In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

In the Beginning: Genesis 1:1

The Galatians 3:28 Ministry

Rob Martorana

January 20, 2017

Today we will look at what the Bible says about creation. We will also

look at what science says about creation. Sometimes the Bible says one thing

and science says another. When the Bible and science disagree, I believe the

Bible. You should, too, and I’ll explain why. But first let me explain why God

wants me to preach on this topic.

I have spent a great deal of my adult life pondering the issue of

creation. Creation fascinates me. But I do not want to preach based on what is

interesting to me. That’s silly!

God led me to this scripture because the first verse of Genesis is vital to

your faith. If you doubt this verse, it’s like putting a little bit of sand in your car’s

gas tank. If you doubt this verse it’s like putting a little bit of cyanide on your

English Muffin. If you doubt this verse it’s like getting a little bit of cancer in

your lungs.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” It’s critical

that you believe this verse with your whole heart. If you doubt it, your faith will

wind up in critical condition, your faith will wind up in intensive care, and your

faith may even wind up in the morgue.

In some ways, this humble verse is the hinge on which your entire faith

turns. If you doubt Genesis 1:1 you will doubt the book of Genesis. And if you

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doubt the book of Genesis, you’ll doubt the Bible. The book of Genesis is the

door to faith and Genesis 1:1 is the hinge on that door.

I hear what you’re thinking: “Who cares? This has nothing to do with

salvation.” Or maybe you’re thinking: “I am sick, broke, alone, and addicted. All

this talk is a waste of time. Just give me Jesus!”

Well, you’re dead wrong.

You are dead wrong because Genesis 1:1 is vital to your faith. This

verse is vital because doubt has weakened the faith of many disciples.

You need rock solid faith in the entire Bible. When the darkness of the

midnight hour sweeps over your timid soul you need to know your Bible is

absolutely, positively, 100% true, in all that it affirms. The Bible is without error,

and certainly without error about the most basic things it describes!

Doubt is a weed that can choke off the fruit of your faith. Do not let the

Devil sow seeds of doubt about what the Bible says, and certainly not doubt

about a foundational Scripture such as Genesis 1:1.

And don’t be selfish! Preaching is not always about you and your

needs. Many souls are lost each and every day because of the doubts that the

Devil is sowing about Genesis 1:1. The Devil is spreading the seed of doubt,

and these weeds have sprouted among every race, class, and nation.

A Side Note About Doubt

By the way, do you know what you’re supposed to do with your doubts?

You’re supposed to doubt them. And do you know what you’re supposed to do

with your beliefs? You’re supposed to believe them. We’re supposed to

believe our beliefs and doubt our doubts.

But we get it all mixed up. We wind up believing our doubts and

doubting our beliefs. Don’t do it! Put your doubts in the trash where they

belong.

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After you put out the trash you need to grab hold of the righteousness

that God has commanded! Grab hold of God’s precious promises! Grab hold

of the abundant life, the power of prayer, and the joy of your salvation. Drop

your doubts and grab hold of your beliefs!

What the Bible Says

Let’s turn to what the Bible says about creation. The first book of the

Bible says there was a beginning to everything we see, and that God created

“the heaven and the earth.”

Have you ever meditated on what this means? Or do you just say to

yourself: “Well, I believe it. I guess. I’ll just pray for faith to believe.”

Wow—that sounds like a lazy Christian to me. God gave you a mind,

didn’t He? Jesus said in Matthew 22:37:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy

soul, and with all thy mind.”

You shall love the Lord with all thy mind. Did you stop reading the verse

before you got to the end? It’s not that long.

Isaiah 1:18 says:

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your

sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be

red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

And Romans 12:2 says:

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the

renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and

acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Renew your mind! Jesus commanded us to love God with all our mind.

We need to think sometimes!

I’m tired of lazy Christians who don’t want to use their minds. You know

you can tell? They talk like a parrot, repeating words without understanding

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what they’re saying. Or they memorize scattered portions of God’s word but

they don’t meditate on it. And as soon as you ask them a question about a

Bible verse, they get upset. “Don’t make me think! That hurts!”

And it gets worse when a lost soul asks a question. A lazy Christian

can’t answer in plain English. They can’t answer because they don’t really

know what they believe. So they get mad when a question reveals their

ignorance of the Bible and of God’s will.

Laziness is one way to misuse your mind. Here’s another: You always

like to have your own spin on the Bible. You use your mind, but you use it to

follow men and not Christ. Paul warned us about intellectual vanity in

Colossians 2:8:

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,

after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not

after Christ.

And Peter warned us about the vanity of hidden mysteries in Second

Peter:

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private

interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of

man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy

Ghost.

2 Peter 1:20-21

The Bible is a public book that is subject to public interpretation. We

don’t get to privately choose how to interpret it. We come together to reason,

to learn, and to meditate on God’s laws and His promises. So let’s use our

mind when we read the Bible, starting with the first five verses of Genesis.

Biblical Creation

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

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2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness

was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved

upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided

the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called

Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

God created the heaven and the Earth on the first day. And the Bible

says that God completed all of creation in six days.

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it

was very good. And the evening and the morning were the

sixth day.”

Genesis 1:31

God created everything in six days of 24 hours each, and God rested

on the seventh day. That is why we rest on the Sabbath. (Genesis 2:3 and

Exodus 20:8-10)

Some people might debate the word “day” in Genesis. Some people

say this word could mean “ages of time.” Some say the word day is being

used metaphorically rather than literally.

I believe that God created the universe in six days of 24 hours each

because that is how the word “day” is used throughout Genesis. Six days also

makes sense because God commands us to rest on the Sabbath day just has

He rested on the seventh day.

The Sabbath rest is a single day of 24 hours. God doesn’t not

command us to rest for a Sabbath “age” or some metaphorical time. God

commands us to rest for the same period of time that He rested. So six-day

creation makes sense.

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That’s what the Bible says about creation. Now what does science say

about creation?

Science and Creation

The consensus among scientists today is that the universe evolved

over billions of years. There was an explosion called the Big Bang, followed by

stellar development, planetary formation, and biological evolution through

genetic variation and natural selection. God is not in the picture.

I believe that this scientific picture has serious mistakes. It starts with

the right idea: Creation of everything out of nothing. But then it has the wrong

time frame: billions of years instead of days.

Here is my main point: The Bible is right and conventional science is

wrong. Established science has been wrong before and it is wrong again here.

Some people like to believe that we live at the apex of history and knowledge,

and that modern science cannot change. But the history of science shows that

established theories often change.

Science Changes and the Bible Does Not

Why would I doubt the scientific explanation of creation? Why would I

doubt the current scientific consensus? Here are four reasons:

1. Established science changes over time.

1. Science changes in the short run: Is green tea

healthy or unhealthy? It depends on whom you ask.

The science of nutrition is new, and it has constant

revisions. The jury is still out on green tea.

2. Science changes in the long run: Is the universe

eternal or was it created? It depends on when you

ask. The scientific consensus in the 17th century was

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that the universe was changeless and eternal. This

theory dominated science for more than 200 years,

until Einstein’s ideas replaced Newton’s ideas.

2. Science cannot explain origins: Science cannot explain the

origins of the most important things that exist: The universe, life,

consciousness, or free will. Scientific theories abound, but an honest scientist

will admit that the theories are mere speculation. The science of origins must

change because it is so fragile, flimsy, and foolish.

3. Scientific funding supports a materialistic worldview: Science

that confirms materialism is richly funded, while science that confirms religious

beliefs is poorly funded. This is what you’d expect in a world dominated by

money and practicality, rather than truth and spirituality. It is also what you

would expect when the scientific consensus is biased against any type of

supernatural explanation. The disdain for religion has altered the direction of

basic scientific research, and any science that implies God is neglected.

4. Scientists are afraid of ridicule: Universities and governments

tend to strictly separate religion and science. In the current atmosphere,

individuals who believe in God are considered inferior scientists, and theories

that imply the existence of God are openly ridiculed. Scientists are afraid of

losing their jobs, their academic status, and the intellectual respect of their

peers.

I believe that these reasons help explain why science is wrong about Biblical

creation: Theories change, science cannot explain origins, scientific funding is

biased, and scientists are often afraid. If history shows anything it shows that

science changes but the Bible does not.

The Bible and Science Disagree

The Bible is our final authority. Therefore, in order for us to be

intellectually honest, we must admit the Bible offers a view of creation that is at

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odds with the majority of scientists and scientific theories in 2017. That is the

current state of affairs.

We can try to reconcile faith and science by twisting Scripture or by

ignoring science. But we can’t wiggle out of this dilemma like a weasel.

Instead, God calls us to have faith and courage: We need faith to accept

Biblical creation and courage to disagree with science that contradicts Biblical

creation.

Moving on, let’s assume that we have both faith and courage. There is

yet another danger lurking for Bible believers.

Christian Pride and Arrogance

Sometimes Christians say: “The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles

it.”

The first two parts are true: “The Bible says it and I believe it.” But when

we say “that settles it,” is a sign of pride and arrogance.

First of all, we Christians sometimes disagree among ourselves about

exactly what the Bible says and how to interpret it. There is room for honest

disagreement among saved Christians. When we say “That settles it” we are

saying that we fully understand the Word of God. That’s not just proud, it’s

ridiculously proud.

The Bible tells us is to avoid some disagreements. “But avoid foolish

questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for

they are unprofitable and vain.” (Titus 3:9) There is a time and place to

contend for the faith, and we trust God to show us how and when.

A Proud Spirit Is a Feeble Witness

Our spiritual pride leads to sin. Our pride can make us say stupid things

about issues that we don’t really understand. Our pride leads us to start talking

out of our hat, and we tell lies out of arrogance, ignorance, or both. Our pride

spreads a virus of vain conceit that hurts our Christian witness. The Gospel is

spread by declaring God’s truth, and not by spouting off our own opinions

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about things we don’t understand. Allow me to offer a few examples of pride

and envy.

You’ve probably noticed that some people can sing better than others.

Some people have God-given gifts that make their voices more melodious and

pleasing to the ear. I cannot sing well, but I admire people who do.

You’ve probably noticed that God has also given some people natural

talents with mechanical things. Some people have a real knack for fixing cars

and I admire them. I may not understand everything they do, but they

understand an engine and a transmission better than I do.

Now most Christians would admire a great singer or a great auto

mechanic. But if you mention a scientist, many Christians start to get envious.

God has given some people natural gifts when it comes to science.

Scientists may understand things that I do not, and I admire their gifts and

their knowledge. I hope you do, too.

Unfortunately, I have found that while Christians admire singers and

mechanics, many of us like to make fun of both science and scientists. This is

envy, plain and simple. And it hurts our Christian witness when we are proud,

arrogant, or envious.

Envy Hurts Our Christian Witness

Unfortunately, many of us Christians are happy to lecture scientists

about things that we don’t understand.

If you are talking to a singer, you would not lecture her about harmony

and melody. If you are talking to an auto mechanic, you would not lecture him

about brakes and transmissions. But when we talk to scientists, we can’t keep

our mouths shut. If you talk to an expert in digital telecommunications, you

should not lecture him about cell phones. We should stick to what we know.

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So don’t lecture a biologist about evolution. The word evolution is not in

the Bible. Stick to what you know and you’ll avoid obvious mistakes.

When Christians make mistakes about visible things, we lose credibility about invisible things. If we make mistakes about things that we

can see, why should people trust us about things that we cannot see? If we

make stupid mistakes about science, why should people trust our witness for

Jesus Christ?

We need to be humble in our witness. We need to be honest in our

witness. And we need to have courage in our witness. These are Biblical

standards. Let me talk for a minute about standards.

Standards

When I am leading a discussion, I take personal responsibility for

fostering a spirit of honesty, humility, and courage. Here are the three

standards I use as a moderator:

1. Biblical truth

2. Intellectual humility: We must recognize our limits.

3. Intellectual courage: We must be willing to confront false beliefs.

Truth, humility, and courage: These are our standards for discussion

and we hold them high. When we witness to people we will not always agree

with them, so we must hold our tongues. We speak the truth in love. We do

not puff ourselves up or mock other people. These sins hurt our Christian

witness. So let’s lift our standards and hold our tongues.

Back to the Main Point

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The first chapter of Genesis describes the creation of the heaven and

the Earth. Genesis describes creation in six days. God created everything in

six days and He rested on the seventh day. That is why we rest on the

Sabbath.

I believe that God created the universe in six days because that is how

the word “day” is used throughout Genesis. I respectfully disagree with

Christians who believe in a different time period for creation.

I realize that six-day creation implies a young Earth, and this disagrees

with established science. Many fields of science offer evidence that the

universe is billions of years old. These fields include astronomy, cosmology,

geology, and genetics. So in order to be intellectually honest, I must openly confess that my beliefs in Biblical creation directly conflict with mainstream science. My beliefs about creation are considered pseudo-

science, junk science, or an outright lie.

As Christians, the Bible is our final authority. So we must accept the

scorn and ridicule that comes with a sincere belief in simple truth.

Personally, I believe that science will change. I have already seen

science change its views about evolution, which is under heavy attack by

secular scientists. Evolution would already be a dead theory if it didn’t have

religious implications. Scientific materialists hold on tight to evolution since it

lets them off the hook when it comes to God. Scientists will eventually change

their view on the theory of evolution, the universities will reluctantly follow

along, and public opinion will follow after that. In the meantime, let’s pray for

patience.

Scientists have also changed their views about the origin of the

universe, and they have changed in favor of Biblical creation. 200 years ago

the scientific consensus was that the universe was static and eternal; only

fools said that the universe was created out of nothing. Today most scientists

believe in the Big Bang. This theory has a different time scale than Biblical

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creation, but some elements of the Big Bang look an awful lot like the Bible: “In

the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

Was It Chance or Choice?

Conventional science says that random processes formed the universe.

Scientific materialism says that the universe was formed by chance, and not

by choice.

But the fundamental laws of physics provide direct evidence of God, not

blind chance or impersonal forces. God is the ultimate law giver, and He wrote

the laws of physics. These laws are precisely tailored for human life and show

that the universe was designed by God. The mathematics of probability offer

overwhelming evidence that the laws of physics were written by choice, and

not by chance.

What are the odds against human life? What are the odds that the fine-

tuning of the universe happened by chance? The odds are like hitting a

bullseye with an arrow from 20 billion light-years away. And then doing it five

times in a row. The odds are like picking a single grain of sand out of all the

sand on Earth. And picking the right grain twenty five times in a row. The

universe has clear evidence of design for those with eyes to see.

Free Will

Conventional science also has no explanation of free will, so many

scientists deny that it exists. (They deny free will until they are the victim of a

crime—then they cry for justice).

Is free will an illusion? 200 years ago it looked like it was impossible.

Classical Newtonian physics suggested that we had a clockwork universe. The

universe worked on a set of fixed laws that predicted everything. It was hard

for science to show how man could have free will.

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But in the last 100 years scientists have developed a theory called

quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics offers scientific explanations for

human consciousness and choices. Quantum mechanics is a fully functional

science that makes lasers and computers possible. So quantum mechanics is

more than just speculation.

If quantum mechanics is true, then people really do have choices. This

makes many scientists uncomfortable, so they stick to the technology and they

ignore the theology. I guess it’s easier for some people to design a computer

than it is to believe in God.

Conclusion

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” There is

more scientific evidence for this than ever before. As the years pass, more

scientific theories are being developed that align with Biblical creation. Today,

mainstream scientists can fully embrace the first verse of Genesis. Someday,

mainstream scientists will embrace the first chapter of Genesis.

What about you and me? Our job as a Christian witness is to get out of

the way. Preach Jesus and let scientists be scientists.

Believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts. There is no need to mock

science. Just be patient: God will reveal everything in His own time.

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