God (The Father Almighty)
Topic #1 – God (The Father Almighty – Creator of Heaven and Earth)
- Who is
God? – (Genesis 1:1 … Psalm 47:7-8)
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- Is there
more than one God? – (notice the big “G”) … (Isaiah 44:6)
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- Are there
other gods? – (notice the little ‘g’) … (Exodus 20:3)
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- Why is
God greater than any other being? – (Psalm 90:1-2 … Isaiah 40:28)
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- Why do we
say that God is Creator of everything? – (Hebrews 11:3)
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- How does
God work today? – (Isaiah 40:25-26 … 2nd Peter 3:9 … Job 38:1-42:6)
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- How do we
describe God’s nature and character? – (1st John 4:16 … Revelation
4:8)
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- What do
we mean when we say God is holy? – (Isaiah 5:16, 6:3)
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- What do
we mean when we say God is love? – (1st John 4:10)
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- How does
God make himself known to us? – (Romans 1:20 … Hebrews 1:1-2)
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Genesis 1-2 (Telling the Story of God’s Creation)
- What does “genesis” mean?
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- Who is the inspired author of Genesis?
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- Why is a study of Genesis important to
you; and to this church?
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- Is Genesis a book of children’s Bible
stories?
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- Is Genesis intended to be taken as
fundamentally history or legend / myth / symbol?
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- What did God create each day?
- Day 1 – _______________________________________________________________
- Day 2 – _______________________________________________________________
- Day 3 – _______________________________________________________________
- Day 4 – _______________________________________________________________
- Day 5 – _______________________________________________________________
- Day 6 – _______________________________________________________________
- Day 7 –
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- Describe each major term in Genesis
1:1
- Beginning – __________________________________________________________
- God – _______________________________________________________________
- Created – ____________________________________________________________
- Heavens – ____________________________________________________________
- Earth –
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- What does Genesis 1:2 teach us about
creation?
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- When did Genesis 1:1-2 occur compared
to Genesis 1:3-5?
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- Were the days of creation, literal
24-hour periods, or longer? (Note – Exodus 20:11, 31:17)
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- Describe the creation of light?
(Genesis 1:3-5)
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- What are some phrases that are
repeated for each/most of the days and its significance?
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- What happened on day two? (Genesis
1:6-8)
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- Some translations use the word “dome”
or “firmament” to describe the sky or heavens.
What does this mean?
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- What did God create on the third day?
(Genesis 1:9-13)
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- What is meant by the phrase “according
to its kind?”
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- Explain how the fact that things
reproduce “after their kind” conflicts with evolution.
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- Explain the concept of creation with
maturity (i.e. did God create just seeds or mature plants, just babies or grown
people, etc.)?
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- How does this fit the creation account
and how does it explain confusion about apparent ages of creation?
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- What did God make on day 4? (Genesis
1:14-19)
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- What purposes would be served by the
sun, moon, and stars?
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- What did God make on day 5? (Genesis
1:20-23)
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- What are we told about fish and bird
reproduction that is similar to plants? (Genesis 1:21)
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- What did God tell the fish and birds
to do? (Genesis 1:22)
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- What did God make according to Genesis
1:24-25? (On the 6th day)
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- What is again said about how they
reproduce?
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- What shows people are special in God’s
creation. (Genesis 1:26)
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- Why does Genesis 1:26 refer to God as
“us” (plural), but Genesis 1:27 refers to God as “Him” (singular)? What does this tell about the nature of God?
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- The first readers of
Genesis believed that the LORD (Yahweh) sat in the heavens as the leader of a
council of heavenly beings. This was a common idea in the ancient world
(Mesopotamia, Ugarit and Phoenicia). In the biblical texts, Yahweh is the
undisputed leader of the heavenly council.
- Psalm 82:11 … Job 1:6
… Psalm 89:5,7 … Isaiah 6:8
- Psalm 82:11 … Job 1:6
… Psalm 89:5,7 … Isaiah 6:8
- These biblical ideas
influenced how ancient readers understood the concepts presented in the Genesis
creation story. The text says, “Then God
said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.”
- The original readers
understood that God was speaking to his heavenly council. The “us” communicates the idea that God is
telling the heavenly council about his plans to create humanity. God is going
to create something that is similar in power and function and authority to the
beings in the heavenly council. The implication is that this creative act is
unique. Its inclusion at this point in the story is a statement about the
inherent value of the creative work that God is about to do. “Watch everyone!!
Look what is about to happen! I am going to create humanity and they will be
like us (the heavenly council), after our own image and our likeness.”
- But God’s next action
is significant. He does not create humanity after the image of the heavenly
council; rather, he creates humanity after his own image. So God created mankind in his own image (Gen
1::27).
- God’s action here is
significant for two reasons. First, God creates humanity with greater status
and stature than the rest of the heavenly beings. The author of Psalm 8 would
later reflect on the creation account and say, “what are mere mortals that you
should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? You made
them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor” (Psalm
8:4 – 5). Human beings hold a unique and distinct value. They are created in
the image and likeness of God, a phrase that is usually reserved for
parent/child relationships.
- Second, God’s action
becomes the source of enmity between humanity and some of the angelic beings in
the heavenly council. God has created a class of being that is higher than the
angels, and some of them do not like what God has done. This enmity seems to be
at work when the serpent appears to tempt Adam and Eve in the Garden (Genesis
3).
- In the Genesis
creation story, we are introduced to two members of the Trinity: God and the
Spirit of God. Paul describes Jesus role in creation in Colossians 1:16. Two
other New Testament texts describe Jesus role in creation as well (John 1:1-5,
10; Hebrews 1:1-4).
Some theologians argue that we should read the “us” in Genesis 1 through the lens of the NT and that the “us” is the Trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit. The Triune God is speaking to the heavenly council, saying, “Let us (Father, Son, and Spirit) create humanity in our image and in our likeness.” Many Christian interpreters read the text of Genesis 1:26-27 in this way. - Explain what it means to be in God’s
image. How is it true?
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- What special responsibilities were
given to people in Genesis 1:28?
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- Explain what it means to subdue the
earth and have dominion over animals.
(What kinds of activities would this authorize?)
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- What were people and animals told to
eat?
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- How did God describe the things He had
made? What does this prove?
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Creation Texts (Hebrew Bible) | Texts that refer to Creation | Creation Texts (NT) |
Genesis 1:1-2:4 | Isaiah 45:4-12, 18-19 | John 1:1-5, 10 |
Genesis 2:5-25 | Exodus 20:11 | 1st Corinthians 8:6 |
Psalm 104 | Psalm 24:1-2 | Colossians 1:15-20 |
Psalm 33:6-9 | Psalm 95:3-7 | Hebrews 1:1-4 |
Psalm 74:12-17 | Psalm 102:25-28 | |
Job 26:5-14 | Amos 5:8 | |
Job 38-39 | Nehemiah 9:6 | |
Proverbs 8:22-31 | Isaiah 66:1-2 |
- Explain the importance of the fact
that heaven and earth and all their host were “finished” and God’s work “ended”
(Genesis 2:1-2). How does this compare
to evolution?
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- In what sense did God rest (Genesis
2:2-3)? What lessons can we learn from
the fact that God worked and God rested?
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- What Old Testament practice was
eventually instituted that connects to the 7th day of creation?
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- Some people believe that the fact God
rested on the 7th day proves that people today must keep the
Sabbath. Who rested on the 7th
day according to Genesis 2? When were
people first required to rest on that day?
Does the fact the day is mentioned here prove we should keep the day
today?
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- Some people claim that Genesis 2
contradicts chapter 1. How would you
respond (note Matthew 19:4-6)? Explain
how chapter 2 relates to chapter 1.
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- How was the earth watered at first
(Genesis 2:5-6)?
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- From what was man formed (Genesis
2:7)? How does this compare to what
evolution says about the origin of man?
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- Where did man first live (Genesis
2:8)?
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- Describe the trees of the garden
(Genesis 2:9)?
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- Name and describe the rivers in Eden
(Genesis 2:10-14).
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- What responsibility did man have in
Eden from the beginning? What lessons
does this teach us? (Genesis 2:15)
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- What restriction did God place upon
the man (Genesis 2:16-17)? What consequences
would follow from eating the forbidden fruit?
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- Explain why God decided to make woman
– i.e. what need did she meet (Genesis 2:18)?
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- How did the animals get their names
(Genesis 2:19-20)?
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- Describe how God made woman (Genesis
2:21-22).
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- In what ways would the creation of
woman contradict evolution?
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- Explain what Adam meant about woman in
Genesis 2:23.
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- What lessons can we learn about
marriage from Genesis 2:24?
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- If you could walk with God in the
perfect garden of paradise, what would you ask and why?
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- In a normal day, what gets in the way
of you taking a walk with God and talking about what is on your heart?
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- Even though Adam and Eve began walking
in perfect fellowship with their Maker.
God still gave them freedom to reject this perfect life. What does this spiritual reality say about
the power of the choices we make each day?
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Different Denomination’s Views on God
- Presbyterian (PCUSA) – God is a Spirit, in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection, all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty; knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
- United Methodist – God is transcendent (over and beyond all that is), yet at the same time immanent (present in everything). God is omnipresent (everywhere at once), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omniscient (all-knowing). God is absolute, infinite, righteous, just, loving, merciful…and more. Because we cannot speak literally about God, we use metaphors: God is a Shepherd, a Bridegroom, a Judge. God is Love or Light or Truth. God does the following: creates, sustains, loves, suffers, judges, redeems, reigns.
- Free Will Baptists – We believe that God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Righteous Ruler of the universe. He has revealed Himself in nature, and in the Scriptures of the Holy Bible as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: yet as one God.
- Church of the Nazarene – We believe in one eternally existent, infinite God, Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the universe; that He only is God, holy in nature, attributes, and purpose. The God who is holy love and light is Triune in essential being, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- Southern Baptist – There is one and only one living and true God. God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. …God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
- Anglican – There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the Maker, and Preserver of all things both visible and invisible.
- Wesleyan – We believe in the one living and true God, both holy and loving, eternal, unlimited in power, wisdom and goodness, the Creator and Preserver of all things. We believe the Father is the Source of all that exists, whether of matter or spirit. With the Son and the Holy Spirit, He made man, male and female, in His image. By intention He relates to people as Father, thereby forever declaring His goodwill toward them. In love, He both seeks and receives penitent sinners.
God – The Father
Does God Really Exist?
- The Argument
from Cause and Design:
- There is
a very old argument for the existence of God which has come to be known as the
argument from design or the cosmological argument. It is one of the most convincing of all the
ancient philosophic arguments for belief in God. In a word, it is this: Our intricately planned world could not have
come into being by chance alone; Something or Someone must have made it.
(houses – watches – man)
- There is
a very old argument for the existence of God which has come to be known as the
argument from design or the cosmological argument. It is one of the most convincing of all the
ancient philosophic arguments for belief in God. In a word, it is this: Our intricately planned world could not have
come into being by chance alone; Something or Someone must have made it.
(houses – watches – man)
- Law versus
God
- Some
people say that it is Law rather than God that makes the world go around. A rose produces a bud and then the full
flower, not because there is a God, but because the laws of plant life dictate
that the rose behave in this manner.
Growth and propagation of life in its varied forms – plant, animal,
human – were sooner or later accredited to natural processes more than to
God. Already existing laws cause things
to be and keep going, not God or anything else divine.
- Some
people say that it is Law rather than God that makes the world go around. A rose produces a bud and then the full
flower, not because there is a God, but because the laws of plant life dictate
that the rose behave in this manner.
Growth and propagation of life in its varied forms – plant, animal,
human – were sooner or later accredited to natural processes more than to
God. Already existing laws cause things
to be and keep going, not God or anything else divine.
- The Moral
Argument
- Normal people
down through the ages have had a general idea of what is right and what is
wrong. Right and wrong may have been
variously defined through the ages and among various civilizations. But everyone has had some idea of right and
wrong; this is, the right-and-wrong concept itself has always existed. People have always had a pretty good idea
that murder, promiscuity and thievery were wrong, and that all that goes into
making for fair play was right. Now,
where did we get this knowledge of right and wrong?
- Normal people
down through the ages have had a general idea of what is right and what is
wrong. Right and wrong may have been
variously defined through the ages and among various civilizations. But everyone has had some idea of right and
wrong; this is, the right-and-wrong concept itself has always existed. People have always had a pretty good idea
that murder, promiscuity and thievery were wrong, and that all that goes into
making for fair play was right. Now,
where did we get this knowledge of right and wrong?
- Moral
Knowledge and Instinct
- But some
have argued that moral knowledge is not from God at all, that it is one of the
instincts. C.S. Lewis says that moral
knowledge is not an instinct such as self-preservation but a quality of the
personality or the soul. When one sees a
drowning man, says Lewis, two instincts come immediately into play: the one is
to save the man, the other is to protect oneself. But there is a third factor that comes into
the picture shortly thereafter; it is the higher call that one ‘must’ help the
man who is drowning. This higher call is
a sense of obligation. This third factor
– a sense or moral obligation is not an instinct. It is a quality of the human spirit, planted
in man by God Himself, and is therefore a proof of God.
- But some
have argued that moral knowledge is not from God at all, that it is one of the
instincts. C.S. Lewis says that moral
knowledge is not an instinct such as self-preservation but a quality of the
personality or the soul. When one sees a
drowning man, says Lewis, two instincts come immediately into play: the one is
to save the man, the other is to protect oneself. But there is a third factor that comes into
the picture shortly thereafter; it is the higher call that one ‘must’ help the
man who is drowning. This higher call is
a sense of obligation. This third factor
– a sense or moral obligation is not an instinct. It is a quality of the human spirit, planted
in man by God Himself, and is therefore a proof of God.
- Moral
Knowledge and Education
- Others will say that moral knowledge is not from God, but from education. We are taught right and wrong in the home, in school, and in church; by ancestors, parents, friends, and relatives; through the books we read and the media we consume. However, where do teachers and ancestors get their ideas of right and wrong?