Who are We?  Where are We Going?

Covenant Presbyterian Church

Sunday Morning Foundations Classes

God's Positioning System (GPS)
March 29, 2020 lesson #2

FOREKNOWLEDGE

While we live within the time and space continuum, the Bible teaches that God not only created all things (Gen. 1:1), but is outside of and free of the constraints of time and space, which He created. He sees the very beginning to the absolute end; all of time is laid out before Him like a tapestry--it would be like us watching a parade passing before us from the Goodyear blimp, simultaneously observing the entire parade--from beginning to end. The whole universe, both seen and unseen, are in His hands; He knows the beginning to the end of time (Psalm 139).

Paul's letter to the Romans 8:28-29 provides assurance that God is in control, with these words…
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son….NASB 

Note: “predestined” – means something that is preordained to come about; being predetermined and appointed to occur as ordered.

God is omniscient in that He knows all things, even before they occur, with complete knowledge of every detail. He is omnipresent, being in all places simultaneously—the past, the present, and the future. All of history is stretched out before Him. There are no surprises; there are no situations that exceed His capabilities. In other words: He is God in the truest sense!

Let’s begin with a couple of difficult questions. But, it’s important to remain mindful of God’s attributes as we do.

Q.1. If God knew that the Fall would occur (and being omnipresent, He did), why then did He place the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, knowing that it would lead to Eve’s temptation and Adam’s disobedience, causing the Fall and with it a curse on all of creation?

A.1. We will cover this further as we go through our study.

But, first, let’s consider another related question.

Q.2. Couldn’t God have just intervened and prevented Adam and Eve from sinning—in the same way that He had put a protective hedge around Job to protect him from Satan?

A.2. Regarding the hedge, the answer is YES, He could have…but He chose not to. We may be tempted to question God’s infinite wisdom in this matter, but to do so would be utter foolishness. Our finite understanding can never extend to the reaches of God's infinite wisdom.

End of Lesson #2
Lesson #1 (3 parts) posted below.

In the Beginning

March 22 Lesson #1 (part 1 of 3)

Who Are We also leads to Where are We Going? There was a beginning followed by a Fall; then a Savior, and with Him, a new beginning.....

The world is riddled with problems—big ones, small ones and everything in between; BUT, in spite of that, this world is still too amazing and magnificent to comprehend! Just picture in your mind’s eye, the splendor of a late night desert-sky studded with stars too numerous to count; the radiance of an ocean sunset stretching its arms across the full expanse of an endless horizon; the majesty of a snow-capped mountain range on a clear winter day; a tropical lagoon teeming with an array of brilliantly colored marine life. As magnificent as they all may be, we can only imagine the splendor of the original creation before the Fall marred its beauty. Gen 1:31 tells us…

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. NIV

So what happened to this wonderful creation that God described as “very good”? Genesis chapter 3 tells of man’s rebellion and its far reaching consequences, stretching across time itself. Eve succumbed to temptation, but Adam willfully and deliberately disobeyed God's command. The total impact of the Fall far exceed our finite ability to fully comprehend its vast impact on all of creation; we can only bear witness to its consequences, because we live with them.

There are some that believe Adam and Eve’s sin caught God by surprise, causing Him to come up with a substitute Plan—to send a Savior—not considered part of His original plan. But, Presbyterians, Reformed and certain other Christian bodies have always taught that God did not only foresee the Fall, but made provisions for it even before the act of creation itself.

Before we question “Why?” we need to be mindful that we are limited, finite creatures, and God is not only all wise and all knowing, but all powerful and infinite in every way. He is the Author and Creator of all things—the extent and scope of which are just barely visible from the tiniest microscopic forms (yes, even viruses) as seen through the most powerful microscopes; to the farthest reaches of the universe being probed through the powerful Hubble space-telescope by the greatest scientific minds; as well as the incomprehensible spiritual realm we call heaven and hell. This is our God, the Sovereign Lord, the creator of all things visible and invisible! 

 Lesson #1 (part 1 of 3)) continued by scrolling down, or depending on your format or via the index on the upper right.
For Parts 1 & 2 You need to go click on Older Posts (below)

The New Heaven and New Earth

March 22 Lesson #1 (part 2 of 3) 

So, Where are We Going?

The Bible tells us that God will create a new heaven and a new earth (Is 66:22; 2 Pe 3:13; Rv 21:1). The Bible is pretty specific what it means for humans, but what does this new heaven and new earth mean for animals? Does God create a place for animals in His makeover of creation? Or does God completely ignore His original creation and the animals He carefully designed and placed there? Genesis Chapter 1 verses 24-25 tells us that God not only created animals but referred to this part of His creation as something "good".... Did He do so for the short term only, knowing that death awaited His creatures; or was it an indication of His long term plans for ALL of His creation?  The Bible specifically addresses people! We need to understand God's plan for us before we can understand His plan for animals, especially, our pets. If God addressed the question of pets in the Bible, many would spend a large part of their time addressing that topic instead of evangelizing a world in need of a Savior. We need to be mindful that the Bible message is focused on saving people from the consequences of sin. Anything noted here in my personal opinion, not church doctrine. So, lets begin at the beginning...  

The Bible tells us that God considered His creation as something "good."
24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good."

But, when Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God's command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, doing so turned everything upside down, and all of creation suffered serious consequences. 

Genesis 3 tells us that when Adam and Eve sinned they brought a curse upon all of creation, which included all living things. But the animals affected by this curse did not participate in Adam's sin against God, so then would they, after being declared "good" by God, suddenly suffer death and eternal extinction by no fault of their own? Again, the Bible was written for the sake of man, regarding sin and redemption. It is silent regarding the faith of animals--directly, anyway, but I believed their future is implied (again, it's an opinion, not doctrine). The intent of this blog was to look across God's creation, from the Alpha to the Omega, from the beginning to the end. It was created to look at that very question and examine the far reaching consequences of sin and God's redemption of man and His entire creation (yes, including animals). In several places, the Bible teaches that there will be a new heaven and a new earth (here are two references: 2 Peter 3:13 and Rev 21:1) that will replace the current creation corrupted by sin; which also raises the question for all animal lovers: do animals have a place in the new earth--especially, our pets? Read on and decide for yourself. Hopefully you too will be comforted by my conclusions, as I was. 

 Lesson #1 (part 2 of 3) continue by scrolling down.
"Who Are We? Where  are We Going" in the index.

What happens when this life ends?

March 22 Lesson #1 (part 3 of 3)
Who are We?  Where are We Going?
Covenant Presbyterian Church
Sunday Morning Foundations Classes -- 
God's Positioning System (GPS)

From the Garden of Eden (Genesis) to the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation)
Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega--the Beginning and the End

What happens when this life ends?

Most of the people coming to this blog are familiar with some concept of heaven or the hereafter. To Christians it may mean one thing, to others it may have an entirely different meaning or no meaning at all. But, the question remains: Is heaven real? Is it an actual place? For those that believe in the Bible, the answer is "yes" heaven is a real place. Which raises the question, "What happens to the soul when someone dies?" Do all people go to heaven? The Christian Church is adamant that there is a heaven, but somewhat vague on what heaven is like. Part of that vagueness is that the Bible doesn't describe heaven in detail--the reason being, it is beyond our knowledge and understanding; almost like trying to explain Einstein's Theory of Relativity to a third grader. But, what about the new heaven and new earth mentioned in the Bible? We will attempt to explore that question and not contradict Scripture in doing so. 

But first things first. What happens when we or a loved one dies? Though our body dies and is laid to rest, our spirit lives on and goes before God at which time our eternal destiny will be established--either with God or alienated from God forever. Christ assured the thief on the cross of this with these words in Luke 23:42-43 (NIV)
42 Then he [the thief] said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 
43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." 

The Bible also states that there will be "a new heaven" and "a new earth, "which is part of the focus of this study.

End of Lesson #1 (part 3 of 3)
This is a weekly study series. Each lesson will be posed on the following Saturday. Same link address. Check the index on the right when you log on for updates.