5 Replies to “Genesis chapter 1”

  1. Howdy Het

    I love the diagramming and how it brings clarity to some really deep stuff. However, I think box 7 needs some clarification. Everything God made was made through his will but it can’t have been made from the stuff of himself. Historic Christian theology is that everything was made ‘ex nihilo’ – out of nothing.

    It is a rather important doctrine as it exposes error in pantheistic and panentheistic views and in the view that we are really part of God and can be restored/reborn to that state of ‘godness’ (rather than the biblical view that we are His workmanship; made in His image and likeness).

    Only God Himself is incorruptible; His character is inviolable. In making man, God did not make mini-Gods out of His own ‘substance’ who were also incorruptible and inviolable; rather, He made man out of the dust of the earth and woman out of man. He made man and woman free to obey and to have fellowship with him but Adam and Eve were not mini-Gods. God knew that a creation of beings made of something other than Himself would be corruptible and that is why a plan of salvation had already been put in place prior to the fall: a way for death to be defeated and for us to have life by the death of the perfect Messiah (Son of God and Son of Man – the Son of God was of the substance of God: He was with God and was God. The Son of Man came into mankind, the only One out of all mankind who was sinless and receive the consequence of sin on our behalf).

    There are two orders of creation that were made to worship and have fellowship with Him – firstly, the angels. Secondly, man. Angels were also made by God’s command and, like man, were also not made out of the ‘substance’ of God – i.e. they are also corruptible and violable because they are free to obey and have fellowship or disobey and be unacceptable in the presence of His holiness.

    Some cults teach that God’s spark is within us, i.e. we are made of the stuff of God, and that if born again we are mini-gods with creative power in our words. I am sure that’s not what you are wanting to infer but just want to be sure it is not misunderstood!

    Sorry to complicate your beautifully simplified info-cards but just thought a clarification might be a good idea… and thanks for the great thought provoking stuff!

    1. Howdy thar
      Excellent, excellent, EXCELLENT remarks Sue – thanks heaps.
      I had a vague notion of trying to work through the whole Bible similarly, and have spent 2 days just on chapter 2 but the weight of it is too much as the concepts are so very important to not represent distortions so at this time I’m gonna cool my jets 🙂
      Can you think of equally simple wording to no 7 and I can edit that one and let the bigger idea rest for now. Not because I feel squashed (I don’t remotely) but because it really matters to be ‘accurately divided’.
      What about:
      “All the stuff He made, came from His perfect plan/His heart desire…”? Any better?

  3. Something like “All the stuff He made came from nothing, produced at a word, and has the fingerprints of His design on it all”.
    Still not quite right in terms of simplicity but another thought to work on. “Consistent with all He is” does work.
    Sue R

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