Creation
By Gordon H. Clark, Ph.D.
Professor of Philosophy in Butler University
Indianapolis, Ind.
In opposition to pantheism and naturalism, Chapter IV of the Westminster Confession gives the Biblical teaching on creation. "It pleased God . . . for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, in the beginning to create, or make of nothing, the world and all things therein . . ."
Secular or pagan thought has regularly denied that the world had a first moment and that it began suddenly. Recently, the eminent physicist, Professor George Gamow, in his book The Birth and Death of the Sun, said that "the elements were formed in not more than half an hour." This is interesting in that its admission of a sudden unique event contrasts with previous views of a slow, gradual, evolutionary uniformity; but it can hardly be said that Dr. Gamow has proved the truth of the Biblical account.
That the Bible is not a book on science is often given as an excuse for its many alleged mistakes. The assumption seems to be that science books do not make mistakes. But over the centuries scientific theories have come and gone. Even in the last half century physics has been almost completely altered. Professor Gamow has a new theory and his successor will have another. Of course, the Bible is not a science textbook, but when it mentions natural phenomena, it speaks the truth.
Destructive Biblical critics have proposed to translate Gen. 1:1, "When God began to make the heavens and the earth." This wording obscures the idea of a sudden act and a creation out of nothing. It should be noted, however, that the Hebrew verb, Bara, in the form or "voice" used in Gen. 1:1, never refers to human productions. Even the other "voices" in which a human subject cuts down a tree or kills an enemy are extremely rare. Verbs of doing and making occur hundreds of times in the Old Testament, but this verb with a human subject occurs less than five times. Its characteristic use is to express divine production.
That God created out of nothing is seen negatively by the absence of any mention of a preexisting matter, and positively by the all embracing extent of the sphere of creation. God is said to have created all things: Neh. 9:6; Col. 1:16; Rev. 4:11. The expressions are so universal that no possibility remains for anything uncreated.
The most important part of creation was the creation of man. The heavens and the earth, grand as they are, are, as it were, nothing but the stage setting for the actors in the Divine Comedy. Therefore God created man alone in his own image; that is, he made man a rational and moral creature. By his sovereign power God wrote the moral law on man's heart and added a special revelation, permitting man to eat of other trees, but forbidding him to eat of one.
Such was the skill of the Westminster divines that they were able to outline these marvelous themes in less than 150 words. In two short paragraphs they summarized the main burden of the Bible on this point. A Presbyterian ministry that fails to preach these Westminster doctrines would be unfaithful to its ordination vows; and any other ministry or any communicant member who neglects the Confession is thereby deprived of the best brief guidebook to an understanding of the Bible.
Letters
JOHN J. JONES ATTORN EY-AT-LAW JONES BUILDING Waynesboro, Ga. October 23, 1954. The Southern Presbyterian Journal Weaverville, North Carolina
Dear Brethren: In studying the "Statement on Issues concerning Presbyterian Union" by the Special Committee of the 1954 General Assembly of our church, I am impressed by the fact that even the leading proponents of the Plan of Union do not understand what it means. I shall give just two illustrations on this point, though there are many others.
According to these proponents (page 12 of Statement), the provision of the proposed Plan requiring "consultation" with presbytery before the property of a local church can be sold or mortgaged is simply designed "to safeguard local churches against the unwise sale, mortgage, or lease of church property—". Regardless of what the intention may have been, the actual effect would be to place a cloud on the title of all local church property; for, with this provision in effect, no reputable lawyer would, for the purpose of sale or mortgage, approve the title to any local church property unless he could first obtain the formal and official written consent of the presbytery involved.
Again, on page 12 of the Statement, the proponents say: "With regard to the relation of the church to civic and political matters, the Plan explicitly and repeatedly emphasizes the separation of Church and State and forbids the Church 'to intermeddle with civil affairs.' "
This provision, I submit, can be intelligently considered only in the light of the present conduct and practices of our brethren in the Northern Church, and we know that their Stated Clerk and other officials constantly appear before con
