Wednesday, June 14, 2006
God: Eternally Faithful
God kept His word throughout all His dealings with Noah. He judged the earth. He saved the family. He rescued the species that were in danger through the ark as well. In the end, God reigned sovereign over man, judged sinfulness, saved sinners, and made the world a better place for man to receive His blessings. It is all for the glory of God. This is a very important point. We get the idea that God was a different person back in those days, that He dealt with man much harsher, or much differently than He does today. The fact is that God has always had the same mission. throughout history, He has faithfully saved sinners, judged sin, and blessed mankind through His gracious working. This is the testament that comes to us through the flood and is best evidenced by the exit of Noah and all those in the ark safely after the flood. They quickly were able to worship God out of a heart of pure thanks for what God had done to save them. They saw God's hand at work in the promise never to flood the whole earth again.
The flood has been and continues to be the center of argument for the young earth that the Bible depicts. Rather than being gradual erosion and scattered natural disasters that made the mountains, canyons and fossil beds over billions of years, the creationist viewpoint is that they happened mostly at the same time--the time of the flood. I am not an expert on these things, but I do have a couple of good sites at the left to help. In the end, as Ken Ham says, I was not there. I have to rely on interpretation of history passed down by others. Aside from the obvious philosophical problems that arise from this, we have the basic need to trust someone to tell us what happened. I do not like to do this. I love picking holes in the evolutionary viewpoint, such as what scientific evidence ever shows that life comes from non-life and the endless failures to contact life on other planets, and the lack of evidence for real change from one species to another. But in the end, they remain convinced. Every time I look at a mountain cliff, or even a map, I think of how God judged the earth with a flood and how radically it changed everything, but this is a question of faith. People who believe otherwise also have their faith.
Does it matter? A thousand times yes. God gives this message not so that we can get a groovy feeling in the emotions, but so that we can know Him. If we cannot trust His historical record to be true, than that calls into question His character. If God is faithful (and I believe He is), then He will keep His word, just as He did with Noah, and come again, proving once and for all What really happened. WE can trust Him for that. Just as He kept His word for Noah, He also would continue to keep His word from the time of Adam and Eve. That is why the reality of the flood is so important. It is a matter of defending God's faithfulness, which is essential to His character.
Finally, as I am so inclined, I have to adress those fearful skeptic atheists who try to say that my faith is exactly what is wrong with this world (people convinced of religious truth and willing to defend it). I am not trying to force my way into government or public places and force all others out. I am not trying to shout you down and call you ignorant or blame the world's problems on you. I am trying to speak the truth as I see it. I am secure enough that I do not have to play political games and try to force my faith into power. It is you, however, who is trying to exclude all Christian and biblical voice from public expression. That shows me that your theories do not give you the security to have an open mind. My belief in God's faithfulness makes me let Him defend His own Name.
The flood has been and continues to be the center of argument for the young earth that the Bible depicts. Rather than being gradual erosion and scattered natural disasters that made the mountains, canyons and fossil beds over billions of years, the creationist viewpoint is that they happened mostly at the same time--the time of the flood. I am not an expert on these things, but I do have a couple of good sites at the left to help. In the end, as Ken Ham says, I was not there. I have to rely on interpretation of history passed down by others. Aside from the obvious philosophical problems that arise from this, we have the basic need to trust someone to tell us what happened. I do not like to do this. I love picking holes in the evolutionary viewpoint, such as what scientific evidence ever shows that life comes from non-life and the endless failures to contact life on other planets, and the lack of evidence for real change from one species to another. But in the end, they remain convinced. Every time I look at a mountain cliff, or even a map, I think of how God judged the earth with a flood and how radically it changed everything, but this is a question of faith. People who believe otherwise also have their faith.
Does it matter? A thousand times yes. God gives this message not so that we can get a groovy feeling in the emotions, but so that we can know Him. If we cannot trust His historical record to be true, than that calls into question His character. If God is faithful (and I believe He is), then He will keep His word, just as He did with Noah, and come again, proving once and for all What really happened. WE can trust Him for that. Just as He kept His word for Noah, He also would continue to keep His word from the time of Adam and Eve. That is why the reality of the flood is so important. It is a matter of defending God's faithfulness, which is essential to His character.
Finally, as I am so inclined, I have to adress those fearful skeptic atheists who try to say that my faith is exactly what is wrong with this world (people convinced of religious truth and willing to defend it). I am not trying to force my way into government or public places and force all others out. I am not trying to shout you down and call you ignorant or blame the world's problems on you. I am trying to speak the truth as I see it. I am secure enough that I do not have to play political games and try to force my faith into power. It is you, however, who is trying to exclude all Christian and biblical voice from public expression. That shows me that your theories do not give you the security to have an open mind. My belief in God's faithfulness makes me let Him defend His own Name.
