Did Jesus’ First Miracle Echo God’s First Miracle?

^{Gen 1:3} And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

^{John 2:10} “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Today’s thoughts are adapted from a 2008 newsletter I sent out; a newsletter which became the inspiration for Thinking Out Loud, which begat Christianity 201…

One of the most difficult aspects of the various debates in creationism has to do with the young/earth old earth issue. Some believe that God took his time to make the earth, that the “days” of Genesis 1 are really “ages” and that’s why we can have compatibility between the idea of a creator God and the scientists who say the earth is millions of years old.

Using this reasoning, “theistic evolution” is possible; the more recent blending of an evolutionary creation view with the concept of a God who was overseeing it all; the idea that God used evolution. But today we’ll stick to a simple young/old dichotomy.

If we arrive at the garden of Eden after that first creation week — let’s pretend we arrive on day ten — we see a tree and the tree is mature. It looks like it might be at least 20 years old. (Though counting the rings would be interesting!) Underneath the tree is a rock. The rock appears to be 20,000 years old. Adam himself becomes more problematic. He’s clearly a man, not an infant. Today, Jewish boys become a man at 13; in North America we use 18, though it once was 21; Jesus began his ministry at 30. Any one of those ages denotes the idea of “man” and not “boy.” From the earliest times, our earth seems to have either aged considerably or has some age built into it.

And really, what we see on day ten works with either a young earth or old earth perspective. One person sees the tree and the rock and says, “These items are 20 years and 20,000 years old respectively.” Another says, “This tree and that rock are only a week old.” But the tree is not a sapling, it’s taller than the man, so there would need to be some allowance for apparent age…

…I started thinking about Jesus’ first miracle, turning water into wine. Wine needs fermentation and fermentation takes time. About a year ago, out of curiosity, we drove to one of those places that lets you make up a batch of wine to enjoy or give away to your friends. A batch of homemade brew would need at least six months as I remember it; and further aging only improves the quality, and they did say at the time that the host of the wedding had “saved the best wine until last.” Did Jesus press a “pause” button, and everyone froze in place for a year while the batch brewed, or did he simply do a creative miracle in an instant?

The former suggestion is something I just made up; I’ve never heard it suggested. If you believe in this miracle at all; it’s the latter you believe in; that the ceremonial washing water was water one moment and wine the next. If that’s the case, it’s interesting that Jesus’ first recorded creative act in the New Testament; and God’s first recorded creative act in the Old Testament should involve things that have apparent age; things that seem to have been created outside the constraints of time as we know it.

And if the earth is as young as some believe, then we are still witnessing the miracle of something created with apparent age, for each time the light of a star is seen at night, we know that scientifically, the light of stars that Adam, and Abraham, and Moses saw left those distant suns thousands of years before the earth was created. Which I know doesn’t make sense to many people.

The thing is, you can have a theistic view of creation and say that God did it, but it in terms of our chronological sense, it took decades and millennia to do so. That would make you an old earth creationist.

But you can’t say that Jesus took six months waiting for the wine to ferment.

Next time you’re wrestling with this issue, either personally or in discussion or with someone else, step outside Genesis for a minute and consider the water-into-wine miracle of the New Testament. Fermentation takes time. The wine definitely had an apparent age. Could this principle extend back into Genesis?

There’s definitely some similarities between what Jesus did at the start of his ministry and God did at the start of human history.

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Much of the creation aspect of this depends on linear time being the same that first week as it is now. But there are other ways of seeing this. For example, check out this post from April, 2018: When Did Time Begin? (Which in turn is based on a 2012 post, Why Didn’t He Call the Light, “Light?”)

For more on the miracle at Canada, check out this post from September, 2019, Water to Wine: Miracle and Symbol.

Biblical Writers Knew Economic Inequity

When I first started interacting with various Christian blogs, one of the first I was aware of was Andrew Jones aka Tall Skinny Kiwi. I still receive his newsletter and this week he quoted this Proverb:

“There is abundant food in the field of the poor, but it is swept away by injustice.” Prov. 13:23

Contextually, the Proverb falls between two others I would consider unrelated, and BibleHub, which usually offers various cross-references to similar passages is somewhat sparse with this one.

Still, economic inequity is well known to all of us and it can appear in various forms. In its plain form, the verse is talking about a situation where the land produces food in abundance, but people are going hungry.

More recently, we’ve heard stories where developed nations have sent containers of food following a natural disaster, only to learn later that the supplies were being hoarded in warehouses to which the common people did not have access.

But is this proverb saying something more, or something entirely different? The website LetGodBeTrue.com offers what follows. To better understand the commentary, here’s the verse in the KJV as they are using it:

Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.

Hard work brings profit, but it can be lost by foolish decisions. The poor may labor hard at farming, with much increase from their Creator. Their focused labor on a small plot of land bears good reward for their table. But other poor men, even with some advantages, may squander greater gain by following harebrained schemes that take it away.

Tillage is the tilling and cultivating of ground for raising crops. Farming was the first profession in the world, and it is a good work. It is the most basic business or investment, providing a clear view of capital, labor, and profit. Depending directly on God’s blessing, seeds are placed in the ground to wait for His increase. And He does give increase!

The average return for wheat is 200. One wheat seed planted results in 200 new ones. One bushel planted results in 200 new bushels. That is a return of 20,000%! The average return for field corn is 800 times, or 80,000%! The average return for rice is 2000 times, or 200,000%! There is much food in the tillage of the poor. You have never seen this kind of return in any investment portfolio of the rich and famous, for the world’s best hedge fund managers or investors can only sustain about 30% per year over time.

Want of judgment is the lack of good sense. It is foolish vulnerability to ideas that will not work. It is listening to vain persons and their schemes. It is a lack of discretion and prudent management. It is the rejection of critical thinking and cautious pessimism. It is wishful thinking instead, trusting more in hopes and dreams than careful analysis.

Want of judgment is hasty decisions, poor choices, lack of foresight, and risky presumption. It believes everything it hears. It is frustration with the old way of doing things and impatience to experiment with something new. It is the desire for a free lunch, no matter how many times it has heard there is no such thing. It is the dream that there are shortcuts that can lead to wealth, though the wealthiest, Solomon, denies the idea.

The proverb deals with poor farmers. They have plenty of food, for they labor at a godly trade day after day, year after year. But there are other men who may not even have enough to eat. What happened? They gave away their increase by foolish decisions. The lesson here is the value of hard work and the importance of wise financial management.

…continue reading here…

Dake’s commentary also places the onus on the poor farmers themselves:

The poor may sow enough to have plenty of food, but lack of management often keeps them in poverty. They have very little foresight. When they get something they quickly spend it or have a big feast and then go without for a long time.

Again, I go back to the commentary at LetGodBeTrue:

When the government approves a lottery, who lines up first for tickets? The man tired of farming! He dreams of how he will spend his millions. He can list how he will use his riches. He eagerly takes the “much food” from his tillage and gives it to the state in a no-win deal designed for the foolish and naïve. The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.

So again…what about the example I used at the beginning and the way in which I interpreted the verse for today’s headline? Does the translation Andrew Jones is using put the wrong spin on this?

I think that either way, we see that the ecosystem — to be clear, with this word I mean climate and agriculture — is able to sustain life on Planet Earth, but human intervention, whether individual or collective, is what spoils the harmony of that system. As God designed it, there is food for all.

Worship Moments in Creation

Today I went back for a third visit with a writer we’ve used here before only to find the blog no longer active. I decided to pursue it further however, and came up with one of the original posts from 2012 that I felt would fit well here. Jonathan Parrish wrote for six years at Walking With Christ Daily; click the header below to visit the site. The same creation which inspires our worship is part of the general revelation of God that leaves the unrepentant without excuse.

Creation Proclaims: Psalms 19:1-6

Before you read this, I want you to take a moment to think of a place you’ve been where you were just awe-inspired by Creation. That place for me is the Grand Canyon. All I used to say about it was that it was just a giant hole in the ground, but when I stood there on the edge looking over the expanse of this creation, I saw God. God had created this giant, amazing, beautiful hole in the middle of the desert. I was humbled in my heart by the idea of God’s majesty and power and how He had spoken it into existence as stated in the first chapter of Genesis.

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
(Psalm 19:1-6 ESV)

Of all the books of the Old Testament, the book of Psalms represents the faith of the Lord’s followers. The psalms are Holy Spirit-inspired responses of the human heart to God’s will and revelation. David becomes inspired and proclaims that the heavens declare the glory of God. David goes on to say that Creation is always proclaiming the existence of God and that He rules over it. Though it isn’t audibly heard, its message extends to all the ends of the earth, to every nation and people, proclaiming the Glory of God.

As Christians, we see the night sky full of stars, the sunrise over the horizon, and the sunset in the west, but do we really think of God when witnessing such beauty? Do we praise God for His creation and glorify His name? Are we humbled in our hearts by such an awesome God or do we just snap a photo and walk away?

Believers know the truth in these vast arrays of God’s creation. However, for non-believers, “they are without excuse” as Romans 1:18 explains:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”
(Romans 1:18-20 ESV)

Paul exclaims here that God is revealed in Creation and that humanity suppresses the truth because of our unrighteousness. Because of this, we have no excuse not to recognize the truth in Creation. So when a non-believer stands before God and says he never heard the truth, he will have no excuse because everything had been already revealed to him.

In Psalms 19, David talks about the sun and how it rises and sets each day. It’s seen by all creation and is yet another instrument aiding in the glorification of God. Did you know if the earth was closer to the sun, we would not be able to survive because the planet would burn. If we were back farther from the sun the planet would be too cold to support life? God placed us perfectly in space so we could survive and live to glorify Him..

When you as a Christian think of Creation, do you think of God, or is it just some cool thing? Do you feel humbled by the awesomeness of God who created the universe in six days? Do you realize that God created all this knowing He would have to send His Son into the world to die on a cross for our sins?

 

Seven Days to Connect With Your Creator

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. – John 1:1 NASB

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am !”  – John 8:58 NLT

Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. – John 17:24 NRSV

We kicked off today with some verses from John’s gospel, but our focus for the day is on Genesis 1 and 2. I post many different types of articles for our Sunday Worship feature, but today’s is a guided 7-day study on creation. Your schedule may not permit you to do everything listed here, but consider the possibilities of engaging in this type of study.

This appeared at the blog of Air1, a multi-location Christian radio station in the United States. The author is Scott Savage. Use the link in the title below to click through to the site and then enjoy some additional articles.

God creates…

As we step away from the busy pace of our lives and step into a vacation this summer, many of us will spend time outdoors. Being present in creation can often lead us deeper into the presence of our Creator.

When you step into the beautiful world around us, do you ever think about reading the account of God’s creation activity in Genesis 1-2? Often, these chapters are reduced to the creation vs. evolution argument, which keeps us from experiencing the full value of these verses to teach us about God and ourselves.

Over the next seven days, we encourage you to take a few moments each day to do three things:

First, read a short passage of Scripture which describes one day in the creation account. Second, reflect on a single question or thought related to the passage at meal time with your family or a friend. Third, engage in a practice which broadens your understanding and appreciation of God’s handiwork in one particular way.

Day 1: God Creates Day and Night
Passage: Genesis 1:1-5

Reflection Prompt: “What was the best sunset or sunrise you’ve ever seen? Why was that particular one so meaningful for you?”

Practice: Instead of waking by your smart phone alarm clock and staying up late to the glow of your TV, take one day this week where you wake up and go to bed according to the sun.

Day 2: God Creates the Sky
Passage: Genesis 1:6-8

Reflection Prompt: “What are your favorite days – sunny without clouds, sunny with clouds, stormy, rainy or snowy? Why is that your favorite and why do you think God gave us that kind of day?”

Practice: On a day when there are great clouds in the sky, grab a blanket and head to a park where you can lay down and watch the clouds go by for 15-20 minutes. In the silence, reflect on the imagination of God to create each unique cloud.

Day 3: God Creates The Land and the Seas, Fruits and Vegetables
Passage: Genesis 1:9-13

Reflection Prompt: “God created plants and trees with the ability to reproduce via seeds. In your circle of influence, what have you seen the seeds of your life reproducing?”

Practice: If your health and dietary restriction allow for it, take one day this week and only eat fruits and vegetables. At each meal or snack, pause and thank God for creating food to sustain your body.

Day 4: God Creates the Sun, Moon, and Stars
Passage: Genesis 1:14-19

Reflection Prompt: “God created the sun, moon, and stars to govern days and seasons. What does it say about God’s nature and character that He created a world where it isn’t always day (or night)? Where it isn’t always summer (or winter)?”

Practice: Drive to a quiet place one night this week and spend at least 30 minutes in quiet reflection on the majesty and magnitude of God’s creation in the universe.

Day 5: God Creates Birds and Sea Creatures
Passage: Genesis 1:20-23

Reflection Prompt: “What’s your favorite animal and why?”

Practice: Pick a nature documentary to watch and reflect on the wonder of God’s creativity and imagination.

Day 6: God Creates Land Creatures and Humans
Passage: Genesis 1:24-31

Reflection Prompt: Genesis 1:28 says that we were created in the image of God. What does that term ‘image of God’ mean to you? Why is it significant.

Practice: Many of us battle insecurity and unhealthy thoughts about our bodies. Each morning this week, begin the day by standing in front of the mirror and read Genesis 1:27. Say out loud, “I was made in the image of God.”

Day 7: God Rests
Passage: Genesis 2:1-4

Reflection Prompt: “A pastor once said Scripture calls those who will not work lazy, but those who will not rest disobedient. Which is harder for you – getting motivated to work or being disciplined to rest?”

Practice: Experience Sabbath. Pick a day when you won’t go to work (or check email or talk about work) and instead fill your schedule with experiences which renew and refresh you. (For more on how 21st-century Christians can practice Sabbath, check out Mark Buchanan’s book, The Rest of God.)

 

A Compelling Perspective on Humanity

How the Christian Perspective on Humanity Points to the Reality of God.

by Clarke Dixon

Does Christianity lead to a beautiful perspective on humanity? Or is it ugly? If the God of the Bible is real and is love, then we should expect beauty and not ugliness. Some would say it is ugly, setting up some people as better than the rest, creating a people who look down on others. It sets up a hierarchy of worth and value. There is no doubt, that we who are Christians, have sometimes acted or spoken like this is so. But is that accurate? What does the Bible teach that our perspective on humanity should be?

Let us turn first, to the beginning;

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. . . . .
27 So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27 (NLT)

All people are created in the image of God, without exception. This fact unites us in our humanity.

It might be suggested that while this was true of Adam and Eve, it has not been true of anyone since the Fall, that we no longer bear the image of God because of sin. However, consider this early appeal to justice;

5 “And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. 6 If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image. Genesis 9:5-6 (NLT)

To paraphrase, “how dare you lift a finger against another person in violence, for people were created in the image of God and that still matters.” Every person has worth and value, even with sin in the equation.

Now let us turn to the ending;

9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
and from the Lamb!” . . . .
14 Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
15 “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne
and serve him day and night in his Temple.
And he who sits on the throne
will give them shelter.
16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun.
17 For the Lamb on the throne
will be their Shepherd.
He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.
And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:9,10,14-17 (NLT emphasis added)

The Book of Revelation speaks of an incredible diversity of peoples gathered together, redeemed by God through Christ. From this we learn that all people are redeemable, all people have the opportunity to wash their clothes in the blood of the Lamb.

To sum up what we learn at the beginning and at the end, we will never meet a person who was not created in the image of God, we will never meet a person for whom Jesus did not choose to bear the cross. All people bear the image of God without exception. Without exception, Jesus bore the cross for all people. That is the starting point point of relationship with God, though there is much we could say about where it goes from there and what allegiance to, and trust in, Christ looks like. It is also the perspective on humanity for the Christian and the starting point for our relationship with others.

We see this humanity valuing perspective in the Bible, not only at the beginning and the end, but also from beginning to end. For example,

• When Abraham is called, that calling is ultimately for the sake of all nations, not just Abraham’s descendants.
• In the Old Testament there are laws that provide for the well-being of the foreigner.
• Foreigners were welcomed into the community, as exemplified with The Book of Ruth. We should note, however, that the community was to keep its worship pure from foreign religious influence. While foreign religion was unacceptable, foreign people were accepted.
• God’s concern for the foreigner is explicitly made clear in The Book of Jonah. Jonah shrank back from God’s call to preach to the enemy, the people of Ninevah, knowing that God would be kind to them. God did indeed show His kindness to them.
• Jesus loved all kinds of people, even touching “unclean” people, whom no one would touch, before healing them.
• Jesus taught the importance of love for thy neighbour, then emphasized that the neighbour is anyone and everyone. Your neighbour could even be those dreaded Samaritans, who can act better than the religious elites by the way, as told in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
• God called Phillip for a special mission to the Ethiopian eunuch, who was from a different land, likely had a different skin colour, and, being a eunuch, could be described as having a different sexuality.
• God gave the Holy Spirit to all kinds of people beyond the Jewish people.

From beginning to end, the Bible promotes the value and worth of all people. This covers more than just race, it covers any kind of difference. Consider that in a very patriarchal time and place, there is an emphasis on the equality of the sexes;

27 So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27 (NLT)

Speaking of gender, there is a lot going on with gender in society these days.  Many of us may struggle to understand why a man identifies as a woman, or a woman as a man, or some don’t identify as either. The starting point for relationship, even when people are beyond our understanding, is this: they are created in the image of God and Jesus chose the cross for them. What will we choose to do for them?

All people bear the image of God without exception. Without exception, Jesus bore the cross for all people. This is true for people who are unique for any reason. With each of our pregnancies, my wife and I were offered the opportunity to test for Down syndrome. This would lead to an opportunity to have an abortion. In our minds people with Down syndrome have as much worth and value as any other person. They are created in the image of God. Jesus chose the cross for them. Therefore should a Christian carry on with such a test? Speaking of abortion, in my mind, people in the womb has as much value and worth as people outside. This is why Christians often tend to be pro-life. We should understand that nothing is as simple as it seems, that there is a great need for sensitivity on this topic, and people need reminding of the grace of God. Also we should understand that some people are pro-choice based on their Christian ethic, based on love and concern for Moms and women in difficult circumstances. Nevertheless, every person has value and the question is valid; is a fetus just “tissue,” or a person created in the image of God and for whom Jesus bore the cross?

Given that all humanity bears the image of God, the Christian cannot not look down on people as being worth less for any reason. Rather, we are called to love others with the love of Christ who bore the cross for them. The starting point is not “you are so different from me,” but “we are so much alike, in our creation in the image of God, in our need for grace, and in being given the invitation to a relationship with God.” All people bear the image of God without exception. Without exception, Jesus bore the cross for all people. This is Christian view of humanity, and it is beautiful.

Now consider what can happen when we take God out of the picture. Without the Biblical perspective on humanity, we can easily fall into racism, sexism, or looking down on people because they are different.  If we are indeed evolved, if there is no God, then what is to stop us from thinking that one race has greater value than another? The rat has had just as much time to evolve as the human. We naturally give the human more value and will call exterminators to deal with rat infestations so as to protect humans from disease. What is to stop us from giving greater value to one type of human, even going as far as exterminating other types of humans to protect the more valuable? Indeed this kind of thing happened with Nazi Germany. It was not Bible study and a hunger for God that led the Nazi machine to commit atrocities against the Jews. It was philosophical thinking that applied evolution to society. “We are more highly evolved than you” is ugly. In contrast, “You bear the image of God, Christ bore the cross for you,” is beautiful.

Every single person bears the image of God, regardless of colour, culture, medical conditions, gender, sexuality, or anything else. Jesus bore the cross for every person regardless of colour, culture, medical conditions, gender, sexuality, or anything else. We share this same starting point with every other person without exception. This is a beautiful perspective on humanity which is also helpful to humanity. This is what we should expect if the God the Bible points to, the God the Bible portrays as love, is real. This is yet another reason that Christianity it compelling.

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Clarke Dixon is a pastor in Ontario, Canada and is featured here each Thursday. This post is part of a series called “Compelling” which begins here. The full sermon can be heard on the podcast which is found here.

Compelling Evil

Compelling Evil: How Suffering Points to a Loving God

by Clarke Dixon

If the Bible is correct about God, that God is, and God is love, then why is the world in a mess? Why is there suffering? Yes, the Bible teaches that God is love, but the Bible also teaches that the world is, indeed, in a mess. First of, notice that humanity’s relationship with God is destroyed by sin. Adam and Eve were free to enjoy the Garden of Eden, except that there was one thing they ought not do:

“You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Genesis 2:15-17 (NLT)

Of course they did that one thing and death became an eventuality. Sin separates us from God. However, the Bible tells us that human sin affects more than just humanity:

And to the man he said,
“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you.
Genesis 3:17 (NLT)

Adam is affected by his own sin, he will die, but so too is the ground affected. Sin messes up everything. We see this theme carried on in the very next story:

“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. Genesis 4:6-8 (NLT emphasis added)

Sin was “eager to control” Cain, but Abel, and Adam, and Eve, were the ones to suffer. Before there was ever a death by the natural consequence of one’s own sin, there was violent death from another’s. Sin makes a mess of everything! It still does. Consider a particularly cruel and selfish man whose attitudes and actions make life miserable for his family. He spreads the misery into his workplace like a bad virus. He then either gets fired, or his business runs down. Soon the money runs out, and the house falls into ruin also. Sin messes everything up for everyone and everything, not just the person who sins.

The Bible teaches that sin even makes a mess of creation:

For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.  Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse [as a result of the sin of humanity]. But with eager hope,  the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. Romans 8:19-21 (NLT)

Creation is not waiting for God to wipe out humanity, so it can flourish on its own, but to rescue humanity. Brokenness in all creation is tied to human sinfulness. Restoration of creation is tied to the healing of humanity’s sin problem.

So if the Bible is accurate, then we should expect to live in a world where relationship with God is destroyed, where death is the expected and normal end, and where everything is messed up. This is the world we live in! There is suffering because there is evil & sin, there is sin because there is freedom, there is freedom because God is love. It turns out that the world is exactly as we would expect if God is love. Therefore the presence of evil and suffering lends support to the Bible being accurate about the way things are.

But if God is love, would we not expect God to rescue us from evil and suffering? Indeed. The Bible teaches, from Genesis through to Revelation, that God is not content to leave humanity in a mess. God continued to work with humans. He did not just walk away.

God rescued a particular people from a messy situation, then gave them the law so that they would learn to not make a big mess of everything. For example, the Israelites were forbidden from practicing child-sacrifice. If they kept that law, there would be less evil and suffering in the world, for that practice was too common in that day. The law was given to lead God’s particular people out of evil so they could be an example to the other nations. However, they kept tripping on the way out.

All of this was part of a bigger plan for a bigger rescue. God sent his Son and Spirit to rescue us from sin. The two problems of sin are solved. First, we are personally, and individually, reconciled to God. Death, and separation from God is no longer our final end. Second, when it comes to sin making a mess of everything, we are enabled to be part of Spirit-led solutions rather than part of sin-wrecked problems.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

Just think of how much less suffering and evil there would be in the world if all lives were marked by these “fruit” of the Holy Spirit! As people participate in God’s great rescue, our dark world gets brighter.

God’s rescue is not limited to the possibility of individuals being reconciled to God and making less mess along the way. God will rescue all of creation:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
  I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”  And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.   All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. Revelation 21:1-7 (NLT)

Christianity provides a reasonable accounting of why evil and suffering exist in a world created by a loving God. There is suffering because there is sin, there is sin because there is freedom, there is freedom because God is love. Our sin messes up everything. God knows, and since God is love, He has a rescue underway. Christianity speaks of God’s revealed love solution to evil and suffering in Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and a future with God. The presence of evil and suffering in the world does not prove God does not exist or does not care. It confirms what the Bible teaches. People sin, God is, and God is love.

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This post is part of a series called “Compelling” which begins here. The full sermon can be heard on the podcast which is found here. All Scripture references are taken from the NRSV.

The Gospel of New Creation

^{NLT.2 Cor.5.18} And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

^NLT.Rom.8.19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. ²⁰ Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, ²¹ the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. ²² For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,^[a] including the new bodies he has promised us.

Today we’re back again at the online resource, Start2Finish.org which includes various blogs, podcasts and Bible study materials materials available on everything from a phone app to print. This time however, we’re visiting the collection of writing called Classically Christian by Steven Hunter.  Click the header below to read this article at source.

John’s Gospel as Re-Creation

Decades before John determined the produce a gospel, Paul had already written about “new creation.” To the Corinthians, he wrote, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17; NKJV), and to the Galatians, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation” (Gal. 6:15). There are two manners in which new creation appears in the New Testament: as a present reality and a future expectation. The present reality was what Paul and John respectively wrote about in the passages above and the latter’s gospel, but they also each wrote about the future expectation of new creation (Rom. 8:18–23; Rev. 21:1–5). My concern here is more the present reality as it pertains to the Christian than the future eschatological expectation, and I believe John’s gospel shows that God was in Christ recreating that which was in need of refurbishment.

Most of us have owned used things but have referred to them as new. The home I live in is new to me because we just moved into it within the past few months, but the house itself was built in 1984. The same goes for my wife’s car, a Kia Sorento. When we bought it, it was used, but we considered it new to us. I used to frequent a consignment store with my wife in Bowling Green that had name-brand clothing at a very low price. Others had paid the retail price, I presumed and taken the loss whereas I got to sweep in and collect the goods at a much lower price. They were new to me, but not entirely new in theory. New creation in the present tense, I suggest, is similar. Oh sure, we still have thorns and thistles, but we’re anticipating the end result and through the Spirit are new in Christ.

As Christians, we are “created” (note the past tense) in Christ Jesus for good works, for we are His “finished product” (Eph. 2:10; my translation). As such, we are present in the reality of new creation, but we still await its culmination in the fully realized experience at the resurrection of our bodies. As it is, we are participating in a greater eschatological reality. We express such by practicing the newness of life proper to the new creation (Rom. 6:4). We tend to call it living Christianly, but we are demonstrating to the world and God’s glory, we pray, that how we live while Christians on earth now is how things shall be in the heavenly kingdom of God.

Until this point in history (c. 96), John’s gospel had only ever been preached. The former fisherman, now an old man with gray hair, was the last apostle of Jesus remaining. He had seen the church grow by leaps and bounds. He’d testified of Jesus as Israel’s Messiah with signs and wonders. With him was Polycarp, a young Christian in his twenties who’d go on to be a great leader in the church, but who would be martyred when in his eighties (c. 156). Polycarp was learning from John and was an ever promising young pupil.

Jerusalem had been destroyed just over twenty-five years earlier, and in the last few years, the Jews assembled in Jamnia (c. 90) to establish a school of the religious study of the Jewish Law. One of the first appointed deacons, Prochorus had been with Peter who’d appointed him to be a minister of Nicomedia. However, Peter had been crucified just before Jerusalem fell (c. 64), so Prochorus joined John and aided him. Now, John was about to send Prochorus to oversee the work at Antioch, but before he was to depart, Prohorus was to help John with one important work.

John had read Matthew, Mark, and Luke. He thought them each well written and accurate accounts of the ministry of Jesus though only Matthew was by a fellow apostle. However, the Synoptic accounts overlooked the earlier years of Christ’s ministry, and John believed that the church ought to know about this period of Jesus’ ministry since John himself was witness to it. John wasn’t taking this task lightly, because the Spirit had been speaking to him about writing another gospel account. Nevertheless, as an aged man whose eyesight wasn’t the best, and whose hand wasn’t steady, Prochorus would serve as his amanuensis—John would speak, and Prochorus would write. The Spirit had told John, “Write a new genesis,” so John knew what he’d do. As Prochorus sat poised at the writing table, John first spoke, “In the beginning.”

What follows in John’s gospel is a retelling of the Genesis story, but this time instead of being separated from God, humanity is reconciled to Him. Rather than falling prey to sin and futility, freedom is given through the sacrifice of God on a cross. Yes, Jesus is God and identifies himself as such in the prologue of John’s gospel and throughout. Instead of being ruled by sin, the new Adam, Christ, conquers it so that His new creation can exist and operate in the newness of life. The entire framework of this is accomplished in the guise of the temple, as will be explained momentarily.

When in elementary school, I remember during science class the teacher showing us children how magnets stuck together and explained that they were from separate poles. However, when we’d take magnets from the same pole and try to put them together, they naturally repelled. When God created the heavens and earth, His creation of such was made so that we were with Him and Him with us. We had perfect fellowship, but when sin became the reality of human existence, we began to push God away. At every turn we have sought to push God away, likely due to our own shame. However, God has graciously pursued us to bring us to Himself. This is reconciliation. In His works on earth and the cross, God was, in Jesus, reconciling the world to Himself (2 Cor. 5:18–19).

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Steven Hunter (PhD, Faulkner University) is the preaching minister for the Glendale Road Church of Christ in Murray, KY. He’s also authored several books for Start2Finish, and Classically Christian explores Christianity from a church-historical perspective.

Creator: A Worship Liturgy

a worship liturgy by Ruth Wilkinson

An hour is coming, and is already here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and Truth…
~ Jesus

Brothers and sisters, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.
This is your spiritual worship.
~ Paul

…Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit? He is in you and He is from God.
You are not your own.
~ Paul

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Who is this God we worship?

He‘s the great God, creator of Heaven and Earth.

He’s the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and all that surrounds them, and of time itself.

He’s the one who calls us to Himself, and calls us to each other, and calls us to worship.

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Give thanks to the Lord of Lords.
His love endures forever.
He alone does great wonders.
His love endures forever.
He made the heavens with unsurpassed skill.
His love endures forever.
He spread the land on the waters.
His love endures forever.
He made the great lights:
His love endures forever.
the sun to rule by day,
His love endures forever.
the moon and stars to rule by night.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven!
His love endures forever.

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Not only is He the creator of all, but He is especially the creator of the human heart.

Of our hearts, our bodies, our imaginations.

Patterned after Himself.  Lived in by Himself.  Perfected by Himself.

Shaped of earth dust, breathed to life with His own Breath.

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For it was You who created my inward parts;
Your love endures forever.
You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
Your love endures forever.
I will praise You because I am wonderfully made.
Your love endures forever.
My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret,
Your love endures forever.
All my days were written in Your book before a single one of them began.
Your love endures forever.
Search me, God, and know my heart;
Your love endures forever.
See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.
Your love is the everlasting way.
Your love endures forever.

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To see all of Ruth’s readings here at C201, click this link.

“For God So Loved the World”

by Russell Young

The verse proclaiming God’s love for the world, John 3:16, is probably the most recognized passage in the Bible.  It is used as a common source of entry into the passages used by evangelists to reveal hope to humankind. The passage is a declaration of God’s love and of his provision for the person who is prepared to reach beyond himself or herself for a greater hope. The evangelist would state that “For God so loved you that he sacrificed his Son so that you might have eternal life if you would only believe.”

This verse has much more to proclaim than his love for people, however.  Note that the passage reads, “God so loved the world.” “World” is translated from the Greek kosmos meaning cosmos or his whole creation.  Jesus did not limit his proclamation of God’s love to people but to the totality of his handiwork.  The book of Genesis records, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Gen 1:31 NIV) Paul re-stated this thought to Timothy, “everything God created is good and nothing is to be rejected.” (1 Tim 4: 4)

God’s love for his world or creation has been made clear in his revelation to John concerning the visitation of his wrath. “The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great—and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” (Rev 11:18 NIV) He does not look kindly on those who would treat his handiwork with disdain.

All creation, including the earth, was and remains to be of great value to God. We live in a disposable age when things are perceived to have a specific lifespan. When the usefulness of something is considered to have been spent, it is indifferently cast aside. Apparently, God will not treat kindly those who have destroyed or who have treated his creation callously.

Believers should take note of this fact. But, you may say, the world is going to be consumed by fire and a new heaven and new earth will be formed so what difference does it make? Of first importance is the display of a careless attitude towards what God put design and effort into creating and which brought him pleasure and about which he proclaimed his satisfaction and joy. The second problem is that the earth is going to be redeemed or renewed and it is on earth that God’s heavenly (heaven-like) kingdom will be established.

God’s heavenly kingdom will not be someplace in space but here. It will not be a spiritual sphere without substance. At his return, the Lord will be the king over the whole earth. (Zech 14:9) When his work has been completed, his enemies are under his feet, and all dominion, authority, and power has been destroyed, he will hand over the kingdom to God the Father. (1 Cor 15:24) Even prior to Christ’s reign many physical changes will have taken place. (Zech 14:8,10, 12; Isa 35: 6 – 10; Mic 4: 1; Eze 36:35) “The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD.” (Isa 51:3 NIV)

Paul has stated that “the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth.” (Romans 8:22 NIV) God’s creation has not been completed or brought to maturity; it is being birthed. It will not be completed until the sinful body has been redeemed and the people who will dwell with him have been revealed. (Rom 8:19) God’s creation has been frustrated and is waiting “to be liberated from its bondage to decay.” (Rom 8:20 NIV) It will one day be returned to its Eden-like state, will have a people who have willingly chosen to submit to God’s sovereignty and are holy in state (Heb 12:14)and righteous in practice, and with whom God will dwell forever.

God loves his people and he loves all that he has created. When his enemies have been defeated, his creation will be freed and will assume the state and glory that he had planned and which humankind had thwarted thus far. The Lord, Jesus Christ not only gave his life to redeem a people for God’s kingdom, the world will be redeemed. Christ will have enabled God’s creation plan to be completed and once more it will be “very good.”

 

A Theology of Animals

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. – Matthew 10:29

And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”– Jonah 4:11

This article appeared at reKnew, a blog we usually associate with Greg Boyd; in this case the author is Dan Kent. Click to read this at reKnew.

What “Man Gave Names to All the Animals” REALLY Means?

“So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field.” Genesis 2:20

In the fog of our over-Googled, ‘Hey Siri,’ information-obsessed minds I believe we may be looking upon the story of Adam naming the animals with dull eyes. We watch Adam mechanically identify the genus and species of each animal. “This one shall be rabbit,” he says, and marks the appropriate spot on his clipboard—as if, in God’s eternal garden, categorization is so very important.

It’s not.

What’s important to God is relationship. Community. Connection between individuals. In the bible, naming was a sacred act. It meant something. When Jacob wrestled God (and won!), God renamed him Israel (meaning, roughly, “wrestles with God”). The name captured something unique about this unique individual.

So maybe, when Adam was naming the animals, he wasn’t establishing a taxonomical structure. Maybe he was connecting with friends. He wasn’t saying “you shall be called and ‘Ectotherm Testudine,’ (‘turtle’)” he was saying, “I’ll call you Norbert.” He wasn’t saying “this is a duck,” he was saying, “hey Maude!”

This makes so much more sense of a God who loves each animal.

• A God who cares about each sparrow (Matthew 10:29),
• A God who saved a city from destruction because of some cows (Jonah 4:11).
• A God who identifies as a lion (Revelation 5:5), a lamb (John 1:29), and even as a mother hen (Matthew 23:37).

Animals are important. Each one.

To the people of our world, though, animals are not so important. Oh, sure, dogs are. And maybe cats. And we all love pictures of cute baby animals. But we also live in a perverted place where our own adaptation diminishes and humiliates animals. For instance, we’re each wickedly dependent on cars, which slaughter countless animals every day. Just look at the carnage on the sides of our freeways. Drive through Wisconsin in the fall. You’ll find a decimated deer carcass every couple miles or so.

We become desensitized. We shrug our shoulders and move on.

We’re stuck with cars, at this point. But we don’t have to let our hearts harden. One little thing my wife and I do to push back against apathy: we name each roadkill we see. We’ll be driving along and one of us will break the silence with a “Karen,” or a “Walter,” or a “Quincy.” Then we’ll take a brief moment, an impromptu ceremony, to appreciate each one. It’s silly, for sure, and it does nothing to help the victims. But it does guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23). It keeps us in an appreciative spirit, keeps us oriented to the actual value of things in a world that so ruthlessly disregards the precious and exults the meaningless. We’re dependent on cars. But we don’t have to let this fact harden our hearts.

Naming the animals is simply one tactic to help, one little way to push back against the deluge of messages that pressure us to think “they’re just animals,” and dupe us into lifestyles that are horrendously violent (even if that violence is conveniently hidden from our dumbed-down eyes, as in factory farming). The point is, we can make choices to maintain a sensitive heart. At the very least, we can do as Adam did: we can name the animals.

Made in the Image of God

^{Gen 1:26} Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

^{Col 1:15} The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation

^{Heb 1:3a} The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word…

^{John 14:9b} … Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Today’s author came recommended to us. Josh Ketchum has been a pastor in Kentucky for the past 12 years and marriage and family counseling is an area he feel especially drawn to. You can learn more by reading today’s post at his website and then clicking around to see other articles. Click the title below…

The Image of God: What Does it Mean?

There is tremendous talk about mass shootings these days, and rightly so.  While the problem is multifaceted, the root goes back to the individual’s beliefs.  This is one product of a larger problem, we as a nation are raising thousands of individuals who do not know who they are!  They have been fed a message of evolution which says they are nothing more than flesh and blood which evolved over millions of years from lower life forms.  They don’t know where they have come from, and certainly not where they are going!  Thus, they live solely for the present.

The doctrine of man being created in the image of God is so crucial because it teaches the uniqueness of man.  Genesis describes man’s creation as unique from the rest of plant and animal life (Gen. 1-2).  Humans are the only life-form that resembles God!  We are unique in creation because of our personhood and purpose.

Humanity possesses unique personhood traits like intellect, language, volition, creativity, conscience, and emotions. We have religious desires which are similar to our moral and ethical thoughts.  Most importantly though, each individual possesses a soul or spirit that will live eternally (Ecc. 12:7).

It seems He created us in His image for the purpose of a relationship with us.  We possess his qualities and elements of his character so as to be able to relate to Him.  We also represent Him in this world.  While Christ is the perfect representation of God, the image of God is not lost in man’s sin.  Truthfully, God’s image is distorted, and often marred, by the sinful actions of humans, but his image is still upon man.  Like a coin that is scratched and worn, the value is still there.  So each person still has value and worth, because of their nature of being made in the image of God.¹  Genesis places an emphasis upon us being created in His image to provide dominion and care for the world.

This doctrine has great implications, much of our current cultural issues are addressed in understanding this Biblical truth.  Being made in God’s image impacts how we view the animal world (Gen. 9:6).  Animals are acceptable to be eaten, should be cared for with good stewardship, and can serve humanity.  But, they are not to be seen as on par with humanity.  This doctrine is the foundation for our beliefs about the value of human life.  We oppose abortion, euthanasia, and value the oppressed and suffering because every human life is valuable.  Being made in the image of God changes how you view yourself.  It creates a positive and healthy self-image.  It underscores the church’s call to evangelism.  God created all of humanity and wants all to come to know their Creator and Father.  Finally, it motivates us to live godly lives as we are a reflection of our Creator and Savior.  Truly the image of God is present in everyone’s nature, and has the potential to be present in everyone’s actions.  We are to be made as the “new self” after the image of our Creator (Col. 3:9-10).

This truth is so vital for our world.  We must reclaim the truth for all humanity that we are not just flesh and blood living for the present, but wonderfully made beings, as the apex of God’s creation, who represent the Creator having His image and likeness upon us.  When people believe they are a reflection of God it will change how they view themselves and treat others.

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¹ Genesis 1:26-28;  2 Cor. 4:3-4; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3-4; John 14:9

Breathe on Me, Breath of God

Today’s thoughts come from Leon Dean at the blog Come See A Man. Click the title below to read at source.

 

God’s breath: how powerful?

A few days ago, I was chatting with some buddies about the Bible and we came upon the topic of the breath of God. I walked away from that conversation with a deeper appreciation of the sheer power of God’s breath. God is omnipotent. We are not. I can’t do much with my breath than spread a few dandelion seeds around my lawn.

God can do much more with His breath. Let’s look at a few examples from the Bible:

1. With His breath, God created man.

Gen. 2:7 – “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Adam was formed out of the dust of the ground, but he was just a lifeless piece of earth until God breathed into him. When God breathed into him, Adam became a living soul. Adam became a human, the most complicated and sophisticated of all God’s creatures.

2. With His breath, God wrote the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”

Physically, it seems that Bible was written by more than 40 different authors over a period of more than 1,500 years. But in reality, the Bible was written by God exhaling. Because God breathed out the Bible, there are deeper spiritual realities behind the physical words on its pages.

3. With His breath, God destroys His enemies.

The Bible contains numerous cases of God defeating His enemies simply by breathing on them. For example, Job 4:9 speaks of the consequences for those who plow iniquity: “By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger they are consumed.”

The most poignant example of victory by breath, however, is still to come. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 describes the fate of the man of lawlessness (Antichrist): “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth…” Antichrist will fight with all his might and all his armies, but he will be slain by nothing more than a gentle puff from the the Lord’s mouth. Kind of anticlimactic.

4. With His breath, God gave us the Holy Spirit.

John 20:22 – “And when He had said this, He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Of all the things that God has done and will do with His breath, this is my favorite. After the resurrection, when the Lord breathed on His disciples, they didn’t just smell the fish He was preparing for them. Through the Lord’s breath, the disciples actually received the Holy Spirit. Today, it is the same. The Lord desires to breathe the Holy Spirit into people. All we have to do is open up and receive.

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Do you have an idea for a devotional post? Try your hand at writing a devotional based on a scripture God has placed on your heart. Submit it; we’ll critique it, edit it and send it back to your final approval and then possibly print it here.

Finding Your Worship Moment

Psalm 19: 1

The heavens keep telling
    the wonders of God,
    and the skies declare
    what he has done. (CEV)

God’s glory is on tour in the skies,
    God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. (Message)

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship. (NLT)

The verse above is fairly typical of what we think of when we think of God creative gifts expressed in the natural world. I often tell people to take time during the week to find their ‘worship moment;’ worship prompted not by the singing of a choir or a worship team, but by the majesty of creation. I’ll mention walks in the forest or looking at the sky on days when multiple layers of clouds are struck by an early morning or late day sun.

But God’s handiwork is evident — I would say more evident — in the micro as well as the macro. In the intricate fine tuning of the design elements in creation we see things we would otherwise miss. Some of the ones that apply to humans are more important to us…

^{NIV Psalm 139 : 3} For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

…but there are intricacies in the plant and animal world we could never imagine unless someone pointed them out to us. 

Which brings us to this video. This is not a Christian video clip per se, but was intended for people who are interested in mathematics. Starting with the Fibonacci sequence, the numbers are translated into shapes that you should recognize.

I hope for some of you who know the Creator personally, this brief clip becomes a worship moment.

To continue your worship moment with the song Creation Calls by Brian Doerksen, click back to this post from one year ago.

Go deeper with Indescribable with Louis Giglio. The total run time is 27 minutes, this link takes you to part one.

Why Didn’t He Call The Light “Light”?

For several weeks now at Thinking Out Loud, I’ve been encouraging people to check out the Phil Vischer podcast.  Phil’s name may register with those of you with children as the creator of Veggie Tales.  There are 16 podcasts so far, and Phil is joined each week by Skye Jethani, a name familiar to both bloggers and readers of Christianity Today, and by producer Christian Taylor. Phil is a naturally funny person, and the whole show has a “radio morning zoo” feel to it; but Skye, as a pastor is more focused and while he often adds to the levity, he also rarely wastes words.  Many weeks they are joined by a guest. But why are we mentioning it here?

This past week, the guest was John Walton who teaches at both Moody and Wheaton, and specializes in Old Testament studies. Apparently he and Phil have had some previous conversations regarding Phil’s newest children’s series, What’s In The Bible, especially about the creation narrative in Genesis.

One of the comments was about this verse:

^{Gen 1:3} And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

John then asked, “Why didn’t God call the light, “light.”?  He said that what we’re seeing in this verse is not the creation of light, but the creation of the separators or periods of separation between light and its absence, that what we’re witnessing in this book is the creation of time.  You could say, “And God said, “Let there be time.”

I’d never thought about that before.

Much discussion early on also had to do with the apparent ongoing tension between theologians and scientists on the creation of the world.  John compares this to the difference between you telling your friends about the origins of your house versus the origins of your home.  The former has to do with land, and construction and the physical features. The latter has to do with family, and usage, and traffic patterns.  They are two entirely different stories, and he says that the Bible does not attempt to answer the house questions, and we shouldn’t expect the Bible to serve as a science textbook, because those issues are not raised in its pages.

There was also the issue of death coming into the world. John looked at the creation narrative again and told of having his students focus on this verse:

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

He then asked them if Adam was clothed in skin, and reminded them that skin is epidermis and epidermis is dead cells. In other words, there was death from the beginning.

This then led to a discussion of predation. That was a new word to me.  The question is whether or not in a “new earth” — a doctrine that’s a given when you get academics together — animals would survive through killing other animals or whether as Phil asked “whales would strain plankton.” John responded that the new earth would involve a new order, and that he does not believe this will be a replication of what existed in the garden, but will involve an entirely new set of possibilities.

This particular podcast — their longest — is 67 minutes long. After the usual banter, John Walton is introduced at around 22:00, and the interview really kicks in at 23:15.  You also have to endure Phil playing the ukelele at the beginning and end of the show; once in children’s ministry, always in children’s ministry, I guess.  So even if you skip the frivolity at the beginning, you’re still looking at 45 minutes; but well worth it.  (We listened to it twice already.) This is the kind of material I love personally; what this blog’s tag line is all about: Diggin’ a little deeper.

…You might also enjoy the previous episode (# 15) which deals with the issue of heaven and the issue of the rapture. You can find that easily enough once you’re at the site; and I also wrote a set-up for that piece Tuesday at Thinking Out Loud.

Were Adam and Eve Tempted By a Snake, or Tempted By Satan?

Last summer at The Meeting House, Canada’s largest multi-site megachurch, author Philip Yancey suggested that perhaps it would have been better if God had told Adam and Eve, “Don’t eat the snake.”

Back to our title question…

Okay, at first I didn’t get all the nuances of this question, but apparently some of us have different understandings about this aspect of the Genesis story. Clark Bunch — who is a frequent commenter at Thinking Out Loud — raised this a few days ago, with a link to Answers In Genesis. But knowing the “click record” here, I decided to include both Clark’s comments and the AIG article. You know the saying, “Copying from one source is plagiarism; copying from two sources is research.”  But then again, that’s how we roll here; except that C201 readers are very strongly encouraged to click to read things at source; so that would mean starting at Clark’s blog, The Master’s Table, where this appeared as Was The Serpent in the Garden of Eden Satan?

Most people believe that Satan appeared in the Garden of Eden as a serpent and tempted Eve to commit sin.  Some point out, however, that the Genesis account does not directly identify the serpent as Satan, and others will actually argue againstthe serpent being Satan.  So am I knowing and willfully opening this potential Pandora’s box?  Oh yeah.

I suggest beginning with a read of Genesis 3.  In verse 15, God speaks of enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman.  This makes little sense if God is speaking to a mere serpent.  But if the seed of woman is a veiled reference to the Son of Man, i.e. Jesus who is the Christ, then this is the first prophesy of the Messiah.  My readers already know I believe this to be true.  If Genesis 3 is the first mention of a future salvation, then the serpent must be Satan, the Devil, whom Jesus will ultimately defeat and cast into the lake of fire.

The next thing I wish to do is acknowledge Troy Lacey and the website AnswersinGenesis.org.  This article is the most concise listing of the scriptures making this case that I’m aware of.  Lacey begins with Genesis 3 as I have above.  He then goes to Ezekiel 28, and includes linkage to some back story on how this passage may be interpreted.  If you conclude that Ezekiel 28 address the fall of Satan from glory and his future demise, then notice verse 13 that says “you were in Eden.”  No kings alive during Ezekiel’s time (nor any human being besides Adam and Eve) could have been in the Garden of Eden.  Like many Bible prophesies, Ez. 28 refers to events that are both near and far in fulfillment.  The prophesies listed are only somewhat fulfilled in the destruction of the actual prince and king but describe the already and future demise of Satan.  Similarly with Isaiah 14.

Finally, the Revelation refers to Satan three times as a serpent.  (Lacey links each occurrence, be sure to read his article.)  Rev. 12:9 offers the best support that Satan and the Garden serpent are one in the same:

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

The Bible never says the devil was the Genesis 3 serpent; but Satan is called the ancient serpent in Revelation.  Notice the ancient serpent/devil/Satan, whatever name he is known by, is the deceiver of the whole world.  At the time of outcast from Eden, Adam and Eve were the whole world.  And after being cast from Heaven the earth, this plane of existence, has been home to Satan.  When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden he knew that it was already the dwelling place of Satan and his angels.

Was the serpent in the Garden of Eden Satan?  I believe it was.  Does the Bible say so?  I believe it does; what do you think?

~Clark Bunch

Next, for those of you didn’t click the link in the above, here’s the AIG piece, Feedback: Who Was The Serpent?

In your [July 15] feedback you wrote “according to the scriptural record only God, Adam, Eve, Satan, and the two Cherubim placed there to guard it were ever in Eden.” I have read Genesis and it does not say anything about Satan or a being known as Lucifer being in the Garden of Eden. There was a serpent but except for the fact that it talked there is nothing in a plain reading of Genesis to indicate that this serpent was anything but a snake that was clever and could speak. A talking animal would have to be regarded as somehow involved with the supernatural but nowhere in Genesis does it say that Satan or Lucifer disguised themselves as a serpent or took the form of a snake to trick Eve. When God found out what had happened he did not punish Satan or Lucifer.  ~S. K.

Dear S.K.,

You are correct when you say that the book of Genesis does not mention the name or title “Satan,” nor does it specifically state that Lucifer or any demonic being controlled the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Having said that, however, we can ascertain who this serpent was (or rather who was controlling and speaking through this serpent) from other passages of Scripture, and from the context of Genesis 3 itself. As mentioned in the feedback article, Lucifer and Sin, Ezekiel 28:13 states that the being addressed was listed as being in Eden, the Garden of God. If this passage is talking about Satan, as I argued in that previous article, then there is a clear reference to Satan being in the Garden of Eden. Since Satan was a created being, and since Eden was guarded by cherubim after the Fall, he must have been in Eden between his creation and the Fall of man. Many scholars believe, based on Job 38:7, that all the angels, including Lucifer, were created on or before Day 4 of creation week along with the Sun, Moon and Stars, only two days before the creation of Adam and Eve.

Secondly, Satan is called a serpent, not once but three times in the book of Revelation (Revelation 12:9, 12:15, 20:2). When combined with Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 11:3, the identification of the serpent in Genesis 3 with Satan is unmistakable. Revelation 12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3).

We see an obvious parallel here with Genesis 3. Revelation 12:9 says that Satan is called “that serpent of old,” that he was punished (cast out), and that he presently deceives the whole world (remember that Adam and Eve were even the “whole world” of humanity at the time of the Fall). Revelation 20:2–3 also calls Satan a serpent and speaks of his punishment again. This time he will be bound and thrown into the bottomless pit for 1,000 years, so that he will not be able to deceive the nations. Satan’s work of deception began in the Garden of Eden and has continued worldwide ever since then. Only Christians can escape Satan’s deceptions by simple and pure devotion to Christ (i.e., trusting and obeying His Word by His Spirit).

Finally, in Genesis 3:14-15 we read of God’s curse upon the serpent and the promise of a Savior from the seed of the woman.

So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

The prediction of enmity (hatred and warfare) between the seeds (in some sense offspring or descendant) of the woman and of the serpent makes no sense if the serpent was merely a physical animal. The seed of the woman is a future male child. If only serpents and natural human descendants are in view here, then that means that snakes are doomed to go around biting men in the heels and then getting their heads crushed. Given the verses in Revelation and 2 Corinthians, this obviously is not the intent of the prophecy.

Orthodox Christians have always understood this to be the first prophecy of the Messiah, who would be the savior of the world. Satan did bruise Jesus on the heel (so to speak), by moving men to crucify Him. But it was only a temporary wound, for He rose from the dead. But the same act by which Satan thought he had defeated Jesus Christ, was the very act by which Jesus destroyed the power of Satan, and His resurrection was the proof and seal of that victory. One day the full results of that victory will be realized when Satan’s head will be crushed in the sense that he will be cast into the Lake of Fire where he will be tormented day and night, forever (Revelation 20:10).

He condemned all snakes to crawl on their bellies but if all created “kinds” have not changed since creation they must have been doing that anyways, so mankind were the only ones punished.

Creationists do not say that the original created kinds have not changed since Creation. It is clear from Scripture and from the study of living things that God implanted a great capacity for change and adaptation in the DNA of created kinds. We see this, for example, in the great variety within the cat and dog kinds or the variety within mankind. So there is great variation within each kind but one kind does not change into a different kind. Cats reproduce cats, dogs reproduce dogs and people reproduce people. But Genesis 3 also makes it clear that because of God’s curse on all of creation, the serpent was physically changed (to crawl on his belly), the woman was changed physically (increased pain in childbirth), and both man and woman were changed physically so that their bodies began the process of decay leading to eventual death. Given that God also cursed the other animals (Genesis 3:14), they undoubtedly were changed physically in some ways also, e.g., some herbivores became carnivores sometime after the Fall.

So, Genesis 3 is teaching us about Satan’s deception of Eve, the sin of Adam, God’s judgment of the whole creation, and His first promise of the coming Messiah to overcome the work of Satan and the sin that infects us all, inherited from Adam. That freedom comes to us when we turn from our sin and put our trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. If you haven’t done that, I would urge you to find out more and do so.

~Troy Lacey