CREATION part 1

by John Thomas Lowe
(Woodruff, S.C.)

OUTLINE

1. Entrance of Sin on Earth, Ch. 1-11
A. Creation, Ch. 1-2
1. Heaven and Earth, 1.1
2. Earth Became Waste and Void, 1.2
3. Re-creation, 1.3-2.25
(a) First Day – Light 1:3-5
(b) Second Day – Air Spaces (Firmament), 1:6-8
(c) Third Day – Dry Land Appears and Plant Life, 1:9-13
(d) Forth Day – Sun, moon, stars appear, 1:14-19
(e) Fifth Day – Animal Life, 1:20-23
(f) Sixth Day – Fertility of Creation and Creation of Man, 1:21-31
(g) Seventh Day – Sabbath, 2:1-3
(h) Recapitulation of the Creation of Man, 2:4-25


CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Gen. 1:1)
This is one of the most profound statements ever made, and yet we find that it is a statement that is certainly challenged in this hour in which we live. I think this verse is all we have of the actual creation – with the exception, as we shall see, of the creation of man and animals later on in the Book of Genesis. However, this is the creation story, and I will admit it is a very brief story.
I must admit that I stand firmly on the side of creation and against all so-called scientific theories like the Theory of Evolution. (Did you know that a theory is defined as something that cannot be proven.) I am not going to take the time to explain evolution because I do not believe in it, and I cannot teach anything that I do not believe in. It requires more faith to believe in evolution (speculation) than to believe GOD CREATED IT.
There is something I would like to ask you. If God had given a scientific statement of creation, How many people of Moses' day could have understood it? How many people even in our day could grasp it? You must remember that the Bible was not written only for learned professors but also for simple people of every age and in every land. It certainly would have been rejected if it had been written in the scientific language of Moses' time.
Therefore, men have proposed several solutions relative to the universe's origin. One is that it is an allusion... Well, that is undoubtedly contrary to fact. However, some people hold that theory. Others believe that theory. Others believe that it spontaneously arose out of nothing. (In a way, this is what the Bible states, although it goes further and says God spoke it into existence. He created it.) Another view is that it had no origin but has existed eternally. A fourth view is that it was created, which breaks down into many different theories that men hold to explain the universe's origin.
Another view is suggested by biologist Edwin Conklin speaking of evolution, who stated that the possibility that life originated by accident is "comparable to the probability that the unabridged dictionary originated from an explosion in a print shop." That sounds very unscientific coming from a scientist, but it is true.
There seem to be at least three different theories of the universe's origin that even astronomists have suggested, and it is interesting to note them. One is known as the "steady state" theory, one is the "big bang" theory, and another is the "oscillating theory."
A Caltech scientist at UCLA told the National Academy Of Science that new findings rule out the "steady state" theory that the universe has always existed and that new matter is constantly being created. Several years ago, that was the accepted theory; now, they have a new theory for the universe's origin. Dr. Baum held the "big bang" theory: a big explosion took place billions of years ago, and we are in for another probably in ten billion years. I do not think we have to worry about that much, but it is an interesting theory.
Several years ago, Dr. Louis Leakey, an anthropologist (the son of a missionary), discovered what we called a missing link in Africa. He dug up pieces of a skull with well-developed teeth, called it the "nutcracker man," and claimed it belonged to a teenage youth about six hundred thousand years ago. We have had theories like that before, and since we have heard no more of this one since 1961, I guess the scientific world did not fall for it.
There are other ways of explaining the origin of man; Dr. Lawrence S. Dillon, associate professor of Biology at Texas A and M College, says man is not an animal but a plant that evolved from brown seaweed. We are told we should be down at the beach pulling out seaweed because that is grandma and grandpa. Some of this speculation becomes ridiculous.
There is no unanimous acceptance of evolution even by scientists.
May I say to you that some of these theories are moving into the realm of speculation and some into religion? Evolution is speculation and always has been that. However, unfortunately, a significant number of folk have accepted it as fact. My friend, to be an evolutionist, you have to take it by faith.
In our day, a group of theologians (young theologians, for the most part), who do not want to be called intellectual obscurantists, have adopted what is known as "theistic evolution." Theistic evolution is probably the most unrealistic of all theories. It is also a narrow view and an illogical position. The evolution of the first living cells from non-living materials may represent a quantum jump rather than an infinitesimal step along the path of progress, but it is an entirely natural development. There are those today who are trying to run with the rabbits and with the hounds. They would like to move up with the unbelievers, but they also like to carry a Scofield Bible under their arm. That is the condition of the theistic evolutionist. He usually follows the wrong group; the rabbits or the hounds. That is the condition of the theistic evolutionist.
Other ridiculous theories have been advanced. One is that man began on this earth from garbage that some prehistoric intelligence left on this earth in the dim and distant past. That statement comes from a scientist! While some scientists sent us out to look for our ancestors in the trees, others sent us to look at the seaweed. Moreover, now some send us to the garbage can. This is getting worse and worse. I do not know about you, but I feel that God's statement of creation still stands in this modern age.
It still makes good for me to read, "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth." Who created the universe? God did. He created it out of nothing. When? I do not know, and nobody else knows. Some men say one billion years ago, some say 2 billion, and now some say 5 billion. I say that they are all pikers. I think it was created long before that. Friends, we must keep in mind that God has eternity behind him. What do you think he has been doing all the billions of years of the past? He has had this creation for a long time to work with it. He has been busy. He has been working on this creation for a long time. He has not told us much, has he? It is rather presumptuous for little man to think he knows as much as he does.
The psalmist wrote, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Ps. 19:1)
The apostle Paul wrote, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)
The writer to the Hebrews says, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Hebrews 11:3)
We must accept creation by faith. Even science cannot tell us how something can be made from nothing. God did it just that way.
According to the Babylonian account, the heavenly bodies are gods, but they are nothing more than matter, according to the Bible.
I reject evolution because it rejects God, and it rejects revelation. It denies the fall of man and the fact of sin, and it opposes the virgin birth of Christ. Therefore, I reject it with all my being. I do not believe it is the answer to the universe's origin.
People ask who created it, when it was, and why he created it.
The word of God tells us that this universe was created for his pleasure. He saw fit to create it; he delighted in it. In the final book of the Bible, we find these words: "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)
God created this universe because he wanted to create it. He did it for his pleasure. You may not like the universe, but he does. He did not ask me where I wanted to be born. He did not ask me anything about creation. He did not give me a choice about my Race, height, weight, parents, friends, etc. He did not give me a choice of anything, did you?
The second reason he created this universe was for his glory. And in the prophecy of Isaiah are these words, "everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."