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8/8/2019 PRESENTACION SEYE
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A Biblical Worldview:
Creation and Sin
Living at the Crossroads
Chapters 3
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Worldview: Getting it right!
Worldview is about getting who
Jesus is right
Jesus is Creator, Lord of history,Redeemer of all, Judge
Worldview is about getting the
gospel rightGospel of kingdom
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Gospel of the kingdom
God is acting to restore his
good but fallen creation to again
live under his gracious rule.
God creates good creation
Sin pollutes the whole creationGod acts to restore the creation
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Creation: The World As
God Meant It To Be
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Creation: The World As God Meant
It To Be
The Creator God
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Relation of God to world
Created by God
Upheld by God
Ruled by God
Permeated by his presence and
glory
Theater of his glory
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Danger ofDeism
World is permeated by Gods
presence
Deism: World devoid of Godspresence
Builds in natural laws and
lives outside world
Like watchmaker
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Apostle Paul and Cardinal
Newman
For in him we live and move and haveour being (Acts 17:28).
God has so implicated Himself with[the creation], and taken it into His verybosom, by His presence in it, Hisprovidence over it, His impressions upon
it, and His influences through it, that wecannot truly or fully contemplate itwithout in some aspects contemplatingHim (Cardinal Newman).
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Herman Bavinck quoting John
Calvin
There is not an atom of the
universe in which you cannot see
some brilliant sparks at least of his
glory. God is immanent in all
creation. The pure of heart see God
everywhere. Everything is full of
God. I confess that the expression,Nature is God may be used in a
pious sense by a pious mind!
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John Manley Hopkins
The world is charged with the
grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining
from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like theooze of oil
Crushed.
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Cardinal Newman again
He is One who is sovereign over, operativeamidst, independent of, the appointmentswhich He has made; One in whose handsare all things, who has a purpose in every
event, and a standard for every deed, andthus has relations of His own towards thesubject-matter of each particular sciencewhich the book of knowledge unfolds; whohas with an adorable, never-ceasing energy
implicated Himself in all the history ofcreation, the constitution of nature, thecourse of the world, the origin of society,the fortunes of the nations, the action of thehuman mind.
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Life lived Coram Deo
Latin phrase used 50x inVulgate
In the presence of God orbefore the face of God
Image of Oriental throne room
Servants waiting, alert, aware ofkings presence, ready andprepared to respond to hisbidding
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God is . . .
Present within creation
But also sovereign over andindependent of it
Creator-creature distinction
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Creation: The World As God Meant
It To Be
The Creator God
A good and ordered creation
An ordered creation
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An Ordered Creation: Gods
Originating Word
Let there be . . .
Originating word of God: Godsword which brings shape and
order to the creation
Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6,9;Hebrews 11:3
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An Ordered Creation: Gods
Ruling Word
Ruling word: Gods word which
continues to give shape and
order to the creation momentby moment
2 Peter 3:5,7; Psalm 147:15,18;
Psalm 148:5-8
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Gods Ruling Word
God has called the universe into being out ofnothing, and hence at every moment it hangs
suspended, as it were, over the abyss of non-existence. If God were to withdraw his upholdingWord, then all being . . . would instantly tumbleback into nothing and cease to exist. The
continuation of the universe from one moment tothe next is therefore as great a miracle and as fullythe work of God as is its coming into being at thebeginning (Bruce Milne).
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Creation Order
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Comprehensive Scope of Gods Ordinances
All created life necessarily bears in itself alaw for its existence, instituted by Godhimself. . . . Consequently there areordinances of God for our bodies, for the
blood that courses through our arteriesand veins, and for our lungs as the organsof respiration. And even so are thereordinances of God in logic, to regulate ourthoughts; ordinances of God for ourimagination, in the domain of aesthetics;and so also, strict ordinances of God
whole of human life in the domain ofmorals.
Abraham Kuyper
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Scope of Gods Law
Everything has been created was, in
its creation, furnished by God with
an unchangeable law of its
existence. And because God has
fully ordained such laws and
ordinances for all of life, therefore
the Calvinist demands that all life beconsecrated to His service, in strict
obedience. -Abraham Kuyper
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Response of Creation
Response of non-humancreation: Necessary or
instinctive response to Godsword (laws of nature)
Response of humankind:Creative and responsibleresponse of to Gods word(norms)
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Difficulty in Knowing God Creational Order
Assuming that there are given
standards for economics or art,
what methodological safeguards can
we devise against epistemological
subjectivism in establishing what is
normative in these areas? . . . Do
we have no recourse but to appealto intuition or self-evidence?
Al Wolters
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How do we know Gods will for
_____________?
Scripture
Listening to others from different historical
eras, cultural contexts, confessional traditions
Constancy across time and culture
Gods covenant with creation:
blessing/cursing
Conscience: Intuitive attunement to
creational normativity (Wolters)
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Wisdom
Wisdom is practical knowledge
of the laws of life and of the world,
based on experience (Von Rad)God wisdom: Order established in
creation
Human wisdom: Living inconformity with that order
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Divine and human wisdom
Wisdom [is] wrought into the
constitution of the universe so that
human wisdom is ethical
conformity to Gods creation
(Fleming).
Kosmos: the world held a divine
order and therefore wisdom wasfitting oneself into this divine
order (Gladigow).
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Isaiah 28:23-29
Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.
When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil?
When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway andscatter cummin?
Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in
its field?His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.
Caraway is not threshed with a sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over
cummin; caraway is beaten out with a rod, and cummin with a stick.
Grain must be ground to make bread; so one does not go onthreshing it forever.
Though he drives the wheels of his threshing cart over it, his horsesdo not grind it.
All this also comes from the Lord Almighty, wonderful in counseland magnificent in wisdom.
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Creation: The World As God Meant
It To Be
The Creator God
A good and ordered creation
An ordered creation
A very good creation
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Very good of creation
And it was good . . . And God saw it
was very good.
Creation is very good! (1 Tim. 4.1-5) God does not make junk and we
dishonour the Creator if we take a
negative view of the work of his handswhen he himself takes such a positive
view (Wolters).
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Creation is very good
Each part of creation is good as itconforms to Gods creationaldesign
The whole is God in harmoniousdiversity
Illustration: Symphony
Many good sound
Very good of harmony of whole
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Creation as symphony
The creation is a symphony where we find avariety of creatures each singing the praises ofthe Maker in accordance with its uniquecharacter, different from creatures of another
make. The lion is to serve the Lord like alion, the dandelion like a dandelion. Thedifference in service depends on thedifference in the Word addressed to them.The response of the creation to the one all-
embracing Wordserve Me!is thus asymphony of voices in which each type ofcreature performs its unique function in theindispensable setting of the whole (BernardZylstra).
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Creation: The World As God Meant
It To Be
The Creator God
A good and ordered creation
An ordered creation
A very good creation
An historical creation
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Historical nature of creation
God intended from beginning
that the historical development
of creation should continue inthe human cultivation of the
rich potentials of Gods
creation through theresponsible cultural activity of
human beings.
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Creation: The World As God Meant
It To Be
The Creator God
A good and ordered creation
An ordered creation
A very good creation
An historical creation
Role of human beings in Gods
creation
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Humanity in Genesis 1
Climactic moment in creation
story
Announcement ofDivine Kingof intention to create image
Imageshocking claim in
cultural setting
Meaning of image
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Meaning of Image
Radical dependence
Mankinds being as image stresses the
radical nature of his dependence (Henri
Blocher).
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Meaning of Image
Radical dependence
Related to God: Life of ongoing
responseReflection of Gods character
Represent God as steward of
creation
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Religious Core of Human
Existence
Very core of human life is
religious
Dependent on and related to
God
Life as constant response to
God
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Communal Nature of Human
Life
It is not good for the man to
be alone. I will make a helper
suitable for him (Gen. 2:18).
From the very beginning, the
human being is . . . a being-with;human life attains its full realization
only in community (Blocher).
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Creation Mandate (Gen. 1:26-28)
All culture, that is, all work
which man undertakes in order
to subdue the earth, whetheragriculture, stock breeding,
commerce, industry, science, or
the rest, is all the fulfilment of asingle Divine calling.
- Herman Bavinck
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Creation Mandate
Foundational command
Biblical storyline: From garden tocity
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Creation Mandate
Creatio tertia: Forming and filling tostamp Gods glory onto creation
Loving rule not tyrannical dominance
Development and care (Gen. 2:15)
We may press the grapes into wine, but notpollute the vineyard. We may develop
sophisticated technology, but not at the expenseof rewarding human work. We are free to eatof every tree in the garden, but not to spraythem with destructive chemicals for short-termgain (J. Chaplin).
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Creation Mandate
Joy of discovery and accomplishment
Thanksgiving for rich giftsCommunal task
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Creation mandate: Religious
direction of culture
In communion with God
In obedience to GodFor glory of God
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Original Shalom in Creation
The webbing together of God, humans, andall creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight iswhat the Hebrew prophets call shalom. . . . Inthe Bible, shalom means universal flourishing,wholeness, and delighta rich state of affairs
in which the natural needs are satisfied andnatural gifts fruitfully employed, a state ofaffairs that inspires joyful wonder as itsCreator and Savior opens doors andwelcomes the creatures in whom he delights.Shalom, in other words, is the way thingsought to be. . . . In a shalomic state each entitywould have its own integrity or structuredwholeness, and each would also possess manyedifying relations to other entities (Plantinga).
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Sin: The Corruption of
Gods Good Creation
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Treason in the Garden
Tree of knowledge of good andevil
Reminder of creaturely statusSatanic temptation
Doubt: Did God really say?
Unbelief: You will not dieImagination: Your eyes will be
opened
Act of disobedience
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Claim to autonomy
Man has taken leave of the relation
of dependence. He has refused to
obey and has willed to make
himself independent. No longer is
obedience the guiding principle of
his life, but his autonomous
knowledge and will. Thereby heceases, in effect, to understand
himself as a creature (Von Rad).
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Genesis 3-11
Ominous crescendo of sin
Impacts all of life
Relation to God
Relation to one another
Relation to non-human creation
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Sin as Mortal and Powerful Enemy
Tendency to minimize power,
gravity, and scope of sin
Reduced to individual disobedience
Sin is a very vicious and mortal
enemy, an irascible and persistent
power, which must certainly be
known in order to be overcome
(Berkouwer).
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SinFirst Against God
Against you, you only, have I
sinned and done what is evil in
your sight (Ps. 51:4).Revolt against God
Exchange of religious allegiance
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Against God
Idolatry: Serving another god
Adultery: Adulterating an
exclusive relationship
Refusing love to loving Father
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Sin as destructive of human life
Am I the one they are provoking?declares the Lord. Are they notrather harming themselves, to theirown shame? (Jer. 7:19).
Disobedience goes against the verygrain of creation itself. Sin isrebellion against both the structureand the Structurer of reality. Suchrebellion is inevitably self-defeatingand self-destroying (Walsh andMiddleton).
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Sin as Covenant Rebellion
See, I set before you today life andprosperity, death and destruction. For Icommand you today to love the L yourGod, to walk in his ways, and to keep his
commands, decrees and laws; then you willlive and increase, and the Lord your Godwill bless you in the land you are entering topossess. But if your heart turns away andyou are not obedient, and if you are drawn
away to bow down to other gods andworship them, I declare to you this day thatyou will certainly be destroyed. . . . I haveset before you life and death, blessings andcurses. (Deut. 30:1519)
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CovenantDynamic
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Power of Sin
Sin is a power, seductive . . .
damning, an active, dynamic
and destructive force.Sin is a power that seeks to
rule and ruin everyone and
everything.Personal power in Romans 7
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Relation of Sin to Creation
Sin as parasite: Feeds of Gods good creation Goodness is, so to speak, itself: badness is
only spoiled goodness. And there must besomething good first before it can bespoiled. (C.S. Lewis)
Sin is nothing and can do nothing apartfrom the creatures and the powers which Godhas created; yet it organizes all these in openrebellion against him. Sin does not destroy
the creation: the world of human cultureremains . . . part of Gods good creation, butsin corrupts and pollutes. (H. Bavinck)
Sin corrupts, pollutes, misdirects, twistscreation
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Scope of Sin
Defiles individual life
Disfigures cultural and social
life
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Sin Twists Human Social and Cultural
Life: Three Biblical Rules
Every person serves some god
in their life
Every person is transformedinto the image of that god
Together humanity creates and
forms a society in their image
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Forming Society in Our Distorted Image
In the development of humancivilization, man forms, creates andchanges the structure of his society,
and in doing so he portrays in hiswork the intention of his own heart.He gives to the structure of thatsociety something of his own image
and likeness. In it he betrayssomething of his own lifestyle, of hisown god. (Bob Goudzwaard)
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Human Cultural Life Rooted in
Idolatrous Story
religiouscore
STORY
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Scope of Sin
Defiles individual life
Disfigures cultural and social life
Touches non-human creation
The creation was subjected tofrustration, not by its own choice, but bythe will of the one who subjected it. . . .The whole creation has been groaning asin the pains of childbirth right up to thepresent time (Rom. 8:20, 22)
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Three Hopeful Notes
Sin does not belong to the
fabric of the creation: It can be
removedEven before end God keeps sin
from running its destructive
coursePower of gospel is greater than
power of sin