In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[i]
(Genesis 1:1, NLT)
This
statement opens the book that God gave to us.
This is the
foundation.
If a child
asks, “Why should I obey my parents?” We might answer, “Because I told you so.”
Or, we might answer, “Because your parents are bigger.” Or, we might say, “Because your parents know best.”
There has
to be a better answer.
If we ask,
“Why am I here?” We might answer, “Because a big bang happened, some chemicals
happened, some reactions happened, and you came about.” Or, we might say, “I
have no idea.”
If we ask,
“Why should I share?” We might answer, “Because.” Or, we might say, “If you do
not share, your life will be miserable.”
Why should
I get up today?
Why should
I go to work?
Why should
I love my neighbor?
Why should
I brush my teeth?
This
statement, “In the beginning God,” can have a great effect on how we view all
of these questions.
These are
all questions of purpose.
What is the
reason for our existence? Is there an
explanation?
The basic
assumption that the Bible starts out with is, “in the beginning God.”
This is a
hotly debated topic. It always has
been.
Recently
the movie, “God’s Not Dead,” came out.
In the movie, a freshman philosophy student refuses to sign a statement
required by his Philosophy professor to the effect that God is dead. When he refuses to sign the statement, he is
required to defend the antithesis. God
is put on trial in the class room with the students as the jury. In the movie, the best arguments for and
against the existence of God are presented.
In the end the whole class votes that God is not dead.
I have
listened to arguments on both sides of the question. The presentation made in this movie is as
good as any I have seen from either side of the question.
As the
story line unfolds, the student challenges the professor with the question,
“Why do you hate God?” In the movie,
this is the issue. The professor hates
God. The question then becomes, “Why do
you hate someone who does not exist?”
While we as
men argue about the existence of God, God himself has an interesting
comment. Through the Apostle Paul He
says:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their
unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain
to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 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. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or
give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish
hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools.[ii]
(Romans 1:18-22, ESV)
“What can
be known about God is plain to them.” God’s argument or answer to the argument
is “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.”
On this
question hang all the issues of life.
The book of
Proverbs in the Bible is a collection of wisdom. This book is about how to live life. In it, the wisest man who ever lived shares
his secrets. He starts out with the
thesis of his book. He says, “The fear
of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” (Proverbs 1:7, ESV)
To put it
in my own words, he is saying, acknowledging
God is where we start.
The
greatest king Israel ever had, possibly the greatest king ever, David, said it
this way, “1 The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1, ESV)
Every
decision we make is influenced by our attitude toward this fact, “In the
beginning God.”
Do we live for ourselves or do we live for God?
This issue
is so important that God made it the first and greatest commandment. “5 You shall love the LORD your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5,
ESV) This commandment is there for our sake not God’s.
The book of
Genesis contains the history of the beginning of the world, the beginning of
mankind, the beginning of the nations and the beginning of the people of
Israel. While going through these beginnings, the book of Genesis is laying the
foundation for our understanding of God’s plan of salvation. His plan for restoring what has been broken
by sin and evil.
This
foundation is essential to our understanding of the world and of life in
general.
We get the
statement, “In the beginning God,” from the Bible. Because of this, I want to address the
question, “How do we know the Bible is
true?”
First, let
me restate a fact that I have already pointed out:
“What can be known about God is
plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 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.” (Romans 1:19-20, ESV)
The
creation and all that God has made is evidence enough to establish His
existence.
The
question about the Bible then is, “Has God spoken?” And, “Has He spoken in the
Bible?”
The book “From
God to Us,” starts out with this statement:
The Bible is a unique book. It is one of the oldest books in the world,
and still it is the world’s best-seller.
It is a product of the ancient Eastern world, but it has molded the
modern Western world. Tyrants have
burned the Bible, and believers revere it.
It is the most quoted, the most published, the most translated, and the
most influential book in the history of humankind.[iii]
Although
there are many books that claim to be from God, the Bible stands out as unique
in many facets. The Bible is one story,
but it was written over a period of more than 1,400 years by more than 40
different authors. These authors were
from different times in history and different cultures, but they all
agree. This by itself is a remarkable
fact. As far as it can be verified, the
Bible is historically accurate. No other
book has been attacked, studied and scrutinized so carefully.
The story
of how we got our Bible, and how we know it is the Word of God, is a field of
science. Given this fact, I do not intend to give an exhaustive explanation,
but only a brief outline of how we know the Bible is God’s word. The word for
the study of the authority and inspiration of the Bible is “Canonicity.” This
word at its root simply means ruler or measuring stick. It is used to indicate that books are
measured to see if they meet up to a certain standard.
Canonicity
does not start with a pile of books and we then eliminate those that are
false. If a book is inspired by God, it
is canonical. The Bible says of itself, “16
All Scripture is breathed out by God.” (2 Timothy 3:16, ESV)
Because of
the constant threat of false books, it has been necessary from the earliest
days, even since the days of Moses, for the people of God to be ever vigilant
in reviewing what qualifies a book as being sacred or canonical.
I like what
the authors of From God to Us say:
Operating in the whole process are
discernible some five basic criteria: (1)
Is the book authoritative-does it claim to be of God? (2) Is it prophetic-was
it written by a servant of God? (3) Is it authentic-does it tell the truth
about God, man, etc.? (4) Is the book dynamic- does it possess the
life-transforming power of God? (5) Is this book received or accepted by the
people of God for whom it was originally written-is it recognized as being from
God?[iv]
For thousands
of years as the Bible was being recorded and has been preserved, each
succeeding generation has addressed these questions. The answer has always been
the same. It is reliable and we can trust it as the Word of God.
Read it for
yourself.
Check out what it says. Even compare it to other books that claim to
be from God.
You will
find it is true.
Some find
it offensive.
I find it offensive.
Too often,
God tells me I cannot have my own way.
But, I run
up against this one fact, “In the
beginning God.”
If I could
deny it, if I could disprove it, if I could explain it away, I would not need
to worry about what God says. I would
not need to worry about not coveting my neighbor’s wife. I would not need to worry about the little
lies I tell. I would not need to worry
about my anger and malice toward those around me. All those things that make me uncomfortable
with God would go away, because God
would go away.
How do we
explain this world?
How do we
understand this world?
As is
pointed out in the movie “God is Not Dead,” science has not disproved creation,
nor has it proved evolution. Faith in
God is an impetus toward scientific exploration and advancement. The question
is not science or God. The question is,
“What is the truth?”
Are we willing to humble ourselves enough to accept
the truth?
The
foundation is “In the beginning God.”
Everything
God has made points to the truth of this statement.
If this is
not enough, God offers the ultimate proof.
Jesus rose from the dead.
A person who was dead came back to
life, and gives proof that what I am telling you is true.
If Jesus
did not rise from the grave, then none of this makes any sense. But, he did rise from the dead. This fits perfectly with the foundation laid
in Genesis. The Garden of Eden, the Fall
of Man, the Flood, the Tower of Babel, the call of Abraham and the offering of
Isaac all make sense because of Jesus. It all fits.
Genesis,
written more than 1,400 years before Jesus was born, laid the foundation for us to
understand why Jesus did what He did.
If you have
never come to Jesus for life, don’t you think it is about time you did?
[i]
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Copyright
1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
[ii]
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good
News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[iii]
Geisler, Norman L., and William E. Nix. From God to Us: How We Got Our Bible.
Chicago: Moody, 1974. Pg. 7. Print.
[iv]
Ibid. pg. 67
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please Share thoughts comments or questions.