The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"The Great Presupposition - Genesis 1:0"
The Bible begins with a major presupposition, namely, what we might call "Genesis 1:0."
"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).
Scripture opens with the existence and creative action of God as a given reality. Moses makes no attempt to corroborate or explain the fact of God. He simply declares One assumed to be. Moreover, he predates God's existence "from everlasting" because by definition, a creator must precede whatever he creates. Thus, before reading or believing Genesis 1:1, every human being resides in the unescapable domain of Genesis 1.0. "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
"God is… By Him were all things created" (Hebrews 11:6; Colossians 1:16).
In debate, presuppositions are often considered to be out of bounds for rational argumentation because one or both parties may not accept each other's a priori assumptions. Could this be said of the Bible that opens with the direct and unvarnished assumption of God and His actions?
The answer is no. The reason is that the Author of Scripture makes Himself plainly known to every human being.
"The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20).
"That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9).
""The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard" (Psalm 19:1-3).
Not only did the living and true God of Scripture create all things. He sustains all things, including ourselves (Psalm 100:3; Colossians 1:17). He also "giveth to all life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25). Thus, we all live as fish in the ocean that is God. Corroborating evidence for the great presupposition of our Lord's being and doing rides upon the wings of every breath we inhale. If we do not recognize the confirmation, the blame lies not with God, but with ourselves. He makes plain His reality and dynamic involvement in all things. All come to the debate table having "clearly seen" the reality of the God for or against whom they argue. "The light shineth in darkness" (John 1:7).
Of course, when discussing the Lord with an atheist or agnostic, we may or may not suggest that deeply within, he knows the One he denies does actually exist. We seek to be respectful of those with whom we disagree (II Timothy 2:24). However, we do well to keep in heart and mind the shared presupposition of both ourselves and our opponent regarding the central issue of human existence. In His discourse with Nicodemus, the Lord Jesus Christ plainly stated that the issue of belief is never fundamentally intellectual, but rather spiritual and moral. "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19).
We state our case for God's existence and involvement from the high ground of strength, confidence, and assurance. Yes, long before we sit across the table from any human being, the Lord has long been bearing witness to that one of Himself. Indeed, we all live in Genesis 1.0, regardless of whether or not we believe Genesis 1:1. God is. He has always been. He made all things, He made us, and we live, move, and have our being in Him even if we foolishly deny the great fact, The Great Presupposition, that precedes and permeates our existence.
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
(Micah 5:2)
Weekly Memory Verse
He is thy life.
(Deuteronomy 30:20)
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