"0 Lord, our Lord, how EXCELLENT is Thy Name in all the earth! who hast set Thy GLORY above the Heavens." --Psalm 8:1

OBSERVATIONS ON THE CREATION

Part Two: "In the Beginning, GOD Created the Heaven and the Earth." --Genesis 1:1

The Scriptures offer no argument for the existence of God: it is a simple stated fact, that "In the Beginning, GOD created the Heaven and Earth." There is no such thing as an Atheist, and they who would claim to be Agnostics are dishonest in their claim because the Scriptures declare that "when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful: but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened." -- Romans 1:21.

The phrase "when they knew God" is in the Greek "gnontes ton theon" and means "all men know that He is." But some men are foolish enough to believe if they feign ignorance, God will not hold them accountable. What foolishness of the silliest children is as great as

such "reasoning!" Is it any wonder we find two verses in the Word of God to handle such vain thoughts?

"The fool hath said in his heart, ’There is no God.’ They are corrupt; they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." --Psalm 14:1

"The fool hath said in his heart, ’There is no God.’ Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good." --Psalm 55:1

The Hebrew ending in the word "Elohim" used here for the word "God" is the plural form of the noun. Now, we know from a multitude of verses that there is but one God and not many --Deuteronomy 6:4,5; Isaiah 45:5,6,14,21,22, to list but a few. In Isaiah 44:8, the Lord Himself declares, "Is there a God beside Me? Yea, there is no God: I KNOW NOT ANY." The plural ending therefore a11ows the Doctrine of the Trinity, though the subject under discussion in the first chapter of Genesis is not the nature of the Godhead.

The Trinity was active in the Creation of the world as seen by the use of the plural pronoun used in verse 26, of Genesis chapter one --"And God said, ’Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness..."

God the Father was active in Creation, "And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good." --verse 21.

God the Spirit was active in Creation, for we read in verse two, "And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."

But was God the Son active in Creation? The Word of God intimates that prior to His taking a suit of flesh in the womb of the virgin Mary, that Jesus Christ was the chief agent in the work of Creation.

"But to us there is but one God, the Father, of Whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we by Him." I Corinthians 8:6

"God Who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds..." Hebrews 1:2

"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son: in Whom we have redemption through His blood even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD, the first-born of every creature: for by Him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist."

Colossians 1:13-17

"In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made...And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:1-3; 14

TO BE CONTINUED --

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June 8, 1841 --Wales. John Elias dies. 10,000 people at Llanfaes in Anglesey will attend his funeral. This is his 67th year, and he has written, "I am now even in my 67th year learning; and see greater need of knowledge daily." He has often brought his Bible to the table at mealtime.

June 13, 1793 --England. William Carey has written his wife about her reluctance to go with him to Burma to preach the Gospel. "If I had all the world, I would freely give it all to have you and the dear children with me; but the sense of duty is so strong as to overpower all other considerations. I could not turn back without guilt on my soul.... Tell my dear children, I love them dearly and pray for them constantly. Be assured I love you most affectionately."

Today he will sail with his wife and four children. His destination: Burma.

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One day while Martin Luther stood before the Augustinian convent, a stranger, carrying a pistol under his arm, accosted him. "Why do you walk about thus quite alone?" To which Luther replied,

"I am in the hands of God! He is my Strength and my Shield."

The stranger immediately grew pale and began to tremble, and in the next instant fled.

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"The foundation of the Church is that Rock, that Christ, Who gave Peter his name because he confessed Him faithfully. In every nation whosoever believeth with the heart in the Lord Jesus Christ is saved. This is the Church out of which no man can be saved."

-Ulrich Zwingli

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