Maker Of Heaven And Earth Series

Introduction

As we continue our series in The Apostles’ Creed I would like to examine today what it means to believe in God the Father Almighty as the maker of heaven and earth. Please listen as I recite the Apostles’ Creed:

I believe in God the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

and born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended into hell.

The third day he rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy Catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

The following story is told of Sir Isaac Newton who, many years ago, had an exact replica of our solar system made in miniature. At its center was a large golden ball representing the sun, and revolving around it were small spheres attached at the ends of rods of varying lengths. They represented Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the other planets. These were all geared together by cogs and belts to make them move around the “sun” in perfect harmony.

One day, as Newton was studying the model, a friend who did not believe in the biblical account of creation stopped by for a visit. Marveling at the device and watching as the scientist made the heavenly bodies move on their orbits, the man exclaimed, “My, Newton, what an exquisite thing! Who made it for you?”

Without looking up, Sir Isaac replied, “Nobody.”

“Nobody?” his friend asked.

“That’s right! I said nobody! All of these balls and cogs and belts and gears just happened to come together, and wonder of wonders, by chance they began revolving in their set orbits and with perfect timing.”

The unbeliever got the message! It was foolish to suppose that the model merely happened into existence. But it was even more senseless to accept the theory that the earth and the vast universe came into being by chance. How much more logical to believe what the Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

This, of course, echoes what the Apostles’ Creed says when it states that God is the maker of heaven and earth.

Lesson

In our study of the Apostles’ Creed we have now come to the statement that affirms that God the Father is the Creator of all things. The Bible—as well as the Apostles’ Creed—teaches us that God is the maker of heaven and earth. Let’s see what the Bible has to teach us about the creation of heaven and earth.

I. The Views of Creation

First, let’s look at the views of creation.

Every human culture has sought to answer the question of the origin of the world and of man. There are a number of different views for the origin of the world and of man. The various views for these origins may be classified under four categories.

A. Atheistic View

First is the atheistic view.

Those who deny any existence of God or any spiritual entity as the source of the world are classified as atheistic.

The best known of the atheistic views is that of evolution. In purely naturalistic evolution matter is eternal. It contains within itself the germ of development. The world is in a constant state of evolving.

The problem with this view is that it asserts the eternity of matter and even more problematic, of course, it denies the existence of God (at least with respect to his activity in creation). It also postulates that the present form of the universe, with all of its complexity, has all come into being through chance.

At a 1981 symposium, Sir Fred Hoyle said: “The chance that higher life forms might have emerged in this way (through evolutionary processes) is comparable with the chance that a tornado sweeping through a junkyard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the materials therein.”

As Christians, of course, we do not believe that the atheistic view of creation is in conformity with the teaching of God’s Word. The Bible is very clear that God exists, and also that this world was created by God.

B. Dualistic View

Second is the dualistic view.

Dualism comes from Greek philosophy, which posits the eternity of both spiritual and material substances. The spiritual is called God, and he is seen as using the matter to create or form the world.

The problem with this view is that it denies the sole, absolute, eternal, and independent nature of God, by making matter co-eternal and co-existent with him. Moreover, it limits him in the creation, and his control over the universe.