Transcript Document

Presentation 01
Presentation 01
Introduction
Have you ever missed the first 5 minutes of a film and spent the next hour
trying to work out what it is all about? Do you know the sheer frustration
that can produce? Those first 5 vital minutes contained the seed-plot
which would have shaped your understanding of all that followed. Now in
exactly the same way if we fail to grasp the significance of the opening
chapters of Genesis the remainder not just
of the book but of the whole Bible
remains a puzzle with a piece missing.
Presentation 01
Introduction
Perhaps no part of scripture causes some Christians more embarrassment
than the opening chapters of Genesis. When people say to them, “You
don’t really believe that stuff do you? If so then you must have kissed
goodbye to your brains,” they often don’t know what to reply. However, it
is possible to maintain ones intellectual integrity, to be scientific in the best
sense of the word and yet treat these chapters seriously.
But even that is too negative an aim. We need
to realise the importance of these chapters in
shaping our understanding of the whole of
scripture and of the purposes of God in history.
Presentation 01
The Nature of the Chapters
If these chapters constitute a dilemma in understanding then the way in
which we deal with that dilemma is all-important! Some have completely
abandoned the idea that the Bible is the inspired word of God, claiming all
we have here is a record of ancient human traditions and myths that have
been embellished over the years.
The difficulty with this view is that once you
start traveling down the road of fallible human
traditions you are left with no objective basis
for believing anything recorded in the Bible.
Who is going to be the final arbiter of what
is acceptable or authentic and what is not?
What can you safely believe?
Presentation 01
The Nature of the Chapters
A second group, reluctant to rob God of the authorship of this book, argue
that these chapters are poetic in nature and employ symbols and allegories
designed to express important truths. They reject their historicity. But the
entire design and language of these chapters require them to be treated as
history. It’s quite arbitrary to suggest, as some have, that the historical
section of the book begins in chapter 12.
The difficulty of both views is compounded when we
turn to the N.T. and discover that Jesus treated these
Passages, not as myth or allegory, but as history.
Did he get it wrong? If so, he was not who he
claimed to be and if that is so our Christian faith
is futile. It is important to treat these chapters
as history.
Presentation 01
The Nature of the Chapters
What has caused the historical nature of the early chapters of Genesis to be
questioned? We are told that scientific discovery contradicts the teaching of
scripture. People who often have little knowledge of the Bible or of science
comment: “Well of course everyone knows that science has disproved the
Bible”.
These same people might be surprised to find that respected men and
women in scientific fields of enquiry accept that there is no inherent
contradiction between science and scripture.
Presentation 01
The Nature of the Chapters
Indeed, almost all of our modern sciences were founded by Christians who
in the past were committed to the authority of the Bible e.g:
Issac Newton founder of Dynamics,
Johann Kepler founder of Astronomy,
Robert Boyle - Chemistry,
Lord Kelvin - Thermodynamics,
Louis Pasteur - Bacteriology,
Matthew Maury - Oceanography,
Michael Faraday - Electro-magnetics,
Clerk Maxwell - Electrodynamics,
John Ray - Biology…
….the list goes on.
Presentation 01
The Nature of the Chapters
However, it is important to note that the Bible does not claim to be a
scientific textbook. It is not concerned to give detailed accounts of scientific
processes in scientific language but points to the God behind these
processes. The biblical author did not deem it important to devote a great
deal of time and energy to describe all kinds of incidentals e.g. how Noah
disposed of the animal refuse from the ark - that is not germane to the
story of Noah.
The historical material is intentionally
selective and serves the writer’s purpose
to unfold God’s relationship with man.
We will see that science and scripture
need no be in conflict.
Presentation 01
The Purpose of the Chapters
So much for the nature of these chapters what of their purpose? The word
‘Genesis’ means “Beginning”. The writer’s principal concern is to record the
beginning of human history. He describes the perfection of God’s original
creation - how God intended life to be for man. But we also have the
beginning of human sin and its consequences as God’s good world is
shattered . One further important beginning is that of God’s published plan
of salvation. A plan to restore man and God’s
world to its former glory.
Presentation 01
The Purpose of the Chapters
What then is the immediate purpose of the passage before us? The
opening verses do not attempt to prove the existence of God. They begin
by plainly stating, “In the beginning God.” The rejection of the existence of
God is a comparatively recent phenomenon.
Some moderns insist they will not believe in
anything that they cannot see or understand.
“We are twenty first century men of science,”
they say. Unfortunately their approach is
often quite inconsistent.
Presentation 01
The Purpose of the Chapters
Many things cannot be seen with human eyes but their existence is not
doubted by men of science e.g. electrons. Or think of something as simple
as gravity. We do not fully understand it but that does not prevent us from
believing in it.
People do not say, “I do not understand
gravity therefore I will live as though it
does not exist. I plan to walk off the 15th
floor of an apartment building and will
not stop until I step onto the roof of
another building 200 metres away”.
We do not understand gravity but
conduct our daily lives believing in
its existence.
Presentation 01
The Purpose of the Chapters
The focus of the opening chapter is not upon the ‘how’ of creation and the
mechanics that brought the world into being but on the ‘who’ of creation.
The question the author sets out to answer is, ‘who is responsible for the
origin of our world?’
Sadly, because this account of creation, which is meant to thrill our hearts
and blow our minds with wonder, has come under increasing attack,
creation has been robbed of its grandeur
and God displaced in his universe.
As it is when we begin to ask
questions about the origin of
the world there are very few
options are open to us;
Presentation 01
The Purpose of the Chapters
First, there is the view that the universe has always existed - the steady
state theory. It accepts that the world has changed, developed, evolved but
claims there was never a time when matter did not exist. This idea, which
was developed in ancient Greece has been rejected by the majority of the
scientific community today, who in turn believe that the universe is not
infinite either in space or in time. It believes that the universe had a definite
beginning - a big bang- and that it will have a definite end.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics describes
a universe undergoing a process of
deterioration - the sun is getting
cooler and in time could not
support life on earth.
Presentation 01
The Purpose of the Chapters
A second approach to the origin of the universe can be summed up in the
word ‘chance’. At some remote point in history ‘nothing’ became
‘something’! By chance, ingredients accidentally appeared and produced a
spontaneous creation - a big bang.
Now suppose for a moment you could take everything in the world and
compress it into a heavy molecule only 3 centimetres in diameter. You still
require to explain how that molecule got
there or how it could form the complexity
of the present universe.
This view presupposes the existence
matter, and leaves us, where we were with no explanation for the
beginning of things.
Presentation 01
The Purpose of the Chapters
Thirdly, there is the answer given in Genesis, that this universe was created
and that its existence points towards a power and intelligence greater than
the universe and which willed it into existence.
Gen. 1 goes beyond and perhaps behind the ‘big bang theory’ to describe
the beginning of the universe. It reaches back beyond the basic
material and energy required to bring the universe
into being. It begins with God who created the
universe ‘ex nihlo’, out of nothing.
Presentation 01
The Purpose of the Chapters
Think for a moment, if we are God’s creatures then our minds and
reasoning faculties were created by him and given to us that we might
reach out after him. Those who refuse to accept the God of creation and
who deny his existence believing themselves to be objects of chance face a
significant difficulty.
How can they trust their reasoning faculties since
by definition these too, like the rest of their
Universe, would be subject to rules of chance
and randomness.
Presentation 01
The Purpose of the Chapters
Furthermore, our sense of worth as human beings depends in part upon our
origins. Am I simply the product of a freak galactic occurrence that took
place billions of years ago or, am I the result of a wise and loving design?
Some years ago Alex Haley’s book ‘Roots’ was serialised on T.V. The reception
given to the series surprised programme planners and
awakened in men and women a quest to discover
more about their own past. Libraries had unusual
demands placed upon them as men and women
attempted to find out more about their own roots.
Educational Curriculum planners built the topic
into their courses at College, Secondary and
Primary School level!
Presentation 01
The Purpose of the Chapters
Government records offices were flooded with enquiries from people
seeking ancestral information. Grandparents were being asked more
questions than ever before and old family photographic records were pulled
out of cupboards. Family trees were being produced almost ad nausium.
What explanation was given for this phenomenon?
The author of ‘Roots’ was convinced that his book
had demonstrated that a consciousness of one’s
past gave people a sense of dignity in the present
and direction for their future. It illustrated
people’s passion to make sense and meaning
out of their lives.
Presentation 01
The Purpose of the Chapters
‘Ah’, you say ‘but there is so much which the creation account leaves unsaid,
there is so much we do not understand’.
What sort of universe do we demand? C. S. Lewis responds to the question
in the following manner;
“If it were small enough to be cosy, it would not be big enough
to be sublime. If it is large enough for us to stretch our
spiritual limbs in, it must be large enough to baffle us.
Cramped or terrified, we must in any conceivable
world be one or the other. I prefer terror. I
should be suffocated in a universe that
I could see the end of”
Presentation 01
Conclusion
The last chapter in one of Dorothy Sayer’s detective stories in which the
solution to her mystery is unfolded is entitled, “When You Know How, You
Know Who”. These opening chapters of Genesis tell us who created without
giving us many answers about how. The message and purpose of these
chapters is this; You have seen the sea, the sky, the sun the moon and stars…
You have watched the birds and
fish. You have observed the
landscape, the vegetation,
the animals the insects, all
the big things and all the
little things together…
Presentation 01
Conclusion
… You have marvelled at wonderful complexity of human beings with all
their powers and skills and the deep feelings of fascination, attraction, and
affection that men and women arouse in each other. You see the part that
you can play in bringing new life into the world and marvel.
Fantastic isn’t it?
Well now meet the One who is behind it all.
Having enjoyed these works of art
come along and meet the artist.
Since you were thrilled by the
music, take up the invitation
to meet the composer.
Presentation 01