Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God…
-What is 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.
-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 creation. (If you are a young earther, or gazillions of years after if you are not..)
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.”
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 lowly 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?
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…
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