Lesson 1: The Reason For Creation
Lesson 1: The Reason For Creation (Pastor Barbara Caesar-Stephenson)
Important Terms: sense Knowledge, spirit nature, revelation knowledge, recreated spirits, creation, the Trinity, Father, nature
Introduction
Man is confronted with an unexplained creation of which he, himself, is a part. This creation and the iron hand of fixe laws that govern it, reveal to man a Master Designer. By that we mean that the Creator designed creation that it might fulfill a certain purpose, the reason for its existence.
The purpose in creation seems to be to provide a suitable environment for man, in fact, if we take man out of creation, creation with its resources and its beauty has no reason for existing. If God created the universe as a home for man, He must have had a reason for creating man. Man in every age of history has sought in vain for this reason, the reason for his own existence.
Skepticism was born because man was unable to find a reason for creation. The first tendency of science was to become atheistic and materialistic, giving only a mechanical explanation of the universe. However, today as scientists are delving more fully into the mysteries and wonders of creation, many of them have become God-conscious. They are realizing that behind creation there is an intelligent creator. However, today, as scientists are delving more fully into the mysteries and wonders of creation, many of them have become God-conscious. They are realizing that behind creation there is an intelligent creator. However, science has not been able to find Him, or His purpose in creation with just Sense Knowledge.
Sense Knowledge: Man’s ability to know God is due to the fact that God is a spirit, and that man has no contact with Him. In his own spirit nature, man is alienated from God; and every contact that he has with the universe or reality he has through his central nervous system and his five senses. Through these five sense, namely – sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell – man has not been able to contact God. He has learned a great deal about physical nature which is indifferent and many times cruel toward human life, but he has not been able to find God personally, or His reason for creating man.
By this we can see that man in himself cannot find God. God must reveal Himself to man, and God has done this very thing. He has given a revelation of Himself to man. He had to give the revelation upon man’s level so that man would be able to contact it. We call this Revelation Knowledge it is obtained through our recreated spirits from the Word of God.
The second chapter of 1 Corinthians, which tells us about this kind of revelation, gives us the following illustration: “For who among men knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him? Even so the things of God none knoweth, save the spirit of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:11). Man, limited to his sense knowledge is unable to know the inner thoughts of a man. There is a veil of flesh that he cannot penetrate with his sense of sight, hearing or touch. However a man by the medium of words may convey his inner thoughts to another.
So God, in His desire for man to know Him, has formulated His inner thoughts and purposes into words, which man can see, touch and read with his sense of sight, and hear – or expound upon – with his sense of hearing and ability to speak. “But we receive not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the spirit teacheth; concerning spiritual things with spiritual words. (1 Corinthians 2:12-13)
The Bible is God’s revelation to man, and because we have no other channel through witch we can know God or contact Him, we turn to that revelation to find out what He has told us of His reason for creating man. Our earth is so small in comparison to the vast number and sizes of the heavenly bodies, that the study of it would be utterly absurd, if it were not for the fact that it is the only planet known to be inhabited by human life.
The first chapter of Genesis reveals that the earth holds a place in the plan and purpose of God that amazes one: Genesis 1:14-19 declares that the earth is the reason for all the heavenly bodies that swing in their orbits through dark, illimitable space. Science does not deny the fact that there is not a planet, sun, moon or star in all this vast universe which does not have its influence upon our earth. Our sun is approximately ninety-three million miles away, yet it causes climatic conditions of heat, light, rain, and winds, which make this planet capable of sustaining human, animal and vegetable life. The little earth ball with its precious freight of human beings flies softly around the sun amply protected in its transparent case of atmosphere.
To refer once more to scripture: “to let them be for signs and for seasons …” (Genesis 1:14b)
We know that the tides of the oceans and seas are influenced b the heavenly bodies. We kow that heat and cold, drought and storms are the direct results of planetary influences. Storms can be predicted for certain localities on this continent by the position and influence of certain planets. We know that frosts and heat waves are predicted months ahead by the sure knowledge of planetary positions. From these deductions we see clearly that the planets are placed in the heavens o give us seasons, to be signs and to be continual companions and servants always ministering to the earth. The heavens are earth’s only perfect timepiece. No watch of clock man has ever made can give us perfect time, but he who knows the path of the stars, knows that every star, sun, or planet will pass a certain given point in the great unpath-ed space on scheduled time. The star may not have been seen for thousands of years, but it will appear at the crossroads of the Heavens not one second ahead or one second behind its schedule. Praise God! Oh the wonder of the Architect, the Great Creator and the might of the Sustainer of this great universe! How thrilling it is that this earth of ours, so small that one thousand of them could be lost in the Sun, is yet the center and reason for the universe!
If the earth is the reason for the stellar heavens, what is the reason for the earth?
Genesis I gives the account of Creation. Creation consists of a series of acts by God. These creative acts culminate in the creation of man. When man was created, God’s creative activity came to a rest. Man was the goal of the whole creative movement. Science must here agree with the Biblical account of creation in the placing of man at the summit of creation, he was the last and the highest of God’s works. The earth has no reason for existing outside of man. Unconscious nature cannot enjoy its beauty, contemplate, nor use what it has produced. Only when God placed upon this earth a man created in His image, was there a reason for the vast universe which had been created. God had endowed this man with the capacities to enjoy the beauty of His workmanship, and to utilize its resources. “For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the God that formed the earth and made it, formed it to be inhabited.” (Isaiah 45:18) The Word declares here that God created this earth to be inhabited by man. In His creative acts He met every need that man would have in his life upon earth.
Ages on ages He wrought in storing up treasures of all kinds of wealth for his man. He filled earth’s bosom with deposits of iron, copper, silver and gold and with uncounted varieties of metals, chemicals and forces. He covered the face of the earth with mountains, valleys, ravines plateaus and prairies, rivulets, streams and rivers, and with many beautifully colored flowers that thrilled with joy the heart of God’s man. Fruits and vegetables supplied food for man. The Great Architect of Human Need and Joy knew man’s needs, while yet unborn, and in creation’s wondrous plan, these needs were met. Man is the only creature who can enjoy its beauty or its resources.
We have seen that the earth is the reason for the stellar universe and that man is the reason for the earth. Our problem is not yet solved, however. What is the reason for man? Until we know why God desired to create man, we do now know the reason for creation.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) The word God in the Hebrew is Elohim. This word is plural, revealing the Trinity at work in creation. John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:16 reveal that Christ had a major part in the great acts of creation. Psalm 104:40 and Genesis 1:2 show the Holy Spirit’s work in creation. The trinity lies hidden throughout the Old Testament. Many Jews who have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior have testified that one of the factors causing them to realize that Jesus was their Messiah was that they glimpsed hidden in the Old Covenant the Trinity. Israel, however did not know who composed the Trinity, not until Jesus Christ the Living Word was manifested in flesh did man know that the Trinity consisted of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In His ministry of teaching, Jesus Christ revealed the Father-God. On several occasions in the life of Jesus Christ, the Trinity is manifested to man’s senses. One time is at the baptism of Jesus recorded in Matthew 3:13-17. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove, descending upon Christ, while the Father spoke in a voice from heaven. “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 28:19 reveals the Trinity as being the father, Son and the Holy Spirit. From this we can understand that in the beginning the Father, Son and Holy Spirit created the heavens and the earth. You see, He was in the beginning a Father-God. In eternity He had a Father-nature. We can understand a father’s love and desire for children. Our civilization is built around this fact, for the home is the basic unit of society. Ephesians 3:14-15 reveals that the human father is just a type of the Father-God, the human father’s love exists because in eternity God was essentially a Father-God. It is natural that the Father-heart of God should long for sons and daughter. This yearning passion took form and God planned to create a man who would walk with Him as His child. “According as He made choice of us in Him before the founding of the world, that we might be holy and blameless in His presence. In love marking us out beforehand unto Sonship through Jesus Christ for Himself.” (Ephesians 1:4,5) Before he created a world in His dream plan, man was marked out for Sonship. He was to hold the place of a son in the FatherGod’s love. He was to be the answer to the Father’s hunger for children.
Other scriptures that reveal that man was the reason for creation are Romans 16:25 and 1 Cor. 2:7. These scriptures reveal that man was chosen for the place of a son first then God created this universe to be a home for him. In our Bible Schools we have listed the attributes of God: His Omnipotence, His Omniscience, but we have overlooked the fact that He is first a Father-God. The reason for creation is the Father-heart of God. A few scriptures that reveal the Father’s care for His children are Matthew 7:11; 6:8; 6:25-32, John 16:27; 17:23, 1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6,7,19 and John 14:23.
Satan has been very subtle in blinding our minds to the Father-nature of God. The average Christian has had no real consciousness of God as being his Father. This ignorance has been due to the fact that our minds have not been renewed b the Word of God. Romans 12:1-2 and Ephesians 4:23 here we see the importance of the study of the Word. Sense Knowledge has taken the place of the Word of God in our lives. Jesus Christ has been manifested to man’s physical senses. That which we have handled concerning the Word of Life Jesus Christ took upon Himself a human body through which He was manifested to man. 1 John 1:1,2. Man’s mind derives its knowledge through the senses of the physical body. The Father has never been manifested to these senses as He is a Spirit being therefore man’s mind can form no mental picture of Him.
When a man has been born again, past sense knowledge of the life of Jesus Christ has taken the place that the Father should have had in his life. Because man could form a mental picture of Christ, he has developed the habit of praying to Christ, praising and worshipping Him alone. The renewing of the man’s mind by the Word of God brings a consciousness of the Father to him that revolutionizes his life. In this revelation the Father-nature of God has been revealed to us at creation. There are two other laws of His being revealed here one is that He is a Faith God, and the other that He is Love, Love caused Him to create a universe and He created it by Faith. He works by Faith in His Word. In the first chapter of Genesis there are six creative faith statements. Hebrews 11:3 reveals that God created this universe through faith in His Word. It was through His spoken Word that creation came into being.
Study Questions for Lesson One:
Give and explain the two kinds of knowledge
How has God met man’s need of a Revelation?
What Scripture reveals that the earth is the reason for the heavenly bodies?
Explain as fully as possible why man is the reason for the earth’s existence.
What is revealed in the word Elohim?
Give several Scriptures that reveal the Father-nature of God.
What is the reason for man? Explain your answer.
Why is it that many Christians do not have faith in God and His promises to them as their Heavenly Father?
Give two attributes of God’s nature that are revealed in creation.