Biblical Creation and Evangelism

There is a question that is common to believers, skeptics, children, and others about how the church got the books of the New Testament. (Someone said that the Bible was written by "old wise men," which shows an assertion based on massive ignorance.) It is also fair to ask what the early church accepted. In the early days, Christians were persecuted and had to meet in secret. There were also false gospels and letters supposedly signed by the apostles that would crop up that had to be evaluated. First page of Genesis, RGBStock /  Billy Frank Alexander With an exception regarding the book of Revelation , almost all of the books in the New Testament were accepted by the early church. When someone came along and dropped a Gospel of Thomas  or a history of the childhood of Jesus (the latter apparently had some pretty wild stuff), for example, those texts were examined for some key details. God inspired the Bible but worked through human authors and copyists who wrote the original ...

Certain sky watchers are looking for trouble from asteroids, and they sound the alarm if some look like they will track too close to the earth. A big 'stroid giving us a near miss will still cause a passel of problems. A direct impact would spoil your day Remember Apophis? No, not the false Egyptian god that shares the name, but the 'stroid that got people agitated. Some Christians thought it fit Bible prophecy about the last days. They were wrong . Now 2024YR4 is coming around, and we know how some religious folks will act. Asteroid and Earth, FreeDigitalPhotos / Idea go Let's face it, there are many professing Christians who are not grounded in the Word. In addition, prophecy gets attention — and money. There are people who actually reject how God required  a perfect record from prophets in the Old Testament: If their prophecies did not come true, they deserved the death penalty! Today, "Thus saith the Lord" claims are swallowed, even though the "prophet...

We hear about races and racism all the time, and some folks seem to be extremely race conscious — thinking of their race as a priority. They even intertwine their personal identities with their race. It may come as a shock, but races do not exist ! From a biblical standpoint, there is only one race. (Nations, ethnic groups, and other distinguishing characteristics, sure.) Another startling fact is that racism accelerated under Darwinism. The Bearded Buddha hinged his evolution story on his own racism. Different ethnic hands, Pixabay / Rhythm_In_Life People who have paid attention to American political news have probably noticed the accusations that Donald Trump is a racist and so are those who voted for him. (How they deal with Blacks for Trump and similar groups is unclear.) Leftist women seek to punish their men who voted for him, and sore losers rail against Trump supporters, sometimes with violence. And yet, none of their accusations have merit. Angry leftists "think" wit...

We know it is human nature to want to learn more, or even fill in the blanks of a story with our own conjectures. People want to learn about enigmatic  Melchizedek , and Scripture almost teases us with references to him. Abram had been called and blessed by God. We read that he was a wealthy and powerful man. There was a war going on (Gen. 14), and Abram's nephew Lot was living in Sodom. He was one of the people carried off in a raid, and Abram took his own men in battle against several kings! The Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek , Dirk Bouts, 1465 After the victory, the king of Sodom met with Abram, but Abram wanted nothing to do with him. Also, Melchizedek met with Abram. Mel wasn't some guy who ran a diner in Phoenix, but the king of Salem and a priest of God . He blessed Abram, and Abe gave him a tenth of everything (Gen 14:18-20). After this encounter, a few references in the Bible explain that Melchizedek was a type of Christ. People have run several ideas up the flagpo...

Professing atheists are found in several types, ranging from those who simply do not care about God to those who want to exterminate Christians. In my experience, they deny being religious because they do not worship a deity. Those are disingenuous because they ignore the other dictionary definitions of religion. One of the forms their religion takes is Scientism . This is all about knowledge through science and reason, but cannot be lived consistently. Beauty, love, logic and other things cannot be consistently lived through atheism. Especially morality and ethics. Many smugly claim to be "good without God." 1889 guy colorized, then run through FotoSketcher What is their standard? Some will trumpet the things they never do, such as steal, lie, cheat on their spouses, and other things. They may also follow up with their good works. They can be good without God, so we should all grow up and leave God behind. However, we do not know if such braggarts are being truthful. More im...

The Bible makes it very clear that nobody can earn salvation, it is a gift of God. Otherwise, we would have to constantly strive to meet an unknown standard, never knowing when we have attained it — or how to keep it. Faith plus add-ons like baptism, praying to saints, following man-made rules of conduct, being a member of the "right" church — these are usually stumbling blocks. However, baptism is not a requirement for salvation, but an outward expression of obedience to Christ. But salvation and repentance are often used together in Scripture, which can be confusing. Young Man at Prayer , Hans Memling (1475) Unfortunately, there are some people who claim that if one believes in evolution, he is not saved. That cannot be supported by Scripture. However, believing in evolution raises questions about that person's understanding of and commitment to the Word of God, and understanding of actual science. The Bible uses repentance and salvation together quite often. To repent...

A few months ago, I posted " Inner Knowledge of the Creator " on another site. Professing atheists often claim to "lack belief" that God exists because there is supposedly no evidence. Christians who play their game and let them judge the Creator of the universe to see if he is worthy of their  worship offer evidences. Those are rejected. Leaving the Word of God out of such a discussion is wrong — in fact, it is sinful. Not only is the evidence for God abundant (Rom. 1:18-23), they have an inner knowledge. Onteora Lake, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen Everyone has what is called general revelation , knowledge about God available to everyone. We are also given special revelation . This is the written Word of God, which obviously goes deeper and shows us the way of salvation. The Bible is the final authority, not the opinions of scoffer and other nay-sayerks. It has been discussed here and elsewhere that to interpret Scripture (as well as refuting scoffers, compromiser...

It was almost time for bed, and I was laying out what I would need for the next day. Of a sudden, there was a rapping at my door. I opened it cautiously, then flung it wide as Stormie Waters and her fiancé Roland Meadows hurried inside. They looked downright frightened. "We saw something. Some... thing  outside!" Stormie exclaimed. "Like nothing I've seen before. It gave me the willies!" Roland added. These two are not prone to flights of fancy and I was very interested. Stump in the sun with growth, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen (modified) They commenced to telling me about a large figure in the road ahead of them, and their horses were skittish. It seemed to turn and look at them with red eyes, then spread bat-like wings and flew away. Having heard similar tales and read historical reports, I shivered despite myself. People sure do like spooky stuff, don't they? This is being posted one week away from Halloween, a celebration of fear and death. And it se...

If you ask around about the identity of Jesus, you will get a variety of answers. Some history deniers try to pretend he never existed, there are "atheist Christians" who use that title because they like some of the things he said, plus vague or even biblical answers. While it may be interesting to get opinions from coworkers or someone at the deli, it is best to go to the sources. The Bible has sections written by eyewitnesses. Church history by people who were not far removed from the events is often useful. Man kneeling and reading the Bible, Unsplash /  Ben White Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. He was given and received worship, such as in John 20:28 when "doubting" Thomas exclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" (Note that Thomas didn't believe the Resurrection testimony of the others and wanted to touch the wounds himself. He made the above exclamation when Jesus appeared to him, but nowhere does it mention that he followed throug...

Someone may claim to be a perfectionist, and another might assume that the other simply wants to do things as correctly as possible. Sure, many people strive for excellence. However, perfectionism is quite often a trap. Perfectionists may obsess over their appearance, constantly adjust something unnecessarily that was fine already, and more. It can also stop people from even beginning something because they doubt that it will be perfect.* Consider the fact that "perfect" is often subjective. More than the physical and psychological aspects, perfectionism can be a spiritual hindrance. Imperfect blurred woods, photo by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Yes, the Bible tells us to "be perfect," but that is an inadequate translation. It is better rendered complete  or mature  in many instances — especially when the passages are used regarding our spiritual goals. A perfectionist may walk away from the Word of God and attempt to be spiritually or morally perfect by his own standard . T...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  It seems that people began speaking freely about near-death experiences (NDEs) after the book Life After Life  by Raymond Moody was published in 1975. There are numerous books, documentaries, personal anecdotes and more about NDEs. The subject is also very controversial — especially among scientists. Many experiences are dismissed as the brain having hallucinations at the time of death, but certain experiences are not so easy to reject because of details reported. Most of the accounts of the great beyond are pleasant, but there are some about going to Hell. Climbing stairs to Heaven, Pixabay / Tumisu A large number of natural scientists are materialists — essentially, they are atheists because nothing exists to them except material things such as molecules and atoms. Some tried to find a place in the brain where consciousness or the soul resides (those that admit that such things exist, that is) or try to find other explanations that don't conflict with...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  There are people who are so determined to force enthusiastic acceptance of LGTBQ+ lifestyles on everyone, they see references for it in the Bible that do not exist. The relationship between David and Jonathan is a favorite target of these people. Like making long ages for compromisers with secular science views, massive eisegesis is necessary to twist Scripture so that it indicates an erotic relationship between Jonathan and David. Interpreting the text and culture of their time with contemporary views exacerbates the problem. David and Jonathan / Rembrandt (1642) In my school days, boys would put their arms around each other's shoulders because we were "buddies." That faded from my experience and I did not see it again after we moved to another city. In the nineteenth century, men would hold hands or put their arms around each other. This showed affection and friendship , and was not tainted by suspicions of homosexuality. Indeed, I have affecti...

A spell back, I emailed a pastor to enquire his stance on creation and Genesis. His reply was disheartening. I disremember what he said exactly, but he said he never really thought about it, and he thought maybe the Framework Hypothesis was his view of creation. He wrote it like someone choosing a hat for the day. Very foolish. A pastor who is so casual about the first book of the Bible should raise a red flag to any knowledgeable Christian. The Framework Hypothesis is an absurd attempt to compromise long ages with the Bible. Genesis, RGBStock /  Billy Frank Alexander People like this do not think things through, not realizing how their worldview affects their understanding of Scripture. One big question keeps cropping up in these situations: Why are so many Christians, especially pastors, determined to insert millions of years into Scripture? Another question is like it: Why do they give materialistic philosophies authority of the Bible that they claim to believe? The same enemie...

The doctrine of the Trinity is as confusing as it is mysterious. Christians believe in one God, but he is also three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are many articles and videos available online that discuss it, but we have to admit that this doctrine — vital to our salvation — is taken by faith. Some may find the Holy Spirit the most difficult. He descended on Jesus like a dove (Luke 3:22), but apparently does not take physical form, even in visions. Some folks adore him because he makes them feel ecstatic at times, but forget that he testifies of Jesus (John 15:26). Holy Spirit like a dove, Pixabay / jplenio Many professing Christians are so caught up in what they consider to be spiritual gifts that they are scripturally shallow, and lack knowledge about who the Spirit is and what he does. Some people think he speaks audibly to them, but such claims seem to be based on emotion (and, let's face it, charlatans making money). On the other hand, this child beli...

Humans are a strange lot when it comes to knowledge of the future. Some say that nobody knows, others consult spirits, the stars, tarot cards, and other things. (Why the dead know about the future has not been adequately explained.) Some folks say nobody knows the future, but then use fortune tellers. It may be difficult to grasp that God is not subject to the same limitations that face us. He is the Creator of matter, energy, time, and space. A wrong theology called open theism  claims that God does not know the future. Time, Pixabay / Gerd Altmann (geralt) To say that God does not know the future is to demonstrate lack of knowledge or even disbelief about the Bible. In it, he claims to know the future. We also have hundreds of prophecies that have been fulfilled — many of them are very specific. Further, there are prophecies about the end times that are yet to be fulfilled. God's knowledge of the future is important to us as Christians. In a fallen world filled with death, suffe...

Names like Mother Earth  or Mother Nature  stem from worship of the goddess Gaia (or Terra), and radical environmentalists are enthusiastically participating. These acts of worship are entirely manufactured by leftists seeking political power and control. Reducing your "carbon footprint" and other things only exist in the imaginations of modern paganism. Indeed, any kind of idolatry is based on imagination and pretending a false deity has desires. It is interesting that Mother Earth must be appeased when she "righteously" uses acts of nature to kill many people, but many environmentalists hate God and blame him. Socha Gaia, Wikimedia Commons / V.odchazel ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ) One excuse for denying God his rightful worship is that he makes too many demands, but the modern invention of Gaia is demanding and capricious. Aside from the fact that God made rules for his glory but also our benefit, he also wants us to be stewards of creation: Take care of the earth, subdue an...

When Bible-believing Christians say that faith in Jesus is the only way to salvation, some people become indignant. They believe, without reason, that there are many roads. Such a thing is not possible. The Crucifixion of Jesus proves it. Reading one of the four Gospels, one may get the notion that circumstances and also the blunt words of Jesus came together to get him nailed to a cross. Those things and people who hated him were a part of it. However, the greater context takes us back to Genesis. Red and white neon cross, Unsplash / Rod Long Adam and Eve sinned against God, who is holy. He had no reason to do anything other than let us go on our self-destructive path. However, humanity earned  death because of sin, but God loved us even then, and offered the gift of life (Rom. 6:23, Gal. 2:28, John 1:12). There was only one way possible for all this to come together. It was a mystery, and if Satan understood, he and his minions would not have crucified Jesus (1 Cor. 2:7-8). Frida...

It takes a lifetime to master some parts of the Bible, but no human can fully understand all of it. In my own life, there are parts that I find desperately dull and have even asked the Lord why he preserved them. Sometimes a teacher will come along and make certain areas interesting. The main reason we wear clothing (aside from cold weather) is found in Genesis after Adam and Eve sinned. An area that is difficult to understand is the minute detail given to garments, especially in the Old Testament. These actually build on the themes of sin, covering, and eventual atonement. Clothes hanging, Pexels / mali maeder Intertwined with the passages on clothing you will often read about blood. Priestly garments had to be pure and unsoiled by blood, yet the blood of sacrifice makes them pure. Jump ahead to the New Testament, and see that we are told to "put on Christ" (Rom. 3:14) like a garment. There are many references to whiteness of clothing, because the blood of Christ purifies. T...

The most famous thing about Cain is that he killed his brother. Also, that he lived in the land of Nod as part of his punishment . Further, people have puzzled and puzzled until their puzzlers were sore, wondering where Cain got his wife. It was a mystery for the ages. Not really. People made things more difficult than they needed to be. Carefully reading the text, paying attention, and believing  the Bible in the first place can solve many difficulties. Paying attention to context also solves many apparent problems and alleged contradictions . Man and woman on beach, Pexels / cottonbro studio Some ideas about Cain's wife are...truly bizarre. One is that because Genesis only records the names of three offspring yet Cain got a wife, Genesis simply isn't true. Another is that God used evolution. Worse, Adam and Eve were created, but Cain married up with a female product of evolution, which negates Jesus as our Kinsman Redeemer . The answer is simple but shocking to many: Cain mar...

There are different kinds of soil which are suited to different kinds of plants. A person does not simply dig it up from the yard and expect a plant to flourish, it may be a persnickety plant. Soil has unique compositions that can be detected with special analysis. People who watch detective shows set in modern times have probably seen lab work where certain soil on shoes, tires, carpet, or whatever is found. Forensic science is historical science (so is the study of origins), using what is observed in the present in an effort to reconstruct the past. Planting in the soil, Freeimages / Dieter Joel Jagnow In Mark 4:13, Jesus indicates that the Parable of the Sower is important to understanding all of the parables. It does not matter what kind of seed is sown, nor is the good soil identified. Of the four kinds of soil, one was right for the seed. On a spiritual level, professing Christians may seem enthusiastic and pretend to care about important things related to the Kingdom of God, but...