The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 2:7,
"Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."
Here is the amazing account of the beginning of human life! We don't read of any "evolution" that brought about mankind. No primordial ooze struck by lightning with a dash of millions or billions of years of time here (just how does "time" create anything?). We read of God forming man from the dust of the earth and then imbuing that form with life by breathing into his nostrils.
Of course, the account in Genesis requires the realization that God does exist and that he can and does create things from nothing. Here is an example of just that.
The reason people have a problem with this account is that if God does exist, then we are accountable to him. Rebellious man does not want to confront that reality in their thinking. We read in Hebrews 4:13, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
Sinful man simply does not want to have to give an account for the sin in their lives. In his talk with Nicodemus, John 3:19-20, Jesus said, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed."
However, we read in Romans 14:10-12 (as Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23), "For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.' So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God."
Those who represent themselves as speaking for the Christian community and attempt to synthesize with the Scriptures what sinful man has come up with as an alternative explanation of how humanity got here are only throwing their lot in with sinful mankind's lie about the origin of things. They too will have to give an account of themselves. Count me out of that group!
Anyway, the thought of God creating something from nothing seems to me to be a very unique aspect of God. Paul refers to it when he speaks of the miracle of Abraham as a centenarian (and Sarah's ability to bear children long gone), fathering Isaiac, through whom a nation would be brought into existence. Paul says of Abraham, "He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not." Romans 4:17.
It seems to me, if we are completely comfortable with the understanding that God is able to bring about something from nothing, then there should be great comfort and assurance as we think about the resurrection of our bodies as the new age dawns, as well as many other things.
On a side note, when Paul tells Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful..." in 2 Timothy 3:16, did he have the above verse from Genesis in mind? In other words, rather than thinking of the inspiration of the Scriptures primarily, did Paul have more in mind the supernatural illumination of the Scriptures by the Holy Spirit (bringing them to life and light, "God-breathed") to us as believers when we read them? What do you think?
Here is the amazing account of the beginning of human life! We don't read of any "evolution" that brought about mankind. No primordial ooze struck by lightning with a dash of millions or billions of years of time here (just how does "time" create anything?). We read of God forming man from the dust of the earth and then imbuing that form with life by breathing into his nostrils.
Of course, the account in Genesis requires the realization that God does exist and that he can and does create things from nothing. Here is an example of just that.
The reason people have a problem with this account is that if God does exist, then we are accountable to him. Rebellious man does not want to confront that reality in their thinking. We read in Hebrews 4:13, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
Sinful man simply does not want to have to give an account for the sin in their lives. In his talk with Nicodemus, John 3:19-20, Jesus said, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed."
However, we read in Romans 14:10-12 (as Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23), "For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.' So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God."
Those who represent themselves as speaking for the Christian community and attempt to synthesize with the Scriptures what sinful man has come up with as an alternative explanation of how humanity got here are only throwing their lot in with sinful mankind's lie about the origin of things. They too will have to give an account of themselves. Count me out of that group!
Anyway, the thought of God creating something from nothing seems to me to be a very unique aspect of God. Paul refers to it when he speaks of the miracle of Abraham as a centenarian (and Sarah's ability to bear children long gone), fathering Isaiac, through whom a nation would be brought into existence. Paul says of Abraham, "He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not." Romans 4:17.
It seems to me, if we are completely comfortable with the understanding that God is able to bring about something from nothing, then there should be great comfort and assurance as we think about the resurrection of our bodies as the new age dawns, as well as many other things.
On a side note, when Paul tells Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful..." in 2 Timothy 3:16, did he have the above verse from Genesis in mind? In other words, rather than thinking of the inspiration of the Scriptures primarily, did Paul have more in mind the supernatural illumination of the Scriptures by the Holy Spirit (bringing them to life and light, "God-breathed") to us as believers when we read them? What do you think?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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