“Creation” with Matt Robinson

The Questions of Creation

WHO?

HOW?

WHY?

The question everyone must ask:

Why is there something rather than nothing?

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Genesis 1:1

Ex Nihilo:Latin, meaning “from out of nothing”.

“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”

Psalm 33:6

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

Psalm 90:2

Question 1: WHO?• GOD

“He by definition, names it, claims it, and owns it.”

B.B. Warfield

God’s Sovereignty Over Creation“All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted

as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’”

Daniel 4:35

“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, "Mine!”

Abraham Kuyper

Question 2: HOW?• God speaks:– And God said, let there be light...– And God said, let there be an expanse in the midst

of the waters...– And God said, let the waters under the heavens be

gathered together into one place...– And God said, let the earth sprout vegetation...

What Has God Created?• “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.”

Colossians 1:16

• “You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host”

Nehemiah 9:6

The Nicene Creed:“We believe in one God, the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.”

“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.”

Genesis 1:2

Day 1 (Gen. 1:3-5)

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. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Day 2 (Gen. 1:6-8)

And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

Day 3 (Gen. 1:9-10)

And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 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. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Day 4 (Gen. 1:14-19)

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.

17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

Day 5 (Gen. 20-23)

20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 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.

22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

Day 6 (Gen. 1:24-27)And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living

creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 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.

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.

Trinitarian Roles in Creation“...let us make man in our image.”

Genesis 1:26

God the Father“Have we not all one Father? Has not one God

created us?”Malachi 2:10

The Father is the author of creation and the constitutive grounds for all that exist.

God the Son“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word

was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

John 1:1-3

“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. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Colossians 1:16-17

The Son is the principle and active agent in creation.

God the Holy Spirit“And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the

waters.” Genesis 1:2

“The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

Job 33:4

The Spirit is the divine power active in creation and the source of all energy, movement, and vitality in the universe.

Question 3: WHY?• God created the universe to show His own glory.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

Psalm 19:1

“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.”

Jeremiah 10:12

“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.”

Romans 1:20

“...everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Isaiah 43:7

“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.”

Revelation 4:11

Theories of Creation1. Theistic Evolution2. Day-Age Theory3. Gap Theory4. Darwinian Evolution5. Revelatory Day Theory6. Young Earth Theory

“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 mountains 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.”

Robert ZastrowFormer Director,

Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NASA

Essential Creation Beliefs1. Creation Ex Nihilo.2. Each is created “according to it’s kind (Gen.

1:11, 12). 3. Adam and Eve as historical persons.4. The Goodness of Creation.

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”

Psalm 8:3-4