It has been a while since I have posted here at this site. I would say that in light of the sermon a couple of weeks ago that I have been following the wisdom given by God through the sermon, but I have not rested.
In fact, I am certain, that like many of you, that my week only increased in speed as God tested my understanding and commitment to resting in God. I am praying for each of you to learn like I am learning to rest more in the nature of God and rest less in my own strength.
What have you done this week to rest?
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Exchanging the truth of God for a lie
I was reading some articles on the site Japan Today, when I came across this article, "In 2050, your lover may be a robot". I was troubled by the title, but was more troubled by the content of the article. At one point the expert, David Levy, says,
I guess that like the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:21-25,
We will cover in just a few weeks the marriage relationship. We will see then that God does not want us to forsake the truth for a lie. This is clearly a lie from the father of all lies to keep men and women from enjoying the truth of who God created them to be.
Any input you have on this subject would be great to hear.
“There will always be many millions of people who cannot make normal satisfactory relationships with humans, and for them the choice is not: ‘would I prefer a relationship with a human or would I prefer a relationship with a robot?‘—the choice is no relationship at all or a relationship with a robot.”This is disturbing on many fronts. I want to focus on Sunday's sermon and the fact that we, human beings, were created in the image of God. Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." God did not create us in His image to create an artificial love, but to experience love between male and female, both created in the image of God. We are forsaking God's intent, for our own pleasure.
I guess that like the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:21-25,
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen."May we as believers in Christ not forsake the image of God nor relationships with those created in the image of God for something that looks like the creation of God.
We will cover in just a few weeks the marriage relationship. We will see then that God does not want us to forsake the truth for a lie. This is clearly a lie from the father of all lies to keep men and women from enjoying the truth of who God created them to be.
Any input you have on this subject would be great to hear.
Monday, June 9, 2008
The Waters Above from the Waters Below
I was asked recently, "Were the waters that went above like a canopy over the earth until the days of the Flood or were the waters above simply our "sky" as we now know it?
This was an interesting question for me. While attending a Christian school, in middle school physical science, my teacher taught that this canopy surrounded the earth and helped create an environment that helped plants and animals thrive, but God used this water to bring about the Flood. Until this question was directly proposed to me, I had never questioned my 8th grade science teacher.
As I look into this matter bear in mind that I am not the expert, simply an individual looking at God's Word and speculating. The Bible does not specifically tell us. We, also must remember that each of us will look at this text and still be left wondering was it some special canopy, or is it simply referring to the clouds and atmosphere of our planet called earth?
The text seems to indicate something within the everyday experience of the natural world, in a general way, a place where the birds can fly and where God has placed the lights of the heaven. So the likely reference of the "waters above" is to clouds. This is the view that many of the early church fathers held. John Calvin writes,
This was an interesting question for me. While attending a Christian school, in middle school physical science, my teacher taught that this canopy surrounded the earth and helped create an environment that helped plants and animals thrive, but God used this water to bring about the Flood. Until this question was directly proposed to me, I had never questioned my 8th grade science teacher.
As I look into this matter bear in mind that I am not the expert, simply an individual looking at God's Word and speculating. The Bible does not specifically tell us. We, also must remember that each of us will look at this text and still be left wondering was it some special canopy, or is it simply referring to the clouds and atmosphere of our planet called earth?
The text seems to indicate something within the everyday experience of the natural world, in a general way, a place where the birds can fly and where God has placed the lights of the heaven. So the likely reference of the "waters above" is to clouds. This is the view that many of the early church fathers held. John Calvin writes,
"We see that the clouds suspended in the air, which threaten to fall upon our heads, yet leave us space to breathe. . . . We know, indeed, that the rain is naturally produced; but the deluge sufficiently shows us how speedily we might be overwhelmed by the bursting of the clouds, unless the cataracts of heaven were closed by the hand of God."I am not sure the Bible nor science is as clear as my 8th grade teacher led us to believe about the canopy that may or may not have existed. "Answers in Genesis", a web-site devoted to creation doctrine, has this article dealing with the idea of a "dome" or "canopy" over the earth. Check it out at your convenience.
Can't wait to hear your theories.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Genesis: The Beginning
As we begin our series on the book of Genesis, I wanted to provide a place where I can give you extra quotes that didn't make the message for the sake of time; a place where you can pose questions for discussion; and where I can offer more material and resources to help us in our journey through the book of Genesis.
From the sermon Sunday as a reminder. Genesis says that there was a beginning to history, which means there will be an end. Genesis says that creation comes from God, which means it belongs to God. Genesis says that people come from God, which means that people will stand before God in the end.
Please understand that Genesis was not written as a scientific textbook. It is a theological story revealing the God of creation, which means it emphasizes God, not creation. As one example, Hebrews 11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” Borrowing from a message I heard recently, "The Bible in general, and the opening pages of Genesis in particular, are far more concerned with the questions of who made creation, how he made creation, and why he made creation than when he did. Therefore, as Galileo said, “the Holy Ghost intended to teach us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.”
I recently listened to a sermon on Creation by Mark Driscoll. In that sermon I heard put into words a belief I have held since Bible College. He explained how as a church they operated from two hands: one open and one closed. In the closed hand are all the doctrines and beliefs to which they will cling and divide with others over. And in the open hand are the items that they will discuss and debate, but not divide. All that to say, as a church we will cling to and unite around the belief that God created the heavens and the earth. This fact is not debatable for us. And we will engage in loving discussion with our brothers and sisters in Christ as to the how and when, but we will not divide with our fellow believers over these issues.
In seminary, I learned that among Bible-believing, Jesus-loving Christians, there are at least six primary interpretations of the creation account in Genesis 1–2. I find the first two positions to be the most persuasive biblically. During seminary, I think I began to prefer the first view. I want to remind you though that Christian brothers and sisters who hold other views are welcome as members of our church. Our only request is that the Christians in our church would not become divisive over this matter or seek to make their view the litmus test for Christian orthodoxy. As Paul says, we now see only in part and one day in Jesus’ presence we will know in full and be in complete agreement on this and all other matters.
Here is a brief summary of each position. These summaries are not exhaustive, but simply a place for you to begin to see the different positions that are out there in regard to Creation among Christians.
Historic Creationism
In this view, Genesis 1:1 records the making of all creation by God out of nothing, or “ex nihilo.” The merism “heavens and earth” means the sky above and land below, or the totality of creation. Since the word used for “beginning” in Genesis 1:1 is "bereshit" in Hebrew, which means an indefinite period of time, it is likely that all of creation was completed over an extended period of time (anywhere from days to billions of years). Genesis 1:2 begins the description of God preparing the uninhabitable land for the creation of mankind. The preparation of the uncultivated land and the creation of Adam and Eve occurred in six literal twenty-four-hour days, as echoed in Exodus 20:11. This view leaves open the possibility of both an old earth and six literal days of creation.
Young Earth Creationism
In this view, God created the entire universe, including Adam and Eve, in six literal twenty-four-hour days. This view is almost always accompanied with a belief in a young earth as it seeks to be faithful to the biblical text while not giving much credence to the scientific claims of such things as an old earth.
Gap Theory
In this view, Genesis 1:1 explains a first creation that happened perhaps billions of years ago. Then, a catastrophic event, likely the fall of Satan from heaven, left the earth in the destroyed condition of Genesis 1:2. God responded to this disaster by re-creating the earth again a few thousand years ago in six literal days and re-populating the earth in Genesis 1:3–27. According to this view the earth is old from the first creation and mankind is young because of the recent creation. The problems with this view include the fact that nothing in the Bible speaks of two creations. Also, at the end of the six days of creation, God declared all that he had made “very good,” which does not compare with the claim that the earth had been destroyed and made “very bad.”
Literary Framework View
In this view, Genesis 1–2 is intended to be read as a figurative framework explaining creation in a topical, not sequential, order. The six days of creation listed in Genesis 1 are also to be interpreted metaphorically and not as literal twenty-four-hour days. The Literary Framework View is outlined here:
Forming
Day 1 - light and darkness separated
Day 2 - sky and waters separated
Day 3 - dry land and waters separated; plants and trees
Day 4 - sun, moon, stars
Day 5 - fish and birds
Day 6 - animals and man
Filling
However, there are some problems with this view. Most obviously, Exodus 20:11
clearly states that the six days of creation are literal; it ties our seven-day week with
one day of Sabbath to the six days of God’s work in creation and his one day of rest.
Day-Age View
In this view, God created the universe, including Adam and Eve, in six sequential periods of time that are not literal twenty-four-hour days. The problem with this view is that the six days of creation seem to clearly be literal days. Also, as we saw above, Exodus 20:11 clearly states that the six days are literal.
Theistic Evolution
In this view, God essentially began creation and then pulled back from working directly in creation to instead work through the process of evolution. The only exception would be God involving himself directly again in the making of human life. For the most part, this view accepts the hypothesis of evolution but seeks to insert God as the creator of matter and overseer of the evolutionary process. This view also believes that species evolved over a long period of time, which requires an old earth.
From the sermon Sunday as a reminder. Genesis says that there was a beginning to history, which means there will be an end. Genesis says that creation comes from God, which means it belongs to God. Genesis says that people come from God, which means that people will stand before God in the end.
Please understand that Genesis was not written as a scientific textbook. It is a theological story revealing the God of creation, which means it emphasizes God, not creation. As one example, Hebrews 11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” Borrowing from a message I heard recently, "The Bible in general, and the opening pages of Genesis in particular, are far more concerned with the questions of who made creation, how he made creation, and why he made creation than when he did. Therefore, as Galileo said, “the Holy Ghost intended to teach us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go.”
I recently listened to a sermon on Creation by Mark Driscoll. In that sermon I heard put into words a belief I have held since Bible College. He explained how as a church they operated from two hands: one open and one closed. In the closed hand are all the doctrines and beliefs to which they will cling and divide with others over. And in the open hand are the items that they will discuss and debate, but not divide. All that to say, as a church we will cling to and unite around the belief that God created the heavens and the earth. This fact is not debatable for us. And we will engage in loving discussion with our brothers and sisters in Christ as to the how and when, but we will not divide with our fellow believers over these issues.
In seminary, I learned that among Bible-believing, Jesus-loving Christians, there are at least six primary interpretations of the creation account in Genesis 1–2. I find the first two positions to be the most persuasive biblically. During seminary, I think I began to prefer the first view. I want to remind you though that Christian brothers and sisters who hold other views are welcome as members of our church. Our only request is that the Christians in our church would not become divisive over this matter or seek to make their view the litmus test for Christian orthodoxy. As Paul says, we now see only in part and one day in Jesus’ presence we will know in full and be in complete agreement on this and all other matters.
Here is a brief summary of each position. These summaries are not exhaustive, but simply a place for you to begin to see the different positions that are out there in regard to Creation among Christians.
Historic Creationism
In this view, Genesis 1:1 records the making of all creation by God out of nothing, or “ex nihilo.” The merism “heavens and earth” means the sky above and land below, or the totality of creation. Since the word used for “beginning” in Genesis 1:1 is "bereshit" in Hebrew, which means an indefinite period of time, it is likely that all of creation was completed over an extended period of time (anywhere from days to billions of years). Genesis 1:2 begins the description of God preparing the uninhabitable land for the creation of mankind. The preparation of the uncultivated land and the creation of Adam and Eve occurred in six literal twenty-four-hour days, as echoed in Exodus 20:11. This view leaves open the possibility of both an old earth and six literal days of creation.
Young Earth Creationism
In this view, God created the entire universe, including Adam and Eve, in six literal twenty-four-hour days. This view is almost always accompanied with a belief in a young earth as it seeks to be faithful to the biblical text while not giving much credence to the scientific claims of such things as an old earth.
Gap Theory
In this view, Genesis 1:1 explains a first creation that happened perhaps billions of years ago. Then, a catastrophic event, likely the fall of Satan from heaven, left the earth in the destroyed condition of Genesis 1:2. God responded to this disaster by re-creating the earth again a few thousand years ago in six literal days and re-populating the earth in Genesis 1:3–27. According to this view the earth is old from the first creation and mankind is young because of the recent creation. The problems with this view include the fact that nothing in the Bible speaks of two creations. Also, at the end of the six days of creation, God declared all that he had made “very good,” which does not compare with the claim that the earth had been destroyed and made “very bad.”
Literary Framework View
In this view, Genesis 1–2 is intended to be read as a figurative framework explaining creation in a topical, not sequential, order. The six days of creation listed in Genesis 1 are also to be interpreted metaphorically and not as literal twenty-four-hour days. The Literary Framework View is outlined here:
Forming
Day 1 - light and darkness separated
Day 2 - sky and waters separated
Day 3 - dry land and waters separated; plants and trees
Day 4 - sun, moon, stars
Day 5 - fish and birds
Day 6 - animals and man
Filling
However, there are some problems with this view. Most obviously, Exodus 20:11
clearly states that the six days of creation are literal; it ties our seven-day week with
one day of Sabbath to the six days of God’s work in creation and his one day of rest.
Day-Age View
In this view, God created the universe, including Adam and Eve, in six sequential periods of time that are not literal twenty-four-hour days. The problem with this view is that the six days of creation seem to clearly be literal days. Also, as we saw above, Exodus 20:11 clearly states that the six days are literal.
Theistic Evolution
In this view, God essentially began creation and then pulled back from working directly in creation to instead work through the process of evolution. The only exception would be God involving himself directly again in the making of human life. For the most part, this view accepts the hypothesis of evolution but seeks to insert God as the creator of matter and overseer of the evolutionary process. This view also believes that species evolved over a long period of time, which requires an old earth.
The biblical problems with theistic evolution are many. First, Genesis 1 repeatedly states that creation and its species came into existence because “God said,” and not because of the evolutionary process. Also, Genesis 1 continually states that after God commanded creation to come into existence, “it was so”; so, God’s commands brought about the immediate response of creation rather than a long evolutionary process detached from God. Second, evolution teaches that one species evolves into other species while Genesis 1 says that each species had offspring “according to its kind” (e.g., 1:21, 1:24, 1:25) and not another kind as evolution asserts. Third, the rest of Scripture portrays God as continually involved in the details of creation, including making the grass grow (Ps. 104:14; Matt. 6:30), feeding the birds (Matt. 6:26), and feeding other creatures (Ps. 104:21, 25–30). Scripture clearly does not paint God as remote or only indirectly involved in creation.
Some good on-line articles for you to reference:
"Are Humans Unique? -- The Question Secular Science Can't Answer" by Albert Mohler of Southern Baptist Seminary is a great read to the wonderful creation of God.
"Is Evolution Compatible with Christianity" by John MacArthur
"Genesis 1 and Biblical Authority" by John MacArthur
Websites devoted to fighting for the Christian doctrines of Creation
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
