First Principles
Lesson 1
Lesson Text—Isaiah 46:9-11
Isaiah 46:9-11
9 Remember the former things of old: for
I am God, and there is none else; I am
God, and there is none like me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times the things that
are not yet done, saying, My counsel
shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Lesson Text—Isaiah 46:9-11
11 Calling
a ravenous bird from the
east, the man that executeth my
counsel from a far country: yea, I
have spoken it, I will also bring it to
pass; I have purposed it, I will also do
it.
Lesson Text—John 1:1-3
John 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with
God.
3 All things were made by him; and
without him was not anything made
that was made.
Lesson Text—I Corinthians 2:6-7
I Corinthians 2:6-7
6
Howbeit we speak wisdom among
them that are perfect: yet not the
wisdom of this world, nor of the
princes of this world, that come to
nought:
Lesson Text—I Corinthians 2:6-7
7
But we speak the wisdom of God
in a mystery, even the hidden
wisdom, which God ordained
before the world unto our glory.
Lesson Text—II Timothy 1:9
II Timothy 1:9
Who hath saved us, and called us
with an holy calling,
not according to our works, but
according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given
us in Christ Jesus
before the world began.
Lesson Text—Hebrews 11:3
Hebrews 11:3
Who hath saved us, and called us
with an holy calling,
not according to our works, but
according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given
us in Christ Jesus
before the world began.
Focus Verse—Genesis 1:1
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth.
Focus Thought
The first few words of the Bible lay
the foundation for our Christian
world-view. The most important
truth is that there
is a God who created us.
Culture Connection
I.
God
Faith in who God Is – Richard Davis
We live in an age when people are
“looking out for number one.” Even
when it comes to studying the Bible,
students commonly and rightfully ask,
“What practical purpose does this
lesson have for me?”
A student could certainly ask that
question about today’s lesson on
Creation. Creation may seem far
removed from where we live in
practical terms.
Creation was a long time ago and
primitive compared to our fast paced,
I.
God
complex, and hectic world today. Still,
there are many practical lessons to be
gleaned from studying Creation and the
God who is.
For instance, when God identified
Himself to Moses as “I AM,” He
identified Himself as the One who
perpetually occupies the present tense.
In other words, there is never a time of
history in which God is more present,
more powerful, or more available to
mankind than any other time. He is!
Creation teaches us to have faith in
I.
God
the One who is available to help—an
ever-present help in time of need! (See
Psalm 46:1.) The One who laid the
foundations of all things—visible or
invisible—is also able to create peace
in our troubled hearts, create solutions
to our most pressing dilemmas, and
create opportunities that will work for
the good of those who love Him. (See
Romans 8:28.)
God created
I. Godall things. To believe
that is the foundation for believing in
One who can be all we need Him to be
in our lives. But the basis of God as
creator of all things good and relevant
in our lives will neither evolve through
the channels of evolution nor spring
up from the pages of a science
textbook. It is a matter of faith! If I can
believe in the God who created all
things, I can believe He is the solution
to all I need in life.
Contemplating
the Topic
I. God
It is impossible to know or even
imagine what it was like at the
beginning. The conditions were so
alien and arcane to what we know or
understand. We have no frame of
reference to compare with that time of
pristine origins. It was nothingness,
but we live in a world of time, energy,
and substance. There was nothing but
a colossal, empty, black vacuum
without matter for one to see, touch, or
smell.
There was no light, energy, time—no
life-forms—nothing but the inert, yet
I.
God
omnipotent power of God.
The only life-form was God’s ethereal
presence quietly awaiting revelation.
In the beginning, only one thing
existed—God. He existed as a single,
invisible Spirit being. He was one
single entity—invisible and
unknowable, yet filled with unlimited
potential.
God defines uniqueness. No
creature is comparable to God’s holy,
powerful, creative omniscience.
Moses asked
God for His name, and
I. God
God responded with an ambiguous, yet
profound, answer: “And God said unto
Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said,
Thus shalt thou say unto the children
of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you”
(Exodus 3:14). Calling Him the
“Ancient of days,” Daniel pictured God
on His throne of judgment, judging the
great world empires (Daniel 7:9, 13,
22).
Everything
emanated from the mind
I. God
of God, and the origin of all things
came about through His divine wisdom
and creativity. God envisioned
everything before creation and then
spoke everything into existence. He is
the One who created, maintains, and
perpetuates everything by His divine
power.
At God’s word, matter, light, energy,
and time emanated from nothing.
God created a vast cavity of space and
I. God
then strewed
the heavens with
glittering stars and various celestial
bodies, giving each its own shape,
color, and movement. (See Jeremiah
31:35.) Among these swirling masses
of rock and gas, galaxies and nebulae
formed.
In this immeasurable sea of
heavenly bodies, the Earth became a
place of purpose and significance. God
spun it around the sun with a perfect
rotation on its own axis.
I. Godwas just right to
Its atmosphere
provide a perfect environment for life.
He made it with just the right balance
of ocean and land and established its
days, years, and seasons with delicate
equilibrium. He gave the Earth winds,
rain, and heat from the sun with
accurate precision.
In this perfectly suited habitat God
created life. He scattered innumerable
life-forms across land and sea.
From worms crawling in the ocean
I. God
floor to giant
whales rolling their
tonnage in the depths; from the birds
singing on the branches to the lion
stalking through the brush; from the
cattle chewing their cud to the monkey
swinging from the vine—God created it
all!
Then God created mankind—His
finest creation. Created in His own
image and likeness, mankind would
worship Him by choice, not on the
basis of instinct alone.
I. God
This creature
would have the ability to
ponder God’s awesomeness and
understand His revelation. His
intelligence would equip him to
fellowship with the Almighty and to
make choices of his own volition.
Psalm 8:3-5
“When I consider
thy heavens, the
work of thy fingers, the moon and
the stars, which thou hast
ordained; what is man, that thou art
mindful of him? and the son of
man, that thou visitest him? For
thou hast made him a little lower
than the angels, and hast crowned
him with glory and honour” (Psalm
8:3-5).
Searching The
I. God
Scriptures:
God
To deny the existence of God is
foolish! The term “fool” defines those
who, in spite of the obvious realities,
deny the existence of an almighty God:
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is
no God” (Psalm 14:1). The atheist is
arrogant, egotistical, and
presumptuous.
In spite of the millions of unanswered
mysteriesI.ofGod
the cosmos, he assumes
the sparse bits and pieces that he
knows about the origins of the
universe are enough to qualify him to
arrive at such a conclusion.
We know so little compared to what
we do not know, yet the atheists think
they know. Paul wrote concerning
people of the last days who would be
“ever learning, and never able to
come to the knowledge of the truth” (II
Timothy 3:7).
A.
A.
God’s
Existence
Established
God’s Existence Established
in Scripture
in Scripture
“In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
Resident in this opening declaration
I. God
of the Bible
are questions that curious
humans long to know, but God has not
chosen to reveal. As the narrative of
Creation unfolds, the Bible simply
proclaims, “God said.” God willed the
works of Creation to be so, He spoke
with authority and power, and He
created all things. This first sentence
makes one thing very clear—God
exists, and everything else that exists
came from Him. He is the prime
visionary, initiator, and Creator.
The Bible
is a book about God. He
I. God
is the central personality, and
mankind and creation are secondary
to God’s eternal existence. The
central message of the Bible is God’s
revelation of Himself to mankind and
His desire for us to have a
relationship with Him. God created
mankind and then made overtures
toward him—incrementally revealing
Himself to the human race.
B. God Is a Spirit
Jesus
declared
the woman at the
B. God
Is atoSpirit
well in Samaria, “God is a Spirit: and
they that worship him must worship
him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
In his book The Oneness of God,
David K. Bernard says, “What is a
spirit? Webster’s Dictionary includes in
its definition of the word the following:
‘A supernatural incorporeal, rational
being usu. invisible to human beings
but having the power to become visible
at will . . . a being having an incorporeal
or immaterial nature.’
The Hebrew word translated as spirit is
ruwach, and it can mean wind, breath,
I.
God
life, anger, unsubstantiality, region of
the sky, or spirit of a rational being.
The Greek word translated as spirit,
pneuma, can mean a current of air,
breath, blast, breeze, spirit, soul, vital
principle, disposition, angel, demon, or
God. All three definitions emphasize
that a spirit does not have flesh and
bones (Luke 24:39). Similarly, Jesus
indicated that the Spirit of God does
not have flesh and blood (Matthew
16:17).
So, when the Bible says that God is a
I. Godthat He cannot be seen
Spirit, it means
or touched physically by human
beings. As a Spirit, He is an intelligent,
supernatural Being who does not have
a physical body.”
God is not just nature or a force, but
He is a being. He has attributes and
characteristics that give Him
personality and individuality. He has a
mind and a will, and He is capable of
action and emotion.
God is a spirit-being, divine
I.ethereal
God individual with
entity, or
many wonderful attributes and
characteristics. God also has
manifested Himself to the human
race in numerous ways. However,
the Old Testament declares
frequently that He is one being:
Deuteronomy 6:4
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God
is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4).
Isaiah 44:8
“Is there a God beside me? yea,
there is no God; I know not any”
(Isaiah 44:8).
Isaiah 44:24
“I am the LORD that maketh all
things; that stretcheth forth the
heavens alone; that spreadeth
abroad the earth by myself” (Isaiah
44:24).
He is undeniably one in number
I. some
Godbelieve “three
and not as
persons.” He is numerically one. The
Hebrews lived among people who
believed in polytheism—many gods.
Monotheism was a major distinction
that made the Hebrews different from
their neighbors. Jehovah was also an
invisible spirit being in contrast to the
idols and creature worship of the
heathen.
The Beginning of Time
II. The Beginning of Time
A. Progression of Time
Eternity is the absence of time.
God conceived and implemented
this measurement we call “time” by
initiating a progression of linear
events.
Some religions believe we are
merely on a cycle, or a great circle,
I.
God
where time repeats itself. For example,
the Hindu religion teaches
reincarnation, where humans return
after death to recycle life in some
different form. However, the Scriptures
do not support this idea. God set into
motion a series of events that will
culminate in the great judgment day
(Hebrews 9:27). God’s great program
had a beginning and it will have an
ending. (See Ecclesiastes 3:11; Isaiah
46:10; Daniel 12:4, 9; Revelation 1:8;
21:6; 22:13.)
Even though God is an eternal
being, He has limited His actions
I.
God
relative to mankind and Creation to the
realm of time. God has provided a time
and season for all things, including a
time for salvation, which He provided
through Jesus Christ: “But when the
fulness of the time was come, God
sent forth his Son, made of a woman,
made under the law” (Galatians 4:4).
The providence of God toward
mankind is pervasive in our history
and future. (See Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.)
“To every
thing there3:1-4
is a season,
Ecclesiastes
and a time to every purpose under
the heaven: a time to be born, and
a time to die; a time to plant, and a
time to pluck up that which is
planted; a time to kill, and a time to
heal; a time to break down, and a
time to build up; a time to weep,
and a time to laugh; a time to
mourn, and a time to dance”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-4).
“A time to cast away stones, and a
3:5-8
timeEcclesiastes
to gather stones
together; a
time to embrace, and a time to
refrain from embracing; a time to
get, and a time to lose; a time to
keep, and a time to castaway; a
time to rend, and a time to sew; a
time to keep silence, and a time to
speak; a time to love, and a time to
hate; a time of war, and a time of
peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:5-8).
B. Value of Time
B. Value of Time
Each person is given a certain
amount of time to live on this earth,
and none of us knows how long that
will be. Our lives are gifts from God
that we should use to glorify Him. The
psalmist declared, “So teach us to
number our days, that we may apply
our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm
90:12).
Paul penned these words: “Redeeming
I.
God
the time, because the days are evil”
(Ephesians 5:16); “Walk in wisdom
toward them that are without,
redeeming the time” (Colossians 4:5).
This commodity called time is a part of
the talents that God distributes to
everyone, and we should be good
stewards of His gifts. (See Matthew
25:15-28; I Peter 4:10.)
Beginning of Matter
III. Beginning of Matter
In the beginning there was nothing
but a gargantuan, cavernous vacuum—
only emptiness and nothingness! At
Creation, God filled this vacuum with
created matter or substances. Science
has discovered that all matter is
composed of atoms and molecules,
which make up the building blocks of all
substances. In this natural world where
we live, a vacuum is an anomaly.
I. God
We may be
able to artificially create
vacuums, but nature fights to fill the
void. Although science considers
outer space as a vacuum, it is not a
perfect vacuum, because some
substances exist even there.
A. Creation Defined
TheCreation
word creation
can mean to bring
A.
Defined
into existence that which had no prior
existence, or to make something out of
nothing. God made mankind differently
than He created the elements and other
forms of organic life. He formed
mankind from the existing substance of
dirt and then breathed life into him.
From the man’s rib, He then created a
woman. This exceptional way of
creating accents the uniqueness of
humanity that remains dependent upon
His care and support.
A. God’s
Progression
of
Time
creation is separate from His
being. Nature is not God, and God is
not nature as the pantheists
(Buddhists) teach. Creation is
independent from God’s person and
at the same time dependent upon His
care.
B. Creation by God
B.
bynot
God
TheCreation
universe was
produced by
some cosmic accident. God intricately
planned and considered the
conditions of creation. Some
scientists say that a mindless,
uncontrolled “big bang” occurred
billions of years ago. A sudden
outburst or explosion would have
resulted in destruction and chaos
rather than the life and order that we
now witness around us. Rather, God
was the Creator!
Among many other sophisticated
disciplines, He was a chemist, a
I.
God
physicist, an astronomer, and a
biologist. He was most certainly an
artist, the maker of all our world’s
beauty. Further, He was the lawmaker
of all unseen forces that make nature
orderly and predictable.
The Book of Genesis describes six
days of creation (Genesis 1). We have
no way of knowing for certain how
long these days were; however, we
have much reason to conclude that the
days were twenty-four hours in length
just as our days are.
Numerous students of Scripture have
made strong
arguments to support the
I. God
idea that the One who created the
twenty-four-hour day also utilized the
same-length time periods as days of
creation. Certainly, God could have
utilized a longer, unique period of time
for each day if He so desired. Simply,
we do not know for sure. We do know,
however, that the creative act was a
six-day process followed by a day of
rest, and we know that God was the
originator and implementer of it all.
The earth has gone through many
God
changes I.
over
the years and holds
many mysteries. We do not know how
hydrocarbons became buried deep in
the earth, how the Grand Canyon was
formed, where dinosaurs came from,
or how seashells got to North Dakota.
Neither do scientists. They only have
theories! It is likely, as suggested by
many creation scientists, that the great
Flood was involved in creating many of
these unsolved mysteries.
Before the Beginning
IV. Before the Beginning
It is satisfying to know there is a
mastermind behind creation! We are
not here as the result of random acts.
We are not hapless prisoners of a
whimsical universe, waiting for some
calamity to cause our demise. From
the beginning, God was deliberate with
every step of the creative process.
Everything He did was purposeful and
designed with intent.
I. God
He also created human beings with
purpose and preordained destiny.
Consequently, we are not highly
evolved animals pursuing our instincts
and destined to eventually die and
pass into oblivion.
A. Eternal Life Planned
A. Eternal Life Planned
Even scientists agree that this world
as we know it will eventually be
destroyed. We are vulnerable to the
elements of nature—the death of our
sun, collision with meteorites,
radiation from galactic eruptions,
diseases, and now our ability to
destroy ourselves with nuclear
weapons.
I.
God
The Bible predicts this world will be
destroyed and there will be a new
heaven and a new earth. (See Isaiah
65:17; 66:22; II Peter 3:13;
Revelation 21:1-2.) Our world may
be temporal, but our spiritual nature
will live forever. God created the
human race with the potential to live
eternally. (See Genesis 2:7.)
Genesis 2:7
“And the LORD God formed man of
the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a
living soul” (Genesis 2:7).
God was not surprised when Adam
I.
God
and Eve failed to obey His command,
for He understands the strong natural
drives and cravings of human nature.
He gave mankind the power of choice,
and they made the wrong choice.
Knowing Adam’s propensity for failure,
God provided a way of redemption.
God instituted substitutionary
procedures that the patriarchs
implemented in the Old Testament.
Under that
I. sacrificial
God system the blood
of innocent animals brought about the
temporary atonement for mankind’s
sins. However, the blood of animals
could never really atone for man’s
sins; it would ultimately require a
higher sacrifice of One who alone
could provide atonement.
God’s love for humanity climaxed at
the Incarnation. He became incarnate
I.
God
through Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
who shed His innocent blood to
provide a thorough and perpetual
propitiation for the sins of the world
(Romans 3:25; I John 2:2; 4:10). Jesus
proclaimed, “That whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have
eternal life. For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting
life” (John 3:15-16).
Eternal purpose planned. “And to
make all men see what is the
I.
God
fellowship of the mystery, which from
the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by
Jesus Christ: to the intent that now
unto the principalities and powers in
heavenly places might be known by
the church the manifold wisdom of
God, according to the eternal purpose
which he purposed in Christ Jesus our
Lord” (Ephesians 3:9-11).
The church is comprised of
I. God
individuals
who are destined to bring
eternal glory to God. They represent
God’s ultimate purpose in history
(Romans 1:9-12), and all Christians
should find their life’s purpose in their
role in that ultimate purpose (Romans
4:11-13). Even the angels learn about
God’s redemption through observing
the church. (See I Peter 1:12.) The
church is at the center of His eternal
purpose—redeeming mankind.
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall
worship him, whose names are not
I.
God
written in the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world”
(Revelation 13:8).
Some commentaries say that the
phrase “slain from the foundation of
the world” is speaking of the Book of
Life. How could the Book of Life, or
those in it, be slain? It appears more
reasonable to interpret this verse by
relating it to the time in eternity past
when God envisioned the ultimate
sacrifice for sin. (See Revelation 1:8,
21:6, 22:13.)
He was not crucified when the world
was created, but it was the imperative
I.
God
piece in God’s envisioned plan.
God knows the end from the
beginning: “Remember the former
things of old: for I am God, and there is
none else; I am God, and there is none
like me, declaring the end from the
beginning, and from ancient times the
things that are not yet done, saying,
My counsel shall stand, and I will do all
my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10). As an
eternal being, God can speak of things
beforehand as though they were. (See
Romans 4:17.)
Eternal
planned. “In hope of
I.life
God
eternal life, which God, that cannot lie,
promised before the world began; but
hath in due times manifested his word
through preaching, which is committed
unto me according to the
commandment of God our Saviour”
(Titus 1:2-3).
Titus 1:2-3 reveals that the
“promise” of eternal life was codified
before God created the world.
I. God
Eternal life is a promise to every
believer who will trust in the blood of
Jesus for redemption and be born
again of the water and the Spirit (John
3:5). The greatest benefit of being a
part of God’s kingdom is eternal life!
Jesus declared, “My sheep hear my
I. IGod
voice, and
know them, and they
follow me: and I give unto them eternal
life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out
of my hand” (John 10:27-28). Jesus
also prayed, “Father, the hour is come;
glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may
glorify thee: as thou hast given him
power over all flesh, that he should
give eternal life to as many as thou
hast given him” (John 17:1-2).
B. Predestination
B. Predestination
“Having made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to his
good pleasure which he hath
purposed in himself: that in the
dispensation of the fulness of times
he might gather together in one all
things in Christ, both which are in
heaven, and which are on earth;
even in him:” (Ephesians 1:9-10).
Ephesians 1:11-12
“In whom also we have obtained an
inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will: that we
should be to the praise of his glory,
who first trusted in Christ”
(Ephesians 1:11-12).
Predestination, a popular
I. God
theological
idea, proposes that
individuals do not have a choice in the
process of being saved or lost, and
that God in His sovereignty has
predetermined who will be saved. This
would mean that our volition is
deprived and manipulated by God
where we robotically follow our
predetermined destiny. If this were
true, we would be like puppets with
God pulling the strings.
As sovereign, God is free to choose
our destiny
separate from our will and
I.
God
actions. Nevertheless, there is a
bastion of Scripture that affirms the
individual’s power to choose in these
eternal matters. (See Matthew 6:24;
16:11; Mark 3:29; 16:16; John 5:29;
Romans 13:2.) The Greek word
translated as “predestinated” in
Ephesians 1:11 is prooridzo, and it
means “to predetermine, decide
beforehand” (Enhanced Strong’s
Lexicon).
This predetermined salvation is
speakingI.about
the church collectively
God
and not of specific individuals. Jesus
told Peter the gates of Hell would not
prevail against the church (Matthew
16:18). He assured us that the church
will be victorious over the world, but
each individual must seek his own
salvation with great gravity. Paul wrote
to the Philippian church, “Work out
your own salvation with fear and
trembling” (Philippians 2:12).
Eternalizing The Message
B.
Predestination
To ignore God would be the most
severe mistake a person could make in
his lifetime. Whether it is from doubt or
simply neglect, the consequences are
enormous. Further, to ignore God is to
be dishonest and unthankful. When we
refuse to acknowledge Him as the
source of everything and the One who
provides our every need, we put
blindfolds on our eyes and stumble
blindly through life.
We miss the whole purpose of our
God
existenceI.by
not becoming a believer
in and a worshiper of God.
Life is more than just satisfying our
carnal cravings and accumulating
riches. God must be at the center of
everything. Jesus proclaimed, “For
what is a man profited, if he shall gain
the whole world, and lose his own
soul? or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?” (Matthew
16:26).
I.God
God
Just as
is the source of the
universe and is in control of
everything, He is also the chief
controller of eternity. God created a
temporal universe, but He gave human
beings an eternal spirit. From the
beginning, God planned that people
would live eternally just as He is
eternal. God’s ultimate intention is that
each person to whom He gives life
should live eternally with Him.