If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 2 Cor 5:17
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Derek’s Blog which comes out weekly to fortnightly is at -
Go to the new more user friendly version - beingrecreated.org
Explore new horizons of a living faith
These pages are designed to aid study or investigation for Christian discipleship through individual Bible study, Cell groups, Home groups, or meeting one to one. The questions could be used alone allowing each person to use their own Bible.
Introduction
The Big Bang is often presented as a problem for Christians, but actually it is more of a problem for the scientific community for it intrinsically points to a creator.
Help Zone
- What is the theory - Everything is originated from a single point of energy.
- The Scientists’ problem - Every effect must have a cause - God.
- The Christians’ problem - 7 days or billions of years.
- Detail on the 7 day issue. - Words can have different meanings.
The Singularity or Big Bang is the theory that the universe began at a defined point in time billions of years ago. It began from energy or matter that condensed into matter of greater and greater size. In the beginning it is proposed that all of the universe was smaller than the size of an atom. From this minuscule beginning the universe spread out till now it is light years across.
What is the Scientists’ problem?
One of the key requirements of any scientific theory is that of “Cause and Effect”. For every cause there must be some measurable effect, and for every effect there must have been some cause. To illustrate this: If a light turns on, one could ask the question what caused the light to turn on. The immediate answer is that electricity went through the light bulb. One could then define brightness and heat in terms of voltage, current and resistance. One is however left with the question of why the electricity is running through the bulb. It could be that someone turned on the light switch, or it could be because of some automatic switch system. Whichever, you end up with a cause.
The issue with a Singularity is that there is an effect that has no cause within the Universe. The very nature of the Time Space continuum is that it cannot contain the cause. The cause must exist outside of time space. Many hate the idea of a creator, but this is what is pointed to.
I am not an expert on this, but there is a group of well respected scientists far more knowledgeable than I. This is their web site - http://www.reasons.org/
What is the Christians’ problem?
Many Christians reading Genesis 1 understand that God created the world in 7 days. There is a line of discussion among Christians as to whether this is necessarily a period of 7 * 24 hours. If it is a period of 24 hours then the world being billions of years old presents a problem. If the 7 days are 7 periods then the creation story works very well with the Big Bang theory.
The creation story of the Bible is the only religious creation story that takes this approach. In every other religion the god creates from something. Only in the Bible is there a God speaking creation into existence.
Genesis 1 is a key account of the creation. Here is the first day -
- What did God do on the first day?
- What description of a day is given that might suggest a 24 hour period?
Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.*2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3 Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.5 God called the light "day" and the darkness "night."
And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
Same word different meaning.
The same Hebrew word is used in other contexts and is translated differently. Here are two random examples.
- Could the underlined words mean 24 hour period?
Genesis 10: 25 Eber had two sons. The first was named Peleg (which means "division"), for during his lifetime the people of the world were divided into different language groups. His brother's name was Joktan.
Genesis 21: 34 And Abraham lived as a foreigner in Philistine country for a long time.
Still in the 7th day
There is a text that implies that we are currently in the 7th day, the day of rest.
- What did God do at the end of His work of creation?
- How long did God rest from all His work?
- In the second passage (Hebrews 4:3 NIV) How long has the 7th day lasted?
Genesis 2: 1 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed.2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested* from all his work.3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
Hebrews 4:3 (NIV) Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,So I declared on oath in my anger,'They shall never enter my rest.'And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world.
BIG BANG
