In the beginning God created the heaven and the

earth (Gen. 1:1).

The first verse of Genesis establishes the starting point for

every biblically based discussion of God and the creation.

The Bible is clear that God created the heaven and the earth at

the beginning of time. It is sometimes said that God created the

universe out of nothing. It can equally be said that God created

the universe into nothing. This is inconceivable for men,

but the rival theories of the origin of the universe are equally

inconceivable.

The New Testament says that the Second Person of the Trinity, was

the agent of creation.

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us

meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath

translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have

redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who

is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every

creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven,

and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be

thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things

were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things,

and by him all things consist (Col. 1:12-17).

The universe is not impersonal. It is personal. It is personal

because the Son of God created it and sustains it.

The starting point of Christian economics -- and every other

field of thought -- is the doctrine of creation. This doctrine

establishes that God is the only creator. Because God is the only

creator, He is the original owner.

We read in the Psalms that the cattle on a thousand hills belong

to God. "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle

upon a thousand hills" (Psalm 50:10). This does not mean that

the cattle on the hill 1,001 belongs to somebody else. God owns

the cattle, and God owns the hills.

Because God is the original owner of all things, he has a

legal claim on the output of all creation. Because God

owns the raw materials and the capital, He owns the output of

this capital. The entire universe provides the raw materials of

productivity.

EVERYTHING HAS PURPOSE

Later in Genesis 1, we read about the creation of the sun, the

moon, and the stars. We are told explicitly that this took place

on day four. We are also told that these heavenly objects have a

purpose, and that purpose is to serve mankind. God said that the

lights of the ferment of the heaven should divide the day from

night. They are to be for signs and seasons, four days and years

(v. 14).

Both night and day existed before the sun, moon, and stars (v.

3). There is no way that this fact can be reconciled with any

doctrine of the origin of the universe that is proclaimed by

modern science. We must be very clear about this. The Bible's

account of creation is in radical opposition to all modern

astronomy. The earth preceded the stars, including the sun.

We are specifically told that the sun, moon, and stars were

created as signs of the seasons. They let us see the difference

between day and night, between one year and another. We are

specifically told in verse 15 that these lights are to give light

on the earth. Before their creation, both light and darkness were

independent of the sun and the rotation of the earth.

We are specifically told that the purpose of the heavenly orbs is

to inform mankind. Animals do not study the signs in the heavens.

Men alone use the signs in the heavens to guide them. If some

animals do, they do not do this self-consciously, as a matter of

scientific observation.

This means that the earth has always been more important than

the rest of the universe. There is a hierarchy of

importance: God> mankind> earth> stars.

The entire universe is purposeful. Not only is it purposeful in

relation to the earth, it was originally purposeful in a future-

oriented way. Man was not created until the sixth day. The

heavenly orbs were created on the fourth day.

This doctrine of cosmic purpose is in opposition to all forms of

Darwinism. Darwin's theory of evolution through natural

selection was self-consciously opposed to all varieties of cosmic

purpose prior to the appearance of man.

There is purpose in the universe. God is in charge of this

purpose, and He directed this purpose toward mankind, who is made

in His image (v. 26).

This may sound like needless theoretical speculation, but it

applies to our daily affairs. The Bible tells us that man, as the

image of God, is placed in authority over the earth. I will

discuss this in greater detail in my comments on Genesis 1:26-28.

For now, the important thing to understand is that man is so

important that the entire universe centers around him. When I

say that it centers around him, I refer to cosmic purpose. Of

that which was created, man is the center. He is the center

because he is the image of God. He is responsible to God, and the

universe is responsible to mankind.

Mankind is not an afterthought. God created the stars in the

heavens for man's purposes. This was before mankind even

existed.

WHY YOUR FINANCES ARE IMPORTANT

To understand the importance of whatever it is you own, it is

mandatory that you also understand the important role you play in

the cosmos. You are important as a member of the human species.

You are important because what you are reflects what God is.

You are responsible to the Creator of the universe. This is a

major responsibility. If you look at the magnitude of the

universe, you might think that you are not particularly

important. This would be an error. The Bible says that mankind is

more important than any other aspect of the universe, and you are

a member of the human species.

To put it bluntly, you cannot get off the hook. Your

responsibility is inescapable, precisely because you are human.

This is why anyone who says that economics is morally neutral is

incorrect. Economics reflects the creation, and the creation is

not neutral. It was originally designed to serve the purposes of

mankind. This is because mankind is obligated to serve the

purposes of God.

Any discussion of your finances should begin with a self-

conscious realization that you are made in the image of God, that

the entire universe centers around the human species, and you

have responsibilities as a member of the human species.

This is a powerful doctrine. This is central to your finances

because it is central to the doctrine of creation. Anyone who

tells you that it is neither here nor there as to how you handle

your finances is either completely uninformed about the Bible, or

else he is lying. You have enormous responsibility to God because

you are made in his image, and the entire universe centers around

mankind. It centers around mankind because mankind is responsible

to God for everything the human species possesses.

There is no ownership apart from responsibility. You are

responsible for whatever you own. The only way to escape this

responsibility while you are still alive and mentally competent

is to give away what you own, or to waste what you own, or to

have what you own repossessed by the original owner when you

cannot pay your debts.

Any time that you put at risk whatever you own, because you use

it as collateral for debt, you are risking the loss of personal

responsibility. This does not mean that it is always wrong to be

in debt, but it does mean that the only justification for being

in debt is that you believe that this debt will enable you to

achieve even greater responsibility in the future.

With this in mind, you should read lesson two, which deals with

mankind's responsibility.