Lesson 3

Genesis 1.1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

Series: “God Creating A World In A Week” 

Lesson #3: “The God Who Created Everything” – Or – “Chance”

 

I am presenting a series of Bible Studies in Genesis beginning with a series as given to us in God's Word in Genesis 1.  These studies are not typical studies because they focus more on what the Word of God says and means compared to the teaching found in many secular circles and platforms around the world today.  Many of you parents or guardians do not realize it but you are spending your hard-earned money to send your dear young people to some colleges and universities where they are required to sit under the teachings of people who do not believe Genesis 1:1.  The firm teachings and doctrines from home and church meet challenge and question by their professors and other peers on campus once they enter the classroom setting.  It is important that you be sure you are well versed in what you know and believe.  Then you can help them because they will have a period of questions.  Will you have the Biblical answers instead of just opinions?  Some of you may think this is a waste of your time but in the days in which we are living, I feel it is more important than ever to make sure we all can give a reason for what we believe and be able to back it up with God’s Word.  So please, do not take these studies lightly.  Instead, prayerfully consider the truths I am sharing with you and lets help our young people and anyone else that may be challenged by antagonist of the Word of God, whether on a campus or on the street.  

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Once again, the text is Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."  The key to all life is hanging on the front door of the Bible.  This is the first statement in the Bible and it is foundational to everything, which follows.  It is also foundational to personal life and to all logical thinking.  Not only is it a first and foundational statement, but also it is a statement of fact concerning the origin of the universe.  This is the only factual account we have of how the world came into existence.  God's own authoritative statement about origins is this:

 

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

 

It is also a rather remarkable statement about the essential elements of the universe.  "In the beginning (which represents time), God created the heaven (which represents space), and the earth" (which represents matter).  We understand that these are three essential elements for the existence of the universe.  There has to be time, there has to be space, and there has to be matter.  However, those three elements alone do not explain the existence of the universe, nor can the universe continue without some other element.

 

There are two views about what that other element is. (1) THERE IS THE VIEW OF EVOLUTION.  (2) THERE IS THE VIEW OF CREATION.  There are not only two views, but there are only two basic positions.  You have to believe that the world came into existence by a creator God or you believe that the world came into existence in the evolutionary method.  These two views directly opposed to one another.  They cannot co-exist.  Only one of the two must be correct, therefore one of the two must be false.  Sad to say, the majority of state and federal supported higher educational institutions, if not all, disallow that which is the correct view to be taught, which is Biblical Creation View of Genesis 1:1.  At the same time, they encourage and endorse any kind of incorrect view, which is in opposition to the Bible, especially the Evolutionist view.  This statement is not to put down or discredit any Colleges, Universities or all of the Professors and other staff.  I know there are many in the educational field who love God with all of their heart and soul.  I am just making a statement concerning this particular issue in general.

 

THE TWO EQUATIONS

 

The evolutionary system is a system, which accounts for the existence of the world without the necessity for a divine creator.  One of the very first evolutionary scientists, Sir Julian Huxley said and I quote, "In the evolutionary system of thought, there is no longer need or room for the supernatural."  Therefore, the position of evolution is very, very clear.  If evolution is true, there is no longer any need or room for the supernatural.

 

On the other hand, the Bible says in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”  Both of these views are systems of thought.  Both of these views are matters of faith.  By faith, we truly believe that God created the universe.  By faith, the evolutionist truly believes that the universe came into existence in an altogether accidental manner.

 

Therefore, we have the evolution equation on the one hand and we have the creation equation on the other hand.

 

Here is the evolution equation: Time + space + matter + chance = the universe.  CHANCE IS THAT WHICH HAPPENS WITHOUT A CAUSE.  The evolutional equation says that when you take time + space + and matter and then you add random chance, you have the existence of the universe.

 

MY ARGUMENT

 

I want to say two things about the evolution equations.  First, I want to say to you that it is logically inconceivable.  It is inconceivable that anyone logically would believe that the universe would come into existence by mere accident or by chance.  It would be like saying that the Messiah musical was composed without a Handel.  It would be like saying that the painting of The Last Supper appeared on the canvas without a Leonardo Da Vinci.

 

In the den of our home, there in a Grandmother clock, that at one time was a prized possession of my parents.  When they passed on to heaven, the clock came into my ownership.  Now we get to enjoy the sound of it tick, tick, tick and the sound of its dong all through the night and day, telling us the time without looking at it.  It is a beautiful piece of furniture, keeps time well, and carries many wonderful memories of my parents, which I shall cherish for a long time.  I do not know what they cost today but I would think they might be on the expensive side.  However, the one I have does not carry a price tag.

 

Suppose you came walking into my home and you looked at that clock and said, my, “My, what a beautiful clock!  The wood does not have a scratch on it.  All of the brass is polished.  The sound is so soothing and relaxing.  I just love it, where did you get it?”  Suppose I said to you, "Well, I didn't get it from anywhere.  I just walked in here one day and there that clock was."  You may ask, "Who made that clock?"  Suppose I said to you, "Nobody made that clock.  Once upon a time there were all these parts and pieces lying around the house and then by random chance, by accident, they all kind of came together and sure enough, I walked in here one day and all these parts just made this beautiful clock by chance."

 

You would look at me as though I was crazy and I would be.  It is logically absurd to believe that time + space + matter + chance = a clock.  It is equally logically absurd to believe that time + space + matter + chance = a universe.

 

The second thing I want to say about is that it is mathematically impossible.  When you consider the probabilities of the universe coming into existence by chance, it is mathematically impossible.  Let me share with you a mathematically impossibility of the universe coming into existence by the evolutionary chance.

 

I am not smart enough to know some of this information on my own, so I am telling you what I have learned through research.  Thank God, for Google search to help in this kind of thing these days.  Just take one protein molecule.  They tell me that one protein molecule has about 100 amino acids linked together in exactly the right places.  It is critical that they connect at exactly the right stage.  What are the mathematical probabilities of one protein molecule coming into existence with these 100 amino acids and being joined together at exactly the right stage by chance?  Scientist cannot completely explain it but they conclude that the probabilities of that happening randomly are about the same as taking a man and blindfolding him, carrying him out into the Sahara Desert and then that man finding that one grain of sand in the Sahara Desert that has been marked.  The chances of him finding that grain of sand are not just one time, are not just two times, but are three times better than the chances of one protein molecule coming into existence by chance or accident.

 

The evolutionist comes along and says, "But that's where time comes in.  Time is on our side.  If you just give it enough time, if you can just imagine millions and billions of years, given enough time the world could come into existence by chance or by accident."  There is a real problem for the evolutionists here.  (I touched on this in the last study.)  Evolutionary theory believes that everything began with simple forms of life and that everything evolved into complex forms of life.  The Evolutionist believes that there is a gradual ascent from chaos to order.  However, that is contradictory to the second law of thermodynamics.  That law says that everything in the universe is winding down.  Everything is moving from order down to chaos.  Given enough time, all things move in the direction of chaos and decay.

 

However, the evolutionist say, “Give us enough space and it all could come into existence by chance.”  Let me just show you what the probabilities of that happening are.  Suppose you get on an airplane and you are up about 15,000 feet over the city of Atlanta, Georgia.  Suppose that in that plane you have 10,000 white three by five cards neatly packed together.  Suppose you take those cards at 15,000 feet in the air and you dump all of those cards out of the plane as you fly right over the Atlanta Braves Stadium, right over there in the parking lot.  What are the chances that those cards will all come falling down on that parking lot and will form the words, ATLANTA BRAVES?  The evolutionist would say, “Oh, if you just give it more time!  It did not take but five minutes for those cards to fall.  Just give it more time.”

 

Therefore, we take the plane and now instead of 15,000 feet we go up 30,000 feet.  Now, we dump 10,000 cards and instead of taking five minutes to come down on the lot, it will now take ten minutes to come down.  In ten minutes time, will it all by chance, accidentally form the words ATLANTA BRAVES.  Do you know what happens?  If you go a little higher and dump them out, instead of having them scatter all over the Atlanta Stadium, or even all over the city of Atlanta,  those cards will be scattered all over that Georgia county.  The more time you have and the more space you have the greater the impossibility chance becomes.

 

The evolutionary equation is – time + space + matter + chance = the universe.

The creation equation is - time + space + matter + God = the universe.

 

Each person has to make one’s own choice, but I advise you to be careful because your eternal destiny depends on your answer.  Evolution is a matter of faith just like creation is a matter of faith.  An assumption is to be determined in both equations.  A faith statement has to be positive in both equations.

 

(Q)    Which makes the most sense and is the easiest for you to believe?

[ ]      (1)   By faith the evolutionist say: “I believe it all came into existence by chance.”

[ ]      (2)   By faith the creationist says: “I believe in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

 

I want to state the case for Creator God and my position for the God of creation.  

Genesis 1:1 is a window into which we look in order to get a clear view of:

THE GOD OF CREATION.

 

(Q)    Who is God in your thinking and belief?

(Q)    If you believe in God, how do you picture Him from a human standpoint?

(Q)    Why is God such an important issue – both positive and negative today?

(Q)    Why is there so much resistance toward the belief in the God of    creation?

(Q)    How would you explain why you believe or disbelieve in God?

 

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

 

INTERPRETATION

 

I.       THIS VERSE TELLS ME THAT THE GOD THAT CREATED ALL THINGS IS A PERSONAL GOD.

 

The Hebrew word translated, “God,” is the word, “Elohim.”  That is the most used word for God in the entire Bible.  We find God mentioned about 2,750 times in the Bible.  (“In the beginning God…”) – (“In the beginning Elohim…”) The word, “Elohim,” means majesty, honor, and power.  “In the beginning God (or Elohim)…” is a statement about a personal God and a God who is real.  The God of Genesis 1:1 who created all things really exists, He is alive, He is here, and He is personal.  

 

EXPLANATION

 

The Bible teaches us that the God who created all things has the characteristics of personality.  In verses 2-4, it continues to tell us "God says..."  That is, God can speak.  In verse 4 it says, "God saw..."  That means God can see.  It says that God saw that it was good.  That means that God has feelings.  God possesses marks of personality.  God has a mind to think.  God has a heart to feel.  God has a will to act.  The God of the Bible, the God of the universe, the God who created everything is a personal God.

 

APPLICATION

 

I never saw the Star War movies.  They were wildly popular in America in the day.  From watching commercials on television I noticed one of the phrases that came out of Star Wars was this: "May the force go with you."  I have noticed the same phrase used in other movies as well. 

 

Which had you rather believe in? 

(Q)    Would you rather believe in, an impersonal force or would you rather believe in a personal God? 

(Q)    Which one would you like to turn to when you have real needs and real problems in your life, some impersonal force, or a real personal God who actually exists? 

 

The Bible says that it is possible for one to know this personal God.  The Bible says one can have a personal experience with the God who created this universe.  Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds. ”  The eternal, personal God sent His own Son the Lord Jesus Christ into this world.  In John 17:3, the Bible says "And this is life eternal, that they may know thee, the true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent." 

 

The only God who exists is the God of the Bible.  The only God there is, is the God who is the One who created all things.  The only true God is “Elohim,” in the beginning.  This verse tells me that the God that created all things is a personal God and cares deeply about everything that goes on in your life.

 

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

 

INTERPRETATION

 

II.     THIS VERSE TELLS ME THAT THE GOD THAT CREATED ALL THINGS IS THE ETERNAL GOD.

 

"In the beginning God..."  Did you notice the Bible does not say when that was?  The Bible does not say how that was.  The Bible just simply says, “In the beginning God…”  Whenever the universe came into creation, how old it may be, whenever it was that time began, at that moment, God was already there.  In Psalm 9:2, the Bible says, "From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."  God never had a beginning and God will never have an ending because He is the eternal God.  (“In the beginning God…”)  –  (“In the beginning Elohim…”)

 

In the Hebrew language, when a word ends with “ime" that means it is plural.  It is a plural noun here.  Some Bible scholars say it is a plural of “majesty.”  “In the beginning God…” or (“Elohim” plural) could mean more than we think when we really give it serious thought.  It sounds to me like there is a hint of the doctrine, which we call the Trinity here.  Verse 26 says, “And God said, let [US] make man in [OUR] own image."  The Hebrew noun for God is plural, but the Hebrew verb for created is singular.  Yet there is a hint of the doctrine of the trinity.  (I know the average person out there probably thinks I have gone nuts!)  What in the world am I talking about and what does this “garbled-d-goop mean?  It means more than you think!  The Bible says that God is one God and yet God exists in three persons.  There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  The Bible teaches that every person of the Trinity partook in the creation of all things.

 

EXPLANATION

 

  1. God the Father was active in the creation of all things.  Acts 4:24 says, "Lord thou art God, which has made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is."

  2. God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, participated in the creation of all things.  John 1:3 says about Jesus: "All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made."

  3. God the Holy Spirit participated in creation of all things.  Psalm 104:30 says, "Thou sendest forth thy spirit and they were created."

  4. The universe is, within itself, a trinity.  There is time, space, and matter.  

  5. A trinity created the universe.  There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 

     

    APPLICATION

     

    If you were to ask me if I understand the Trinity, I would tell you “NO” I do not understand the Trinity!  If you were to ask me if I believe in the Trinity, I would tell you “YES” I do believe in the Trinity!  If you were to ask me why I believe in the Trinity, I would tell you I believe in the Trinity “BECAUSE THE BIBLE TEACHES IT” and I believe the Bible.  If you were to ask me if I believe in something that I do not understand, I would tell you “I BELIEVE MANY THINGS I DO NOT UNDERSTAND.”  I have never understood how a black cow can eat green grass and give white milk!  I have never understood how you can take two wires connected to a square box and plug them into a socket in the wall and have a picture and sound come from the other side, but I sure do enjoy it.  There are many things I do not understand in which I believe.

 

How can God be one God and manifest himself in three persons?  I suppose it is kind of like the element of water.  Water is water and yet there are three forms of water.  There is the liquid form, which is water.  There is the solid form called ice, which is water.  There is the gaseous form called steam, which is water.  Yet, there is just one element of water, but it exists in three different forms.

 

Take myself as an example.  There is one of me and yet I exist in three different persons.  I am a son to my father and mother.  Yet there is one of me.  I am a husband to my wife.  Yet there is one of me.  I am a father to my son and my daughters.  Yet there is one of me.  

 

I do not understand the trinity, but the Bible teaches the trinity.  The Bible tells us that God is the eternal God.  He never had a beginning.  He will not have an ending.  He has always been and He always is.  He is the eternal God.  That means that God cannot change.  

 

What I am about to say won't be of interest to some of you, but to those who are in a college or in a University or even in a seminary will probably run across what is called, “process theology.”  The average person has never heard of it unless they may be well read and up to date on the latest things taught today.  This is a theology that is going around that says that God is getting greater.  It says that God does not know everything, but God is learning.  He is getting greater and greater in His knowledge.  It says that God cannot do everything but is getting more and more powerful.

 

1- That defies the definition of God.  That is inconsistent with the definition of God.

2- That defies what Scriptures say.  In Malachi 3:6 God says, "I am the Lord, I change not."  That means God is undeniable.  That means that God does not change.  God could not change for the better because if that were possible He would have never been God to begin with.  God cannot change for the worse because that means He would not be God now.  If there is some power that could make God greater than He is, that power would be God instead of the God who is supposedly getting greater.  Deuteronomy 33:27 says, "The eternal God is our refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms."  God – the God who created everything – is the eternal God! 

 

(Q)    Can you name three things in your life you believe in that you do not understand?

(Q)    Can you give some evidences of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in some experience or experiences in your life, even though you may not be able to explain them?  Write them out – verbalize them on paper for yourself.

(Q)    Can you think of one thing our Creator God does not have the power to accomplish in this world if He chooses or one thing He does not know?

(Q)    Do you have faith that God has always been and will always be, and that you will someday join Him in that Eternal Home prepared for those who have believed and received in His Son, Jesus?

 

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

 

INTERPRETATION

 

III.    THIS VERSE TELLS ME THAT THE GOD THAT CREATED ALL THINGS IS THE SPECIAL GOD.

 

The God who created all things is special in His power because this verse says, "God created…"  In the Hebrew, the subject of that verb translated “created” is always “God.”  God is the only One who is capable of creating.  The Hebrew word from which we get the word “created” means to bring into existence that which does not previously exist.  That means that God is the creator God.  It technically means “creation out of nothing.”  It means one moment there was nothing; the next moment there was everything. 

 

We cannot create.  Sometimes we talk about creating something or we talk about human creativity.  However, in absolute terms, it is impossible for us to create anything because we cannot bring something into existence that did not previously exist.  Another word that we will use here that we will study more in the future in our studies in Genesis 1 is translated "made."  This is the Hebrew word that means, “to make.”  It means to take existing materials and make something out of those materials.  

 

EXPLANATION

 

A potter takes some clay and he molds and makes something.  He takes existing materials and puts it together in a creative way.  Nevertheless, it is impossible for human beings to create - to bring into existence that which did not previously exist.

 

In some science venues, there is a lot of talk about creating life in a test tube.  People talk in terms of cloning babies.  People say that man can now, in a test tube, create babies, they can clone babies.  However, they do not bring something out of nothing.  What they are doing is taking existing materials and using test tubes, chemicals, machines and labs to reproduce the works of God.  They have not proved there is no mother.  They just cloned the baby in a test tube.  When men take existing materials and put something together to make something else, they do not prove there is no Creator God, they are just imitating the work of the God who created everything.

 

You can go to the grocery store.  You can get flour, sugar, chocolate flavoring, and whipped cream and all that.  You can find a recipe book and you can put it together, and in a little while, you can put it in a stove and give it a little time, and it comes out a beautiful chocolate cake.  You do not say, "What do you know?  I proved there is no such thing as cook.  There never was a cook before me."  All you have done is just followed the recipe.  When you can show me a person who can bring into existence something that did not previously exist, when you can show me someone who can create something out of nothing, I really would like to talk with that individual.

 

APPLICATION

 

THE GOD WHO CREATED EVERYTHING IS THE GOD OF SPECIAL POWER.  "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

THE GOD WHO CREATED EVERYTHING IS THE GOD OF SPECIAL PURPOSE.  He is the God who had a special purpose in mind when He created everything.  That is why it is so important to believe in creation.  If evolution is true, there is no meaning, no purpose to anything.  If the world came into existence by some colossal accident or by chance, then that means you came into existence by chance.  That means there is no real purpose or meaning to your life.  When we teach people that there is no purpose or meaning to their life, why are we surprised when life becomes very cheap?  Why are we surprised when there are those who can kill unborn babies, cut up their body parts, sell them as a commodity and treat them as a line item on a budget sheet?  Why does it surprise us when human life means so little when we have taught people for generations that life has no meaning or no purpose?  However, when we believe that God created the universe and when we believe that God created us, it means that God had a purpose for all things and every life.  God's purpose for creating this universe was for our good.

 

As you move down through this creation chapter, you will find that God says several times, "it was good."  That means it was good for man and it was good for God.  God created this universe so that man could inhabit it and God could receive honor, glory and praise for it.  Isaiah 45:18 says “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.” There is nothing or no one that is an accident or an afterthought with God.  God is and has always been intentional in all He does, especially when it comes to life.

 

CONCLUSION

 

I do not know what you are going through in your life and I do not know what you have gone through but I do know the God who does.  I know the God who created everything and I know He loves you with an everlasting love and underneath you are His everlasting arms.  There may be times when you feel like giving up, but those are the times when you most need to look up to the One who holds the whole world in His hands, holds you in His heart, and keeps your tears in a bottle.  There is a lot we do not understand about God but there is not one thing that God does not understand about us.  Some of you may feel your problems are too small to take to God, but friend, is there anything that is not small to our all powerful, almighty God and Heavenly Father?

 

I know this is a Bible Study, but following the pattern of the Lord Jesus, I always feel I should give an opportunity anyone who may not know Jesus to have the help they need to find their way to Him.

 

Charles Spurgeon was one of the most remarkable preachers in the history of the Christian faith.  He was pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, England.  He started when he was just a boy preacher.  The story of young Charles Spurgeon's conversion at the age of 16 is a remarkable story.  It comes right out of this same Isaiah 45 but verse 22.  “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” 

 

On a Sunday morning Charles Spurgeon set out to go to church.  There was a snowstorm.  God's creation seemed to be arranging circumstances of his life.  If you are reading this Bible Study and you do not know the Lord, you have not come into this point in time by accident.  God had a purpose for you reading this right now.  As God provided a snowstorm on that occasion to make it impossible for young Spurgeon to go to the place where he normally attended services, God arranged the circumstances of your very existence to bring you to this point and time.

 

The snowstorm became so intense that he dropped into a little Primitive Methodist chapel.  The weather was so bad that the pastor of the church could not even make it to the church that day.  There was a small crowd of people there.  A layman in the church got up to speak.  He was not a trained speaker and he was not prepared.  Nevertheless, he got up to speak and to say something for the Lord.  God was working in the circumstances of a young boy named Charles Spurgeon.  The lay speaker chose as his Scripture, Isaiah 45 verse 22.  "Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else."  About all the layman did was just quote that verse.  He looked out in the audience and there sat Charles Spurgeon.  He said to him, "Young man, look unto Jesus and be saved."  The God of creation, the God of the universe had arranged the circumstances of a sixteen-year-old boy's life to bring him to that moment when he might hear a verse, a special love message from the God who created everything.  Charles Haden Spurgeon heard that verse of Scripture from God.  He said, "I will look unto Jesus and be saved."  God saved him and as time passed God made a great preacher out of him.  It was all because the God who created everything arranged the circumstances in his life and sent him a love message that day.  God does not make preachers out of everyone He saves but He has a special purpose for everyone.

 

In II Corinthians 5:17, the Bible says, "If any person be in Christ, he is a new creation.  Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new."  The same God who had enough power to create this universe is the God who is right where you are right now.  He has the power to save you and make a brand new person and a new creation out of you.  If you feel a tugging at your heart, please do not turn it away – it is God the Holy Spirit.  Go to the beginning of the Website to find the assistance needed to come to know Jesus Christ as your Savior.

 

It is wonderful to know, that you know you are A CHILD OF THE KING!

 

It is wonderful to know, that when this journey through life is finished ALL ETERNITY WITH GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE SON, AND GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT IS AHEAD!

 

Sometimes the days can get tough down here but, “IT WILL BE WORTH IT ALL WHEN WE SEE JESUS, LIFE’S TRIAL WILL SEEM SO SMALL WHEN WE SEE CHRIST; ONE GLIMPSE OF HIS DEAR FACE ALL SORROW WILL ERASE, SO BRAVELY RUN THE RACE ‘TIL WE SEE CHRIST.”

(“WHEN WE SEE CHRIST” – Esther Rusthoi)

1st John 3:2 “…We shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.”

 

Go To Lesson 4; Genesis 1.1-3 "God Creating Earth (and the rocks)"