More Than Medicine
More Than Medicine
DWDP - Genesis 1:1 In the Beginning
Ever grappled with the tensions between science and faith, particularly when it comes to the origins of the universe? Let me take you back to my college days, when I found myself caught in the crossfire of evolutionary theory and the biblical teachings of Genesis. It was a time of profound questioning and self-discovery, and through the works of esteemed scholars like Henry Morris and Ken Ham, I was able to reconcile my beliefs and gain a deeper understanding of the creation narrative. In this episode, we embark on an exploration of Genesis 1:1, uncovering the profound beginnings that shape not just the text, but the very essence of humanity, sin, and divine covenants.
As we journey through the creation story, consider the foundational themes of God's covenants with figures like Noah and Abraham and their significance in the history of Israel. Engage with our community and share in this exploration that challenges us to view scripture with an openness to the miraculous, seen through the lens of an all-powerful God. This episode also serves as a gateway into Genesis chapter 2, where more insights await. For those seeking further enrichment, visit the Jackson Family Ministry's social media and website for additional resources, books, and speaking engagements. Thank you for your support and may the Lord bless you abundantly.
https://www.jacksonfamilyministry.com
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Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus is more than enough for the ills that plague our culture and our country. Hosted by author and physician, Dr Robert Jackson.
Speaker 2:Papa, can you tell me a story? Do you really want me to tell you a story? Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Welcome to Devotions with Dr Papa. Gather around, grab your Bibles and let us look into the written Word, which reveals to us the living Word which is our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:I'm going to begin a new series looking into the book of Genesis. We'll start with the very first verse in the book of Genesis which says in the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth. Now let me back up and share with you when I began college, in College in microbiology, as a microbiology major, that it was taken for granted that evolution was the manner by which you and I arrived as human beings on the planet. Evolutionary dogma was taught in every class in the physical sciences and, of course, that created for me a crisis of faith. I was raised as a Christian, going to a Baptist church, and Genesis 1 through 11 was taught to me as biblical truth and I knew immediately that if evolutionary dogma were true, that Genesis 1 through 11 could not be true. I was fortunate that my pastor in my home church understood the dilemma that I was going through and he provided for me scholarly books that helped me resolve the crisis. I was also fortunate that the scientific creation movement was in its infancy at that time and the scholarly writing of men like Henry Morris and Ken Ham and others was appearing on the scene, and it helped me to understand that there were highly intelligent scientists who were Christians but who also believed that Genesis 1 through 11 were accurate and scientifically supported. And as we go through Genesis 1 through 11 over the next few weeks, probably months, I will sprinkle through the teaching the things that I learned then and continue to learn now. If you have students who intend to go to college in the basic sciences, I would encourage you to listen to the teaching as we go through.
Speaker 2:So let's begin in Genesis, chapter 1. I want you to understand that Genesis is a book of beginnings. It's the beginning of creation, when God spoke the heavens and earth into existence. It's the beginning of mankind, when God breathed life into Adam and Eve, the first man and the first woman. It's the beginning of sin, when Lucifer rebelled against God and took with him a third of all the angels. It's the time when Eve, then Adam, succumbed to Satan's temptation and sinned against God. This was the original, the first sin of mankind. It's the beginning of the curse, the curse on the serpent. And when God said that there would be enmity between your seed and her seed, it's the beginning of the curse on women with painful childbearing. It's the beginning of the curse on man in arduous labor and both physical and spiritual death. It's the beginning of physical strife with one man against another, where we see the first murder when Cain killed his brother Abel.
Speaker 2:It's also the beginning of covenants. It's also the beginning of covenants and we see the first promise that God gave to man in Genesis, chapter 9, when he told Noah after the worldwide flood that he would never again destroy the world by a worldwide flood, and the sign of the covenant was the rainbow in the clouds. And then, in Genesis 12, he institutes a covenant with Abraham and the covenant goes like this Now the Lord said to Abram this was before his name was changed go forth from your country and from your relatives and from your father's house to the land which I will show you, and I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great, and so you shall be a blessing, and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. That was the first covenant that God made with Abraham. Well then, in Genesis 15, he reiterates this covenant and tells Abraham, when he is a very old man, that he's going to have a son, that out of him will come a great nation, and then that he will give him the land on which he walks. Then, in Genesis 17, there's another covenant, the circumcision covenant, that sets the Jewish people apart physically as their adherence to God's laws sets them apart spiritually. Well then, lastly, there's the beginning of the nation of Israel, where the 12 sons of Jacob, whose name is later changed to Israel, they become the Hebrew people. They become the chosen people, chosen by God, unique among the nations. And it's the Hebrew people that give us the holy scriptures, who give to us the knowledge of God and, ultimately, through them, christianity becomes a reality. And, unfortunately, the Hebrew people reject the Messiah. And yet these people are hated by all nations. And why is that? It's because they were chosen and loved by God.
Speaker 2:Now, before we start with Genesis, verse 1, I want us to talk a moment about presuppositions. We all approach Scripture with certain presuppositions. Typically, those presuppositions are collected subconsciously and without much forethought. Now let me give you a syllogism. One presupposition goes like this give you a syllogism. One presupposition goes like this God is, he is all-powerful, therefore the miraculous is possible. Let me say that again God is, he is all-powerful, therefore the miraculous is possible. If that is the presupposition with which you approach Scripture, then you will read the Scripture eagerly and with the eyes of faith and you accept the miraculous component like a child. And in fact, jesus said to us that unless you accept these things like a child, you remember, accept these things like a child, you remember.
Speaker 2:Now there's another presupposition, another way of approaching Scripture, in which you say God is, or perhaps is not, he is not all-powerful and therefore the miraculous is not possible. And if that is your presupposition, then you will read Scripture with skepticism and with little or no faith. Now, what is the basis for your presupposition? Is there a rational basis for either one? Well, let me say this there are authors who write entire books on apologetics that attempt to answer these questions, that try to answer the question does God exist? And that's not my purpose. Today. We will operate from the first presupposition.
Speaker 2:In fact, in the book of Hebrews, the writer of Hebrews tells us that we must approach God with the eyes of faith, and you've heard that many times in Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 1 and 2. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen For. By it the men of old gained approval Verse 6,. And without faith it is impossible to please him. For he who comes to God must believe that he is, in other words, that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. So when you and I come to God, when we read the scriptures, we must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. So that's going to be you and me today, as we approach these scriptures. I trust that you will put on the eyes of faith and that you will diligently seek Him. So, with the eyes of faith, we will approach these scriptures today. So let's begin.
Speaker 2:Let's begin in Genesis, chapter 1, verse 1, and we're going to begin with the word God In the beginning. God, that word is Elohim, a Hebrew word, and it is the name of God that emphasizes his majesty and his omnipotence, the. I am ending, elohim. I am the ending. There is the Hebrew plural ending. However, it is clearly used here in the singular as the mighty name of God the Creator, the first of over 2,000 times where it is used in this way. Thus, elohim is a plural name with a singular meaning. It's a, a uni-plural noun, thereby suggesting the uni-plurality of the Godhead. God is one, yet more than one, and of course, if you're just the least little bit of a Bible scholar, you know that God is one yet three. He is a trinity. Now move on.
Speaker 2:In verse 1, we go to the next word God created the word. There is bara, b-a-r-a, bara, and this is a remarkable word and it's used only of the work of God. Only God can create. That means only God can call into existence that which had no prior existence. The scripture says he calleth those things which be not as though they were Romans 4, 17. Let me say that again. He calleth those things which be not as though they were Romans 4, 17. Let me say that again. He calleth those things which be not as though they were. And then, in Hebrews 11, 3, the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. You see, the things that were made. They weren't made out of things that appear, they were made de novo. They were made out of nothing. Mankind can make things or form things, but they cannot create things. That is the prerogative of God, the Creator.
Speaker 2:The next word is heaven. God created heaven. The Hebrew word there is shamayim. That corresponds to our word for space, such as when we speak of the universe of space and time. Shamayim means space. God created space. So when it says God created the heavens, it means he created the universe of space and time. Keep moving.
Speaker 2:God created the heavens and the earth. The word for earth is Eretz, e-r-e-t-s, which equals matter, matter in the universe. Now it's not talking about planets or the stars or the moon. None of that was created until the fourth day. Here the earth had no form. That's what verse 2 tells us, which we'll get to later. Earth had no form initially. Tells us which we'll get to later. Earth had no form initially. So this verse refers to the creation of matter which could later be organized into structured earth and sun and moon and planets. So God created the heavens, that's the space. Then he created Eretz, matter, created the earth, which is the matter, that things were later constructed into, planets and earth and stars and moons Now go backwards a minute, it says in the beginning.
Speaker 2:The Hebrew word for this phrase is Bereshith, bereshith. This phrase notes the beginning of time, not just space and matter. None of this can have a meaningful existence without the other. The paraphrase of verse Genesis 1-1 could be in the words of Henry Morris the transcendent, omnipotent Godhead called into existence the space, mass time universe. Let me say that again the transcendent, omnipotent Godhead called into existence the space, mass time universe. For you see, these three things have to exist together, otherwise any one of them alone has no meaningful existence.
Speaker 2:In the beginning, god created time, space and matter, and the fact that God created a tri-universe with space, time and matter, and the fact that God created a tri-universe with space, time and matter strongly suggests the possibility that he Himself is a tri-unity, although this passage doesn't plainly state that it's so. The universe is not just time and space and and matter. It's not part time, it's not part space and it's not part matter, but it is all space, it is all time and it is all matter, and so a triad, which means he is part God, part Father, part Son, part Spirit. He's all Father, all Son and all Spirit. He is a triunity, as the universe is a tri-universe and it makes sense that a triune God would make a tri-universe that reflects His own person. In the beginning, bereshith God created time, space and matter.
Speaker 2:And let me read that phrase to you, that paraphrase that Henry Morris coined the transcendent, omnipotent Godhead called into existence the space, mass, time, universe. And that's the first sentence in the Bible that just about everybody reads. When they pick up their Bible If anybody in the whole world ever picks up a Bible they open it. They look at the very first sentence and they read in the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth. Now, with the eyes of faith, we accept the statement that in the beginning, before there was any sun, moon, stars or planets, god existed in eternity past, totally separate from any created entity, until the moment he spoke the heavens and the earth into existence. In other words, god created de novo. That means out of nothing. He created something out of nothing by the power of His spoken word.
Speaker 2:It's often been pointed out that if a person really believes Genesis, chapter 1 and verse 1,. He will not find it difficult to believe anything else recorded in the Bible, that is, if God really created all things, then he controls all things and can do all things. Now let me conclude with a quote by SM Lockridge. It's entitled God Came from Teman. That's a verse in Habakkuk, chapter 3 and verse 3, and that's exactly what the verse says God came from Teman.
Speaker 2:Teman is a word that means nothing and nowhere. He came from nothing because there was nothing to come from Coming from nothing. He came from nothing because there was nothing to come from Coming from nothing. He stood on nothing because there was nothing to stand on. Standing on nothing, he reached out for which there was nothing to reach, and reaching out for nothing. He caught hold of something and hung something on nothing and told it to stay. He took the hammer of his will and struck the anvil of his omnipotence, and sparks flew therefrom and he caught them in the tips of his fingers and flung them out into space, bedecking the heavens with stars, and nobody said a word because there was nobody to say anything. Then God said that's good. You're listening to devotions with Dr Papa. If you like what you hear, I pray that you would share it like it follow or download, and then come back next week and we'll look at Genesis, chapter 2. And we'll continue to look at the days of creation. May the Lord bless you. Real good.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry, dr Jackson's books, or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, instagram or their webpage at jacksonfamilyministrycom. This podcast is produced by Bob Sloan Audio Production at bobsloancom.
