Tag: Creationism

God, History, Time and Eternity

Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. (Ps. 90:2)

     The Bible is a record of what matters most to us.  It gives us insights into realities we could never know except that God has revealed them to us in understandable terms.  God has not revealed everything to us, but what He has revealed is perfectly true.  Scripture gives us insight into things eternal and temporal, heavenly and earthly, angelic and human, good and evil, and above all, the thoughts, character, and actions of the Triune God.  We live in time-space history, which is driven by divine choices, angelic choices, human choices, and natural causes.  God’s choices are always supreme, all creatures being subordinate, influenced and controlled.  The Lord allows fallen angels and humans to produce sin and evil, but never beyond or against His sovereign will (Job 1:1-21; Ps. 105:12-15; 1 Kings 22:19-23; 2 Cor. 12:7-10).  God’s providential control over creation guarantees there are no accidents in history, but that all is within His sovereign plan.  “Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps” (Ps. 135:6).  There is no one who can comprehend all His ways, or who can stand against Him when He acts.  “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” (Dan 4:35).

     Most of us think about history in time and space, which began when “God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).  However, according to Scripture, history moves backward and forward beyond time and space and touches things heavenly as well as earthly.  The heavens and earth in Genesis 1:1 refers to material heavens and planet earth.  The Hebrew word translated heavens is plural (שָׁמַיִם shamayim) and refers to:

  1. The atmosphere around the earth (where birds fly; Gen. 1:20).
  2. The stellar heaven which is the universe beyond the earth (Gen. 1:14; 15:5).

Paul mentions a third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2), which is the heaven beyond the universe, and is the place where God rules all things (Dan. 2:44).  Most Christians think of heaven as the place where God rules from His throne.  “Scripture implies the existence of three heavens. The first is the atmosphere above us, that is, the blue sky. The second is the stellar heaven. The third is the highest heaven where the throne of God is.”[1] 

     It is important to be aware of these distinctions because there is both an earthly history and a heavenly history (i.e. the third heaven).  These are connected and touch each other, for things which occur in heaven have direct impact on the earth (Job 1:1-20; 2:1-7; 2 Chron. 18:18-22; Luke 22:31-32), and things which occur on the earth impact things heavenly (Matt. 18:10; Luke 15:10).  The fall of Satan first occurred in heaven (Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:11-18), and afterward he came to earth and influenced the fall of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:1-7; Rom. 5:12; 1 Tim. 2:13-14).  On the other hand, God the Son came to earth and became a man (John 1:1, 14; Gal. 4:4), lived a righteous life (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 John 3:5), died a substitutionary death on a cross (Mark 10:45; Rom. 5:6-11; 1 Pet. 3:18), was buried in a grave, and rose again to life on the third day after His crucifixion (Matt. 20:18-19; 1 Cor. 15:3-4).  In His resurrection body, Jesus bore the wounds of the cross (John 20:24-28) and carried those wounds with Him when He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9-11).  All this reveals that heaven touches earth and the earth touches heaven.

     In the Bible, God occasionally pulls back the curtain of time and space and gives us glimpses into things eternal, revealing a history before time, before the creation of the world.  We learn that God Himself is eternal, for “Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Ps. 90:2; cf. Deut. 33:27; Ps. 93:2; Isa. 40:28; Jer. 10:10).  From eternity past there was a loving and glorious relationship among the members of the Trinity, who exist as three distinct Persons (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 Pet. 1:2): God the Father (Gal. 1:1; Eph. 6:23; Phil. 2:11), God the Son (John 1:1, 14, 18; 8:58; 20:28; Col. 1:17; 2:9; Heb. 1:8; 1 Pet. 1:20), and God the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17; Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor. 2:11-12; 2 Cor. 13:14; Heb. 9:14).  All three Persons are co-equal, co-infinite, co-eternal, and worthy of all praise and service.  The Persons of the Trinity communicated with each other, loved each other, and made decisions and promises which impacted the world and entire course of history.  There was forethought and intentionality to the creation of the heavens and earth, to mankind, to permit the fall of Adam and Eve, and to provide a monergistic solution that righteously judges sin and saves lost sinners.  To deal with sin, the Father designed and prepared a body for Jesus, and this decision was made in heaven, for “when He [God the Son] comes into the world [time and space], He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me’” (Heb. 10:5).  God the Holy Spirit created Jesus’ body in the womb of the Virgin Mary (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23; Luke 1:26-38), for an angel from heaven told her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).  During His time on earth, Jesus lived a sinless life and walked in perfect obedience to God the Father (2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 2:8-11; 1 John 3:5).  Jesus offered a prayer just a few hours before going to the cross, a prayer spoken among His friends, a prayer in which He mentions a glory and love He enjoyed with the Father before the world existed.  Jesus said, “Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5), “for You loved Me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24).  This prayer reveals a wonderful relationship that existed from eternity past, which relationship broke into time and space for our benefit, and resumed its full expression when Jesus returned to heaven.  It was also from their relationship in eternity past that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4), which choosing was secured by means of the cross.  From His eternal choice, God promised us eternal life, which speaks both of a current relationship with the Father (John 17:3), as well as an eternal destiny forever in heaven (John 3:16). 

     Our current experiences are connected with our eternal destiny which is assured to us who are in Christ.  Throughout our earthly life, God works through His Word, through others, and through circumstances to grow us spiritually in order to form the character of Christ in us.  All of God’s work in us is intentional, designed to prepare us for the life we will come to know when we leave this world and enter into His eternal presence.  Life on earth—in time and space—becomes more meaningful when we live beyond ourselves, beyond our struggles, beyond our circumstances and see everything within the context of eternity to which we belong right now.  I say we belong to eternity “right now” because as Christians we possess eternal life from the moment we believed in Christ as our Savior (John 10:28).  Eternal life is not what we can have, but what we have from the moment of salvation onward.  Our eternal life is the forever-life that finds its greatest experiential expression when we leave this world and enter into the presence of God in heaven.  At death, the flow of time ceases and all worldly experience comes to an end when we pass into eternity.  Until then, we enjoy eternal life here and now with God who has saved us and adopted us as His own.

Steven R. Cook, D.Min.

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[1] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1865.

A Biblical Worldview

     Christian-worldviewA worldview is a biased perspective on life. It is a mental framework of beliefs that guide our understanding of what is. It’s the assumptions we employ to help us make sense of the world, ourselves, and our experiences. Early in life—when our perception of the world is being shaped—we are influenced by the worldviews of family, friends, and surrounding culture. As we grow older, we are confronted with different and opposing worldviews via religious and educational institutions, literature, movies, music and art. At some point in our development—it’s different for each person—we choose what we believe and why. Our worldview is important because it’s the basis for our values which directs our behavior, relationships, money habits, social and political decisions, and everything we do. A well developed worldview considers the existence of God (Person or force?), the origin of the universe (intelligent creation or accidental bang?), human existence (where we came from and what we are?), the purpose for life (do we exist for a reason or by chance?), human morals (are values absolute or relative?), the problem of evil (is evil real or merely a construct of the mind), and the future (heaven/hell or nothing). A biblical worldview answers all these concerns. Here are some considerations regarding a biblical worldview:

     Berenstain Bear's Naturalistic WorldviewFaith is at the heart of the biblical worldview. Every worldview operates with some faith assumptions. Even the atheist has faith, most of them believing the universe began with a spontaneous bang and that everything is the product of matter, motion, time and chance. They believe this beyond scientific verification (which requires observation and repeatable testing). This purely materialistic worldview is sometimes found even in children’s literature such as the Berenstain Bears Nature Guide, which states that nature is “all that is, or was, or ever will be.”[1] The Christian worldview operates by faith, and our faith is rooted in Scripture which provides insights into realities we could never know, except that God has spoken. “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible” (Heb 11:3). Developing a comprehensive and consistent biblical worldview takes a lifetime of learning and living (Rom 12:1-2; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18). The final objective of a biblical worldview is love for God, love for others, and submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 

     The Bible reveals the existence of God (Gen 1:1) and portrays Him as Creator (Gen 1:1-2:25). It also reveals His character, what He has done in history, what He is doing now and what He will do in the future. God exists as Trinity (Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 Pet 1:2): God the Father (Gal 1:1; Eph 6:23; Phil 2:11), God the Son (John 1:1, 14:18; 8:58; 20:28; Col 2:9; Heb 1:8), and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor 2:11-12; 2 Cor 13:14). All three Persons are co-equal, co-infinite, co-eternal, and worthy of all praise and service. The three Persons of the God-head are one in essence (Deut 6:4; Isa 43:10; 44:6-8; 45:5, 18), sharing the exact same attributes.[2] 

     My Havanese - AriGod created the universe in six literal days (Gen 1-2; Ex 20:8-11). He created an open universe in which He continually operates in every detail, involving Himself in people’s lives, directing history for His glory. The Lord assigns value and purpose to all His creation, whether rock or flower, wind or rain, light or darkness, cat or dog, etc. From the biblical perspective I perceive my little Havanese as a part of God’s creation, having design and purpose because God created her to be what she is. I know “a righteous man has regard for the life of his animal” (Pro 12:10); therefore, I feel responsible to care for my little dog. “The character of a man is seen in the way he treats those under his care or at his mercy, even when they are animals. This verse demonstrates that we are responsible to have dominion over the animals, while doing so in a way that reflects the tenderness of our Creator (Psa 104:14, 27; 145:16; 147:8-9).”[3]

     God created mankind in His image, to think, feel and act (Gen 1:26-27). God also created mankind for a purpose, to have a relationship with Him and other people, and to exercise responsible dominion over His creation, caring for plants and animals (Gen 1:26-30; cf. Deut 25:4; Pro 12:10). As God’s unique creatures we find ourselves naturally bent Bookstoward art, music, literature, philosophy, science, mathematics, architecture, sports, and other activities that enrich the soul and glorify the Lord. The Christian can engage in art and science to the glory of God, as this is consistent with Scripture. As Christians living in God’s world, and understanding what the Scripture teaches about His creation, we are able to make sense of the world around us and enjoy the creation as God intended. Knowing Scripture also allows us to understand and reject the sinful perversions of the arts and sciences that fallen men have corrupted. Without God and Scripture to guide and give man purpose, man’s uniqueness is lost in the universe, as he is ultimately of no greater value than what he paints on the canvass or studies under the microscope. Biblical thinkers know this to be true; because if there is no God and man is not unique (as the Bible teaches), then he is of no greater value than the tree, the rock, or the worm on a hook. If there is no God, then man is a zero. When he dies, his biological life is consumed by the material universe from which he came. Bertrand Russell wrote:

Bertrand RussellMan is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hope and fears, his loves and beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the labors of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and that the whole temple of man’s achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruin – all these things, if not quite beyond dispute, are yet so nearly certain, that no philosophy that rejects them can hope to stand. Only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built [bold added for emphasis].[4]

     God is the absolute standard for right and wrong, and He expects mankind to conform to that which He has revealed about Himself in Scripture (Psa 11:7; 34:15-16; Lam 1:18; Dan 9:14; Hos 14:9; Zep 3:4). If there is no God, and no written revelation of His character and will, then men are left only with their conflicting opinions and there is no final arbiter to determine what is right or what is wrong. However, God has spoken in the Bible, and what He says about men and their actions is the final basis for correct thinking concerning morals and behavior. 

     Evil exists in connection with the willful creatures who produce it. Evil first came into existence in the angelic realm when Lucifer rebelled against God (Isa 14:12-14; Ezek 28:12-18). Adam and Eve introduced sin and evil into the human realm when they followed Satan and rebelled against God (Gen 2:16-17; 3:1-7). All humanity is corrupt in Adam, inclined toward sin, spiritually dead and powerless to change their spiritually fallen condition (Rom 3:23; 5:6-12; 1 Cor 15:21-22). God alone corrects the problem of sin and evil through the cross of Christ. Evil will come to an end in the eternal state when God destroys the current heavens and earth and creates a new heavens and earth where righteousness dwells (2 Pet 3:13; Rev 20:10-15; 21-22). 

     God is actively involved in the affairs of mankind. God has an agenda, a plan He formed before the creation of the world, and He is currently executing that plan according to His sovereign will and for His own glory (Psa 33:11; Isa 14:24; 25:1; 46:9-11). Within God’s plan, He extends hope for the lost. The Bible reveals God’s plan of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, who took upon Himself true humanity (Gen 3:15; John 1:1, 14), born of a virgin (Isa 7:14; Matt 1:18-25), lived righteously according to the Mosaic Law (Matt 5:17-19; Gal 4:4), never sinned (Heb 4:15), died a substitutionary death on a cross (Mark 10:45; Rom 5:8), was buried and rose to life on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4), and ascended to heaven where He is currently interceding for the saints (Acts 1:10-11; Rom 8:34). Salvation is a gracious and free gift to all who will accept it by faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:16; 1 Cor 15:3-4; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9; Phil 3:9; Tit 3:5).

     Jesus Christ will return again to rule the earth (Rev 19:11-16; 20:1-6). There is a future hope for those who trust Christ as Savior and look forward to His return in which He suppresses all sinful rebellion and establishes His reign on the earth. This will be a time of righteousness and goodness for all those under Christ’s rule (2 Pet 3:13; Rev 20:1-6). 

     In summary, the biblical worldview considers the major issues of life and provides the most comprehensive answer for what is. We should not think of the biblical worldview as merely an academic exercise to answer our burning questions. No. There is real life application for the biblical worldview, which should produce in us a love and appreciation for God, love for others, and submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 

Dr. Steven R. Cook,

Related Articles:

[1] Stan and Jan Berenstain, The Bears’ Nature Guide (New York, NY, Random House, 1975), 6.

[2] God is all-knowing (Ps. 139:1-6; Matt. 6:31-33), all-present (Ps. 139:7-12; Heb. 13:5), all-powerful (Job 42:2; Isa. 40:28-29), sovereign (1 Chron. 29:11; Dan. 4:35; Acts 17:24-25), righteous (Ps. 11:7; 119:137), just (Ps. 9:7-8; 19:9; 50:6; 58:11),holy (Ps. 99:9), immutable (Ps. 102:26, 27; Mal. 3:6), truthful (2 Sam. 7:28; John 17:17; 1 John 5:20), loving (Jer. 31:3; 1 John 4:7-12, 16), faithful (Deut. 7:9; Lam. 3:23; 1 John 1:9), merciful(Ps. 86:15; Luke 6:36; Tit. 3:5), gracious (Ps. 111:4; 116:5; 1 Pet. 5:10), and eternal (Deut. 33:27; 1 Tim. 1:17).

[3] John A. Kitchen, Proverbs: A Mentor Commentary (Scotland, Great Britain, Christian Focus Publications, 2006), 267.

[4] Bertrand Russell, “A Free Man’s Worship” from Mysticism and Logic (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1917).

Jesus, Creator and Savior

       UniverseThe universe originates with God.  The opening verse of Scripture states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).  Creation has features of design because of its infinitely wise Designer.  The Lord created and holds His universe together by His own power (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3).  All the members of the trinity were involved in the creation: God the Father (Heb. 1:2), God the Son (John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17), and God the Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:2).  God the Holy Spirit (Heb. Ruach Elohim) appears in the second verse of Genesis, which states, “And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters” (Gen. 1:2).  From other Scriptural passages we learn that creation came into being by, for, and through God the Son.

In the beginning was the Word [God the Son], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He [God the Son] was in the beginning with God [the Father]. All things came into being by Him [God the Son], and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4)

For by Him [Jesus] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Col. 1:16-17)

God [the Father], after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son [Jesus], whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. (Heb. 1:1-2)

       babyI imagine when God the Son created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He chose their features carefully, knowing a day would come when He would take a body to Himself.  Nearly four thousand years after the creation of Adam and Eve, Jesus was born into history, into time and space, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).  Jesus was born into the human race of Adam (Luke 3:38), in the line of Abraham and David according to biblical promise (Gen. 12:1-3; 15:6; 2 Sam. 7:16).  He was truly human in that He was born of a human, but He was truly unique in that He is truly God and knew no sin (John 1:1, 14; 20:28; Heb. 4:15).  The One who created humanity became a part of humanity, and the virgin conception by means of the Holy Spirit kept Him free from original sin.  To His human mother, Mary, it was said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). 

       The Lamb of GodJesus came into the world for a specific purpose, to save us from our sins that we might have salvation and be called children of God.  The apostle Paule writes, “But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4-5).  Jesus came into the world and lived a righteous life that He might die a substitutionary death in place of sinners.  His atoning death—His shed blood on the cross—paid the redemption price for us that we might receive forgiveness of sins and the free gift of salvation by grace alone through faith alone (Eph. 1:7; 2:8-9).  The worst of sinners are saved by faith alone in Christ as Savior (Rom. 5:6-10).  We need only trust Christ as Savior, believing He died for our sins, was buried, and raised again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3-4). 

Dr. Steven R. Cook