Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God…
I realize that there’s a lot of new people in here. Some of you guys that were here last year, were not here before that. There are a few phrases that I use all the time when I am leading in group. Of them is “in the beginning God…“ Tonight I’m gonna go over that because it’s a foundational building block to this men’s group. You will hear me say it hundreds of times so we might as well discuss what it means. I have gone over this before, but there’s so many new people that I’m gonna go over it again. And we might start every year the same way.
-What is a worldview?
If you put on red glasses, everything looks red. The same is true of a worldview.
Everybody has a lens in which they view life. One view, which nobody can ignore, is called a secular worldview. Every person is engulfed in this every day. You cannot avoid it. Every TV show, every newspaper, every social media has most, if not all of their message filtered with a secular worldview.
Another view, we call it a biblical worldview, is a way in which you can filter everything you see in life. This view can easily be avoided. This view, must be intentionally sought out.
-How did the world and everything in it all get here? How does it all work?
Everything you see in this world from a mountain, to a river, to a horse, to a piece of algae, floating in the water needs to be explained. Its origin and functionality, its relationship in this world, its reproduction and growth, etc.
Your worldview will shape how you deal with these questions.
Obviously, I have a biblical worldview, and I hope to make the case for all of you guys to also have a biblical worldview, if you don’t already. So with that said, let’s break down some stuff:
-When was this book (Genesis) written?
I always assume it’s written at the time of creation…
There is abundant biblical and extra-biblical evidence that Moses wrote the Pentateuch during the wilderness wanderings after the Jews left their slavery in Egypt and before they entered the Promised Land (about 1450 BC). …so roughly 2500 years after the biblical creation story.
At the time this book is written there are many false gods in the world. The people of Israel probably didn’t think about the things we do. They don’t have the Bible yet. They would wonder is the God of their bedtime stories the real God? The most powerful God? Etc.
So at that time the people wonder IF God is real, if THEIR God is real, and how to explain the world in which we all live.
…there is no difference between then and now…
Proverbs 9:10
10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Psalm 111:10
Psalm 111:10 – NIV
10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Job 28:28
28. And he said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”
Summed up:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom
“Intellectuals“ will say, since we “know” there is no God, this is how we explain XYZ
That is their worldview. (There is no God and everything they see is thru that lens)
So they take the exact opposite worldview of …In the beginning God…
Some quick facts:
Every plant can reproduce itself. The DNA to re-create the exact same plant exists. How can this evolve? The very first one ever had all the DNA for the seeds of the next one? Pretty stupid.
The big bang. Where did it happen? What blew up?
In other words, nothing blew up which was located nowhere which then created an airplane which was then capable of having baby airplanes.
-Sound far fetched?
Humans are much more complex than airplanes. In fact the lowliest is plant is far more complex than an airplane.
This is not a study of evolution, but of worldview, but…
-Does this world view have wisdom?
So why is this non-biblical world view here? Why is it so prevalent?
Let’s go all the way back to the beginning turn to Genesis 3:1-5
Genesis 3:1-5
1. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2. And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3. but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'” 4. But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Here is your answer: from the very first interaction between Satan and man we find the motive. He tempted Eve by saying “your eyes will be opened and you won’t be like God.” This is his main motivation. He wants to be God. So he assumes, that we want to be God. In and away, we do. In fact, every time we sin, we are telling God that we know better than he does.
But satan is not God, he only wants to be..
2 Corinthians 11:14 – ESV
14. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
Isaiah 14:13-14 – ESV
13. You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
This verse is talking about satan.
These verses, and others show that Satan is an imitator. Compare that to God in genesis 1:1, “in the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth…”
God is a creator, Satan is not a creator, he is an imitator…
I will repeat that because I just love this thought.
God is a creator, Satan is not a creator, he is an imitator…
This is at the very foundation of the two opposing worldviews. The biblical worldview in which God lays out how he created everything. And the imitators worldview in which there is no all powerful God.
Is there any examples that you can give from the world today in which we live that demonstrates the two opposing worldviews?
Marriage?
This is Gods ideal:
Matthew 19:4-6 – ESV
4. He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5. and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6. So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Trans?
AI?
Why do I hate AI? It is taking away the jobs of the creators. To create is to be made in the image of God. To imitate….
Taken from the website:
We believe that the Bible makes this very simple. It lays it all out. The first four words of the Bible are, “in the beginning, God…“ This is the lens that we view life. If you start with “in the beginning, God,“ the world will make sense. in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. There’s no big bang theory. It is explained right there. God, who is outside of creation, spoke our world into existence. If you have a secular worldview, this is too “simple” for you. In your mind, you are too sophisticated to have this explanation for the beginning of the world. And then that permeates everything you see. If God did not create the world in the beginning, then he also did not create the animals, or the mountains, and the rivers, and the algae on the water. However, you can see them, so they do exist. Because they exist, they must be explained.
The Bible says, wisdom starts with fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 7. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Does this mean you are afraid of God? Yes and no. Yes, there is a fear of his power, but it’s a healthy fear. It’s a fear that’s wrapped in reverence and respect and awe at his inspiring and awesome power. In the beginning, God…, coupled with wisdom starts with fear of the Lord, will give you a solid, biblical worldview. With this worldview, life makes sense.
This is the truth. John 8:32 says, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” If wisdom starts with fear of the Lord, and you choose a secular worldview, eliminating God from all explanation, then, unfortunately, you would have no wisdom. The opposite of wisdom, would be foolishness. so if you have a secular worldview, are you a fool? At the very least, you could say you are ignorant of biblical teaching.
In the beginning, God… These are extremely powerful words. If you answer life’s questions with this as the foundation, God will reward you with peace and understanding. If you seek him out, he will find you. Proverbs 8:17. “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”
This men’s Bible study has a foundation built on these four words, the first four words of the Bible, the words and lens in which everybody should view the world…
In the beginning God…
With this in mind….
Psalms 127:1 – ESV
1. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
Genesis (LifeChange Book 16). The Navigators. Kindle Edition.
Genesis (LifeGuide Bible Studies) Hummel/Hummel God’s Creative Call
The Gospel Project – https://www.gospelproject.com