world differs from the explosive conditions they have calculated for its birth, but the impact is the same:modern science denies an eternal existence to the Universe, either in the past or in the future.’ …The evidence clearly indicates that the Universe had a beginning. The Second Law of thermodynamics, as Dr. Jastrow has indicated, shows this to be true. Henry Morris correctly commented: ‘The Second Law requires the universe to have had a beginning’ (1974, p. 26). Indeed, it does. The Universe is not eternal.” – Bert Thompson, So Long, Eternal Universe —“Hello Beginning, Hello End!”
E.The method of creation
Jeremiah 10:12 It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
Psalm 33:6, 9 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host…For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
Psalm 148:5 Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created.
“These are magnificent descriptions of the creating power of God, and exceed every thing of the kind that has been attempted by the pens of the greatest sages of antiquity. By this operation God is distinguished from all the false gods and fictitious deities which the blinded nations adored, and shows himself to be the true God.” – Thomas Boston
F.The source of creation
“God didn’t find some preexisting matter, like something co-eternal with Himself, out of which to construct the world; but He himself set it up from absolutely nothing”
– Augustine (430 AD)
Hebrews 11:3 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.
Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
G.The revelation of creation—what does creation communicate to us?
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Psalm 96:4-5 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.
Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
“Ever since in the creation of the universe he brought forth those insignia whereby he shows his glory to us, whenever and wherever we cast our gaze. … And since the glory of his power and wisdom shine more brightly above, heaven is often called his palace.Yet … wherever you cast your eyes, there is no spot in the universe wherein you cannot discern at least some sparks of his glory.” – John Calvin, Institutes, 1.5.1
H.The purpose of creation:God’s glory
Genesis 1:4,10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. …God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. …The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good…to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. …So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. …And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. …And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
“It seems to me that creation praises God by simply being what it was created to be in all its incredible variety. And since most of the creation is beyond the awareness of mankind (in the reaches of space, and in the heights of mountains and at the bottom of the sea), it wasn’t created merely to serve purposes that have to do with us. It was created for the enjoyment of God.” – John Piper
Question:Why are we excited about our creations?
I.The present imperfect state of creation
Genesis 3:16-19 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
“But that’s not the only truth about creation—that God owns it. There are other truths. One is Romans 8:20-22, ‘The creation was subjected to futility. …The whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.’ In other words, creation is fallen. It’s God’s. It’s for our use. But it has gone wrong. So another truth about creation is that it needs redemption and the present form of it is passing away.1 Corinthians 7:31, ‘The present form of this world is passing away.’” – John Piper
II.The Interpretation of the Genesis account of creation
R. Scott Clark:Hermeneutics and the Creation Wars –
So how do we bring the creation wars to a peaceful resolution? Surely careful application of our principles of interpretation is a good first step…a set of principles which accounts for the following:
- The original setting (author and audience)
- The original language (vocabulary), grammar and style
- The original intention of the human and divine authors
- The narrower (immediate) and broader (canonical) context of a passage
A.The Framework Hypothesis
1.View of the text is poetic—it is an expression of God’s sovereignty.
2.As poetry, the order and duration of events is irrelevant.
3.Science is the ultimate authority in the area of origins.
Lee Irons:The Framework Interpretation- An Exegetical Summary
B.The Progressive Creation Hypothesis (Day-Age Theory)
1.The “days” of creation are ages
a.days with ages in between or
b.the days themselves are ages
Articles dealing with Day-Age Theory:
Bert Thompson:Popular Compromises of Creation—The Day-Age Theory
Richard Niessen:Theistic Evolution and the Day-Age Theory
C.Reasons for such approaches
1.Geology and astronomy
a.It is thought that the geologic column requires an old earth.
b.It is thought that astronomy requires an old earth
2.The word “day” should be understood figuratively
a. “The day of the LORD”
b.Genesis 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.
c.Hebrews 4:3-11 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.” Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
d.The sixth day is thought to have too many events in it to be a 24 hour period.
3.Biblical reasons for “day” in Genesis 1-2 to be a 24 hour period.
a. “Yom” with a numerical adjective is used over 2300 times in the OT.It always refers to a 24-hour period.
b.The plural, “yamim,” is always literal.Used over 700 times in the OT.
c.The term “evening and morning” are nonsense if figurative.It must mean some kind of period of light and darkness.
Daniel 8:14, 26 And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”…The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”
d.The fourth day—5 times “day” is used.All agree that the first 4 times are literal.What compelling proof is there that the 5th use should be figurative?
e.The fourth commandment makes little sense if “day” is figurative.
Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
f.2 Peter 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
This verse does not prove a figurative use; it proves something about God’s relation to time, not about figurative or non-figurative language.
“It is definite in Hebrew that when you have an ordinal accompanying the word ‘day’ it always means a normal solar day. If in the Bible anywhere ‘day’ means something else the immediate context makes that perfectly clear. For example, in 2 Peter 3:8 we read that ‘with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.’ The context clearly shows that ‘day’ is a long period of time. It would be the worst form of isogesis to read that meaning back into Genesis 1 where ‘day’ has ordinals in a specific series. The creation account sets the order for our lives. Are we to work 6000 years and rest 1000 years? … I think the evidence is preponderant that ‘day’ means a twenty-four hour day. The famous Hebrew Old Testament linguistic professor of Oxford University, Dr. James Barr was no conservative. He wrote the book Fundamentalism attacking conservative Christianity although he came out of that sort of background himself. He wrote a letter to David C. C. Watson in 1984. I have a copy of that letter. In it he says that no world class scholar in any major university that he is aware of thinks that the writer of Genesis intended the word ‘day’ to mean anything other than a 24-hour day. Now he doesn’t agree with the truth claims of Scripture. He is saying that we must be honest when we interpret Scripture and say that the writer meant 24-hour days.” – Douglas Kelly