In the Beginning

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In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). If we get this right, we avoid a great many errors.
This simple sentence denies atheism; for it assumes the being of God. It denies polytheism, and, among its various forms, the doctrine of two eternal principles, the one good and the other evil; for it confesses the One Eternal Creator. It denies materialism; for it asserts the creation of matter. It denies pantheism; for it assumes the existence of God before all things, and apart from them. It denies fatalism; for it involves the freedom of the Eternal Being. (James Murphy, Barnes Notes, vol. 1, p. 30)

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