FT1 Lesson 1: Knowing and Worshiping God the Creator

introduction

Theologian John Calvin clearly pointed out that everyone possesses some innate knowledge of God. To be precise, modern people don't disbelieve in God; rather, they believe in too many gods. On the other hand, through nature and their own conscience, people can only know that God exists, but cannot know who He is or what He has done for humanity.

Therefore, we must know God and offer Him our worship through the Word revealed by Him.

Discussion of issues

1. What is "God"?

Please provide your definition or opinion based on your concept of "God".

2. Modern scholar William Hordern said, "God represents the fundamental, ultimate, source of all things, the highest value, and the ultimate purpose and meaning of life." The Oxford English Dictionary states, "God is the one who deserves the highest honor and worship; He is the Creator and Ruler of the universe." Can you, based on these definitions, distinguish which objects of worship are not God at all?

3. The Bible calls God the Creator. What new understanding does this give us about God and the world?

4. God is the Creator of heaven and earth. What does this have to do with us?

"24 God, who made the universe and everything in it, being the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell among men."The temple that his hands have built, 25 requires no human service, as if it lacks anything; yet he himself gives life and breath and everything to all peoples. 26 From one man he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he predetermined their times and the boundaries of their dwelling places, 27 so that they might seek God and try to find him—for he is not far from each of us, 28 and in him we live and move and have our being. Even some of you psalms say, “We are his begotten.” 29 Since we are God’s begotten, we should not consider that his divine nature is like gold, silver, or stone, sculpted by human craftsmanship and thought.” Acts 17:24-29

 a. What three things did the God who created the universe and everything in it bestow upon humanity? (v25)

b. God created all nations from one book and ordained which two things for mankind? (v26)

c. Why is it said that apart from their Creator, man can do nothing and will return to nothingness? (v28)

The above information indicates that everything I possess today comes from God, who has absolute sovereignty over my life, including my lifespan, my place of residence, and the direction of my life. Please name some things that you should and are willing to entrust to the Lord.

God is the Creator, and He governs my life with sovereignty. I dedicate everything to Him and consider Him as Lord. This attitude toward God is called worship.

Conclusion

It is only natural to honor my parents who gave birth to me, raised me, and taught me. However, I should worship God, who created me, nourished me with all things, and taught me the holy way.

introduction

John Calvin, the founder of Presbyterianism, clearly pointed out in the first volume of his magnum opus, *Institutes of the Christian Religion*, that everyone carries within them a certain degree of awareness of God. He further quoted Sissoko as saying: "No nation or people is so barbaric as to not believe in a God; this awareness of God is natural knowledge." Especially for modern Asians, it's not that they don't believe in the existence of God, but rather that they believe in too many gods. (Mountains have mountain gods; rivers have river gods; the earth has land gods; the sea has sea dragon kings; the sky has heavenly gods…)

In knowing God, if one relies solely on the "revelation" of nature or one's own moral conscience, one may be able to deduce that God exists, but one cannot truly know who He is, let alone commune with Him and know what He has done for us. Therefore, ultimately, we still need to know this great God and offer Him our worship through the way of God's revelation.

After explaining the introduction, the group leader began to lead the group members into the following discussion.

Discussion of issues

  1. What is "God"? Group members are asked to offer their views or definitions on the concept of God.

The group leader will discover that different group members have different and one-sided views of God. However, this is merely a way to break the ice and get the group members interested in discussing the topic, so the group leader doesn't need to pay too much attention to their answers.

  1. The group leader first led the group members to summarize the two definitions as follows:
  2. God is the source and the root of everything. He is the Creator, and all things in the universe come from Him.
  3. God is the greatest, the ultimate being, meaning there is no one greater than Him. In other words, God is infinite.
  4. God is the ultimate purpose and meaning of life, meaning that He not only gives people life and the material necessities for maintaining life, but He is also the source of the purpose and meaning of life. Without God, life is like a dream and has nothing to do with eternity and ultimate end, so life would be completely worthless.

After summarizing the above definitions, please have group members name examples of so-called "gods" that are not actually God at all, based on these definitions. These may include:

  1. All created "gods" are not God. Therefore, idolized gods can never be God. God is the creator, and therefore cannot be a created being.
  2. All finite "gods" are not God. Heavenly gods can only govern the heavens; Earth Gods can only govern the earth; River Gods can only govern the rivers; Sea Dragon Kings can only govern the seas... meaning their abilities are limited, and all finite beings are not gods!
  3. The gods of this world are often only concerned with worldly fortune, wealth, and pleasure, and cannot provide people with eternal hope, value, purpose, and meaning in life. Therefore, the "gods" of this world are not God!
  4. The Bible calls God the Creator of the universe and all things. What new understanding or knowledge does this give humanity about God and the world?

Regarding God

  1. God is one. He is the Creator, and there is only one who can be called the Creator, because everything else is created, and nothing created can be called the Creator. Therefore, creationism leads us to know that there is only one God, and only one God.
  2. Since God is the Creator, He cannot be a created being; therefore, pantheism is nonsense. (Pantheism refers to the theory that all things possess divinity.) This is because all things were not created from God's original form; God created from nothing, which is completely different from the concept of Pangu creating heaven and earth. According to Chinese mythology, all things were transformed from Pangu's body, therefore all things possess divinity.
  3. God is the source and creator of all things, therefore He is also the master of all things.

Regarding the world

  1. Since this world is created, the ultimate meaning of creation must return to God and be found in the Creator. Because creation itself cannot exist independently, it cannot find its ultimate meaning within itself. Without God, birth, aging, sickness, and death are merely phenomena of human existence, devoid of inherent meaning. The history of this world is similar; war and peace, peace and war, cycle endlessly, filled with suffering and misery. Without God's intervention, it has no ultimate meaning.
  2. God never abandons the world He created. Therefore, when discussing creationism and soteriology together, our conclusion is that this world has hope because it is the object of God's love. Creationism and soteriology suggest that we face this world with optimism.
  3. This question aims to shift group members' focus from exploring theoretical frameworks to addressing the more direct connection between the Creator and their personal lives. God is the Creator of heaven and earth; what does this have to do with us? Acts 17:24-29 can offer some answers. (Please read this passage aloud together.)
  4. What three things did the Creator give us? (v25)

1) Life – is created by God and is the reason why humans can live in this world.

2) Breath – is an essential element that allows life to continue.

3) All things – are the elements that allow life to be sustained and continue to grow. According to Genesis chapter 1, God prepared all things for mankind before creating man, which shows God's consideration for man.

  1. What two things did the Creator ordain for humanity? (v26)

1) Our lifespan or lifespan refers to the length of time a person lives.

2) The boundaries we inhabit, meaning the space in which people live.

Although the time and space of a person on earth are determined by God, this is not fatalism, because God still gives people wisdom and ability, and asks people to take responsibility for their own lives; it's just that some of these mysteries are beyond human comprehension and do not need to be understood, including the length of a person's life and the boundaries of their dwelling.

  1. Man can do nothing apart from his Creator, and will return to nothingness. Why? (v28)

Paul quotes two poets here: one is Epimenides the Cretan, who wrote, "...in you we live and move and have our being." The other, "We are his offspring," is from the work of Aretus, a Cilic from Paul's hometown, titled *Phainomena* (see FF Bruce, *A New Testament Commentary for All Nations—Acts of the Apostles*, Baptist Press, 1982). Paul wants to illustrate that our relationship with the Creator is inseparable, just as branches cannot be separated from the tree trunk; when a branch is separated from the tree, it dies and withers. Similarly, since life comes from God, the sovereignty over the continuation of life also belongs to God; man cannot be separated from God.

  1. The Creator has absolute sovereignty over us. The group leader should encourage members to name things in their lives that they should entrust to the Lord's management.

The group leader will notice that some members hesitate, struggle, or remain silent when facing this topic. The group leader can cite someone's testimony or share personal life experiences to encourage members to bravely take this important step. Faith is no longer a concept for us, but a living event in our lives.

According to Romans 12:1, we should offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, meaning to completely dedicate our whole being to God, including our rational thoughts, emotional life, and moral conduct. In Paul's view, this is how we should respond to God, not as an effort to break free from His sovereignty over our lives.

Specifically, the things in our lives that we should entrust to God's management include: studies, work, family, social life, money, lifespan, life goals, etc.

What is worship?

God is the Creator, and He governs my life with sovereignty and love. I respond with obedience, willingly giving everything back to Him, and making Him the Lord of all things. This attitude toward God is called worship.

Therefore, our knowledge of the Creator should lead us to worship Him.

Conclusion

The Ten Commandments clearly distinguish our attitudes towards God and towards other people. We should show the highest respect—honor—to our parents who gave us life, raised us, and taught us. As for God, who created us, nourished us with all things, and taught us the Holy Word, we should show the highest respect—worship. Parents are the object of honor; God is the object of worship, because He alone is the unique and supreme being.

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