GOD’S PLAN BEGINS WITH CREATIONGOD’S PLAN BEGINS WITH CREATION

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•MOST MAJOR RELIGIONS HAVE THEIR OWN CREATION STORY;

•MANY LEFT THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS UNANSWERED;•WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE CREATION?•CREATION BEGAN WITH?•PURPOSE OF CREATION?•PURPOSE FULLFILED?•CREATION WENT WRONG?

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CREATION STORIES IN THE BIBLE

• GENESIS 1 : 1 -31, 2:1 -4;• GENESIS- 2: 4-24;• PSALM 104;

CREATION QUESTIONS IN GENESIS• TIME FACTOR – 7 DAYS;• ONE SET OF PARENTS?• DIFFERENT LANGUAGES- SCATTERED ALL

OVER THE WORLD? 3

SCIENCE & RELIGION• Scientists have made numerous attempts to

“disprove” the “creation story” depicted in the bible for centuries;

• The quest in itself accepts the “truth” in the creation story !

• To disprove is to rebut and in order to rebut, one must acknowledge an accepted truth

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Robert J. Russell, founder & director for the Center for Theology & the Natural Sciences, Berkeley, California, said:

“As a Christian we can say God is the Maker of heaven & earth: That’s a theological statement. Evolution is how God does it: That’s a scientific statement”.

Science tries to explain how & when the universe arose & when humans appeared. Religion can explain the purpose of creation.

Nicene CreedNicene Creed

We believe in one God, We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen earth, of all that is seen and unseen.and unseen.  

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Genesis• Not a scientific narrative about the origin of

the universe;• Not a Historical Record ;• It is a story of the beginning of humanity’s

relationship with God;• The literary context of the book is the origin

of everything, of the world, of humanity & of the people of God.

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Genesis• The narrative is an accumulation of oral

traditions told from generations to generations;

• Narration on the dependence of all things on God, about humanity’s purpose and destiny as creatures made in the image and likeness of God

• Writers of Genesis story, inspired by God, wrote to express what God had revealed to them - the divine truths about God & His relationship with His creation, especially with man 8

• Bereshith in Hebrew means “ In the beginning”;

• Genesis in Greek means – the process of “becoming” or “being made”

• Both bears the meaning of how things began and how things became as they are .

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• God gave beginning to all that exists, outside of Himself;

• God Alone is the Creator; (Creation is the common work of the Holy Trinity- CCC 290-292) – Gen 1: 1, Gen 1:2,

• The totality of the creation (expressed as the “heavens and the earth”) depends on the Creator- CCC 290

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God spoke the word, & it came into being. Thus God created the day & night, the sky, the land & sea, vegetation, the days, years & seasons, in the first 5 days.

And God saw that everything he created was very good. All the good things of the world are a reflection of God’s all powerful goodness. 12

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•On the 6th day God made humankind.

• In creating man God worked (Gen 2:7)- humans are the summit of God’s creative work.

•The creation of man & woman in God’s image implies that they have the dignity of persons, with ability to think & act (intelligence) & to make choices (freewill).

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•Woman made from the side of Woman made from the side of man, stresses the equality man, stresses the equality between the 2 intelligent beings.between the 2 intelligent beings.

•God created them to be God created them to be companions, as helper & partner, companions, as helper & partner, as equal persons.as equal persons.

• In marriage, God unites them in In marriage, God unites them in such a way that by forming “one such a way that by forming “one flesh”, they can transmit human flesh”, they can transmit human life to their descendants, thus life to their descendants, thus continue God’s creative work.continue God’s creative work.

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•God blessed humankind & told them to be fruitful & multiply, subdue the earth & have dominion over every living thing.

•Thus humankind are made the Thus humankind are made the stewards /custodians of creation stewards /custodians of creation & have a duty to protect the & have a duty to protect the natural world.natural world.

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•God rested. He made God rested. He made the 7the 7thth day holy, day holy, when we give time to when we give time to God to worship Him & God to worship Him & to thank Him for all to thank Him for all His love & goodness His love & goodness to us.to us.

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TRINITARIAN GOD - CREATOR• GENESIS 1: 26 – “Let US make humankind in OUR

image, according to OUR likeness.”• GENESIS 1: 2- “while a wind from God swept over

the face of the waters”• COLOSSIANS 1- 15-17- “ … for in him all things

were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers pr powers, all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things and in him things hold together.

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CREATIONCREATION• Planned and orderly;• Creation out of nothing- creatio ex-nobhilo;• Left the best for the last – mankind;• Mankind was created out of love;• Image & likeness of God & God is love“God is

love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn 4:16).

• Created in the image of love;19

•God gave man a soul, that no other God gave man a soul, that no other creature was given. – “He breathe creature was given. – “He breathe into his nostril” – Gen 2: 7into his nostril” – Gen 2: 7

•““Soul” signifies the spiritual Soul” signifies the spiritual principle in man, which is most like principle in man, which is most like God.God.

•CCC 366: The Church teaches that CCC 366: The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created every spiritual soul is created immediately by God – immediately by God –

• it is not “produced” by the parents; it is not “produced” by the parents; • it is immortal: it does not perish it is immortal: it does not perish

when it separates from the body at when it separates from the body at death, & it will be reunited with the death, & it will be reunited with the body at the Final Resurrection.body at the Final Resurrection.

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CREATIONCREATION• Created to be Holy because God is Holy; “I,

the Lord, am holy” (Leviticus 20:26). “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3). “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

• With free will- choice to eat anything except from the tree of knowledge- freedom to choose and obey

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•CCC 375 - 376: CCC 375 - 376: •The Church … teaches that our first The Church … teaches that our first

parents, Adam & Eve, were parents, Adam & Eve, were constituted in an original ‘state of constituted in an original ‘state of holiness & justice’.holiness & justice’.

•This grace of original holiness was to This grace of original holiness was to ‘share in …divine life’.‘share in …divine life’.

•As long as he remained in the divine As long as he remained in the divine intimacy, man would not have to intimacy, man would not have to suffer or die. suffer or die.

Original holiness and justice

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MODERN SCIENCE 1. Life originated apart from God. 2. Man is the product of godless evolution. 3. There has never been a global flood. 4. There can be no life after death.5. Man is good and does not need a Savior.

THE BIBLE 1. God created all life supernaturally. 2. Man was created in the image of God.3. God destroyed the entire world by a flood.4. After death man’s soul is judged.5. Man is sinful and needs a Savior.

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EVOLUTION? BIG BANG?

• Evolved from apes?• Evolution suggests a process of change from

one substance to another;• Big Bang suggests an accidental occurrence

resulting to the present;• Church’s stand?

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1.1. Believe in the existence of God is Believe in the existence of God is maintained.maintained.

2. Power of God is recognized at the 2. Power of God is recognized at the very beginning of life on earth & very beginning of life on earth & as having designed the laws of as having designed the laws of nature governing the universe & nature governing the universe & all earthly living creatures.all earthly living creatures.

3. The creation of the human spirit 3. The creation of the human spirit or soul is a special act of creation or soul is a special act of creation by God & cannot be the result of a by God & cannot be the result of a natural transformation, or natural transformation, or passage from material evolution passage from material evolution to spiritual development.to spiritual development.

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•It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. (Ps 118:8, This is also the center verse in the Bible.)

•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. (Rev 4:11,)

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