genesis chapters 1-2 creation: foundation of our faith

Genesis Chapters 1-2Creation:

Foundation of Our Faith

Dr. Heinz [email protected]

www.osta.com/messages

Biblical Creation The 7 C’s of History Comparing Gen. 1-2 and Rev. 21-22 Creation According to Gen. Chapters 1-2 OT/NT References to Gen. Chapters 1-11 Compromising Theories

Gap Theory Theistic Evolution Theory Progressive Creationism Day-Age Theory Framework Hypothesis

Conclusions Questions and Answers

2@ Dr. Heinz Lycklama

The 7 C’s of History Creation – Ex Nihilo, Gen. 1-2 Corruption – The Fall Catastrophe – Noah’s Flood Confusion – Tower of Babel Christ – First Coming Cross – Sacrifice Consummation – New Creation, Rev. 21- 22


@ Dr. Heinz Lycklama 4

Contrasts Between Old & New Worlds

Probationary World (Gen.) Eternal World (Rev.)Division of light and darkness (1:4) No night there (21:25)

Division of land and sea (1:10) No more sea (21:1)

Rule of sun and moon (1:16) No need of sun or moon (21:23)

Man in a prepared garden (2:8,9) Man in a prepared city (21:2)

River flowing out of Eden (2:10) River flowing from God’s throne (22:1)

Gold in the land (2:12) Gold in the city (21:21)

Tree of life in midst of the garden (2:9) Tree of life throughout the city (22:2)

@ Dr. Heinz Lycklama5

The Author of Genesis “These are the generations of

...” marks termination of one narrative, beginning of another

Different original authors, Moses the editor Gen 2:4 “this is the account of the heavens

and the earth when they were created” Gen. 5:1 “This is the book of the

generations of Adam. ...” Gen. 6:9 “These are the records of the

generations of Noah. ...” etc.

Creation According to Gen. 1-2 Gen. 1:1, In the beginning

God created the heavens and the earth.

Significance of 1st verse Written by God Refutes false religions and gods

Three key concepts:1. Days of Creation2. Kinds of living organisms3. And God said …



To Begin the Discussion …• In 1903, a British philosopher, Herbert Spencer, made

a profound scientific statement:“Everything in the universe can be explained by five basic things - space, matter, time, force, and action.”

• Spencer, an evolutionist, was a contemporary of Charles Darwin, the British scientist credited with popularizing the concept of evolution. He (Spencer) was given a prestigious award by the British Science Society at the time. This was considered to be a major contribution to science. And it is, until you realize that …


What Does The 1st Bible Verse Say? Moses, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote in

Gen. 1:1:“In the beginning (time) God (force) created (action) the heavens (space) and the earth (matter).”

What makes this even more remarkable is the fact that Moses was educated in the tradition of the Egyptians. They believed that only the ocean existed at first. An egg/flower appeared and the sun god was born. The sun god had four children, of whom one was Geb (the earth). They believed that the earth was a flat disk afloat on the river of the ocean. None of this mythology of the time was included in the book of Genesis.

Gen. 1:1 Refutes Man’s False PhilosophiesPhilosophy Refuted Because:Atheism The universe was created by God Pantheism God is transcendent to that which

He created Polytheism One God created all things Materialism Matter had a beginning Dualism God was alone when He created Humanism God, not man, is the ultimate

reality Evolution God created all things



Model of Creation The Bible is the inerrant Word of God God is Creator

Six days of Creation – Gen. 1:1 – 2:3; Ex. 20:11 Creatures created/reproduce after their kind – Gen. 1 (10 x)

Man is created In God’s image – Gen. 1:26-27

Creation is dependent on God Man is fallen and dependent on God Creation and Science must be coherent and consistent

God reveals Himself in Scripture (Special Revelation) God reveals Himself in nature (General Revelation)

Jesus and NT authors refer to Gen. 1-11 as history


Two Creation Accounts Gen. 1:1 -> Gen. 2:3. Written entirely by God Gen. 2:4 -> Gen. 5:1. Written by Adam

These two accounts appear to contradict each other in the order of certain creation events Gen. 2:19 “And out of the ground the Lord God

formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them ...”

This seems to conflict with Gen. 1:24-27 where God clearly created animals before He created man

However, the proper translation of Gen. 2:19 states that “God had formed” since there is no distinction in Hebrew between the past tense and the past perfect, since the context provides the real meaning


Created in Six Days Gen. 2:1, “Thus the heavens and

the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventhday God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.”

Ex. 20:11, “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.”

Ex. 31:17, “… for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day …”


The Creation Days Evolution demands long ages Bible: literal days

Meaning of ‘Yom’ Yom with a number Evening and morning Gen. 1:14, “Let there be lights in the firmament … “ Ex. 20:11, “For in six days the LORD made …” Words used to indicate time

Narrative versus poetry (VSO v. SVO) In the beginning created God the heavens… = VSO

Genealogies (Gen. 5, 1 Chron. 1, Luke 3)


Creation Days Quote“Probably so far as I know, there is no professor of Hebrew or Old Testament at any world-class university who dares not believe that the writer(s) of Gen. 1-11 intended to convey to their readers the ideas that creation took place in a series of six days which are the same as the days of 24 hours we now experience…”

Professor James Barr, Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford.


Creation Days Quote 2“To summarize, liberal scholars of both 19th and 20th centuries admit that the text of Genesis is clearly meant to be taken in a literal, historical sense, although they deny its claims to speak accurately to our space/time cosmos.”

Douglas F. Kelly (Professor of Systematic Theology) , Creation and Change, 1997, p. 51.

Creation of Distinct Kinds Gen. 1: 11(1), 12(2), 21(2), 24(2),

25(3) Ten major categories of organic life

created “after its kind” Plant kingdom - grass, herbs, fruit trees Animal kingdom - sea monsters, other marine

animals, birds, beasts, cattle, crawling animals Man “kind”

One kind cannot transform itself into another kind Definite and distinct categories There is variation within a kind These “kinds” still recognized today

And God Said … And God said:

Gen. 1: 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28, 29 (10x) e.g. “let there be light”, Gen. 1:3

And it was so: e.g. “and there was light”, Gen. 1:3

And God saw that it was good: e.g. “the light was good”, Gen. 1:4

Gen. 1:31, “And God saw everythingthat He had made, and behold, it was very good.”



Creation Principles Appearance of age/history

Mature from its birth, including Adam and Eve Gen 2:1, Thus the heavens and the earth were

finished, and all the host of them, were finished. Death came with sin

Fossils appeared after the curse Rom. 5:12, Therefore, just as sin

came into the world through oneman, and death through sin, andso death spread to all men because all sinned—

Rom. 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but …


OT References to Creation Ex. 31:17 (Moses) “It is a sign between Me and the

children of Israel forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth …” - six-day literal creation

Josh. 24:2-4 (Joshua) “ … your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, …” - accepts Gen. 11 account of Abraham’s ancestors

II Kings 19:15 (Hezekiah) “You have made heaven and earth.” - speaks of creation

1 Chron. 1:1-28 “Adam, Seth, Enoch, …”repeats genealogies of Gen. 5, 10, 11

Neh. 9:6 (Nehemiah) “You have made heaven, … the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that is in them, …” - refers to Creation


NT Referencesto Gen. 1-11

Every NT writer refers to the early chapters of Genesis

Jesus Christ referred to each of the first 7 chapters of Genesis

e.g. Mark 10:6-9 -> Gen. 1:27 Almost all NT books have references to

Genesis 1-11, especially Gen. 1-2 Every chapter of Genesis 1-11 except

chapter 8 is referred to somewhere in NT Every NT writer accepted these early

chapters as historically accurate


Removing Genesis 1-11 Removes true history Removes the foundation

from all future history Rejects the teachings of

Peter, Paul, other Biblicalwriters, Christ Himself

e.g. in the Gospels, Acts, Romans, Corinthian letters,Hebrews, Revelation

Eventually leads to apostasy

Compromising Theories Genesis 1-11 as our foundation Compromises and the

Problems with them: Gap Theory Theistic Evolution Progressive Creation Day-Age Theory Framework Hypothesis

Conclusions22@ Dr. Heinz Lycklama

Which Foundation Do You Trust?

Genesis 1 As Allegorical? Make the account figurative, a-

historical, or supra-historical, and ultimately non-descriptive

This treats the Genesis account as a demythologized poem, sung to the glory of the creator God

Or a cosmology, like many other epic and legendary cosmologies of the day


Genesis 1 As Historical Accept Gen. 1 as a chronological

account of something that actually happened in creation

Gen. 1 and 2 offer us correct and satisfactory information concerning prehistoric time

It goes beyond the reach of available historical sources and offers not mythical suppositions, not poetical fancies, not vague suggestions, but a positive record of things as they actually transpired


Compromising Theories Many people believe that God used

evolution as His means of creating the universe and everything in it

Numerous attempts have been made to reinterpret the Bible in order to make it compatible with the theory of evolution

The problem is that of TIME! How to get a few billion years

into the first chapter of Genesis?26@ Dr. Heinz Lycklama

Compromising Theories (cont’d) Dr. Duane Gish:

“The concept of a frog being turned into a prince in an instant is a fairy tale, but the assertion that a frog, given 300 million years, can turn into a man, is considered science.”

Many “Christians” are so convinced that evolution is true that they feel they need to harmonize the Scriptures with “science”

Are we willing to change the Scriptures every time a scientific theory is debunked or modified?


Gap Theory Gap between Gen. 1:1 & 1:2 Earth populated long ago by

organisms that were destroyedand preserved as fossils

Is. 45:18; 2 Pet. 3:5-6 used as “proof texts”

Assumes that the geological agesoccurred before the creation week

Assumes that a cataclysm terminated the geological ages

After a long time, God then proceeded to re-make or re-create the earth in the six literal days described in Gen. 1:3-31


Problems With Gap Theory Death before sin

Organic evolution produces death The fall of Satan after the geological ages

Gen. 1:31 makes clear that Satan had not yet rebelled

Scientific problems with the Gap Theory No evidence of a monstrous cataclysm

Biblical problems with the Gap Theory Ex. 20:11, “… in six days the Lord made

heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is …”

Sun needed for life, but not created until 4th day, Gen. 1:14-18


Theistic Evolution Creation by continuous

evolutionary processes, initiated by God

God revealed the fact of Creation in Scripture, but left the method of Creationto be worked out by scientists

Attempt to accept the “fact” of Evolution Approved by none other than the Pope! Sometimes referred to as “Biblical

evolution”, creative Evolution, etc.30@ Dr. Heinz Lycklama

Problems With Theistic Evolution Creation of distinct kinds precludes

transmutations between kinds: Ten major categories/kinds identified

in Genesis 1 (“after his kind”) 1 Cor. 15:38,39 “... one kind of flesh

of men, another flesh of beasts ...” No concept of evolutionary continuity

Too many missing fossil links Mutations appear to be undirected Humans are modified animals,

rather than created in God’s image31@ Dr. Heinz Lycklama

Theological Contradictions God’s omnipotence - can create in an instant,

does not need eons of time God’s personality - “man in His own image”, why

wait until the tail end of “geologic time”? God’s omniscience - fossils indicate extinctions,

misfits, and other evidences of “poor planning” God’s nature of love - “natural selection” is not

loving God’s purposiveness - creation and redemption

of man. Why waste billions of years? Grace of God - struggle for survival, fits with

“humanistic” salvation by works


Progressive Creationism God created universe via Big Bang Over billions of years, our solar system formed,

resulting in the formation of Earth Diversity of life on Earth is a result

of God creating “kinds” of organismssequentially

Due to their sequential creation thesevarious “kinds” of organisms appearin the fossil record in the order we observe

The newer species still in existence were “specially” created and not genetically related to the older kinds


Progressive Creationism (cont’d) Semantic variant of “Theistic

Evolution” God intervened on various occasions

to create something new, i.e. evolution needed some help

God placed an eternal soul in a humanoid form at the proper time

Implies that God’s creative forethought was insufficient

Involves discontinuous evolutionary processesinitiated by God


Day–Age Theory Attempt to accommodate Genesis to

geology Interpret creation so that ages of geology

correspond to the history of creation, i.e. days must correspond (more or less) to geologic ages

Events occur in the same order as Gen. 1: Inorganic universe Simple forms of life More complex

forms of life Man

But time periods much longer than a day: 2 Pet. 3:8 “… a day is as a thousand years …”


Problems With Day–Age Theory Proves nothing because assumptions cannot

be validated Must accompany “Day-Age” with “Theistic

Evolution” or theory of “Progressive Creation”

Unacceptable on exegetical orscientific grounds: Proper meaning of “day” and “days” [Hebrew yom] Contradiction between Genesis and geological ages Identification of geological ages with evolutionary suffering Variations of “Day-Age”

“A text without a context is a pretext.”, Henry Morris36@ Dr. Heinz Lycklama

Proper Meaning of “Day”/“Days”

Hebrew “yom” does not have to mean a literal day, could mean a “very long time” 2 Pet. 3:8, “thousand years as one day”

Translated as “time” 65 times Translated as “day” 1200 times Plural translated as “days” 700 times Literal meaning is usually best Other meanings can be gained from the

context Genesis 1 is written very carefully using

words/phrases such as “first day”, “second day”, “evening and morning”


Meaning of “Day”/“Days” (cont’d)

When limiting numeral is used in OT (200 times), it always means literal day

God called the light day, and the darkness night (Gen. 1:5)

Precludes a geologic age Vegetation can’t survive for a geologic age

without sunshine Gen. 1:14-19 -> divide day from night Ex. 20:8-11, fourth commandment “six

days, ... seventh day ...” 2 Pet. 3:8 “a text without a context is a

pretext”38@ Dr. Heinz Lycklama

Contradictions Between Genesis and Geological Ages

Uniformitarianism/Evolution

Bible/Catastrophism/Creation

Matter existed in the beginning Matter created by God in the beginning

Sun and stars before the earth Earth before the sun and starsContiguous atmosphere/hydrosphere

Atmosphere between two hydrospheres

Land before the oceans Oceans before the landSun, earth’s first light Light before the sunFishes before fruit trees Fruit trees before fishesWoman before man (by genetics) Man before woman (by creation)Rain before man Man before rain“Creative” processes still continuing

Creation completed39@ Dr. Heinz Lycklama

Identification of Geologic Ages With Evolutionary

Suffering Evolution is random, wasteful, cruel Inconsistent with nature of God Geological ages provide framework for

evolution Geologic systems and epochs are identified on

the basis of fossils found in the rocks Evolution is the basis for interpreting the fossil

record, and the fossil record is the basis for establishing and identifying the geologic ages

An example of circular reasoning! God is not the author of confusion


What The Bible Says AboutDeath and Suffering

God pronounced it all very good in Gen. 1:31

No death and suffering before the fall: Gen. 3:14-19 “... cursed is the ground ...” Rom. 5:12 “through one man sin entered, ...

so death spread to all men” Rom. 8:20-23 “... whole creation groans ...” 1 Cor. 15:21-22 “... by a man came death, for

as in Adam all die ...” Rev. 21:4-5 “... no longer any death ...”

No fossils before the fall41@ Dr. Heinz Lycklama

Framework Hypothesis Does not treat Genesis as history Treats Genesis as a literary framework Hebrew poetry comprised of parallelism

e.g. synonymous parallelism in Ps 19:1-2 e.g. antithetical parallelism in Prov. 28:1

Alleged stylized framework in Gen. 1 Days 4-6 parallel days 1-3 Days 1-3 refer to days of the Kingdom Days 4-6 refer to days of the Rulers


Summary Even professing Christians seek to

harmonize Scripture with the assumed evolutionary history of the earth and man

Gap Theory, Theistic Evolution, Progressive Creation, Day-Age Theory and the Framework Hypothesis all fall short of this goal

Some treat Genesis 1-11 as allegorical, liturgical, poetic, supra-historical

These force one to reject Genesisas either scientific or historical

Expunging Genesis 1-11 cuts out the foundation of the entire Biblical system


Genesis 1-11 As Literal History

The style of these early chapters of Genesis does not suggest a mythical, allegorical, or poetical approach

The view entertained by our Lord Jesus Christ The inspired writers of the NT not only referred

often to the narrative, but made doctrinal arguments which depend upon the historical validity of the Genesis account

The Bible teaches that the Creation of the heavens, the earth, and the inhabitants thereof, was for the glorification of Almighty God



Suffering and DeathClothing

WorkCrime & Punishment

Freewill OfferingsGod’s Universal Judgment

The Fossil RecordThe Rainbow

Weather PatternsChange of Seasons

LanguagesAgricultureCivilization

Heavenly BodiesThe Earth

Animal / Plant LifeHuman Life

LawMarriage

SexRoles in the Family

ChildbearingSin (need for Salvation)

ForgivenessGod as Provider of

the Sacrifice

Origins Found in Genesis 1-11


ConclusionCreation is an essential truth

spoken of in the Bible

Col. 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to theelementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”


Questions?

Dr. Heinz [email protected]

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