Shownotes
Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 756 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Creation or The Big Bang? – Wisdom Wednesday
Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 756 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. We continue this Wednesday to explore our trek of interpreting life through a Biblical worldview.
As a Christ follower, it is important to view all situations and events in life through the lenses of the Bible. That is a view of the world that is aligned with what the Bible teaches us. We are exploring current issues that impact our world and society and comparing them through the lens of the Bible, instead of the lens of our society, culture, modern media, or social media.
I do not desire to tell you what to think, but to teach you how to think so that you may be able to filter current issues and events through your Biblical worldview. I may explore opposing views and challenge you to think. You may not always agree with my view, and that is okay. I am open to any comments that you may have on the subjects that we explore.
We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. A Biblical Worldview, at its core, is grounded in the fact that the Bible is God’s word and contains all truth that God chose to reveal to us. Even with that understanding, there are many interpretations of parts of the Bible, and even the most learned Bible scholars will disagree.
As finite humans living within the constraints of time and space, it is difficult for us to comprehend the mind of God. This gap was partially bridged when God came to earth as Jesus Christ, but not completely. As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”
So today we will start at the very beginning and analyze Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Creation or The Big Bang?
This is quite a complex issue to deal with, so we may extend it over multiple episodes. Realize that there is no way to categorically prove that Genesis 1:1 is true or untrue. No human was present to verify this. All of what we consider truth in God’s word must be recognized and believed by faith.
As you look at the conflict between creation vs. evolution those who believe evolution say that they have scientific facts to prove it. Evolution is strictly a theory, as is creationism. One basis for science is that it has to be verified and proven by in-person observation. No one living today, nor any written narrative can prove evolution or creation. So an evolutionist argument must also be recognized and believed by faith.
In order to be transparent with you, throughout my life, I have maintained, by faith, a young earth view. I have to admit though, the more I study God’s word, the universe, and all of creation from my limited perspective, the more I realize that a young earth theory cannot be proven.
If somehow there was a way to prove that the earth and indeed the entire universe, was millions or billions of years old, would that negate the truth of Genesis 1:1? Absolutely not! Again by faith, I have no doubt in my mind that, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Although I cannot scientifically prove this verse, within the scope of my Biblical Worldview this is the very bedrock and foundation of my life.
There are so many weak areas within the camp of those who believe that the universe was some sort of happenstance and earth was the result of some sort of random cosmic explosion. The fallacy of this argument is, where did these elements originate in the eons of ages in the past? Living within time and space, we cannot grasp the concept of eternity past. The universe had to come from somewhere. Certainly, the faith required to believe that the universe just happened without an intelligent designer has to be so much greater than believing the Bible that God is that intelligent designer.
A Biblical worldview understands that God is the creator of all. Yes, it is by faith, but faith based on His written word that was miraculously written and assembled over many thousands of years. It is the revelation of God to the human race. It contains everything that is important for us to know and understand.
Did creation happen in a literal 6 days only 8 thousand years ago? That is the premise that I grew up believing and still believe that it could have happened that way. I believe that God could have created the universe with age built in. He could have set up creation with starlight reaching over thousands of light years already in place. He could have created the universe on an ever-expanding trajectory. Since we cannot grasp anything outside of our understanding of space/time continuum, it is possible.
Holding to those tenants that the earth is young and the entire universe was created in a literal 6, 24-hour days may be true, but cannot be proven verifiably, and that is okay. Ultimately our belief system is by faith. I look at the moon and see that it is pocked with craters and wonder how they were formed. I look at Mars and see the deep river beds and craters and wonder how they can be like this without some sort of cosmic mayhem in eons past.
The universe contains an unknown number of galaxies. Each of those galaxies contains an unknown number of solar systems. There is no way to know with certainty. That does not in any way diminish my belief that, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” which is the foundation of my Biblical Worldview.
These unknowns do not mitigate the fact at all that God is the creator of the heavens and the earth. Could God have started His creation process of the universe with a big explosion that caused the galaxies and solar systems to expand farther and farther out? He could have. If that were somehow proven, would it change our worldview that God is the creator of heaven and earth? Not in the least.
Even with the advances made in our understanding of space and the universe in the past few decades, our knowledge is still so limited. Most of our knowledge of the universe is still based on theories and conjecture. We have gained significant knowledge of space in the past few decades, but it only makes us realize how little we really do comprehend. We know so little about the planets that are even in our own solar system. To think that mankind has a grasp on the universe with any certainty is ludicrous. We may have theories, but very few verifiable facts.
Even if we do not fully understand the details of how the universe was created, we do know that God was the creator. Over a dozen times in various scripture passages, it refers to “the Lord who made heaven and earth.” This is our Biblical worldview foundation that we have by faith. We also know that the triune Godhead was active at creation. Genesis 1:1 clearly states, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The Gospel according to John clearly presents Christ as an active member of creation in John 1:1-5,
In the beginning, the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Well, we barely scratched the surface of creation, but I trust that it has given you a foundation from which to establish a Biblical worldview about creation, regardless of what others may propagate. It is my goal to help you learn how to think and study, rather than just telling you what to think.
Next week for Wisdom Wednesday we will continue to discuss the topic of creation and how we can have a Biblical worldview that will allow us to confidently reason with those who adamantly proclaim that humans are a product of random evolution. Each week we will choose hot topics that are prevalent today and explore them through a Biblical lens. If you have any topics that you would like us to cover, please email them to me at guthrie@wisdom-trek.com.
Tomorrow we will continue with our 3-minute wisdom nugget that will provide you with a bit of wisdom that, if followed will allow you to grow healthier, wealthier, and wiser each day. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.
That will finish our trek for today. If you would like to listen to any of our past 755 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. You can also subscribe to iTunes or Google Play so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.
Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.
As we take this trek of life together, let us always:
- Live Abundantly (Fully)
- Love Unconditionally
- Listen Intentionally
- Learn Continuously
- Lend to others Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you tomorrow!