CREATION
I am teaching through the Puritan Catechism at Victory Baptist Church located south of Abilene, TX
Tomorrow we come to question 9
Q. What is the work of creation?
The work of creation is God's making all things (Gen. 1:1) of nothing, by the Word of his power (Heb. 11:3), in six normal consecutive days (Exod. 20:11), and all very good (Gen. 1:31).
Whenever the subject of creation is mentioned there is controversy today. Even within many Churches there are different views on the subject. Here are some of the different views of creation and how the universe got here.
The first view is known as:
Naturalistic Evolution
The theory of evolution is a naturalistic theory of the history of life on earth (this refers to the theory of evolution which employs methodological naturalism and is used in teaching the theory of evolution in schools and universities). Merriam-Webster's dictionary gives the following definition of evolution: "a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations. SOURCE:
http://www.conservapedia.com/Evolution
What is meant by methodological naturalism?
Methodological naturalism is a strategy for studying the world, by which scientists choose not to consider supernatural causes - even as a remote possibility.
According to Christian philosopher Alvin Plantinga, "The philosophical doctrine of methodological naturalism holds that, for any study of the world to qualify as "scientific," it cannot refer to God's creative activity (or any sort of divine activity)."
The possibility of divine intervention in nature is not only neglected, but positively dismissed.
SOURCE:
http://www.conservapedia.com/Methodological_naturalism
This view claims that the universe and life came into being by chance and purely naturalistic mechanisms.
This view would claim that in the beginning all the matter of the universe was compacted in to a very small signal point. One day for some unknown reason it exploded and it formed the universes and planets etc. This is known as the Big Bang Theory:
The main evolutionary theory on the origin of the universe is called the Big Bang. The theory posits that all of the matter in the universe started as a point of infinite density and temperature known as a singularity. It is believed that approximately 13.7 billion years ago this singularity experienced a rapid inflation of matter that eventually evolved into stars, galaxies, and planets. The Big Bang was not an explosion in the conventional sense of the term, but an expansion of space and time. However, like an explosion, it was highly energetic and chaotic.
Source:
http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Big_bang
The point I want to get across is that this view sees everything occurring based on purely naturalistic mechanisms.
The next view is known as:
Theistic Evolution
Theistic evolutionism is the belief in both Darwinism and the Bible. It is held that the book of Genesis is a non-literal story written simply to teach that man is fallen, and not meant to describe the specific circumstances regarding the origins of the universe.
Theistic evolutionists fully accept that evolution is the scientific description of how organisms change over time and the result of descent with modification. At the same time, the theistic evolutionist is a theist - who believes in a God who is both personal and concerned with His creation. Theistic evolutionists could thus belong to any of the three main monotheistic faiths, or to any other theistic faith.
Simply put this view accepts all naturalistic evolutionary claims but they just insist God made them happen.
The next view is known as the Day Age Theory:
Progressive creationism, also known as day-age creationism, holds that the account of Genesis is true, but argue that the Creation "days" were not 24-hour days. Instead it is believed they lasted for long periods of time -- or as the theory's name implies: the "days" each lasted an age. According to this view, the sequence and duration of the Creation "days" is representative or symbolic of the sequence and duration of events that scientists theorize to have happened, such that Genesis can be read as a summary of modern science, simplified for the benefit of pre-scientific humans.
SOURCE:
http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Progressive_creationism
Simply put this view sees God as the creator and creating but that the 6 days referred to in Genesis are not literal 24 hour days but represent long periods of time.
Here are some links that look at the meaning of the word day that is used in Genesis 1 and 2
http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v19/i1/days.asp
http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Days_of_creation#Variable_Meanings
The next view is:
The Gap Theory
The Gap Theory generally says that an indefinite span of time exists between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. The time span can be, and usually is, very large (Millions or Billions of years) encompassing the so-called “geologic ages.”
SOURCE:
http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Gap_theory
The gap theory also claims that God pronounced a cataclysmic judgment upon the earth during this period (Gap) as the result of the fall of Lucifer (Satan) and that the verses following Genesis Chapter 1 describe a re-creation or reforming of the earth from a chaotic state; this re-creation, then, is not the first creative work of God.
SOURCE:
http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Gap_theory
Here are some links to articles about the Gap Theory
What About the Gap & Ruin-Reconstruction Theories? (from The NEW Answers Book)
The Gap Theory (Webcast by Geoff Stevens)
Can evolution’s long ages be squeezed into Genesis?
Gap Theory — An Idea with Holes?
The Gap Theory—Part A
The gap theory—Part B
Morning has broken … but when? (Was Creation’s first day the beginning?)
What does ‘Replenish the Earth’ mean?
Genesis unbound (critique of John Sailhamer’s sophistic version of the gap theory)
Replenishing the Earth (ICR Back to Genesis article)
The next view is:
God Created everything in 6 literal 24 hour days
This is the view of the Catechism and I believe it is clearly what the bible teaches.
I would point everyone to the Answer In Genesis website. The offer many articles and videos on this subject:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/
Here is the link to the Video On Demand section.
VIDEO
If you have not visited this section you should and you should spend a lot of time there!
Tomorrow we come to question 9
Q. What is the work of creation?
The work of creation is God's making all things (Gen. 1:1) of nothing, by the Word of his power (Heb. 11:3), in six normal consecutive days (Exod. 20:11), and all very good (Gen. 1:31).
Whenever the subject of creation is mentioned there is controversy today. Even within many Churches there are different views on the subject. Here are some of the different views of creation and how the universe got here.
The first view is known as:
Naturalistic Evolution
The theory of evolution is a naturalistic theory of the history of life on earth (this refers to the theory of evolution which employs methodological naturalism and is used in teaching the theory of evolution in schools and universities). Merriam-Webster's dictionary gives the following definition of evolution: "a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations. SOURCE:
http://www.conservapedia.com/Evolution
What is meant by methodological naturalism?
Methodological naturalism is a strategy for studying the world, by which scientists choose not to consider supernatural causes - even as a remote possibility.
According to Christian philosopher Alvin Plantinga, "The philosophical doctrine of methodological naturalism holds that, for any study of the world to qualify as "scientific," it cannot refer to God's creative activity (or any sort of divine activity)."
The possibility of divine intervention in nature is not only neglected, but positively dismissed.
SOURCE:
http://www.conservapedia.com/Methodological_naturalism
This view claims that the universe and life came into being by chance and purely naturalistic mechanisms.
This view would claim that in the beginning all the matter of the universe was compacted in to a very small signal point. One day for some unknown reason it exploded and it formed the universes and planets etc. This is known as the Big Bang Theory:
The main evolutionary theory on the origin of the universe is called the Big Bang. The theory posits that all of the matter in the universe started as a point of infinite density and temperature known as a singularity. It is believed that approximately 13.7 billion years ago this singularity experienced a rapid inflation of matter that eventually evolved into stars, galaxies, and planets. The Big Bang was not an explosion in the conventional sense of the term, but an expansion of space and time. However, like an explosion, it was highly energetic and chaotic.
Source:
http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Big_bang
The point I want to get across is that this view sees everything occurring based on purely naturalistic mechanisms.
The next view is known as:
Theistic Evolution
Theistic evolutionism is the belief in both Darwinism and the Bible. It is held that the book of Genesis is a non-literal story written simply to teach that man is fallen, and not meant to describe the specific circumstances regarding the origins of the universe.
Theistic evolutionists fully accept that evolution is the scientific description of how organisms change over time and the result of descent with modification. At the same time, the theistic evolutionist is a theist - who believes in a God who is both personal and concerned with His creation. Theistic evolutionists could thus belong to any of the three main monotheistic faiths, or to any other theistic faith.
Simply put this view accepts all naturalistic evolutionary claims but they just insist God made them happen.
The next view is known as the Day Age Theory:
Progressive creationism, also known as day-age creationism, holds that the account of Genesis is true, but argue that the Creation "days" were not 24-hour days. Instead it is believed they lasted for long periods of time -- or as the theory's name implies: the "days" each lasted an age. According to this view, the sequence and duration of the Creation "days" is representative or symbolic of the sequence and duration of events that scientists theorize to have happened, such that Genesis can be read as a summary of modern science, simplified for the benefit of pre-scientific humans.
SOURCE:
http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Progressive_creationism
Simply put this view sees God as the creator and creating but that the 6 days referred to in Genesis are not literal 24 hour days but represent long periods of time.
Here are some links that look at the meaning of the word day that is used in Genesis 1 and 2
http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v19/i1/days.asp
http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Days_of_creation#Variable_Meanings
The next view is:
The Gap Theory
The Gap Theory generally says that an indefinite span of time exists between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. The time span can be, and usually is, very large (Millions or Billions of years) encompassing the so-called “geologic ages.”
SOURCE:
http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Gap_theory
The gap theory also claims that God pronounced a cataclysmic judgment upon the earth during this period (Gap) as the result of the fall of Lucifer (Satan) and that the verses following Genesis Chapter 1 describe a re-creation or reforming of the earth from a chaotic state; this re-creation, then, is not the first creative work of God.
SOURCE:
http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Gap_theory
Here are some links to articles about the Gap Theory
What About the Gap & Ruin-Reconstruction Theories? (from The NEW Answers Book)
The Gap Theory (Webcast by Geoff Stevens)
Can evolution’s long ages be squeezed into Genesis?
Gap Theory — An Idea with Holes?
The Gap Theory—Part A
The gap theory—Part B
Morning has broken … but when? (Was Creation’s first day the beginning?)
What does ‘Replenish the Earth’ mean?
Genesis unbound (critique of John Sailhamer’s sophistic version of the gap theory)
Replenishing the Earth (ICR Back to Genesis article)
The next view is:
God Created everything in 6 literal 24 hour days
This is the view of the Catechism and I believe it is clearly what the bible teaches.
I would point everyone to the Answer In Genesis website. The offer many articles and videos on this subject:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/
Here is the link to the Video On Demand section.
VIDEO
If you have not visited this section you should and you should spend a lot of time there!
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