GOD THE LOVING CREATOR Genesis 1 11 10

GOD, THE LOVING CREATOR Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 1

Respect The Bible And Science “Usually, even a non-Christian knows something about the earth, the heavens. . . and this knowledge he holds to as being certain from reason and experience. Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn. . . If they find a Christian mistaken in a field which they themselves know well and hear him maintaining his foolish opinions about our books, how are they going to believe those books in matters concerning the resurrection of the dead, the hope of eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven, when they think their pages are full of falsehoods and on facts which they themselves have learnt from experience and the light of reason”? The Literal Meaning of Genesis , vol 1 (Augustine, 5 th century AD Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 2

Respect The Bible And Science Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. 1 Chr 16 vs 30 1 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure. Psa 93 vs 1 5 He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. Psa 104 vs 5 ‘For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world. 1 Sam 2 vs 8 b Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 3

Respect The Bible And Science 2 Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Psalm 111 vs 2 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Rom 1 vs 20 Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 4

God Is The Eternal Creator 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Gen 1 vs 1 -2 Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 5

God Is The Eternal Creator. . . as it is written ( Isa 64 vs 4): ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ – the things God has prepared for those who love him – 10 these are things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. 1 Cor 2 vs 9 Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 6

God Is The Eternal Creator 11‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. ’ Rev. 4 vs 8 b-11 Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 7

God Creates ‘Out Of Nothing’ 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. Heb. 11 vs 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. John 1 vs 3 We are told that Abraham the father of our faith believed in the ‘God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. Rom 4 vs 17 Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 8

God Creates ‘Out Of Nothing’ 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Col 1 vs 16, 17 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. Heb. 1 vs 2, 3 Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 9

Mankind is special (1). . . In our relationship to the Creator 26 Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. ’ 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Gen 1 vs 26, 27 Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 10

Mankind is special (2). . . In our relationship to the rest of creation 28 God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. ’ 29 Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food. ’ And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day. Gen. 1 vs 28 -31 Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 11

Mankind is special (2). . . In our relationship to the rest of creation The main point of Christianity was this: that Nature is not our mother: Nature is our sister. We can be proud of her beauty, since we have the same father; but she has no authority over us; we have to admire, but not to imitate. This gives to the typically Christian pleasure in this earth a strange touch of lightness that is almost frivolity. . . To St. Francis, Nature is a sister, and even a younger sister: a little, dancing sister, to be laughed at as well as loved. ― G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 12

God Loves to Celebrate ‘God said’. . (vs 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26) (He loves to communicate) ‘there was evening and there was morning’ (vs. 3, 4, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31) (He rejoices in the passing of time) ‘God saw that it was good’ (vs. 10, 12, 18, 21, 24 & 31 ‘very good’) (He enjoys what He has made. Matter is good) Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 13

God Loves to Celebrate “Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. ” ― G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 14

GOD, THE LOVING CREATOR Genesis 1 -11. 10. 15 (A. Grant) 15