Section 1: God
Week 4: God Is Sovereign Over and Active in the World
Day 1: God Created the Universe
Gen. 1:1, John 1:1, Col. 1:15-16
God created the universe. It’s a basic assumption for all Christians, a fact we take for granted. For the most part, that’s a good thing. As with anything we take for granted, though, there’s a danger. It’s tempting to say, “Of course God created the universe” and move on to something else. This basic truth is important for our faith, however, and we shouldn’t pass over it so quickly.
God Is Distinct from His Creation
Many non-Christians think God is found within creation. That is, the universe itself is God. That means we, along with everything else in the world, are a part of God. The biblical picture is very different. As the Creator, God is necessarily distinct from the universe he created. He existed before the universe, so he cannot merely be a part of it.
That’s important because it means a personal relationship with God is possible. If the universe equals God, there is no distinct person with whom we can have a relationship. That changes, however, once we realize God exists apart from the universe he created.
We Are Dependent upon God
None of us brought ourselves into existence. We don’t have that power. The truth is none of us has the power to hold ourselves in existence either. We can’t by a sheer power of will keep ourselves from simply fading away. Only God has that power. He ultimately is the one who sustains all things (Col 1:17, Heb. 1:3). That means we are utterly dependent upon him. Without him, we literally would cease to exist.
We Owe God Everything
So we owe our existence to God. That alone is a pretty big thing. But everything else we have ultimately comes from God as well. Think about all the things you possess. Would you have any of them were it not for God? Maybe you worked hard to be able to buy your house. Maybe you scrimped and saved to get a new car. Or perhaps you’ve kept your old car going by getting your hands dirty and doing all the repair work yourself. Even so, you still owe it—and everything else you have—to God. None of us has the power to bring even the tiniest subatomic particle into existence. That means, no matter how hard we work, were it not for God’s work, we would have nothing because there would be nothing. No money to buy something…no parts to repair it…no material we could use to build it in the first place…NOTHING.
Challenge:
List the ten things in the world that are most important to you.
Reflection Questions:
Would any of those things exist without God? What does that say about your dependence on God? Are you comfortable being that dependent on God? Why or why not?
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