Beginning with Moses and the Prophets Part IV Mar 31 2019

Beginning
with Moses and the Prophets

Part IV
- Creation of the World - Foundation of Foundations

Genesis
1: 1 - 2

Introduction

            In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
- (v.1)-

We left
off last with the first three words of the book of Beginnings - “Bereesheth
bara Elohim”; In the beginning God created - or literally, In the
beginning, created God” -

            Elohim, the Divine name of God,
stresses His majesty, His all powerfulness - Elohim, the ending, ‘im’ in the
Hebrew is a plural ending and used when referring to the many gods of the
heathen, (Psalm 96:5).

            It is used in the singular in verse
1 as the mighty name of God. It is used over two thousand times in the singular
in Scripture as it is here in verse one.

            It is a plural name with a singular
meaning - defined as a ‘uni-plural’ noun. It suggests a uni-plurality of God.

            God is one, yet more than one-

            Also, the grand mystery of the
Trinity is well encased in the first three Hebrew words of Genesis - Beresheeth
bara Elohim - because the name God -Elohim - is in the plural and the
verb ‘created - bara - is in the singular, so that God (plural) created
(singular).

            For one we have, that God is a unity
- Deuteronomy 6:4, Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!
1 Corinthians 8:5-6, even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven
or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is
but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one
Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

            Yet we are told explicitly and
equally clear that God is three persons. Matthew 28:19, make disciples of
all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit,  2 Corinthians 13:14, grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you
all. And all three were active in creation -Gen. 1:1,2- God & the
Spirit; John 1:1-3,10- God & the Son; the Son in Colossians 1:15-17- He
is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him
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 through Him and for Him; & Hebrews 1: 1-3-
God, 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, whom He
appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is
the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and
upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of
sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

            We meet then, the breathtaking, the
awe-inspiring, overwhelming Triune God in the first three words of Biblical
revelation. Elohim - God!

(2)-
Created, bara! Used
always only of the work of God. Only God can create - to create, call into
existence that which had no existence.

The
verb ‘bara’ contains the idea both of complete effortlessness, dong something
with no effort whatsoever - and to create something out of nothing, just saying
it into existence.

Romans
4:17, in part -even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being
that which does not exist.

            The word create here in this first
verse informs us that at this point, the physical universe was spoken into
existence. I underscore the word ‘physical’. Prior to this creative act of God,
the universe had no existence.

            It’s hard to understand that there
is an eternal God who had no beginning, that is wholly independent of the
material universe, beyond all known physical laws. ... beyond both the universe
and knowledge (is beyond the grasp of our human mind).

            But we’re not alone, Scripture tells
us in Ecclesiastes 8:17- and I saw every work of God, I concluded that
man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man
should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though the wise man should
say, “I know,” he cannot discover.

            The only other choice is the concept of an
eternal, self-existing universe; and that also is beyond anyone’s
understanding! In fact, it takes more faith to believe in a self existing non
living matter, than a living eternal God.

So we
have either Eternal God or eternal non-living matter as the only choices.

Take
into consideration the discovered laws of ‘cause & effect - that is, there
can’t be an effect (something happening) without having a cause, (something
that makes the effect happen).

The law
of cause & effect shows us that it is impossible for random particles,
taken by themselves, generate a complex, orderly, intelligible universe, let
alone living beings capable of applying intelligence to understanding the
complex order of the universe.

That
leaves us with the fact that only a personal God is the acceptable, adequate
cause to produce such effects --- In the beginning, God, created -

3)
Heaven(s) -

The
word in Hebrew is Shamayim, and like the word Elohim, the ending ‘im’, is a
plural noun that is translated either heaven or heavens depending on the
context, if it is associated with a singular or plural verb.

It
doesn’t mean the stars of heaven, they were created later on what is the fourth
day of the week of creation.

In The
Beginning

            I know this is the first words of
the verse - that aside, the verse speaks of the creation of space, time,
matter, and also the beginning of time.

The
universe is actually a ‘continuum’ of space, matter & time - As simply as I
could understand it, one of them can’t have a meaningful existence without the
other two. Matter, which includes energy, has to, must function, operate, in
both space & time. Space can be measured and be accessed to sense
observation, that is to see, only in terms of the things, entities, that exist
and the things that happen in space, & these require both matter &
time. And time is only meaningful in the terms of things & events that
exist & transpire during time, these likewise require space & time.

Are you
following me? If not, don’t worry, I had a hard time following this also.

Dr.
Henry Morrison paraphrases Gen. 1:1 as follows: The transcendent,
omnipotent Godhead called into existence the space-mass-time- universe. We
have a tri-unity, in which each component is coexistent & (here’s a big
word) coterminous, all having the same boundary existing in space-time. We can
say that the universe is not part of space, part of time, & part matter,
but rather, all space, all time, all matter. A true tri-unity.

God;
the Father is all God, the Son is all God, the Spirit is all God, a true
trinity though the term is not used in Scripture.

I don’t
want to be misunderstood here, I am not by any means equating God and the
universe as being the same thing.

Date of
Creation

            The big question that is always
asked. Can a date be placed when the event of Genesis 1:1 took place? There
have been a great number of men that have labored diligently in the attempt to
formulate a chronology of the Bible, but the fact that all disagree with each
other demonstrates that the problems are serious and the issue still unsettled.
In your inserts you will find some of the difficulties that hinder the work,
along with some of the calculations, dates for the creation. Additionally I
have inserted brief excerpts from Dr. Gerald Schroeder on the Age of the
Universe which may interest you. He is is an Orthodox Jewish physicist.

TRANSITION

            God & the Earth
--- Verse 2 -- The earth was formless and void, [waste & emptiness],
and darkness was over the surface, [face], of the deep, and the Spirit of God
was moving, [hovering], over the surface, [face], of the waters.

            Moses here brings us down to earth
level and we see the earth as uninhabitable. In the Hebrew the term translated
as “without form & void” serves as an expression for a place that is
disordered & empty. A place where nothing can live & therefore
uninhabited. The exact opposite of what it will be like after the six days of
creation.

            Spread out over the uninhabitable earth
was “darkness”, serves to emphasize emptiness. We can’t penetrate darkness, but
to God, darkness is transparent. Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.
(Psalm 139:12) - God was there.

            Under the darkness & covering
the earth was the deep, the primeval ocean. Genesis commentator Umberto Cassuto
gives us this picture:

            Just as the potter, when he
wishes to fashion a beautiful vessel, takes first of all the lump of clay, and
places it upon the wheel in order to mould it according to his wish, so the
Creator first prepared for Himself the raw material . . . with a view to giving
it afterwards order of life . . . It is this terrestrial state that is called tohu
& bohu. (Formless & void).

            Above the primeval chaos floated
unutterable beauty, “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of
the waters. This picture in words comes clear in Deuteronomy 32:11
where Moses uses the same word to describe, an eagle that stirs up its
nest, That hovers over its young;           The
Spirit of God like a nurturing bird over the dark in preparation for day one.

            The beauty of these opening words
become clear as we see that the word SPirit in Hebrew also means “breath”.
Therefore, God’s creative “breath hovered over the water, and on day one His
breath would come forth as speech - Psalm 33: 6 makes this connection - By
the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

And by
the breath of His mouth all their host.

            The Spirit is to God’s word as
breath is to speech. On day one God would speak light into existence & that
light shining in the darkness. Paul make the application to this truth to our
dark hearts in 2 Corinthians 4:6 - God, who said, “Light shall shine out
of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  

            In the same manner the Spirit of God
fluttered over the dark waters, so He over the dark hearts of humanity,
preparing them for the Word of God that will make them into new creations in
Christ Jesus.

            God created the heavens &
the earth, He can make you new as well. if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.-- anyone
who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; (2
Corinthians 5:17)

            In the beginning was God. In the end
God will still be. Genesis is about God, the universe & you, us. Genesis is
about grace.

            May the grace of God abound in you
& me as we study the Book of Beginnings, the Foundation of Foundations.
Amen!

           

Considering the Passion of Our Lord

As I was sitting here at home thinking on the Message which I delivered last Sunday, “The Sunflower - Are there Limits on Forgiveness” - and began to considered my own ‘Alexander the coppersmith’ - Though never having have a word from him, when I recall the things said I consider the words of Christ as recorded in Matthew 6:15, “if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Still knowing that “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who [can] really know how bad it is? (Jeremiah 17:9); I remember the Psalmist words that “There is no one who does good. God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there is anyone who understands, Who seeks after God. Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one. [And I can add to that, not even preachers], (Psalm 53: 2-3)

Then Paul, (the other one, the Apostle), writes in his letter to Timothy, “. . . though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.(1 Timothy 1:13-15). If Paul said he was the chief of sinners, then how dare we, with so much less grace and salvation, lay claim to anything higher? No matter how much grace one has received from the Lord he can never get beyond the place where he is reckoned a sinner. “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8)

So I can truly say with the Apostle Paul, “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.”

Can there be Limits on Forgiveness?

The Sunflower

Limits on Forgiveness?

Matthew 6:12; 18:21-35; Ephesians 4:32

Introduction

A couple of years ago,maybe three, Mak & I went to hear Albert Moehler speak at Bull St. Baptist. It was also a book signing & presentation on his book “We Cannot Be Silent.”

Moehler is straight forward and one of the few who can be called a sage not intoning sarcasm. He speaks with authority to call readers to action.

The first chapter he opens by quoting Savannah born Flannery O’Connor, “you have to push as hard as the age that pushes against you.”

Moehler believes the church, I take that to be “the church” the body of Christ, that is you and I, is the pillar & foundation of the truth. It is the responsibility of the church to speak to the culture.

His book opens up the cultural & ethical shifts that have led to the legalization of same sex marriage. It is in essence a defense of the Biblical definition of marriage & calls Christians to speak the truth regarding marriage to the culture around us. The title of the book again, is We Cannot Be Silent. It is the last word of the title that brings us to today’s message. -- SILENT --

The Sunflower; Wiesenthal, in the narrative, relates how one day they come across a military cemetery and on each grave there there was planted a sunflower. The sight of the sunflowers aroused thoughts in him, that he would come across them again; they were a special symbol with meaning for him. After the war, in a field he saw a sunflower and as he continued looking around he saw other sunflowers growing. He became lost in thought, and remembered the cemetery and a grave of a young SS man where there now would be a sunflower growing.

Some may have read or heard of the book The Sunflower, I’m sure all know who Simon Wiesenthal was.

He was a prisoner in about five concentration camps during WWII, and the book is an account of his experience as a prisoner in the concentration camps.

He describes the anti-semitism in the Polish culture before the German occupation; and the life in the concentration camps, the continuous humiliations, the hunger, the illnesses & constant threat of death.

In the center of the narrative is the story of him being summoned to the death bed of a young Nazi soldier who had been wounded in combat; he calls him Karl.

Karl confesses to simon his activities against the Jewish people which he did the service of the Nazi regime, & tells Simon that he cannot die in peace unless Simon, a Jewish person, forgives him for the things he has done to the Jewish people.

After hearing the confession, a detailed confession, Simon leaves the room without giving forgiveness. That experience, of not forgiving, haunted Simon for a long time

After the war Simon located Karl’s mother in Stuttgart, German, & visits with her & listens as she tells him of Karl’s youth, his Catholic upbringing, & Karl’s rejection of his parents’ values in joining the SS.

Simon decides not to tell Karl’s mother rather, as he says, “than shatter her illusions about her dead son’s inherent goodness.”

Simon has writes of the insolent replies & mocking grins of many of the accused Nazi’s. He says, “it is difficult for me to believe that my repentant young SS man would have behaved in that way . . . yet ought I to have forgiven him? Well, I kept silent when a young Nazi on his deathbed, begged me to be his confessor . . . was my silence at the bedside of the dying Nazi right or wrong?”

The central point, the critical point in this issue is the question of forgiveness. One can forget something, that is something that time alone takes care of. But forgiveness is an act of volition, it is an act of will, of choosing; one makes a decision to forgive. Simon makes what may be considered, for us, a critical comment, that “only the sufferer is qualified to make that decision.”

I would reply to that, “yes & no.” Simon than asks of those who have read “this tragic episode” in his life, if you change places with him then ask yourself, “what would I have done?”

The second part of the book called, “The Symposium,” is made up of the responses of fifty-three distinguished men & women from theologians, political leaders, jurist, psychiatrist, victims of attempted genocide in Bosnia, Cambodia, China & Tibet.

The responses are as varied of the experiences of respondents - I haven’t read them all, but of the ones I have I found the reply of Edward Flannery to be, let me say, more in line with the gospel. Flannery was a Roman Catholic Priest, an outspoken opponent of Anti-Semitism. Known well for his book “The Anguish of the Jews: Twenty-three Centuries of Anti-Semitism” -

Flannery writes that “The Sunflower” presents us with the important moral question: Is it permitted to refuse forgiveness to a  sincerely repentant malefactor?

Our author refuses a forgiveness requested by Karl, an SS man who had been actively involved in a heinous military action, but who now is close to death & repentant. Simon refused simply by walking away from Karl. But apparently not so simply from himself -

The decision to visit Karl’s mother gives evidence of his uncertainty & guilt feelings & his refusal to reveal to her the atrocities Karl had indulged in, tempted as he was It is difficult not to see these waverings as a leaning towards atonement.

Flannery continues saying that though he can understand Simon’s refusal, he finds it difficult to defend it.

It is here where I noticed a difference between some of the other respondents and, I’ll call him Father Flannery.

He continued by saying that anyone holding “allegiance” to our judeo-Christian heritage & has any sense of the horrors & of the savagery of the Nazi perpetrators can’t come easily to a decision on Simon’s very painful dilemma -

A cardinal principle of Judeo-Christian ethics is that forgiveness ‘must always’ be granted to the ‘sincerely’ repentant.

Here I stalled for a time on the word ‘sincerely’ in that, that would involve in knowing the heart of the person and which for us is really not possible - for only God knows the heart.

Flannery does add that in the New Testament there is an exception being the ‘unforgivable sin’ against the Holy Spirit in Mark 3:29; But this refers to a person’s rejection of God & therefore precludes any relation to forgiveness of humans.

Transition

Flannery does quote from one of our Scriptures for today, when Jesus answers Peter’s question of how often must one forgive - Jesus answering, “seventy times seven - That is to say, Always -

Well, Flannery answers Simon’s question saying: “what would I have done in Simon’s predicament? I would - I do hope - forgiven him and, as an obstinate believer, suggested to him that he make his peace with God by asking Him, [God], for His forgiveness, and taken full advantage of the situation and uttered a prayer for the repose of his soul . . .”

Let me here ask those here and those who may be viewing this message; I’ll make it personal, if we were face to face with Leslie Van Houten, what would you truly do? I know how one in particular would respond and it is sad.

In Closing

As of today, in the past week 50 people were killed in ChristChurch New Zealand, three in the Netherlands along with countless Christians in the continent of Africa.

Going back eighteen years to September 11, 2001; 3,000 people killed by Islamist terrorist and the subsequent Islamist terrorist attacks on U. S. soil, in Europe and in the Middle and Far East.

With very few exceptions, I have yet to see, of all the rhetoric on social media by “Christians”, any single word on “forgiveness” for the perpetrators of any terrorist violence here and in the world. Even among “Christian preachers” there is a caveat thrown in.

One of our Scripture verses today is from Matthew 6:12, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors -- This request, St. Augustine called it, “The Terrible Request” - He realized that if one is asking with an unforgiving heart, one is actually asking God not to forgive them -    In verses 14 & 15 Jesus continues, if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. And in Matthew 18:34 & 35 as He finishes the parable of the unforgiving servant, in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

There is no doubt that Jesus meant what He said & said what He meant . . .

I want to be clear, I want all to know that I speak from my heart , we need, I include myself above all, to be very careful of our words of condemnation against any & all people that may have done wrong. Our words determine where our hearts are. Jesus said . . . the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45). And we can read His words in Matthew 12:36-37, I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Now, If your heart is hard, then it will show by what you say. Hebrews 12:15–16 warns, “Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

One can stay silent, like Simon Wiesenthal, but then again God still knows your intentions. Psalm 44:21 tells us that He knows the secrets of the heart, I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:10).

Can you, will you, forgive?

Let’s pray, Almighty God, with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. You have said in Your word that you will give us a new heart, and a new spirit You will put within us. And remove the heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. Above all, help us Lord to guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life”

We beseech you Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, Amen!

Remember, Recommit,

Beginning with Moses Part III Genesis 1:1 - 2 Mar 10, 2019

Beginning with Moses and the Prophets

Part III - Creation of the World - Foundation of Foundations

Genesis 1: 1 - 2

Introduction

            In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth - (v.1)-

A)- Genesis is the foundational book, the book of beginnings, the book of foundation - In the first eleven chapters we see, they constitute the foundation of all of Genesis & the greatest influence on the New Testament - by the same token, the first chapter of Genesis is the foundation of the first eleven chapters of this book, in that it puts in summary form the creation of the earth & everything therein -

If you can follow me, we have that the first verse of the first chapter is foundational to the foundational chapter, the primeval history of the creation of the universe.

Verse one (1) is the foundation of all foundations & so it is the most important verse, sentence, in the Bible, Holy Scripture.

It has been said that is a person really, truly, believes Genesis 1:1, that person won’t have any difficulty in believing anything else recorded in the Bible.

And that is, God created all things & controls all things.

This one single verse refutes all of man’s philosophies that concern the origin & the meaning of the world.

You have seven (7) of these issues listed in your bulletin inserts.

All these philosophies, in reality, are only different ways of expressing, saying, the same unbelief.

Each one proposes that there is no personal transcendent God -  No God that is far beyond, way above the range of normal human experience - no God that exists apart from & isn’t subject to the limitations of the material universe. Each one these philosophies, state that reality is only found in the eternal cosmos, the eternal universe.

Each one of these philosophies embraces all the others; they are all intertwined - [read from bulletin insert]

Also in the bulletin are listed other philosophical ideas that are incorporated into this structure - [read bulletin] -

The thing is, all of these are diametrically opposed to the great truth.

It’s amazingly simple and understandable to a child; even though it does state something of infinite wisdom, wisdom with no limit - Listen closely; In the beginning, God created . . .

The book never ever makes an attempt to prove that God exists. The first verse so matter of factly states it; it takes the fact that God exists as though only a moron could say, there is no God. (Psalm 14:1).

This is amazing, especially when you consider the countless anti-theistic philosophies both ancient & modern that attempt to disprove the existence of what these sages say doesn’t exist -

That is, trying to prove non-existence of “nothing”.

All of these ancient & modern religious systems & books & philosophies begin, not with God, but with a pre-existing matter or energy in some form or another.

They say that in the earliest stages of the void that did exist, the forces of nature began to bring about the changes in the cosmos that developed the world into the form it has now.

Even though that all these evolutionary, pantheistic theories of the origin were prevalent among the nations, & still are -here just as much, the inspired account in Genesis doesn’t try to refute them, nor does it attempts to prove the existence of the True God.

It could be because the Genesis account was circulated verbally or written before any of these other systems, religious beliefs developed - The other were developed for the purpose of combating & replacing the true account in Genesis - all spread by the enemy of God.

It may be that God Himself gave this information verbally or written, soon after creation, setting forward in a simple narrative form the actual events of Creation Week.

At that very point in time, there wasn’t any need to argue about the reality of God & the creation since nobody doubted it then.

B)- God & the Beginning -

If we are to fully, totally understand anything in the Bible, even in the world in general, it is very important that we first understand the teaching the teaching of Genesis 1:1.

Let’s consider the following declaration in verse one (1); In the beginning, God created the heavens & the earth -

(1)- God - Derek Kidner, British Old Testament scholar has pointed out that it isn’t any accident that God is the subject of the first sentence of the Bible because His name in the Hebrew Scripture here is Elohim, and dominates the whole chapter, It, Elohim, occurs, by my count in the Hebrew - English interlinear, is thirty (30). Some commentators say 31, others 33.

Whichever of the two it is, the readers can’t fail to catch it with their eyes. Kidners point is, that this section, this chapter - inclusive the entire book of Genesis is about God from start to finish.

God, Elohim, the Divine name in Hebrew, stresses His majesty & omnipotence, His all-powerfulness.

The ‘im’ ending is the Hebrew plural ending; Elohim can actually mean “gods”, that is how it’s translated in various passages referring to the gods of the heathen, (Psalm 96:5).

In verse 1, though, it is clearly used in the singular, as the mighty name of God the creator. The name Elohim is used over two thousand times in the singular, as it is here. Elohim is a plural name with a singular meaning, defined as a “uni-plural” noun. So it suggests the uni-plurality of the Godhead.

God is one, yet more than one.

The grand mystery of the Holy Trinity is well encased in the first three Hebrew words of Genesis - Beresheeth bara Elohim - because the name God -Elohim - is in the plural and the verb ‘created - bara - is in the singular, so that God (plural) created (singular).

On the one hand, the Bible teaches that God is a unity - Deuteronomy 6:4, Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 1 Corinthians 8:5-6, even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

 And on the other hand it explicit and equally clear that God is three persons. Matthew 28:19, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,  2 Corinthians 13:14, grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. And all three were active in creation -Gen. 1:1,2- God & the Spirit; John 1:1-3,10- God & the Son; the Son in Colossians 1:15-17- He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him 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 through Him and for Him; & Hebrews 1: 1-3- God, 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, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

So it is that we meet the breathtaking, awe-inspiring, overwhelming Triune God in the first three words of Biblical revelation.

(2)- Created, bara! Used always only of the work of God. Only God can create - to create, call into existence that which had no existence.

The verb ‘bara’ contains the idea both of complete effortlessness, dong something with no effort whatsoever - and to create something out of nothing, just saying it into existence.

Romans 4:17, in part -even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.

The use of the word create here in this first verse informs us that at this point, the physical universe was spoken into existence. I underscore the word ‘physical’. Prior to this creative act of God, the universe had no existence.

It is impossible, for me at least, to fully understand, to comprehend, the concept of an eternal transcendent God, but I don’t feel bad about it, nor ashamed because God Himself has said in Ecclesiastes 8:17- and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover.

Of course, the only alternative is the concept of an eternal, self-existing universe; and that also is incomprehensible!

Eternal God or eternal non-living matter are the only choice.

If you take into consideration the discovered laws of ‘cause & effect - that is, there can’t be an effect (something happening) without having a cause, (something that makes the effect happen).

In still calm water in a pond, you can’t have any ripples unless something causes those ripples; something kind of outside force, the ground moves, a thrown pebble into the pond to disturb the water. It’s not rocket science.

With the law of cause & effect, it is impossible for random particles, taken by themselves, generate a complex, orderly, intelligible universe, let alone living beings capable of applying intelligence to understanding the complex order of the universe

Even Aaron tried to snow his brother Moses when he said, he told the people, Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf. (Ex. 32:24).

Only a personal God is the acceptable, adequate cause to produce such effects --- In the beginning, God created.

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