Genesis 1:1a
The first four words of the Bible are a foundational statement of faith and belief.
1In the beginning God Genesis 1:1
Faith - (Easton’s Bible Dictionary) Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true (Phil. 1:27; 2 Thess. 2:13). Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. It admits of many degrees up to full assurance of faith, in accordance with the evidence on which it rests.
Faith is the result of teaching (Rom. 10:14–17). Knowledge is an essential element in all faith, and is sometimes spoken of as an equivalent to faith (John 10:38; 1 John 2:3). Yet the two are distinguished in this respect, that faith includes in it assent, which is an act of the will in addition to the act of the understanding. Assent to the truth is of the essence of faith, and the ultimate ground on which our assent to any revealed truth rests is the veracity of God.
Historical faith is the apprehension of and assent to certain statements which are regarded as mere facts of history.
Belief - Merriam-Websters Dictionary - 1: a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing
2: something believed especially : a tenet or body of tenets held by a group
19You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. James 2:19
The first eleven chapters of Genesis are the foundational texts for the entire Judeo-Christian belief system.
There are 68 direct references in the New Testament that refer back to these foundational chapters of Genesis
JESUS
19“For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will.
Mark 13:19
LUKE (PAUL)
24“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;
Acts 17:24
PAUL
3By 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.
Hebrews 11:3
JOHN
5Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, 6and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer,
Revelation 10:5-6
"..in this era of history, the most attacked part of the Bible's history is Genesis 1-11. When people understand they can trust the history of the early chapters of Genesis, they can better understand and be more responsive to the gospel - the gospel that is based on that history." Ken Ham in the introduction of How Do We Know the Bible is True? Volume 1
Intro to the series - Prepare of Impact - Embracing A Biblical World View.
The Impact Series for the first three months will be about our World View. Preparing for Impact requires the disciple of Jesus Christ learn to view the world, and their place in the world, through the Biblical lens. In this series we will be studying Genesis 1-11, exploring foundational texts and doctrines that must govern our perspective of so many of the issues we are confronted with today.
Have you ever stopped to consider what it is that defines your world view? Each one of us must come to terms with the fact that deep down inside of us there is something that we fall back on or rely on for guidance, for decisions, for direction. As I asked above, if it’s not the Bible, than what is it? Whatever it is shapes our world view - or how we see and interpret the world around us - all the way from government to relationships, to our faith. Today each one of us is constantly bombarded with so much information, how do we decipher and discern what is true and what isn’t? How do we know if what we are reading in a book or on the internet is congruent with what God wants of us? If we don’t even consider this, than we don’t have a Biblical World View.
The unfortunate reality is, most Christians today don’t even recognize the great battle that is taking place all around us for our very mind and souls. The more we watch TV news, the more we read magazines and newspapers, the more we spend time in the movie theater and on the internet, the less time we are exposed to God’s Truth. Ultimately, this means those other sources shape our world view more than the Bible.
As I write this, I do so recognizing that not everyone believes anymore that the Bible is authoritative in all aspects of life or that it is infallible. The Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective states in Article 4 “Other claims on our understanding of Christian faith and life, such as tradition, culture, experience, reason, and political powers, need to be tested and corrected by the light of Holy Scripture.” For many in the Church today, this “confession” seems to be turned around so that we now need to test the Scripture in light of current “scientific” or physiological or “medical” discoveries. When we take this stance we no longer have the Bible as the source of our World View. Instead, we have taken the place, or put others in the place, of God. We, or they, know better than God’s Word.
So, in 2013, what are you going to do about this? Are you going to allow the things of this world to shape what you believe more than God’s Word? If your decision is no, then commit right now to reading the Bible every day! Commit, right now, to studying what God’s Word has to say about what the world is struggling with today - abortion, homosexuality, violence, greed, fiscal responsibility.... The list goes on and on! Commit today to praying and asking God to expose what lies you have been deceived by so that you can stand firm on the foundation of God’s Word, the Bible! Commit today to be Impacted by the Word so that you can have an Impact in the World that is rooted in Truth.
For the atheist, the beginning of Genesis makes no sense at all. They believe there is no God. So, if God is not, then what?
Atheism - the belief that no deity exists, whether the God of Scripture or otherwise.
We are our own authority. From Refuting Moral Relativism by by Dr. Phil Fernandes
Nietzsche preached that a group of "supermen" must arise with the courage to create their own values through their "will to power." Nietzsche rejected the "soft" values of Christianity (brotherly love, turning the other cheek, charity, compassion, etc.); he felt they hindered man's creativity and potential....
Many other atheists agree with Nietzsche concerning moral relativism. British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) once wrote, "Outside human desires there is no moral standard." A. J. Ayer believed that moral commands did not result from any objective standard above man. Instead, Ayer stated that moral commands merely express one's subjective feelings. When one says that murder is wrong, one is merely saying that he or she feels that murder is wrong. Jean-Paul Sartre, a French existentialist, believed that there is no objective meaning to life. Therefore, according to Sartre, man must create his own values.
There are many different ways that moral relativists attempt to determine what action should be taken. Hedonism is probably the most extreme. It declares that whatever brings the most pleasure is right. In other words, if it feels good, do it. If this position is true, then there is no basis from which to judge the actions of Adolph Hitler as being evil.
We are accountable to no one.
So ultimately, what you think is good for you, is good for you. It doesn’t matter what I think, or what others think. Ultimately, you do believe in a god, as an atheist - the god is you.
The result of such belief...
18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Romans 1:18-20
The Christian believes there is a God - but how and why? We hold the Bible as the authoritative book that points to the reality of God’s existence. So, if God is, then what?
Theism - belief in the existence of a god or gods specifically : belief in the existence of one God viewed as the creative source of the human race and the world who transcends yet is immanent in the world
We are under the authority of God.
18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Matthew 28:18
We are accountable to our Creator!
11For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall give praise to God.” 12So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 14:11-12
Since God is then we must be willing to submit to the fact that He has created all things, and that His Word is the Authority by which we live, learn, breath, and interpret all that He has created!
17“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. John 17:17
"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8
