PRESENTACION SEYE

8/8/2019 PRESENTACION SEYE

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A Biblical Worldview:

Creation and Sin

Living at the Crossroads

Chapters 3


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Worldview: Getting it right!

Worldview is about getting who

Jesus is right

Jesus is Creator, Lord of history,Redeemer of all, Judge

Worldview is about getting the

gospel rightGospel of kingdom


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Gospel of the kingdom

God is acting to restore his

good but fallen creation to again

live under his gracious rule.

God creates good creation

Sin pollutes the whole creationGod acts to restore the creation


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Creation: The World As

God Meant It To Be


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Creation: The World As God Meant

It To Be

The Creator God


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Relation of God to world

Created by God

Upheld by God

Ruled by God

Permeated by his presence and

glory

Theater of his glory


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Danger ofDeism

World is permeated by Gods

presence

Deism: World devoid of Godspresence

Builds in natural laws and

lives outside world

Like watchmaker


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Apostle Paul and Cardinal

Newman

For in him we live and move and haveour being (Acts 17:28).

God has so implicated Himself with[the creation], and taken it into His verybosom, by His presence in it, Hisprovidence over it, His impressions upon

it, and His influences through it, that wecannot truly or fully contemplate itwithout in some aspects contemplatingHim (Cardinal Newman).


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Herman Bavinck quoting John

Calvin

There is not an atom of the

universe in which you cannot see

some brilliant sparks at least of his

glory. God is immanent in all

creation. The pure of heart see God

everywhere. Everything is full of

God. I confess that the expression,Nature is God may be used in a

pious sense by a pious mind!


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John Manley Hopkins

The world is charged with the

grandeur of God.

It will flame out, like shining

from shook foil;

It gathers to a greatness, like theooze of oil

Crushed.


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Cardinal Newman again

He is One who is sovereign over, operativeamidst, independent of, the appointmentswhich He has made; One in whose handsare all things, who has a purpose in every

event, and a standard for every deed, andthus has relations of His own towards thesubject-matter of each particular sciencewhich the book of knowledge unfolds; whohas with an adorable, never-ceasing energy

implicated Himself in all the history ofcreation, the constitution of nature, thecourse of the world, the origin of society,the fortunes of the nations, the action of thehuman mind.


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Life lived Coram Deo

Latin phrase used 50x inVulgate

In the presence of God orbefore the face of God

Image of Oriental throne room

Servants waiting, alert, aware ofkings presence, ready andprepared to respond to hisbidding


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God is . . .

Present within creation

But also sovereign over andindependent of it

Creator-creature distinction


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It To Be

The Creator God

A good and ordered creation

An ordered creation


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An Ordered Creation: Gods

Originating Word

Let there be . . .

Originating word of God: Godsword which brings shape and

order to the creation

Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6,9;Hebrews 11:3


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An Ordered Creation: Gods

Ruling Word

Ruling word: Gods word which

continues to give shape and

order to the creation momentby moment

2 Peter 3:5,7; Psalm 147:15,18;

Psalm 148:5-8


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Gods Ruling Word

God has called the universe into being out ofnothing, and hence at every moment it hangs

suspended, as it were, over the abyss of non-existence. If God were to withdraw his upholdingWord, then all being . . . would instantly tumbleback into nothing and cease to exist. The

continuation of the universe from one moment tothe next is therefore as great a miracle and as fullythe work of God as is its coming into being at thebeginning (Bruce Milne).


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Creation Order


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Comprehensive Scope of Gods Ordinances

All created life necessarily bears in itself alaw for its existence, instituted by Godhimself. . . . Consequently there areordinances of God for our bodies, for the

blood that courses through our arteriesand veins, and for our lungs as the organsof respiration. And even so are thereordinances of God in logic, to regulate ourthoughts; ordinances of God for ourimagination, in the domain of aesthetics;and so also, strict ordinances of God

whole of human life in the domain ofmorals.

Abraham Kuyper


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Scope of Gods Law

Everything has been created was, in

its creation, furnished by God with

an unchangeable law of its

existence. And because God has

fully ordained such laws and

ordinances for all of life, therefore

the Calvinist demands that all life beconsecrated to His service, in strict

obedience. -Abraham Kuyper


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Response of Creation

Response of non-humancreation: Necessary or

instinctive response to Godsword (laws of nature)

Response of humankind:Creative and responsibleresponse of to Gods word(norms)


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Difficulty in Knowing God Creational Order

Assuming that there are given

standards for economics or art,

what methodological safeguards can

we devise against epistemological

subjectivism in establishing what is

normative in these areas? . . . Do

we have no recourse but to appealto intuition or self-evidence?

Al Wolters


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How do we know Gods will for

_____________?

Scripture

Listening to others from different historical

eras, cultural contexts, confessional traditions

Constancy across time and culture

Gods covenant with creation:

blessing/cursing

Conscience: Intuitive attunement to

creational normativity (Wolters)


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Wisdom

Wisdom is practical knowledge

of the laws of life and of the world,

based on experience (Von Rad)God wisdom: Order established in

creation

Human wisdom: Living inconformity with that order


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Divine and human wisdom

Wisdom [is] wrought into the

constitution of the universe so that

human wisdom is ethical

conformity to Gods creation

(Fleming).

Kosmos: the world held a divine

order and therefore wisdom wasfitting oneself into this divine

order (Gladigow).


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Isaiah 28:23-29

Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.

When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil?

When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway andscatter cummin?

Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in

its field?His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.

Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over

cummin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a stick.

Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go onthreshing it forever.

Though he drives the wheels of his threshing cart over it, his horsesdo not grind it.

All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, wonderful in counseland magnificent in wisdom.


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It To Be

The Creator God


An ordered creation

A very good creation


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Very good of creation

And it was good . . . And God saw it

was very good.

Creation is very good! (1 Tim. 4.1-5) God does not make junk and we

dishonour the Creator if we take a

negative view of the work of his handswhen he himself takes such a positive

view (Wolters).


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Creation is very good

Each part of creation is good as itconforms to Gods creationaldesign

The whole is God in harmoniousdiversity

Illustration: Symphony

Many good sound

Very good of harmony of whole


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Creation as symphony

The creation is a symphony where we find avariety of creatures each singing the praises ofthe Maker in accordance with its uniquecharacter, different from creatures of another

make. The lion is to serve the Lord like alion, the dandelion like a dandelion. Thedifference in service depends on thedifference in the Word addressed to them.The response of the creation to the one all-

embracing Wordserve Me!is thus asymphony of voices in which each type ofcreature performs its unique function in theindispensable setting of the whole (BernardZylstra).


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It To Be

The Creator God


An ordered creation


An historical creation


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Historical nature of creation

God intended from beginning

that the historical development

of creation should continue inthe human cultivation of the

rich potentials of Gods

creation through theresponsible cultural activity of

human beings.


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It To Be

The Creator God


An ordered creation


An historical creation

Role of human beings in Gods

creation


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Humanity in Genesis 1

Climactic moment in creation

story

Announcement ofDivine Kingof intention to create image

Imageshocking claim in

cultural setting

Meaning of image


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Meaning of Image

Radical dependence

Mankinds being as image stresses the

radical nature of his dependence (Henri

Blocher).


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Meaning of Image

Radical dependence

Related to God: Life of ongoing

responseReflection of Gods character

Represent God as steward of

creation


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Religious Core of Human

Existence

Very core of human life is

religious

Dependent on and related to

God

Life as constant response to

God


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Communal Nature of Human

Life

It is not good for the man to

be alone. I will make a helper

suitable for him (Gen. 2:18).

From the very beginning, the

human being is . . . a being-with;human life attains its full realization

only in community (Blocher).


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Creation Mandate (Gen. 1:26-28)

All culture, that is, all work

which man undertakes in order

to subdue the earth, whetheragriculture, stock breeding,

commerce, industry, science, or

the rest, is all the fulfilment of asingle Divine calling.

- Herman Bavinck


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Creation Mandate

Foundational command

Biblical storyline: From garden tocity


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Creation Mandate

Creatio tertia: Forming and filling tostamp Gods glory onto creation

Loving rule not tyrannical dominance

Development and care (Gen. 2:15)

We may press the grapes into wine, but notpollute the vineyard. We may develop

sophisticated technology, but not at the expenseof rewarding human work. We are free to eatof every tree in the garden, but not to spraythem with destructive chemicals for short-termgain (J. Chaplin).


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Creation Mandate

Joy of discovery and accomplishment

Thanksgiving for rich giftsCommunal task


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Creation mandate: Religious

direction of culture

In communion with God

In obedience to GodFor glory of God


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Original Shalom in Creation

The webbing together of God, humans, andall creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight iswhat the Hebrew prophets call shalom. . . . Inthe Bible, shalom means universal flourishing,wholeness, and delighta rich state of affairs

in which the natural needs are satisfied andnatural gifts fruitfully employed, a state ofaffairs that inspires joyful wonder as itsCreator and Savior opens doors andwelcomes the creatures in whom he delights.Shalom, in other words, is the way thingsought to be. . . . In a shalomic state each entitywould have its own integrity or structuredwholeness, and each would also possess manyedifying relations to other entities (Plantinga).


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Sin: The Corruption of

Gods Good Creation


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Treason in the Garden

Tree of knowledge of good andevil

Reminder of creaturely statusSatanic temptation

Doubt: Did God really say?

Unbelief: You will not dieImagination: Your eyes will be

opened

Act of disobedience


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Claim to autonomy

Man has taken leave of the relation

of dependence. He has refused to

obey and has willed to make

himself independent. No longer is

obedience the guiding principle of

his life, but his autonomous

knowledge and will. Thereby heceases, in effect, to understand

himself as a creature (Von Rad).


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Genesis 3-11

Ominous crescendo of sin

Impacts all of life

Relation to God

Relation to one another

Relation to non-human creation


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Sin as Mortal and Powerful Enemy

Tendency to minimize power,

gravity, and scope of sin

Reduced to individual disobedience

Sin is a very vicious and mortal

enemy, an irascible and persistent

power, which must certainly be

known in order to be overcome

(Berkouwer).


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SinFirst Against God

Against you, you only, have I

sinned and done what is evil in

your sight (Ps. 51:4).Revolt against God

Exchange of religious allegiance


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Against God

Idolatry: Serving another god

Adultery: Adulterating an

exclusive relationship

Refusing love to loving Father


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Sin as destructive of human life

Am I the one they are provoking?declares the Lord. Are they notrather harming themselves, to theirown shame? (Jer. 7:19).

Disobedience goes against the verygrain of creation itself. Sin isrebellion against both the structureand the Structurer of reality. Suchrebellion is inevitably self-defeatingand self-destroying (Walsh andMiddleton).


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Sin as Covenant Rebellion

See, I set before you today life andprosperity, death and destruction. For Icommand you today to love the L yourGod, to walk in his ways, and to keep his

commands, decrees and laws; then you willlive and increase, and the Lord your Godwill bless you in the land you are entering topossess. But if your heart turns away andyou are not obedient, and if you are drawn

away to bow down to other gods andworship them, I declare to you this day thatyou will certainly be destroyed. . . . I haveset before you life and death, blessings andcurses. (Deut. 30:1519)


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CovenantDynamic


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Power of Sin

Sin is a power, seductive . . .

damning, an active, dynamic

and destructive force.Sin is a power that seeks to

rule and ruin everyone and

everything.Personal power in Romans 7


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Relation of Sin to Creation

Sin as parasite: Feeds of Gods good creation Goodness is, so to speak, itself: badness is

only spoiled goodness. And there must besomething good first before it can bespoiled. (C.S. Lewis)

Sin is nothing and can do nothing apartfrom the creatures and the powers which Godhas created; yet it organizes all these in openrebellion against him. Sin does not destroy

the creation: the world of human cultureremains . . . part of Gods good creation, butsin corrupts and pollutes. (H. Bavinck)

Sin corrupts, pollutes, misdirects, twistscreation


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Scope of Sin

Defiles individual life

Disfigures cultural and social

life


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Sin Twists Human Social and Cultural

Life: Three Biblical Rules

Every person serves some god

in their life

Every person is transformedinto the image of that god

Together humanity creates and

forms a society in their image


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Forming Society in Our Distorted Image

In the development of humancivilization, man forms, creates andchanges the structure of his society,

and in doing so he portrays in hiswork the intention of his own heart.He gives to the structure of thatsociety something of his own image

and likeness. In it he betrayssomething of his own lifestyle, of hisown god. (Bob Goudzwaard)


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Human Cultural Life Rooted in

Idolatrous Story

religiouscore

STORY


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Scope of Sin

Defiles individual life

Disfigures cultural and social life

Touches non-human creation

The creation was subjected tofrustration, not by its own choice, but bythe will of the one who subjected it. . . .The whole creation has been groaning asin the pains of childbirth right up to thepresent time (Rom. 8:20, 22)


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Three Hopeful Notes

Sin does not belong to the

fabric of the creation: It can be

removedEven before end God keeps sin

from running its destructive

coursePower of gospel is greater than

power of sin

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