Can we really trust every word of the Bible? And does it matter whether we believe what Scripture says about creation, Adam and Eve, and other events that happened thousands of years ago?
It matters more than we might think.
Genesis doesn’t merely tell us how the world began. It explains where sin and death came from, introduces God’s promise of a Savior, and lays the foundation for the gospel itself. In fact, the Apostle Paul directly connects the historical Adam with the saving work of Christ.
So, what happens when we decide some parts of Scripture don’t need to be taken seriously?
And in Job, we’ll see some remarkable statements about the earth and creation recorded thousands of years before modern science understood them. Yet, Job said that everything we can observe—from the intricacies of the human body to the awesome power displayed in creation—is merely “the edges of His ways.”
If those are only the edges, imagine the greatness of the God behind them!
Why a fresh start through the Bible? And why “through” the Bible? Why not just read here and there, perhaps finding a subject that interests you? Or how about a short devotional? As long as you read something every day, isn’t that good enough? Today’s reading from the Book of Psalms gives us a very good illustration of why it’s so important to read God’s Word in context.
The psalmist in Psalm 1 talks about a man who is like a tree planted on a riverbank where it gets plenty of water and is always fruitful. The psalmist goes on to say that God prospers whatever this man does.
I don’t know about you, but I want my life to be like that. But despite some who teach that God wants to make every believer prosperous, there are requirements for this prosperity. There are things we must do and other things we are to avoid. We also need to understand what the psalmist meant when he wrote about prosperity. If we don’t, we may find ourselves disillusioned, even angry, with God.
But this is just one example of the importance of understanding God’s Word in context, in its entirety. One of the biggest problems I find among believers is a failure to know God, to know His character, and to know how He works through our tests and trials. As a result, far too many lead faithless defeated lives.
It has been a while since I’ve done a newsletter and round-up of what’s been going on and we have covered a lot of ground over the last few months. Recently we’ve talked about honoring imperfect parents, even those who...
