CIM Briefing Papers

C.I.M. Outline #3

          THIRTEEN MAJOR CONCEPTS OF BIBLICAL CREATION

(If we had no scientific knowledge of origins, and only what the
Bible tells us, what would we know?  The following is a brief
outline of the Bible's teaching on origins.  It is not meant to
be exhaustive, but we think it includes the major ideas.  A
Christian who believes in the absolute authority of the Bible
will begin his quest for knowledge about origins with the Bible's
teaching as a given.  All other observed facts and assumptions of
science will be interpreted in its light.  The teachings of
science will never be used in such a way where an interpretation
of Scripture becomes forced, e.g. seeing the pattern and
progression of evolution in Genesis One.)

A.   The Agent of Creation is the personal, eternal, triune God
     of the Scriptures.

     1.   All the Persons in the Godhead had a part in the
          Creation.

          a.   Gen. 1:1.  "In the beginning God ("elohim").

          b.   The Father.  "But to us there is but one God, the
               Father, of whom are all things..."  I Cor. 8:6.

          c.   The Son.  The stress is on the Son as the agent of
               Creation.
 
               "Through him all things were made; without him
               nothing was made that has been made." Jn. 1:2

               "but in these last days he has spoken to us by his
               Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and
               through whom he made the universe."  Heb. 1:2.

          d.   The Holy Spirit.  Gen. 1:2.  "and the Spirit of
               God was hovering over the waters."

     2.   Creation is related to the Divine Decree.

          a.   Stated:  "The decree of God is His eternal
               purpose, according to the counsel of His own will,
               whereby, for His own glory, He hath foreordained
               whatsoever comes to past."  (from the Westminster
               Confession).

          b.   Scripture:  Eph. 1:11. ..."who works out
               everything in conformity with the purpose of his
               will,"

          c.   Summary:  A choice was made showing "thought" and
               "will".  See also I Pet. 1:20 and Titus 1:2. 
               Before anything was created, before time, love and
               communication existed. 

     3.   The question of Why God created.

           a.   God had no need or compulsion to create in the
                sense that He had to create.

                To say that God had to create is to say that God
                had need.  God is in no way dependent upon His
                creation.  He is eternally existent and self-
                sufficient.

           b.   He created out of his own free will (sovereign
                pleasure) to manifest His own glory". Ps. 19:1;
                Isa. 43;7.

     4.   How did God Create?

          There is no "how" to creation.  "How" suggests a
          process.  There was no process.  Creation was "fiat",
          i.e. it was simply projected ("called") into existence
          by God's omnipotence.  Heb 11:3

          There were, however, stages to creation as we see in
          Genesis One.

B.   Creation was planned.

C.   Creation is purposeful. (teleological)

     Ps. 104:24; Job 28:24ff; Prov. 3:19, 8:27; Jer. 10:12.

D.   Creation was Supernatural  (creation ex nihilo).

     1.   It cannot be observed, so it is a faith tenet.

     2.   Not out of "nothing" but starting from "nothing".

     3.   This concept was entirely foreign to the Biblical
          world, and still is, outside of Judaism, Christianity
          and Islam.

     4.   The universe is not an extension of Himself.  It does
          not emanate from God.  God is wholly transcendent from
          His creation.

E.   Time began simultaneously with creation.  God is a timeless
     and eternal being.  Past and present are the same with God.

F.   Creation was Sudden. 

     1.   There was no time interval between nonexistence and
          existence.  There is no sign of a long drawn-out
          process in Scripture.

          a.   Ps. 33:6-9; Ps. 148:1-6.

          b.   "Let there be light and there was light" Gen. 1. 
               Paul compares the suddenness of creation with the
               suddenness of spiritual conversion.  See II Cor
               4:6 and 5:17.

     2.   Note the miracles of Jesus.  (especially in John's
          gospel)

          Note the disciples' response on one occasion:  "What
          manner of man is this, that even the wind and sea obey
          Him".

G.   Creation had the appearance of age.

     It is essential that the creation had some appearance of
     age.  Adam was created as an adult.  It is doubtful that God
     created the sediments with fossils.  Such an assumption
     would appear to make God deceitful.  The sedimentary
     layering and fossil record is more likely to be explained by
     the great catastrophic flood in Gen. 6-8.

     Some examples of creation with apparent age can be found in
     the some of the miracles of Jesus, e.g. changing water to
     wine and the feeding of the five thousand.

H.   The Creation is Revelatory (autobiographical)

     "...creation is the most beautiful book of the Bible..."  M.
     Luther

     "There is `not one atom of the universe' in which his
     divinity does not shine forth."   H. Bavinck

     1.   Psalm 19:1ff. Romans 1:19,20.

          All nature points to God.  It symbolically illustrates
          spiritual truth.  The Bible presents its worldview
          primarily through pictures.

          (before Gutenberg men were picture-oriented not word-
          oriented)

     2.   This makes man special since he is created in God's
          image!!!  Gen. 1:26ff.

          "Man was created an analogue of God; his thinking, his
          willing, and his doing is therefore properly conceived
          as at every point analogical to the thinking, willing
          and doing of God."  C. Van Til

I.   The Universe is not a closed system.  God can re-order it if
     He so desires.  Therefore, Christians believes miracles are
     possible.

     1.   Gen. 28: 10ff.

     2.   The Incarnation.  God the Son entered His creation.

     3.   Col. 1:17.

     4.   God is immanent in His created works.  He has not 
                    abandoned His creation as the Deist supposed.

     5.   He superintends creation, i.e. holds it together.  Col
          1.17.


J.   There is a spiritual side to creation.  The creation is not
     reducible to material.

     Biblical Creation teaches dualism of material and spiritual. 
     There are spiritual beings, and man himself has a spiritual
     dimension.  Col. 1:16.  Angels created first.  Job 38:7.

K.   Creation is not occurring to day.

     Gen. 2:2.  The Bible's view of creation conforms to the
     First law of Thermodynamics.

L.   The Creation is not now in its normal state.

     1.   The fall affects all.  Gen. 3, Rom. 8:19-22.

          Therefore a Biblical creationist has an explanation for
          evil.

     2.   The universe is running down.  Creationism conforms to
          theSecond law of thermodynamics.  De-evolution is
          taking place.

M.   Man is a special creation of God.  He is Qualitatively
     different from the animals.  Only man was created in the
     very image of God.  Man is a fellow creature, but there is a
     gulf between man and animal life.  God called animals into
     existence, but He personally fashioned man with His own
     hands.  See the accounts in Genesis 1 and 2. 
 

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