When Christian theologians say that God creates the world X

Nehelo or out of nothing, that is not the same thing as saying,

once there was nothing and then out of that nothing, something came.

Rather, the Christian view is in the beginning, God.

But that raises the question, what was there before there was nothing?

Contemplating that could make your head spin, can it?

Helo, and welcome to renewing your mind on this Saturday, I'm Lee Webb.

R.C. Sproul will help us make sense of it today as we return to his overview of systematic theology,

a series we call Foundations, in which he looks at the fundamental beliefs of the Christian faith,

including the doctrine of creation.

In our session today, we're going to look briefly at the doctrine of creation.

And as soon as we meet up with this subject, we are now touching the issue that I believe is the key

and central issue in our culture today that separates Christianity and other religions

from all forms of secularism and of atheism.

Those who have been proponents of atheism and secularism have aimed their guns almost exclusively

at the Christian and Judeo-Christian doctrine of creation, because they understand this point,

that if we can undercut the concept of divine creation,

the whole Christian life and worldview collapses.

Because primary to Judeo-Christian faith is the concept that this world in which we live

has not emerged as a cosmic accident, but as a result of the direct, supernatural,

purposive work of a creator. The very first sentence of sacred scripture sets forth this primary affirmation

upon which everything else is established.

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