Alva Review-Courier -

Here in Shamrock, Texas, we’ve been studying the Old Testament on Sunday afternoons. Last week, we talked about the Genesis 1 account of creation. God created all things in six 24-hour periods. Only in the last 200 years or so has anyone been inclined to launch a full-scale assault on that explanation of origins. If your God is not big enough to pull off a Genesis 1 type of creation, perhaps your God is too small. This week, we moved over to chapter 2, wherein the emphasis shifts from the Creator God as the center of attention to His relationship with a man he refers to as Adam (dust or soil). It just dawned on me what a great cowboy Adam might have made – with a name like Dusty.

The two accounts of creation have enough differences to draw the interest of writers across the ages. For example, in Genesis 1, God seems to create several male and female humans in His image. In Chapter 2, He forms (shapes, designs) a single male in need of companionship. In chapter 1, the animals are formed by the same “let there be” command as light, heavenly bodies and plants. In chapter 2, God forms (shapes, designs) them and brings them to Adam to receive their names. The chapter ends with God providing the perfect match for Adam; socially, emotionally and sexually. (Sounds like a good three point sermon – I should write that down.)

The Hebrew writer begins the roll-call of the faithful with a call to accept the creative power of our God. If we can’t begin with a God that can deal with the formation of the physical, how can we hope that He can deal with the spiritual and eternal?

"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible (Hebrews 11:3)."

If your congregation is not currently meeting for worship and you would like to attend, may I recommend my good friends at College Hill Church of Christ? You can also check out their Facebook page at College Hill Church of Christ.