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Renewing Your Mind

Self-Creation

Renewing Your Mind

Ligonier Ministries

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.85.3K Ratings

🗓️ 11 June 2024

⏱️ 26 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Many people who deny the existence of God conclude that the universe must have somehow brought about its own existence. Today, R.C. Sproul demonstrates the absurdity of self-creation.

Get R.C. Sproul's Teaching Series 'Defending Your Faith' on DVD and the Digital Study Guide for Your Gift of Any Amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/3391/defending-your-faith

Meet Today's Teacher:

R.C. Sproul (1939-2017) was known for his ability to winsomely and clearly communicate deep, practical truths from God's Word. He was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.

Meet the Host:

Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, host of the Ask Ligonier podcast, and a graduate of Presbyterian Theological College in Melbourne, Australia. Nathan joined Ligonier in 2012 and lives in Central Florida with his wife and four children.

Don't forget to make RenewingYourMind.org your home for daily in-depth Bible study and Christian resources.

Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

When we look at the idea of self-creation, it's manifestly absurd because for something to create itself,

0:09.5

to be an effect that is its own cause, to create itself, it would have to exist before it existed.

0:23.4

Where do we come from?

0:25.4

Where did the universe come from?

0:27.7

I grew up believing in the Big Bang that one day nothing became something all by itself.

0:35.1

And as you just heard from R.C. Sprawl, believing in the self-creation of the

0:39.6

universe is manifestly absurd. But why? And could you explain why to your unbelieving neighbor?

0:47.5

This is the Tuesday edition of Renewing Your Mind, a daily outreach of Ligonier Ministries,

0:53.5

and I'm your host, Nathan W. Bingham.

0:56.9

As Dr. Sprole continues to help us this week become better apologists, those who can give a

1:02.6

defense of the Christian faith, he's talking through and responding to some of the ways philosophers

1:08.7

and others have sought to explain reality. And today's explanation,

1:14.2

which is still held by people, is the idea of self-creation. It's much easier to refute than you might

1:21.2

think. Here's Dr. Spraw. We're going to continue now with our study of defending the faith, and we've been looking

1:31.9

at the possible alternatives to account for reality as we encounter it.

1:37.6

And you will recall we listed the four principal arguments to account for the universe as we know it.

1:46.3

The first one being illusion.

1:50.2

The second one being self-creation.

1:55.1

The third was self-existence.

2:11.1

Four was creation by something that is self-existent ultimately.

2:22.9

So we noticed again that three and four both have the idea of self-existent being in their premise.

2:24.8

And we'll get to that later.

...

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