Doctrine 1 - Creation

Doctrine 1 - Creation
To properly understand the correct doctrine of creation, we must first observe the other views of creation in the world.

There are three major categories:
A. Materialist – View of creation in which elevates matter as the only thing eternal (e.g. physical energy, 1st law of thermodynamics). There are those Materialists who believe a God created matter, and there are those who believe matter was never created but always existed, denying the existence of a Creator/God.
PROBLEM: This view suggests there is no reason for a Creator, humans are not immortal or uniquely designed, and all matter is eternal that never had a beginning?

B.  Pantheist – View of creation in which all creations comes out of God believing only the mind and spirit are true, and all matter is just nirvana (i.e. a dream). Everything was not made by God but made out of God, and therefore man treats all living things as God and strives for inner enlightenment through the mind and spirit to reach enlightenment as God, from which they were created.
PROBLEM: This view suggests there is no difference between a Creator or God, humans are initially God, the world is imaginary, and there is no eternality between Creator and Creation?

C. Theist – View of creation in which all creation was created by one God out of nothing. This is the belief by the three monotheistic (only one God) religions in the world – Islam, Judaism, Christianity.
NO PROBLEM!

“Materialists believe in natural generation, pantheists believe in eternal emanation, but only theists believe in supernatural creation.” - Dr. Norman Geisler

What is the doctrine of Creation?
The doctrine of creation is the view of creation which is purely theistic (the belief in one God, creating the universe and everything in it, out of absolutely nothing).

According the Bible, the doctrine of creation is the belief that the Triune God [the Godhead of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit], together in Oneness, created the entire universe by the utterance of a sovereign spoken words, creating the entire earth and its inhabitants and saw that is was good and righteous, which including water, land, vegetation, animals, and mankind in his glorious image, specifically in six twenty-four hour days, resting on the seventh day, sanctifying it to be a day to remember such a divine design.

Psalm 33:6, 9 says, “By the LORD’s decree the heavens where made; by a mere word from his mouth all the stars in the sky were created. For he spoke, and it came into existence, he issued the decree, and it stood firm.”

“Creation had a beginning, the nothing out of which God created was absolutely nothing, the creation out of nothing is not creation by nothing, which proves there is a source (God), content (heaven, earth, and all living things), method (his spoken word), time (establishing time and space), and purpose (God’s goodness and glory) of creation.” - Dr. Norman Geisler

Nevertheless, there are two views of the doctrine of Creation. There is a biblical view and a non-biblical view that denies the claims, testimonies, and veracity of the Holy Scriptures and the creation account and the existence of a Creator.

First, lets examine the biblical view of creation, then we will see what is the non-biblical view or creation.

Biblical View of Creation
There are four main truths that make the doctrine of creation is foundational:

1. Creation reveals God’s existence.
Genesis 1:1 declares, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

This verse contains everything we need to know about God.

A. “In the beginning”
God is pre-existent – He existed before the beginning in order to create a beginning in the universe.

John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. “

B. “Created the heavens and the earth”
God is Creator – He formed out of nothing all that is in existence in the universe by his sovereign, divine, supernatural power and authority.

Just as a building points to its builder, creation points to a Creator (Hebrews 3:4). This is the teleological argument for the existence of God (argument from design). All creation points directly to its Creator. Everything in life points "Straight Up." According to the doctrine of Creation found in the Bible, all things were created by the Truine God and he has left his crafty fingerprints all over creation that display his variety, intelligence, creativity, uniqueness, power, and character.

2. Creation reveals God’s invisible attributes.
Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.

A. “Since the creation of the world”
From the very beginning of God demonstrating his craftsmanship as a wonderful Maker, his divine attributes [which are his eternal characteristics] are evident and manifested in all of his creation! (i.e. the absolutes of existence, sea life, animal life, our bodies, the planets, etc.)

B. “Without excuse”
Most people have a simple understand of creation and the existence of God, however, people do reject such evidence in the world and the burden of proof, subjugating any reasonable belief in God.


3. Creation reveals God’s glory.
Psalm 19:1-4 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky displays his handiwork. Day after day it speaks out; night after night it reveals his greatness. There is no actual speech or word, nor is its voice literally heard. Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth; its words carry to the distant horizon.”

A. “The heavens declare the glory of God”
God created all things good and for his glory to be manifested to us, and see his supreme worthiness and greatness everyday.

B. “Voice echoes throughout the earth”
This is an exact reference to the same voice during the creation account (God). The creation we see around us displays the wonderful glory of God that radiates brilliance and magnifies its Creator (i.e. birds singing, wind blowing through the trees, waves crashing, loins roaring, waterfalls and rivers flowing, etc.)

4. Creation reveals God’s redemptive plan.
Romans 8:20-23 says, “For the creation was subjected to futility – not willingly but because of God who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers until now (i.e. the finished redemptive work of Christ on the cross). Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.”

A. “Creation was subjected to futility” and “subjected in hope”
God created the world and made it beautiful, but created it in such a way that it reveals to us the emptiness without God and the longing for eternity in our hearts. God created us to know him! (cf. Ecclesiastes 3:11)

In the doctrine of Creation, we learn several things about God:
1. He is Sovereign - He is the Creator and Ruler over all the universe.

2. He is Source - He is the Giver of all life and created all things with purpose.

3. He is Sacred - He is the Holy One that administrates all righteousness and goodness.

Unbiblical View of Creation
In our country over the past 250 years, there has been a radical push for the disappearance of God. In the 1700’s, it was a period called “The Enlightenment Era” where men disposed the truth of the bible by refuting the creation account and all the miracles and supernatural proclamations of God, while only believed in things that were visually existent these were the first Naturalists. In the 1800’s, more grew into these ideologies and strayed from the truth, climaxing with Charles Darwin and his Origin of Species. The was the rise of what we know today as Darwinian Evolution.

Darwinian Evolution is an atheistic religion that diminishes the doctrine of creation in the Bible, and fogs the glorious light of God's glory in the world. The athestic elements from such beliefs have influenced more recent ly two creation-related debate topics of “abortion” and “global warming.” These beliefs all have a theme called is NO GOD.

For example:
1. Evolution – No God’s Creation = Man is the most elite and dominate species ruling over the world.
2. Abortion – No God’s Morality = Man is the Authority of right and wrong, life and death.
3. Global Warming – No God’s Sovereignty = Man is the Savior of the planet.

The problem with Darwinian Evolution: Macroevolution vs. Microevolution 
A. Macroevolution – The belief that ALL life forms have descended from a common ancestor, the first single celled creature, in which all by natural process without any intelligent intervention being a completely blind process that has never been observed in the history of mankind and is not mentioned at all in the Bible.
“From the goo, to you, via the zoo.” - I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist

B. Microevolution – The belief that All life forms have a descended from a former kind, a similar species that is within the same type (i.e. cats), that adapts and survives to reproduce the same kind of species, not another type, which has been observed over history and in science today! [an alligator cannot make a parrot or visa versa].

The Bible says God created man in “his image,” and he created all living creatures “of its kind.” (cf. Gen. 1:24-27)

"God created us in his image. But we have marred the image so badly it is scarcely recognizable. Therefore this truth begs for the completion of Christianity because what Jesus does is reclaim what has been lost. It is called a new creation in Christ. The image is restored in righteousness and holiness. Our image is restored into the image we were created. The proper understanding of everything in life begins with God. No one will ever understand the necessity of conversion who does not know why God created us. He created us "in his image" so that we would image forth his glory in the world. We were made to be prisms refracting the light of God's glory into all of life." - John Piper

The problem with Abortion: No Moral Authority 
Abortion is a hot topic in our culture right now because people want to have the authority over their own bodies and not take the full responsibility for their actions. Christians, however, are not the authority to determine whether Abortion is right or wrong, legal or illegal, its GOD who is the authority!

1. God ordains life – Jeremiah 1:4-5, The LORD said to me, “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart.”

2. God gives life – Genesis 2:7, “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

3. God blesses life – Psalm 127:3, “Behold, children are a gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward.”

The problem with Global Warming: Man is the Savior of the planet
A. The Lord is in control of all things on earth, which includes the climate, atmosphere, oceans, icebergs, animals, and the rest of the world's inhabitant!

Hebrews 1:3 says, “[Christ] being the brightness of his glory and the expressed image of His person, and upholding all things by the world of his power.”

Colossians 1:16-17 says, “For by [Christ] all things were created through him and for him. In [Christ] all things consist.”

B. The true global warming will only occur when God ordains his judgment on the earth and creates a new one for eternity!

2 peter 3:11-13 declares, “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be I holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

Wrapping Up.
A. Why is the doctrine of Creation so important?
Because it establishes our God, our origins, and our purpose in life. We were created with a purpose in the image of God to know him and make him know by glorifying his name.

B. What does studying the doctrine of Creation teach us?
Creation reveals God’s existence, invisible attributes, glory, and redemptive plan. It gives us a foundational understanding of who God is personally and builds a platform based on Scripture to stand upon for a solid faith.



Wrapping Up.
1. When was the last time you defended the doctrine of creation? Make a stand at school for Truth.

2. When was the last time you gazed at the wonderful creation? Go somewhere that exhibits God’s beauty and worship the Lord for his .