Of Creation and Of Providence

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Chapter 4-5

• Of Creation and Of Providence

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In the beginning God created the heavens and the
earthAnd God saw all that He made, and behold,
it was very good. And there was evening and there
was morning, the sixth day (Gen 11, 31).
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• Q. 8. How does God execute his decrees?
• A--God executes his decrees in the works of
  creation and providence.

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Creation

• God made everything out of nothing
• God made man in His own image

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• Q 9. What is creation?
• A--Creation is Gods making everything out of
  nothing by His powerful word in six daysand all
  very good.

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God made everything

• When-In the beginning
• Who-God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• How-Out of nothing (ex nihilo)
• What-Everything!
• Why-To reveal the glory of his eternal power,
  wisdom, and goodness

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Creation Theories

• Secular such as the Big Bang
• http//www.big-bang-theory.com/
• Gap-there is a gap of millions of years between
  Genesis 11 and 12
• Day-Age Views the days of Genesis 1 as extremely
  long ages of time
• Framework View-the six days of Genesis 1 are not
  intended to indicate a chronological sequence of
  events, but rather a literary framework, which
  the author uses to teach us about Gods creative
  activity.

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6- 24 Hour Days?

• Yom and Yamin
• Translated as time in the KJ translation 65
  times.
• Translated as day almost 1200 times.
• Yamin translated as days approximately 700
  times.
• Whenever a limiting numeral or ordinal is
  attached to day in the Old Testament (over 200
  such instances), the meaning is always of a
  literal day.

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• The word DAY is defined the first time it is used
  in Genesis 15 and Genesis 114-19.
• Genesis 23
• Exodus 208-11
• Exodus 3117
• John 517

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God made man in His own image

• Male and female
• Rational
• Immortal (in soul)
• Endowed with knowledge, righteousness, and true
  holiness-the image of God
• Morally able to obey or disobey God
• At liberty to do as the will chooses

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• Under law
• Internal written in their hearts Rom 214-15
• External not to eat from the tree of the
  knowledge of good and evil Gen 216-17
• Happy (in fellowship with God) and with dominion
  over the other creatures

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Chapter 5 Concerning Providence

• Q.11. What is Gods providence?
• A--Gods providence is His completely holy, wise,
  and powerful preserving and governing every
  creature and every action.

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• What God creates He sustains Col 117
• The universe is not only dependent up God for its
  origin, it depends upon God for its continuity of
  existence. Col 115-16

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• All that God designed for glory and happiness as
  the end, he decreed grace and holiness to be the
  means to these ends.
• Rom 828 is a verse that every Christian likes to
  quote. It gives great comfort when life is
  chaotic. However, we cannot claim the comfort of
  this verse without accepting the Divine
  Providence of a Sovereign God directing every
  detail of life.

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• Concurrence refers to the coterminous action of
  God and human beings. We are creatures with a
  will of our own. We make things happen. Yet the
  causal power we exert is secondary. Gods
  sovereign providence stands over and above our
  actions. He works out His will through the
  actions of human will, without violating the
  freedom of those human wills. (Genesis 5020).
  R.C. Sproul

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• Different perspectives on one event of Gods
  providence display justice to one, wisdom to one,
  love to another, etc. One event displaying many
  aspects to many people.
• Example Exodus
• Wisdom preparation of Moses in wilderness
• Power delivery of the people
• Justice meted out to Pharaoh
• Mercy extended to Israel
• The Cross 100 Wickedness of man (human
  responsibility) and 100 mercy of God
  (Providential act of God).

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The final question!

• We see the hand of God in the things that make us
  happy. Do we see the hand of God in the things
  that break us?