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CREATION,FALL,SALVATION

CREATION,FALL,SALVATION. THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE HAS AN OVER-ARCHING AND UNDERGIRDING STORY LINE THE FIRST AND THIRD ACTS OF THE DRAMA FOCUS ON GOD’S ACTION OF CREATING AND REDEEMING THE SECOND ACT FOCUSES ON THE HUMAN ACTION OF WILLFUL SINNING. CREATION AND THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN CULTURE.

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CREATION,FALL,SALVATION

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  1. CREATION,FALL,SALVATION • THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVE HAS AN OVER-ARCHING AND UNDERGIRDING STORY LINE • THE FIRST AND THIRD ACTS OF THE DRAMA FOCUS ON GOD’S ACTION OF CREATING AND REDEEMING • THE SECOND ACT FOCUSES ON THE HUMAN ACTION OF WILLFUL SINNING

  2. CREATION AND THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN CULTURE • THE IDEA OF CREATION INCLUDES THE CONCEPT THAT GOD IS DISTINGUISHABLE FROM WHAT GOD MAKES, IN OTHER WORDS, THE CREATION, INCLUDING HUMAN CREATURES ARE NOT A PART OF GOD, THOUGH THEY MAY BE MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE IN SOME WAY

  3. THE CREATOR GOD • ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL TENANTS OF MONOTHEISM IS THIS NOTION THAT THERE IS ONE GOD WHO IS THE ORIGINATOR OF THE ENTIRE MATERIAL UNIVERSE • HUMAN BEINGS AND HUMAN CULTURE MAY REFLECT GOD’S IMAGE, BUT THEY ARE NOT DIVINE

  4. THE IMPLICATIONS OF CREATION THEOLOGY • SINCE CREATION IS NOT PART OF GOD, GOD IS NOT DEFILED BY THE EXAMINATION OF NATURE OR HUMANKIND • INDEED, ONE FOUNDATION OF MODERN SCIENCE IS ACTUALLY THIS CREATOR/CREATION DISTINCTION, WHICH ASSUMES THERE IS AN OBJECTIVE REALITY CALLED THE UNIVERSE WHICH IS NOT GOD AND CAN BE EXAMINED

  5. PSALM 8 AND CREATION THEOLOGY • THE PSALMIST SAYS THAT CREATION IS THE WORK OF GOD’S FINGERS OR HANDS, LIKE A POTTER MOLDING CLAY • THE CONCEPT HERE IS OF AN ENORMOUS DEITY WHO DWARFS THE ALSO ENORMOUS CREATION • IT IS BOTH THE MAGNITUDE OF GOD AND THE MAGNIFICENCE OF CREATION THAT PROMPTS THE RESPONSE OF AWE AND WONDER

  6. THE SIZE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF HUMANKIND • WHILE THE PSALMIST EMPHASIZES THE MINUTENESS OF HUMANS HE DOES NOT SUGGEST THE REMEDY FOR SUCH A RECOGNITION IS HUMAN STRIVING • RATHER HE STRESSES WHAT GOD HAS MADE US, BUT A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS OR GOD

  7. HUMAN DIGNITY GROUNDED IN GOD’S IMAGE AND GIFTS • KNOWING THAT HUMANS ARE CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE COMES NOT FROM EXAMINING CREATION, BUT FROM KNOWING GOD’S WORD • THIS BEING THE CASE, THE PSALMIST IS NOT SUGGESTING THAT AN ADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD COMES FROM EXPLORING CREATION

  8. THE BELIEVING LEADS TO SEEING PRINCIPLE • THE PSALMIST OPERATES WITH A BELIEVING LEADS TO SEEING PRINCIPLE • BELIEVING IN GOD’S WORD, LEADS TO SEEING GOD’S WORLD, INCLUDING HUMANS, FROM THE CORRECT PERSPECTIVE • ANSELM’S DICTUM—FIDES QUAERENS INTELLECTUM, NOT VICE VERSA

  9. CROWNED WITH GLORY, HONOR, AND DOMINION • BEING IN GOD’S IMAGE IN PART MEANS WE BECOME MINI-CREATORS AND RULERS OF THE REALM • IT ALSO ENTAILS THAT WE HAVE A CAPACITY FOR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THAT OTHER BEINGS APPARENTLY DO NOT (ANGELS EXCEPTED)

  10. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AS THEOLOGY’S OFFSPRING • JASTROW STORY • SCIENCE WITHOUT RELIGION CAN LEAD TO HOLOCAUST OR TECHNOLOGY WITHOUT ETHICAL GUIDELINES • RELIGION WITHOUT SCIENCE LEADS TO FIDEISM WITHOUT A CREATION THEOLOGY

  11. SCIENCE AND THE FAITH PRINCIPLE • SCIENCE OPERATES WITH CERTAIN FAITH ASSUMPTIONS • FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THERE IS AN OBJECTIVE REALITY • IT CAN BE KNOWN, AT LEAST IN PART • IT INVOLVES ORDER, DESIGN, PATTERNS

  12. HUMAN FALLENNESS AND KNOWLEDGE • WHAT IS NOT ALWAYS FACTORED INTO THE EQUATION WHEN IT COMES TO SCIENTIFIC KNOWING IS THE CONDITION AND POSITION OF THE KNOWER • FROM A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE, HUMAN BEINGS HAVE A FALLEN MIND WHICH NEEDS TO BE RENEWED • AS ROM. 1.18-32 MAKES CLEAR FALLEN HUMANS KNOW GOD SOMEWHAT, BUT REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE GOD

  13. THE NOETIC EFFECTS OF SIN • FALLENNESS, AS GEN. 3 MAKES CLEAR, AFFECTS THE WHOLE PERSON. THE PRIMAL SIN IS NOT THE DESIRE FOR KNOWLEDGE BUT THE DESIRE FOR ALL SORTS OF EXPERIENCES, INCLUDING THE EXPERIENCE OF EVIL • THE PRIMAL EFFECT OF THE FALL IS SELF-CENTEREDNESS, OR NARCISSISM, I.E. IT PRIMARILY AFFECTS HOW WE VIEW OUR SELVES, ALIENATED FROM GOD

  14. THE EFFECTS OF SIN—PART II • FALLENNESS AFFECTS THE MIND, HEART, WILL EMOTIONS, AND THE BODY, IN SHORT THE WHOLE PERSON • ITS EFFECTS ARE EXTENSIVE WITHOUT BEING INTENSIVE (I.E. HUMANS ARE NOT UNREDEEMABLE NOR HAS GOD’S IMAGE BEEN ERASED IN THE FALL) • NOT SURPRISINGLY, IT AFFECTS HUMAN CULTURE AS WELL AS HUMAN NATURE, WHICH PROPAGATES NARCISSISM

  15. RECOGNITION AND WARINESS • WHEN THE CHRISTIAN RECOGNIZES HUMAN FALLENNESS, THIS MEANS SHE CAN NOT TAKE CULTURE OR CULTURAL ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WHAT IS NORMAL AT FACE VALUE • CULTURAL VALUES, INCLUDING THE VALUES OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY MUST BE EXAMINED AND CRITIQUED FROM A CHRISTIAN POINT OF VIEW

  16. BEYOND RECOGNITION TO RESTORATION • IN A CULTURE LOADED WITH SELF-HELP PROGRAMS IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE CHRISTIAN TO RECOGNIZE THAT REDEMPTION IS NOT ANOTHER ONE OF THESE • NOR IS REDEMPTION MERELY A MATTER OF RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEMS OF HUMAN FALLENNESS

  17. THE CHRISTLIKE MINDSET • PHIL. 2.5-11 AS PARADIGM • RECOGNIZING ONE’S CONDITION AND POSITION • DELIBERATELY STEPPING DOWN, TAKING ON THE FORM OF A SERVANT • TRUE HUMILITY, AND LEAVING THE RESULTS IN GOD’S HANDS

  18. LIVING SACRIFICES, TRUE WORSHIP • ROM. 12 PROVIDES A MODEL OF THE CHRISTIAN ETHICAL APPROACH TO LIFE • WHAT IS TRUE WORSHIP, TRUE SERVICE • THE NEED FOR ONGOING RENEWAL OF SELF, INCLUDING ONE’S MIND • THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CHRISTIAN’ STRUGGLE AND THE STRUGGLE OF AN UNREDEEMED PERSON (GAL. 5 VS. ROM 7).

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