ACT 1: GOOD CREATION. Genesis 1:1-5, 26-31

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2 ACT 1: GOOD CREATION Genesis 1:1-5, 26-31

3 Working definition of the Bible: The Bible is a library of writings that are both divine and human, that together tell a unified story, which leads us to Jesus.

4 The Story of God Act 1: Creation Act 2: Fall Act 3: Israel (Covenant) Act 4: Jesus (New Covenant) Act 5: Restoration

5 Creation Narrative: 1. A different kind of story 2. Answering a different set of questions 3. Inviting us into a different way to live

6 I can t imagine how nature, in the case the universe, could have created itself. And the very fact that the universe had a beginning implies that someone was able to begin it. And it seems to me that had to be outside of nature. Francis Collins

7 An evolutionary worldview may not lead to superstition, as Enuma Elish did, but it will lead to relativism, because there are no absolute values, only the values you decide to assign to things. It will also lead, if you follow its logic through, to nihilism, a loss of absolute meaning, because there is no inherent significance to the accidental organisms of the world, only the significance you choose to attach to them. John Dickson, Doubter s Guide to the Bible

8 Ancient worldview: you are an afterthought to serve the gods Modern worldview: you are an accident to do what you wish

9 Creation Narrative: 1. A different kind of story 2. Answering a different set of questions 3. Inviting us into a different way to live

10 If we try to turn Genesis One into an explanation of modern cosmology, we are making the text say something that it never said. It is not just a case of adding meaning it is a case of changing meaning. Since we view the text as authoritative, it is a dangerous thing to change the meaning of the text into something it never intended to say. John Walton, Lost World of Genesis One

11 Creation narrative provides answers for the two most fundamental questions that all philosophies and religions answer in different ways: Where are we? And Who are we? That is to say, first, what is this universe in which we find ourselves? Where did it come from and why does it exist and is it even real? And, then second, What does it mean to be human? Are we gods, or merely animals that have evolved a bit further than the rest? Does human life have any value, meaning and purpose? Christopher Wright, The Mission of God s People

12 Creation Narrative: 1. A different kind of story 2. Answering a different set of questions 3. Inviting us into a different way to live

13 If you are a geologist studying rocks, you have to go and find the rocks. They will not come to you, and if you go to them they cannot run away. The initiative lies all on your side. They cannot either help or hinder. But suppose you are a zoologist and want to take photos of wild animals in their native habitats. That is a bit different from studying rocks. The wild animals will not come to you: but they can run away from you. Unless you keep very quiet, they will. There is beginning to be a tiny little trace on initiative on their side

14 Now a stage higher; suppose you want to get to know a human person. If he is determined not to let you, you will not get to know him. You have to win his confidence. In this case the initiative is equally divided it takes two to make a friendship. When you come to know God, the initiative lies on His side. If He does not show Himself, nothing you can do will enable you to find Him. CS Lewis, Mere Christianity

15 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:1-3