Doctrine of Creation

Beautiful Savior Lutheran

Week 2 – 11 January 2004

Professor Gary Locklair

 

 

God’s Word and God’s World on Creation

 

0. Gospel enlightens us – God’s Spirit allows us to believe God’s Word

 

Grace Alone              Faith Alone             Scripture Alone

 

Hebrews 11:3

 

 

1. What does the Bible say about Creation?

 

- God’s Word declares that God created everything

 

Genesis 14:18,22            Deuteronomy 4:32            1 Samuel 2:8            2 Kings 19:15

2 Chronicles 2:12            Nehemiah 9:6            Job 9:8,9               Psalm 124:8

Proverbs 8:26-29            Isaiah 37:16              Jeremiah 10:16            Malachi 2:10

 

Matthew 25:34  Mark 10:6                Luke 11:40              John 1:1-3

Acts 4:24                   Romans 11:36            1 Corinthians 8:6       2 Corinthians 4:6

Colossians 1:16    1 Timothy 2:13            Hebrews 4:4             Revelation 10:6

 

- God’s Word declares how God created everything:

 

Genesis 1:3,6,9,11,14,20,24,26                     Job 26:7                Psalm 33:6-9

Psalm 148:4,5            Isaiah 44:24              Isaiah 45:18              Jeremiah 10:12

Jeremiah 32:17            Hebrews 11:3            2 Peter 3:5                    Revelation 4:11     

 

Analogy …

 

Computer science insight into God’s creative process

 

- How long God took to create everything

 

Genesis 2:1-3            Exodus 20:8-11            Exodus 31:15-17            Hebrews 4:4

 

But couldn’t a day mean …       

 

A Day is a Day

- The fact of creation is obvious

 

Psalm 19:1                Romans 1:19,20            Ephesians 3:9            Hebrews 3:4

2 Peter 3:5

 

- We cannot totally understand how God created everything

 

Ecclesiastes 11:5                Job 37:5                Isaiah 40:28

 

- We can be sure of the fact of creation

 

Hebrews 11:3 “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.”

 

- Dare we question God’s creative actions?

 

Job 38 (especially verse 4)

“Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand”

Martin Luther: “But if you cannot understand how this could have been done in six days, then grant the Holy Spirit the honor of being more learned than you are. For you should deal with Scripture in such a way that you bear in mind that God Himself is saying what is recorded. But since God is speaking, it is not fitting for you wantonly to run His Word in the direction you wish to go.”

 

 

2. What does God’s world (science) say about creation?

 

- what’s the relationship between science and the Bible?

 

some argue (claim, protest) – the Bible isn’t a textbook on science

 

some argue – the Bible tells us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go

 

some argue – there are two creation stories in Genesis

 

some argue – the Church believed in an earth-centered system because the Bible
                        said so

 

some argue – Luther rejected Copernicus and fought science

 

- for the scientific evidences for creation … stay tuned!

 

Here’s the exciting part …we’ll see scientific evidence for everything that God’s Word declares: the how … when … how long … etc!