On the Bible and Faith

"IN THE BEGINNING"

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth"-GENESIS 1:1

When someone asks me where they should begin their study of the scriptures, I have learned from experience to tell them: " In the beginning of the Book; at Genesis 1:1."  The reason I emphasize "from experience" is because I have learned that any person who is unwilling to acknowledge God as an all-wise and sovereign Creator will have little success with the rest of the Book.  They may as well close it and stop there if they are unwilling to believe the first verse of His book.  

Because of its vital role in the heart and actions of the believer, the Devil has bent all his power and energy, in every age, to raise a question of doubt concerning God as Creator.  It is like the farmer with the watermelon patch who couldn't keep the kids from stealing them at night.  So one evening he put up a sign in his patch which read, "There is one poison watermelon in this patch."  To his dismay, he returned the next…

"IN THE BEGINNING"(Continued)

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth"-GENESIS 1:1

Genesis 1:1 not only declares God as Creator, it is also a statement which places all of humanity accountable to God for their actions:  it involves morality.  In a nutshell, this is the heart of the issue: morality.  Satan knows that if he can flatter man into thinking he has discovered evolution, and if this theory is placed in the minds of men, they will sooner or later begin to act like the creatures they think they evolved from.  This is quite convenient, because man, by nature, does not like to answer to any one for any thing.  He wants to be his own god, make up his own rules, and live by the standards of his own choosing.  A number of years ago, Sir Julian Huxley, the most prestigious evolutionary scientist of the world at that time was asked: "Why do you think that evolution caught on so quickly?"  His reply: "We all jumped at the Origin(of the species) because the idea of God…

"IN THE BEGINNING"(Continued)

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth"-GENESIS 1:1

God has many methods of communication.  One that I enjoy every day is God's creation.  Just as an artist speaks with his brush, a writer with his pen, a musician with his instrument, God speaks to us every day through His creation.  David wrote, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard"- Psalm 19:1-3.  

When we look up into the glittering heavens and behold the splendor of the countless planets and stars, God says, "Behold my glory".  The chirp of the redbird, the cry of the great eagle, the bloom of the flower and the buzz of the bee "sheweth his handywork."  And what handywork it is.  Who,butGod could make a flower or a bee?  Is there any wonder why we enjoy God's creation so much?  It gives a spring to our step and…

"IN THE BEGINNING"(Continued)

OPPOSITIONS OF SCIENCE

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth"-GENESIS 1:1

Scientific evidence, when accurately observed and presented, will always agree with the Genesis account of creation.  But there is a branch of science that has always been dangerous to Christianity.  While it claims to be in opposition to Genesis 1:1, Paul says that it is not opposition at all but rather, "falsely so called", because all true science must agree with the Creator of all things.  Paul wrote to Timothy, "keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called"-I Timothy 6:20.  The apostle's warning to Timothy is contemporary for every Christian in 1998.  Avoid false science!  It is easily spotted.  It is any science that  disclaims God as the sovereign creator of the universe.  Its intent is to dethrone God and His Christ in our hearts and set man up as master of all creation.  Since…

"IN THE BEGINNING"(Continued)

OPPOSITIONS OF SCIENCE

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth"-GENESIS 1:1

Dinosaurs, dinosaurs, and more dinosaurs.  It seems they are everywhere.  In books, on television, in the movies.  Theories about when they roamed the earth, how they lived and why they became extinct have intrigued both adults and children for centuries.  But have you ever heard anyone talk about dinosaurs that actually saw one of these great creatures?  

When my children began to ask me about dinosaurs I began to pray for a Biblical answer and God introduced me to a person who had actually seen not only a dinosaur, but also another creature more awesome than the dinosaur.  His name was Job.  His record is indelibly inscribed in God's perpetual record, the Bible.  And, here again, we find that God has miraculously preserved his words to enable believers to "avoid oppositions of science" concerning these great creatures.

When God answered Job out of the whirlwind he…

"IN THE BEGINNING"(Continued) with OPPOSITIONS OF SCIENCE

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth"-GENESIS 1:1

About 5,000 years ago, the greatest catastrophic event this world has ever experienced occurred.  This one event affected the climate, the vegetation, the habitat and the strata of the whole surface of the earth.  This event was, of course, the great flood.  

Denied by many scientists, the great flood has left indelible imprints upon every section of the world.  It is the only logical explanation to the marine fossils found at the tops of the mountains.  It is also the only logical explanation to the vast number of fossils found beneath the earths surface.  The truths that God has preserved for us in the Bible concerning the events surrounding the great flood will give believers substantial evidence to expose numerous theories of false science or "oppositions of science falsely so called"-I Timothy 6:20.  

The great flood was much more than a casual rainfall. …

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth"-GENESIS 1:1

How  is man supposed to understand that "God created the heaven and the earth"?   Is he expected to comprehend this declaration through data collected by sophisticated satellites; by the astronomer's telescope; by NASA's discoveries; by statistical data compiled by modern computers; by the archaeologist's spade; or by the intelligence of educated men?  No.  In fact, none of these methods will ever bring any information before mankind that will enable him to believe the simple statement, "God created the heaven and the earth".  God did not bury His mighty works of creation in an avalanche of conflicting data only to be discovered one day by advanced mankind.  God's people have believed in His creative fiat for thousands of years and the only way anyone ever has believed, or ever will believe, that God created the heaven and the earth is through faith: "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word…

"THE GIFT"

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift"- 2 Corinthians 9:15

Undefinable by the mortal tongue the gift was given.  From heaven to earth, from glory to a sin cursed world, the gift would descend.  Without tinsel or ribbon, no gift has ever graced the halls of humanity as the gift of the Christ child.  The gift was not for pomp or show, the king was not invited, lowly shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night, they would witness the gift, a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a lowly manger.  This was no ordinary babe.  Verily man, verily God, Mary held within her arms her own Saviour, the Creator of all worlds.  Is not the gift unspeakable? 

Every gift has its price.  The unspeakable gift cost the Father an unspeakable price: His only begotten Son.  It came from the heart of a loving God.  Who could comprehend it?  Even in its price, the gift was unspeakable.

But the gift was not appreciated.  As a babe it was hunted by kings and…

"A WORD FOR OUR YOUTH"

"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth"  -Ecclesiastes 12:1.

Remembering is a challenge for each of us every day.  I usually carry a pocket full of notes to remind me of my daily obligations.  Many times I forget to look at those very notes.  It seems that we are prone to remember the things that do us the most harm, the things that we should forget, and forget the things that would do us the most good, those things that would bring us joy.  In computer terms, each day we should purge our hard drive of harmful information and run a scan disk, placing usable blessings before our eyes.  But of all the things we should remember, the Lord, our 'creator', should be at the top of our list.  He should be remembered in every thought(Psalm 19:14), in every word(Psalm 19:14), in every action(II Cor. 5:10), and every place that we go(Psalm 1:1).  According to Solomon, the time that this discipline should begin is "in the days of our youth."

The book of…

"KNOWLEDGE AND THE CHURCH"

"And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs"- Eccles. 12:9

Ecclesiastes, the book from which our passage is found, means "one who calls people out; a gatherer of the people".  The purpose of the calling out, or gathering together, was to impart knowledge, Godly knowledge.  This is a church scene.  That is why Solomon refers to himself as "the preacher".  He taught the people knowledge.  

The whole book of Ecclesiastes is a sermon.  Solomon's God given job was not to give his opinion, nor was it to tell people what they wanted to hear by tickling their ears(II Tim. 4:3).  His job was not to devise programs and schemes to pack the house for the sake of money and numbers, nor was it to schedule entertainments to tickle their fancy.  His job was the same as the preachers' of 1999.  Tell the people what God had revealed to him.  Give them Godly knowledge …

"THE TESTIMONY OF A CHRISTIAN GRANDMOTHER"

"When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also"- 2 Timothy 1:5

Some time ago, this true testimony was shared in a local church by a sixty year old man of faith: "When I was a small child an older lady in the community was concerned about the spiritual welfare of my brother and me.  This kind lady would come to our house on Sunday mornings, wake us up, wash our faces, get us dressed and take us to church.  My mother and father did not attend church.  After a period of time, my mother began to get up and go with us.  Finally, my father recognized the importance of family worship, and he, too, began to attend the Lord's house.  Today, I have the special blessing of sitting in the Lord's house with my whole family.  The older lady was my grandmother."    

Timothy's grandmother was such a woman, a woman of faith.  Other than being…

"THE IMPORTANCE OF HOPE"

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"-Hebrews 11:1.

God has supplied his children with many beautiful graces.  One of the most important of these is "Hope".  While the world has its definition for hope, the hope that God promises is far better.  The hope of the world is based upon conjecture.  "Perhaps" or "maybe" are terms that describe the way most people use the word hope today.  But the "hope" that God supplies his children with is much more substantial.   Since "faith is the substance of things hoped for", the ground for Biblical hope goes through faith, back to the one who has made the promise: God.  Hope goes beyond the believing of the promise to the anticipation of the promise fulfilled.  Therefore, hope is the anticipation of the promise coming to pass; the longing for promise; the desire to enjoy the fulfillment of the promise; the "I can't wait until it gets here".  Biblical hope is strong, resolute, and…

"RICHES AND FAITH"

"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich"- 2 Cor. 8:9

The false prophet will tell us that faith and riches go hand in hand.  If we have enough faith, we will have enough money.  If we can't pay our bills, and live as we would like, it has nothing to do with our slothfulness, or our extravagant spending.  It is just a personal problem with our religion and our faith.  And if we will send our money to him, he, as well as his ardent supporters, will pray for us, that we may have every thing our heart desires.  What a contrast we find in this mind-set as to that of Jesus who "though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor".

The mind-set of the first Christians was not centered upon material things.  Their hearts and their souls burned for the honor and glory of Christ.  I don't find them all wealthy people, but I do find their faith intact.  They did not…

"CANDLES"

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven"-Matthew 5:14-16

  In His sermon on the mount, Jesus used one little word to describe what His disciples were to be.  Simple were His words, yet profound was their meaning, so profound we could spend a lifetime meditating upon them. They were to be Candles.  All his listeners knew what a candle was.  It was a common household article in that day, a source of light in every home. When they descended the mount, they saw themselves in a totally different light.  They saw themselves as "Candles" in a dark world.  

Left to itself, a candle is a passive thing.  Until it is chosen by the divine hand and set on fire by His Spirit, all it can do is occupy space.  But…

"THE NAME OF THE LORD"

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe"- Proverbs 18:10

Solomon observed the name of the Lord as a strong tower, a place of comfort; a place of deliverance; and a place of safety.  He saw it as a place where one could ascend, and from its many parapets, view the surrounding world and yet be safe from the world.  Since God is so great, it is impossible for us to know everything there is to know about Him.  But by way of word picture, His glorious works and attributes are displayed by His many titles and NAMES.  As we view this tower, we find a parapet for every challenge and obstacle in this life.  By faith, we must ascend, daily, within this strong tower and enter into our parapet of need.      

In Genesis, chapter 22, God appeared to Abraham as Jehovah-jireh.  This glorious attribute of God reveals His ability to provide for His people what they cannot provide for themselves.  As Abraham and Isaac ascended Mt. Moriah,…

"WALK ABOUT ZION"

"Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.  Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following"  Psalm 48:12-13

One of the greatest blessings that we may enjoy in the church of Jesus Christ is the grand and glorious doctrine that He gave us.  As cities are known by their stately structures, so the church by her stately doctrines.  The Psalmist encourages us to "Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.  Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following"- Psalm 48:12-13.  These bulwarks and palaces do not speak of the physical edifice that we meet in, but rather, the glorious doctrines that we greatly rejoice in.  We are encouraged to mark them well, consider them and teach them to our children.

  The doctrines of the church are simple enough that children may comprehend them and yet deep enough to rejoice in throughout eternity.  A…

"YOUR ADVERSARY"

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour"-1 Peter 5:8

Have you considered your "adversary"?  He doesn't want you to.  He doesn't want you to know that he really exists.  He would have you go merrily on your way, while he walks about, lurking in the shadows, destroying families and lives.  If you love the Lord, I can assure you that he has his eye upon your and yours.  He has sized you up and is at this very moment hatching some diabolical plot to destroy your life, your testimony, and whatever good that you may accomplish in this life.  Jesus described him as a "liar" and a "murderer"(John 8:44).  Considering his fitting titles, you have probably read or heard of some of his work over the past few weeks which is only a sure testimony that He is alive and active.  Have YOU considered YOUR "adversary". 

Peter knew a lot about him.  He, too, had been caught unaware by this hideous monster.  That…

"THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD"

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to seethe goodness of the Lordin the land of the living"-Psalm 27:13

Faintness of heart is a common infirmity.  He who slew Goliath was subject to its attack.  It is that time in which we are ready to give up.  Everywhere we look, we see evil and fear has griped our hearts.  The straw that broke the Camel's back is added to our affliction and we are inclined to say, "Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!"-Psalm 120:5.  Let us be honest.  We all walk through the dark valley and have depressed spirits from time to time.  This is nothing to be ashamed of.  But let us not dwell there.  Let us rise once again with renewed freshness, with hope in our hearts, believing that we shall "see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."  This was David's hope.  Let it be ours.

God's goodness has always been a strength to His own.  With a view of His goodness, Moses received strength to go on. …

"THE PECULIAR WORK OF THE COMFORTER"

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment"-John 16:7-8

The scene we have before us is a dear one.  Jesus is giving his apostles their last instruction before He will be crucified.  He is reminding them that His departure is "expedient", necessary, for the furtherance of His kingdom.  And when He departs He will send them another teacher, the third person of the Holy trinity, the Holy Ghost: the "Comforter".

Just as Christ had His work concerning the salvation of His people, so the Holy Ghost has his peculiar work.  This work was magnified on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost was poured out in great measure.  But His work continues today in the hearts and lives of God's people, "For the promise is unto you, and to your…

"I BELIEVE IN ANGELS"-Part 2

"For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both"-Acts 23:8

Inhabitants of a spiritual realm, unobserved by the natural eye, except when they desire to be seen and heard, we will find our angel friends.  In that unseen world, they are busy creatures delivering messages, assisting God's people in battles, and supporting and strengthening the hands of those who labor for God.  

Jacob observed angels in the waste howling wilderness, "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it"-Genesis 28:12.  Here we have a beautiful picture God's providential hand, involving Himself in the affairs of this world by His angelic host.  I am made to wonder how many events in the history of man have been carried out according to God's design and purpose by the labors of these creatures.

One attribute that humans…

"Stay at the Altar, Blessings Will Come"

"But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John"-Luke 1:13

It had been about four-hundred years since the ink had dried from Malachi's pen.  It had been that long since the voice of a true prophet had been heard in the streets.  There was no open vision; no verbal instruction from Jehovah: the heavens were brass.  The priests had corrupted themselves, their traditions had paralyzed God's people.  There was a spiritual famine, and to make matters worse, it was during the ministration of a wicked king: "in the days of Herod."  If there had ever been a time win which God's people should be discouraged and name their children "Ichabod", this was the time.  But even in the midst of discouraging circumstances there remained a faithful few who had not deserted the altar.  Among those was a faithful husband and wife named Zacharias and Elisabeth.

…

"OUR NEED OF GRACE"

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."- Revelation 22:21

While the Old Testament ends with the word "curse", what comfort we find in the closing words of the New, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."   It so pleased God to end the divine cannon of scripture with a short prayer which means so much to us: our need of God's grace.  As John's petition still lingers for us before God's throne, let us examine our personal need of God's grace today. 

Grace is the granting of blessings that are undeserved and unearned.  In short, grace is unmerited FAVOR from a loving Father.  Every blessing that the poor sinner will receive is a product of God's amazing grace and flows through the fount of every blessing: Christ.  While in nature we observe those who are favored with beauty; intelligence; musical skill; or athletic ability, grace ascends into the spiritual realm.  One has likened it to the rain that nourishes the trees, flowers and…