What would be your response if I told you that someone was lying to you about something important? You would probably want to know what your being lied to about right?
Now what if what you are being lied to about is so important that, basically, you would have to change your entire world view in order to be consistently following the truth, and that you would probably be looked at as a fool for doing so. Would you want to know the truth then?
Perhaps you've heard me say before that I am a Bible believing Christian. Perhaps you've heard me say that I believe the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, sufficient word of God. Meaning that every word in it is true, and except when it is blatantly obvious that the speaker or author is intentionally speaking in parables or giving an analogy, every story and teaching is true.
So when Jesus says let me tell you a parable, it means He is speaking a parable. A parable is a made up story told to get a point across. Some of the details may be made up, such as people or events, but generally, it is still based within reality. I say this, because Jehovah's Witnesses will usually deny Jesus' story about the rich man being in a real hell because He was telling a parable. Well, my response to this is, 'If hell is not real, and Jesus is all about correct doctrine and teaching, why would He tell a parable and use an event where a person is in hell?
But I've digressed.
So it is clear within Scripture when someone is speaking a parable or figuratively. So what about a story like Jonah and the whale? Well, I am one of those nuts that believe that there was a man named Jonah, and he really did get swallowed by a whale.
I bring this up for this reason. When the Bible says that God created the world in 6 24 hour days, I believe it is true. Not only that, but because I believe the Bible to be accurate in all things including it's historical record, as has been continuously proven despite thousands of years of effort to disprove it, when you add up the genealogies and timeline, the world, since it's creation, is roughly 6000 years old.
So the greatest hoax ever; what we have all been lied to about, is Darwinian evolution. That is, out nothing, by nothing, for no reason, the universe created itself. Then after billions of years and out of the chaos, matter organized itself and somehow non-living matter became life. Then through an agonizing process of death, disease and suffering, slime has become us.
I certainly realize the absurdness I am presenting to you all. That for all of our life, science has not only been wrong, but has lied to us. Yes, I know. It sounds crazy, but I tell the truth.
Are you willing to hear me out? For although I am no scientist, I have studied the issue, and the scientists who do bring to the table this other side, do bring with them some very heavy and real support from the evidence. You see, we all have the same evidence, but how are you going to listen to that evidence?
I have here a video to show you. This is Dr. Jonathan Sarfati. He was recently in Winnipeg, and I would like you to hear what he had to say. I hope you consider his presentation carefully and thoughtfully.
I could not find the presentation I attended at Eastview Community Church, but I did find another video where Dr. Sarfati's speech is similar.
I agree with you about creation week. I also believe in a literal 6-day week of creation. When God gave Moses the 10 Commandments, he explained the reason for commanding a 6-day work week with a day of rest to follow. "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy" (Exodus 20:11, ESV). It would have been futile for a Jewish man who violated the Sabbath to claim that he could work on the seventh day because one cannot take that commandment literally. It would be just as foolish to deny the literal basis for the commandment.
ReplyDeleteYes sir. You got that right. There is no indication what so ever that God created things in millions of years. The Bible says what it says. Not only that,but many of the Old and New Testament writers, and Jesus Himself seem to be in agreement with Genesis as true history (Ps 148, Ez 28:13, Mt19:4, 2Pet3:5-6).
ReplyDeleteThere is never any other time when anyone "interprets" what someone else says the same way people tend to re-interpret God's word in Genesis.
Again, the Bible says what it says. Who are we to question God?
Also, if the Bible is true, then Genesis is true. And since Genesis is true, science gives a much greater testimony to that fact then it does to evolution.
If anyone doubts this, check into it. People should know what they believe. People should also know what they don't believe.
On the other hand, "day" can be an inspecific term. For example, speaking of "your grandfather's day." And one day to God is as a thousand years, as Peter says. And even in Genesis, the several days of creation are collectively called a single day:
ReplyDelete"These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens...."
Acknowleging this point does nothing to detract from your main argument: that humans got here by creation, and not evolution.
Oops. The verse cited is Gen 2:4 (King James Version)
ReplyDeleteHey Tom,
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the word 'day' also being used to speak of a long period of time. It is the same as with the Hebrew word 'yom', which means day, and was the word used in Genesis.
We must remember though, that words mean what they mean in any given context otherwise they don't mean anything.
When we post a comment, we assume that every word we use will be understood for what we intend it to mean because that's just the way communication and language works.
I understand what your saying about using the word day to convey a period of time without certain limits. This, however, is always understood within context.
If we put a number in front of day...let's say; 'your grandfather's 1 day'. We would instantly understand this differently.
So when in Genesis it says, 'and there was evening and there was morning, 1 day,' the meaning is crystal clear. It even emphasizes and clarifies the context even more by saying 'there was evening and morning'.
I'm not sure what your exact thoughts are on this. I don't want to assume anything. As far as I know you may have been just letting me know about this argument, and you too agree with Genesis as it is written.
In case you don't, I would challenge you to consider reading and understanding Genesis as it is. Remember what Jesus said in Matt 18:3. I don't mean in terms of you being saved, but rather I refer to the principle of this verse in that if we are to read Genesis to a child, they would understand it as is. Children don't re-interpret things the same way we older smarter people do.
Thanks so much for your comments. i don't get to many so I love it when I do. God bless you sir.
Good post. I think the creation story is incredibly important not just from the stand point of the time involved, but the value it grants human beings. We are MADE in the image of God, not EVOLVED in the image of lesser creatures. wb
ReplyDeleteThanks Mr. Baldwin. My favourite part of the creation story is Genesis 2:7. It shows that we are greater than the rest of God's creation.
ReplyDeleteAll the rest of His creation He spoke into existence. With man though, it says that He "formed man out of the dust of the earth". As if God stooped down to scoop the dust and in the palm of His own hand He shaped and formed us. He then breathed in us "the breath of life". Making us living "BEINGS", not living creatures as are all animals.