Lesson 1

Growing Together in Christ's Love

Bible Study 1: Genesis 1

 

A SERIES: A World in a Week – Chapters 1 and 2

LESSON 1: Genesis 1.1 “Creation's God”

 

Lesson Introduction:

 

Open your Bible to the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis and look at Genesis 1 and verse 1.  “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”  We will never be able to exhaust the truths in this verse as we bring our little pea-brains to this massive garden of truths found in Genesis 1:1.  Truth is foundational and functional.  A person will ever understand anything else in the Bible until they come to understand Genesis 1:1.  The key to the rest of the Bible is hanging right here on the front door of the Bible in Genesis 1:1.  I do not have any idea how long it is going to take to cover all of the material that is in chapter 1 of Genesis but I feel we need to take our time and soak up all we can here.  The more we learn here, the more solid we will be and the clearer our understanding will be in the rest of the book.  I am going to begin this Bible Study with an in-depth series of which I am going to call A World in a Week.  Most all of us are very familiar with Genesis but most of us have only learned a surface knowledge of what is here.  I want us to go a lot deeper than usual, especially in this first chapter and maybe we can learn a few more things that may help us all as we are GROWING TOGETHER IN CHRIST'S LOVE.

 

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

 

Suppose, for the first time in your life, someone places in your hands a copy of the Bible.  You have never previously had a Bible.  You have never read the Bible and they have given you a copy of the Bible.  Therefore, you open up your Bible and turn to the book of Genesis.

 

(Q)   What does the word Genesis mean?

 

It comes from the first phrase of the first statement.  "In the beginning" - "Genesis.”  For the first time in all of your life, you read that opening statement.  That first statement - "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”  That is probably the most familiar verse in the entire Bible.  However, I wonder how many people have set out to read the Bible and they begin with Genesis 1, verse 1, and they read along chapter after chapter and they do as I did when I first started to read the Bible. They do pretty well until they get to all of those “begats” and “begots” and “begottens”.  Then they fall on the sideline along the way.  Nevertheless, they started with that awesome statement in verse 1 of chapter 1 of the Bible.

 

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

 

This is a statement, which defies human comprehension and human understanding because it is a statement about God.  It is a simple statement and yet it is a profound statement.  Ten words in the English translation make up that verse.  There are only seven words in the Hebrew Bible that make up that verse...  Therefore, it is a very brief and simple statement, but it is a statement that is beyond human comprehension or complete explanation. 

 

I heard about a young reporter who was on his first assignment.  He wrote his article and came back and it was about two pages long.  His editor gave it back to him and said, "Go back and write it over and cut it in half that length" He rewrote the article, cutting it in half and brought it back to his editor again.  She looked at it and said, "Go back and write it again and cut it in half.”  He rewrote the article again and brought it back to his editor and she looked at it and said, "Go back, write it again and cut it in half.”  He protested and said, "I don't know how in the world I can write that article like that.”  The editor said, "Young man, when God got ready to describe the creation of the whole universe, He did it in ten words.  Go back and write your article over.”  Genesis 1:1 is a simple statement, yet it is a very profound statement.  This statement addresses one of the great issues in all of life.

 

(Q)   How would you go about explaining to your children where they came from?

 

Somewhere along the way, as your little boys and girls or your grandchildren begin to grow up, they will eventually come to you with this question.  "Mom (or Dad), where did I come from?"  I have heard reports of all kinds of answers that have come from shocked and surprised parents who were not expecting this kind of question.  However, some of you will probably say, “Well, you came from your momma and your daddy.”  They will look at you with a puzzled face and they will say, "Where did momma and daddy come from?”  You will say, "They came from your grandmothers and your grandfathers.”  Then they will say to you, "Where did my grandmothers and grandfathers come from?"  Then by that time, you will be aware of the fact that you are in the presence of one of the most profound statements ever penned in human literature.

 

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

 

This simple, but profound statement encompasses many things about the origins of things but it is primarily a statement of theology, which tells us about God.  Cosmology is the study of origins.  Theology is the study of God.

Within the pages of the Bible, you will find many things about man, sin, death, and life but primarily the Bible is a book about God.  The Bible's purpose is to bring you into a personal relationship with the God of this universe.

 

(Q)   If someone asked you to prove there is a God, could you do it?  (Q) If you think you could do it, how would you go about it?

(Q)   How would you go about describing God?

 

As you read down through this first Chapter of Genesis, you will discover that the word "God" occurs thirty-two times and there are personal pronouns for God that occurs eleven times.  The words "In the beginning God created" are a statement of theology and a statement of truth about God.  He is the God of all creation, therefore He is the God of all power.  The Hebrew word “created,” is in use over 50 times in the Bible and it always speaks of something God can do.  It refers to making something out of nothing.  Man cannot create anything, only God can create.  Hebrews 11:3 says, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”  No matter what you might make, you always make it out of something else already made.  The only way we can understand the way the world took form is by faith.  God spoke and it was so; out of nothing, God made it all.

 

I like what an old eloquent black preacher once said about God as he was preaching: “God stepped from behind the curtain of NOWHERE, and stood on the platform of NOTHING and spoke a universe into existence.”

 

You will find here that there is no attempt on the part of the Bible to demonstrate or to prove that God exists.  It is just simply a flat-out statement.  There are really no proofs written for the existence of God.  The fact of God is not argued here; nor is the nature of God explained; there is just a presentation of God.  There is no philosophy concerning it, there is no apology for it, there is no explanation of it, there is just “In the beginning God…”

 

The Bible writers never tried to explain the existence of God, nor should you.  You would be very foolish if you tried to prove God.  People are always talking about the proofs for God, but there are none.  I have read many of the different proofs of God.  Men, through the ages, have tried to prove the existence of God.  I have found that the truth of the matter is you cannot prove God.  The finite cannot prove the infinite.  God does not need any proof; we are incapable of proving God.  Can man’s reasoning find out God?

 

If an atheist or a nonbeliever comes to you and says, "Prove to me there's a God.”  All you can say to him is, "I can't do it."  Then He might look at you with a smile and a smug look on his face like, “I told you there was no God!”  However, you can say to him, "Can you prove to me there is no God."  He cannot do that either.

 

(Q)   With all of your experiences with God, and all of the evidences around you why can you not prove God?

(Q)   Why are you convinced to believe in God and your relative, friend, neighbor, or co-worker is not when you both live in very similar environments and surroundings?

 

You cannot prove God because God is beyond our mere ability to explain.  God is beyond our mere ability to prove.  Therefore, this first statement is no attempt to prove the existence of God.  It simply flat out makes the statement, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”  It is the first statement in the Bible.  We accept by faith that there is a God.  The unbeliever does not know for sure, there is no God; He has never proven there is no God so he just accepts by faith that there is no God.  All men are believers; I choose to believe in God, the Atheist chooses not to believe.

 

 

 

Now as we begin to get into the MEAT of God’s Word in Genesis 1:1 please understand we will be there for quite a while because there is more there than you realize.  In this lesson, I want to to make several comments about this first statement. 

 

I will ask you some questions as I go along which you can answer on your own if you wish.  It will be like AN OPEN BOOK TEST where only you will see your answers and EVERYONE PASSES.  You may respond to me concerning anything in the Bible Study by email if you wish, with your comments, answers, questions, discussion, agreements or disagreements or not at all.  That is totally up to you. It is going to be intense at times but fun!  Let us get started!

 

I.      This first statement is foundational, fundamental and basic because everything begins right here and everything has to build on this.  In other words, it is foundational to human reasoning, logical reasoning.

 

(Q)   What do you think belief in a God of creation has to do with every segment of life?

(Q)   Why did God make all things?

 

INTERPRETATION:

 

God took great pleasure in making what He made.  Actually, Paul said in Romans 4:36 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”  God made it all because He wanted to make it, and He did not have to get our permission or opinion.  He is a sovereign God and He made all things just because He wanted to make them.

 

God loves praise.  Because He created all things, He is to receive praise and honor.  Paul said in Romans 11:36, “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to who be glory forever.  Amen.”  That means the same thing that Psalm 150:6 means when the psalmist said “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.  Praise ye the Lord.”  Everything created is supposed to bring praise and glory to God.

 

Someone said, “God made a fish to swim in the sea.  God made a bird to sail through the air.  If you take that bird out of the air and put him in the sea, he is going to be an unhappy bird.  If you take that fish out of the sea and put him in a tree, he is going to be an unhappy fish.  It is in God that we were created to live and move and have our being, and until we learn to praise God, we will never learn the meaning of life.  We were created to praise God!”

 

All the things God made was for His people, because after he created everything He just stepped back and said, “That is good.”  Then He saw that man did not have a wife and He said in Genesis 2:18 “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.”  These verses tell us that it is God’s plan that man’s good is to be effected.  When God created everything, He was creating a home for man to live in.  His supreme creation was man so He created everything for His pleasure, His praise but He created it all for His people and told us to have dominion over it and enjoy it.  Nevertheless, there are so many who just do not believe.

 

 

(Q)   Are you logical when you think about the existence of creation?

(Q)   What do you think about the theory of some who think we may have evolved from some particle or some animal, like a monkey for example?

(Q)   Have you ever seen a tadpole that looked like anyone in your family or vice versa?  (HUMOR! Keep that answer to yourself!)

(Q)   Is there any part of the Bible, which you do not believe?

(Q)   Why is it so important to build your life upon a firm belief and faith in a God who in the beginning created the heaven and the earth?

 

EXPLANATION:

 

A number of years ago I heard this statement and I think it is correct.  "Belief in God is the fundamental principle of all rational thinking.” 

 

This statement means to believe in God makes sense.  To believe “in the beginning God created” is a statement that has to do with logical reasoning.  Does it make sense for you to say, “In the beginning nothing created the heavens and the earth”?  On the other hand, does it make sense for you to say, “In the beginning a green blob created the heavens and the earth”?  Does it make sense for you to say that “the universe just came into existence by accident” or that “the earth came into existence by chance”?  If you pick up a “smart phone” immediately, the logical thing to say is “there is a phone maker.”  If you ride down the street and look at a building, the logical thing to say is “there is a builder.”

 

When we look at the creation, it is the logical and reasonable thing to believe that for the creation there is a creator.  To say, “I believe in the beginning God created all things” is a fundamental statement that has to do with logical reasoning.  It is a fundamental statement that also has to do with biblical revelation.  This statement is fundamental to the Bible.  Nothing else in the Bible makes sense if this statement is not true.  Just as a building has to have a foundation, the Bible has this as a foundation.  This foundational statement undergirds everything else you read in the Bible.

 

In the New Testament, for instance, there are 200 references to the book of Genesis.  There are over 100 references to the first eleven chapters of Genesis.  Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself referred to each of the first seven chapters of the book of Genesis.  If this verse of Scripture is not true, then we cannot be sure that anything else in the Bible is true.  If we do not know that this statement is literal, how can we believe that anything else in the Bible is literal?  If you cannot believe Genesis 1, verse 1, how can you believe John 3, verse 16?  If you cannot believe that creation is literal, then how can you believe that the resurrection is literal?  If this is symbolic, then why are not many other things in the Bible symbolic?  It is a foundational statement.  It is foundational to logical reasoning.

 

APPLICATION:

 

This is foundational to biblical revelation and reality.  “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” is a statement, which gives some sense to your human existence.  Here is a statement that makes sense if God indeed created you.  It gives your life a meaning.  It gives your life a purpose.  It gives your life a direction.

 

If this statement is not true, if God did not create the heaven and the earth, and if God did not create you, then your life has no meaning or purpose.  Your life becomes like a match that is struck in the dark and then blown out.  Your life becomes like Shakespeare, a tale that is told, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing.  This verse of Scripture tells you whether you are a person created in the image of God or a termite in human disguise.

 

Here is a statement about your personal existence.  Colossians 1, verse 16 says, "For by him, and through him, were all things created.”  Life makes sense, life is understandable if this verse of scripture is true.  There is personal meaning to your existence.

 

Jesus talked, in the Sermon on the Mount, about two ways to build your life.  He said you can build your life on the sand and if you do, when the storms and the floods of life come, you will not stand.  On the other hand, He said you could build your life on the rock.  If you build your life on the rock, when the storms and the floods come, then your life will stand, for it is founded upon a rock.

 

Here is the rock upon which to build your life.  Here is the firm foundational statement upon which to stand.  "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

 

II.     This first statement “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” is a factual and a true statement.

 

INTERPRETATION:

 

After the last argument rendered and the last protest made, all of the facts have come in, and all of the evidence gathered, we will find that this is a factual and true statement.  In Psalm 93, verse 5, the Bible says, "Thy testimonies are very sure.”  God's Word is true.  This is a statement of fact.  This is not a fairy tale.  This is not a theory.  This is genuine, literal, accurate fact.

 

I heard about a group of experts who decided they would get all the evidence they could gather about the origin of the universe.  They put all of  those facts into a computer and requested the computer:  “Tell us where to find the meaning of the origin of the universe.”  The computer grinded and shook and spewed and spit and smoked.  In a little while, a message came out of the computer that said,  “See the book of Genesis.”  This is a factual statement

 

(Q)   Do you feel like you know what you believe, or are you satisfied to simply trust and believe what someone else has told you.

(Q)   Are your beliefs based on facts that you can find Scripture to back them up in [context] or are they just your or someone’s opinions?

(Q)   Do you find yourself easily persuaded to change your mind about something Biblical you felt you believed all of your life by some powerful speaker or some slick talker?

(Q)   Why would you say it is important to find out and know for yourself what the Bible says and means?

(Q)   Do you realize how many avenues there are which are in opposition to the truth of God’s Word that could lead you away from the road God wants you to travel He wants you to walk with Him?  If so, which ones have you encountered and what did you do?

 

EXPLANATION:

 

In this statement, we find that it rebuts several human errors.  We know this factual statement counters  HUMAN MYTHOLOGIES.  We believe that Moses was the human author of the book of Genesis.  Jesus taught that Moses wrote the first five books of your Bible.  Moses was the human author, inspired by the Holy Spirit.  We know that Moses was well trained.  The Bible says this: Moses was learned in all the wisdom of Egypt.  He evidently went to the university, of his day, of Heliopolis where all kinds of ideas and thoughts about creation were common.  Moses surely was acquainted with the theories of human origin.  What were those theories, Moses?  In the beginning, what did the theories have to say, Moses?

 

The Egyptians had a theory.  "In the beginning, ATUM, the god of Heliopolis created the world."  He originated in the waters of the Nile by spontaneous generation.  An ATUM came out of the waters of the Nile sneezing and spitting and doing some other grotesque things and that is how the universe came into existence.  “In the beginning ATUM...”

 

What did the Babylonians have to say about it, Moses?  The Babylonians said, “In the beginning the god MARDUK and the goddess TIAMAT were in a fight.  The god MARDUK killed the goddess TIAMAT and he cut her body lengthwise.  Her dead carcass became the sky and became the earth.”

 

How different is the Scripture!  How different is God's statement through Moses about the origin of the universe!  "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."  There is nothing in all of human literature as beautiful in its simplicity and in its factuality as is that statement.  It refutes all 1- HUMAN MYTHOLOGIES. 

 

His factual statement about the creation of God also counters 2-HUMAN PHILOSOPHIES.  It counters 3-ATHEISM which says there is no God.  It counters 4-POLYTHEISM which says there are many gods.  It counters 5-PANTHEISM which says everything is God.  It counters 6-DEISM which says God is in everything.  It counters 7-FATALISM which says that man is in existence by accident.  It counters 8-MATERIALISM which says that matter is eternal.

 

The Bible warns us about the philosophies of men.  In Colossians 2, verse 8, the Bible says, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy or vain deceit.”  Human philosophy has tried to do away with the existence of God.  Human philosophy has tried to make fun of “In the beginning God created.”  In Romans 1, the Bible says, “Man did not like to retain God in his knowledge so he became vain in his imaginations and his foolish heart was darkened.”  The Bible says that man wanted to push away the existence of God.  Nevertheless, no matter how hard man tries, no matter how many philosophies man may contrive to do away with the existence of God, it is a reality and a fact that continues to come back to the human mind and to the human heart.

 

It is like a man who decided to buy a new boomerang.  He killed himself trying to throw the old one away.  It just kept coming back.  The fact of God and the reality of God just keeps coming back.  Again, Psalm 14, verse 1 says, "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.”  If you will look at the King James translation, you will notice the words, “there is,” are in italics which means they are not in the original Hebrew text.  Literally, the verse is saying this: “The fool hath said in his heart no God.”  It does not mean that there is no God, he is just saying – “no God.”  It is as if you have had a wonderful meal and it is now dessert time and you are so full you cannot eat it any more.  They bring out a big bowl of banana pudding and you look at it and say, “No pudding.”  That does not mean that the pudding does not exist, you are just saying no pudding for me.  When the fool says, “no God” he is saying “no God for me.”

 

Down deep in the human heart, down deep in the human psyche, every individual on this earth knows that there is a God.  You are born into this world with innate knowledge that there is a God.  God has revealed His existence not only to you, but God has revealed His existence in you.  Down deep inside of you, you know that there is a God.  This is a factual statement which counters human philosophies  Romans 1:19-20 tells us, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; [that is, there is an inner awareness] for God hath showed it unto them, [there is the outer objective evidence] For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [that is, you can clearly see from the creation that there is a creator] even his eternal power [that is He is a God of power] and Godhead; [that is He is a God of purpose] so that they are without excuse:”

 

This statement of fact “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” counters human theories of how the world came into existence.  “In the beginning God…” is saying that our origin is supernatural.  The most familiar theory we have today that tries to do away with the existence of God and the creation of God, is the theory of evolution.  Creation says “in the beginning God.”  Our source is supernatural.  Evolution says, "in the beginning natural causes, natural forces.  Our origin is natural."

 

We know that the one who popularized the theory of evolution and the one to whom unbelievers refer to try to disprove the existence of creator was Charles Darwin.  His book, The Origin of the Species, is the book that really popularized the theory of evolution.  Let me read you what Darwin said on page 523.  Here was his theory of human existence, of human creation.

 

"All organisms start from a common origin...from such low and intermediate forms both animals and plants have been developed.  All organic beings which have ever lived on the earth may be descended from one primordial form."

 

The theory of evolution is that all human existence derives its organ from one single primordial form.  Here are the choices: “In the beginning God” or “In the beginning a single, small, brainless cell.”  You take your pick.

 

(Q)   Which one makes the most sense to you? 

(Q)   Which one is the most understandable to you?

(Q)   Which one are you going to call out to in times of trouble, fear, sickness, possible death, or heartache?

(Q)   Which one do you think is going to give you peace and comfort?

 

This statement in Genesis 1;1 also counters all kinds of human theories.  I want to say at the very beginning of this series of Bible Studies that I am not a scientist.  I am not a cosmologist.  I am not a biologist.  I am not a zoologist.  I am not a microbiologist.  I am not a biochemist.  I am a Baptist preacher.  I have a  degree in Biblical Church Ministry and have studied expository preaching and evangelism at Fruitland Baptist College and under the late Dr. Stephen F. Olford.  That does not mean I know a whole lot.  However, I am just saying that I am not a trained scientist but I can read, think, and reason.  I do have a responsibility to read my Bible and see what my bible teaches.  I feel I should read the theories of men to see what they teach and determine what makes the most sense to me.

 

God has also given you a mind.  IF you are saved, God has given you a regenerated mind, a saved mind.  God intends for you to use that mind.  In the weeks ahead, we are going to be talking a little bit about origin.  We are going to talk about evolution.  We are going to talk about the days of creation.  I want to tell you in advance that I am taking the same position now that I have always taken.  Man did not come from a natural source.  Man did not come from one small brainless cell.  Man was created by a living and personal creator God.  The theory of evolution is under the strongest attack it has encountered in all of my lifetime.  I will be telling you about some very interesting things in the days ahead about this.  I am going to show you that you do not have to be a dummy to believe the Bible, that men with academic degrees, men who are highly trained and highly qualified, believe the simple statement of the Bible – “in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”  Today, as the evidence begins pouring in, it seems like every door of new information that opens, standing behind that door is God Himself.

 

I heard about a group of scientist who were told if you will climb that tall mountain up there you will find the origin of the universe.  They began to climb the tall mountain. They struggled and they scrambled and they scrapped and they pulled.  Finally, when they got to the top of the mountain they found a bunch of Baptist preachers reading Genesis 1, verse 1.  "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

 

III.    This first statement “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” is a functional statement, it has a purpose, and there is a reason why this verse is here.

 

(Q)   How does God speak to us today and reveal to us His will and His way?

(Q)   What does God expect from us when we read His Word and He speaks to us?

(Q)   What does the way you are living your life tell other people about what you believe about God?

(Q)   Has there ever been a time in your life when you committed your life to the creator who came as the redeemer to all who would believe in him and accept him as Lord and Savior?

(Q)   If you are not as committed to God right now, as you know you should be, or once were, what do you need to do, or change, in your life to please God and renew that commitment so that we can GROW TOGETHER IN CHRIST’S LOVE?

 

[THESE ARE SERIOUS QUESTIONS BETWEEN YOU AND GOD YOU MUST PLAYFULLY ANSWER – THEY ARE TOUGH – BUT NEEDFUL.]

 

INTERPRETATION:

 

God has revealed Himself in this statement.  The Bible is a book of revelation.  It is a book in which God has revealed Himself to man.  When we read the Bible and especially Genesis 1:1 God is saying to you and to me, “This is my revelation of myself.”

 

Actually, science has nothing it can do about the subject of origins.  All science can really do when it comes to the origin of the universe is develop theories.  What science really does is observe physical phenomena and processes which are ongoing in present existence.  All science can do about origin is theorize and deduct, based on what they observe now, that something may have occurred then.  There is only one authoritative source about the origin of the universe.  There was only one person present when the universe was brought into existence and that is God Himself.

 

EXPLANATION:

 

In Job chapter 38, Job had been protesting with God.  Basically, Job said, "Oh, I wish I could talk to God.  I would tell him a few things.”  Then God said to Job, "Job, gird up your loins like a man and answer the questions I now ask you.  Job, where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?"  The only person who was present when the world was brought into existence was God Himself.  God has revealed Himself in the Bible.  He says to you and He says to me, “In the beginning [I] created the heavens and the earth.”  Now that is beyond human reason.  It is above human reason.  It is a revelation from God.

 

There are brilliant people who believe that there is a God.  There are brilliant people who believe that there is not a God.  There are stupid people who believe there is not a God.  There are stupid people who believe there is a God.  In fact, there are probably some of the latter of us in this Bible Study.  However, our intelligence really has nothing to do with it.  Our belief in the existence of God and in the creation of God is a matter of responding to God's revelation.  That is the function of this verse.  It is a statement of God's revelation.

 

It is also a statement of our response.  It is what God expects of us in response to His divine revelation of our existence.  Hebrew 11:3 says, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God so that things which are seen (creation) were not made of things which do appear.”  In other words, things that you see in creation were not made of things you can see; creation was from nothing to something.  He says we comprehend this, we respond to this by faith.  It is an act of faith.  To believe in evolution is an act of faith.  To believe in creation is an act of faith.  Both of them are acts of faith.  To believe there is a God is an act of faith; to believe there is not a God is an act of faith.  How you respond to God and His Word will have a great deal to do with the way you live.

 

For instance, if you believe that you are created by God, you will live one way.  If you believe that you came from a green slime you will live another way.  If you believe you came from God, there will be morality and ethics.  If you believe you had no personal creator, then there will be little or no morality, there is no right or wrong.  If you believe, that God created you by special creation and design, that puts you on one level of existence.  If you believe that you came from lower forms of life, then that means that your life is really no more important than an animal.

 

I was watching Hannity and Colmes the other night.  A person from PETA  (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) was there.  That was one of the funniest programs I have seen in a long, long time.  These animal rights people believe that to eat an animal is murder.  They believe if you ate a chicken for dinner today you are killing an animal and you are a murderer.  I am sure I am going to upset some people by this statement.  I am a country boy and I was raised on a farm and we raised animals for food and to sell.  We never thought about killing an animal as being murder.  We thought about not starving when we were hungry.  When we hunted for animals, it was to get meat to eat, not to murder.  God breathed into Adam a human soul.  That never happened with animals therefore they have no soul.  I do not believe in animal abuse and will stand against it any day, but that is very different from killing and eating meat for food in my house.  If there is a funny book in heaven, PETA ought to have a good column in it.  Let me read you what the founder of PETA said.  "Six million Jews died in concentration camps, but six billion boiler chickens will die in slaughter houses."  Do you see what that statement is saying?  It is saying that you are no more important or have no more value than a chicken.  Cock a doodle-do!  What a ridiculous comparison!

 

APPLICATION:

 

If you do not believe that there is a God who created you and to whom you can respond, then it takes away all hope in your life.

 

Carl Sagan, the now deceased professor from Cornell University who popularized much of evolutionary theory wrote this statement, "Our planet is a lonely speck in the great developing cosmic dark.  There is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves."

 

In 1^st Peter 4:19 we can see the difference when you believe in a personal creator God.  Verse 19 says, "Wherefore, let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful creator."

 

Do you see what that verse says?  You and I can commit our souls unto the creator.  We can commit our souls unto the creator who is also the Redeemer, our Faithful Creator.  We can commit our souls to the creator who is our redeemer who loves us with an everlasting love.  We can commit our souls to the creator who loves us with an everlasting love, who has a face.  2^nd Corinthians 4:6 says, "God who called the light out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the glory of God on the face of Jesus Christ."

 

The Gospel is this.  The great God of creation became a man and in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, He went up an old rugged hill and died on a cross outside the city of Jerusalem.  You can confidently commit your soul unto a faithful creator.

 

 

Has this not been fun?  I hope we are learning a lot!  Be sure and print the lessons so they will be easier to use. If you have not already, get you a three ring binder to keep all your studies and notes together because you will want to refer back to them later.  You will be building your own commentary as we go along.  You may send any responses, questions, or remarks to rfdenning1951@gmail.com.  Any responses I feel that will be conducive toward us GROWING TOGETHER IN CHRIST’S LOVE will be posted on the Web for all to see and consider in our learning process as we study the Bible together.  Please pray for me as I continue in my preparation of these Bible Studies.  I look forward to hearing from many of you soon.

 

GROWING TOGETHER IN CHRIST’S LOVE,

Pastor Frank Denning

 

Go To Lesson 2 - Genesis 1.1 "God and Origin"