Denying Genesis

It’s Not Just Genesis: Denying The Historicity of Genesis Does Not Uphold Biblical Christianity

When you deny Genesis, you deny the Bible as a whole.

When you deny Genesis, you deny the Bible as a whole.

A few years ago my wife’s employer, a professed believer and follower of Jesus Christ, informed Beth of her belief that the events of the book of Genesis (the creation of the world in six days, Adam and Eve, the global flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, etc.) was fictional.  When Beth asked her why she believed this, she cited the genealogical timelines recorded in Genesis (Gen. 4:17-5:32) which, when taken into account alongside the historical fact that Jesus Christ lived about two thousand years ago and the biblical genealogical records tracing his lineage back to Abraham and Adam (Matt. 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38), would promote the conclusion that this world is only around six thousand years old.  She then explained how this contradicted the scientific “facts” of evolution which promote a rather lengthy age of 4-6 billion years for this planet.  She also pointed out that the historical existence of Adam and Eve contradicts the “proven facts of evolution” which proclaim that mankind evolved over millions of years from animals.  As for the global flood, she dismissed it as an obvious fable and myth.

Sadly, this was not the first time (nor would it be the last) in which I had heard of a supposed Christian denying the authenticity of Genesis in favor of upholding the erroneous, unproven, and inconsistent man-made theories of evolution.  About ten years ago, I was involved from time to time in a college ministry.  On one occasion, the college minister had invited a brother in Christ who taught at a university to speak to these college students about how the six days in which Genesis says the world was created in reality were each symbolic of millions of years.   When asked by me and a few others why he believed this, he said that due to the “proven fact” that this world is millions and millions of years old, we should not take these six days in Genesis chapter one literally.  According to him and many others, the six days are obviously representative of much longer periods of time, which would then back up what science has supposedly proven to be true.

However, much scientific, archeological, and historical evidence exists which contradicts these notions.  My purpose in writing this article is not to directly present such evidence; therefore, I encourage the reader to examine the material published by Apologetics Press to which I have already provided links in this article.  I encourage the readers of this blog who do not believe in Christianity and/or are atheists to examine the material at Apologetics Press with an open and honest heart.  To my Christian readers, I commend you to them in order for you to learn more and thus be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15).  To further help us obey this scriptural command, this article will consider the biblical evidence which supports the historicity of Genesis so that we can see how logical consistency would force those professed followers of Christ who deny Genesis’ authenticity or try to change its message in favor of man’s evolutionary theories to also deny Jesus Christ and his teachings.

Why Do You Believe In Jesus?

To begin with, let’s examine exactly why we believe in Jesus Christ.  Why are you a Christian?  What is the basis for your faith in Jesus?  Is it only because your parents were churchgoers and taught you to be the same?  Similarly, is it “because I’ve always believed”?  While both of these reasons are important and should not be discounted, our faith must be built on more.  Why?  Because both the skeptic and the honest seeker of truth will, legitimately, be dissatisfied when they ask you, “Why should I become a Christian?” and the only answer you give them is, “The reason I’m a Christian is because my parents brought me to church and taught me since childhood, and so I’ve always believed.”  “Fine,” they will say, “but why have you always believed?  Why did your parents believe?  Why did the Christians who taught them believe?  Why should I believe?”

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child…” ( 1 Cor. 13:11).  I went to church because my parents wanted me to, and I believed in Jesus because they believed in Jesus.  That needed to change as the years passed, because when “I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (1 Cor. 13:11).  My faith needed to be my own, and it needed to have concrete, thought out, scriptural, logical, and consistent reasons (Rom. 10:17; 1 Thess. 5:21).  Therefore, I as an adult believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, my Savior, and my Lord because God raised him from the dead (Rom. 1:3-4; 1 Cor. 15:12-19) after he lived a sinless life (1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15) in order to die on the cross as the saving propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2; Rom. 5:6-11).

If Jesus Was Not Completely Truthful About Genesis, Our Faith Would Be Meaningless

There are additional reasons for my faith in Jesus, but for the purpose of this article I want us to focus on the fact that our faith in Christ is meaningless if he wasn’t raised from the dead…after having died on that cross to save us from our sins…after having lived a sinless life.  If Jesus hadn’t lived a sinless life, then his death on the cross would not have been the propitiation for our sins.  Therefore, God would not have raised him from the dead to prove to us that he is our Savior.

The key to this which I want us to focus on is the necessity of Jesus having lived a sinless life.  Specifically, I want us to focus on the fact that no deceit was found in his mouth (1 Pet. 2:22).  Think about that for a minute.  If Christ had been dishonest in any way, he could not be the propitiation for our sins and God would not have resurrected him.  Therefore, he could not be our Savior, which means that our faith, the Christian religion, is meaningless.

Bringing this back to the historicity of Genesis, we will see below how both Jesus and the apostles and prophets his Holy Spirit inspired (John 14:26; 15:26-27; 16:12-15; Acts 2:1-4ff; 1 Cor. 2:9-13; 14:37; Eph. 3:3-5; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21) talked about the events recorded in Genesis as if they were factual, historical events.  This is significant because if they in fact were mistaken or lying, then Christ could never have been our Savior.  Therefore, Christianity as a whole would be completely false.  Those who deny Genesis while professing to be followers of Christ need to realize this.

The Flood

For example, Jesus while describing how Judgment Day will occur compared it to the day when the Genesis flood came (Matt. 24:35-39; Luke 17:22-27; cf. Gen. 6-9).  Peter also used the flood to illustrate the importance of immersion (1 Pet. 3:18-21) and the importance of not being a false teacher (2 Pet. 2:1-5, 9-10).  Notice that they did not imply nor refer to the flood as a story or myth in any way.  If the global flood did not actually occur, then by talking about it as if it did occur Jesus and his apostles were being less than truthful, and therefore sinned.  If that was the case, why are we Christians?

Sodom and Gomorrah

Again, Jesus on several occasions referred to the Genesis account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah during the days of Lot as illustrations of lessons or warnings he wanted to give to cities or people he or his apostles were teaching (Matt. 10:14-15; 11:23-24; Luke 10:10-12; 17:22-32; cf. Gen. 19:1-29).  Paul, Peter, Jude, and John also referred to Sodom to illustrate warnings God gave to Christians (Rom. 9:27-29; 2 Pet. 2:1-10; Jude 6-7; Rev. 11:7-8).  Again, notice that they talked about what happened to Lot and Sodom as if it was an actual historical event.  If in fact it wasn’t, then we’ve put our faith in liars and our religion is meaningless.

Adam and Eve At The Beginning

While teaching about divorce, our Lord quoted Genesis twice (1:27; 2:24), specifically referring to the marriage of Adam and Eve (Matt. 19:4-5; Mark 10:6-8).  By talking about Adam and Eve as if they were historical characters, Jesus himself confirmed their historicity.  The Holy Spirit-inspired Paul would later affirm this by referring to Adam as “the first man” (1 Cor. 15:45), also doing so as if he were referring to a historical figure.  Therefore, to call Adam and Eve mythological would be to imply that Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and Paul were at best mistaken and at worst liars.  And since the message of all three ultimately originated with God the Father (John 12:49-50; 16:12-15; 1 Cor. 2:9-13; 2 Pet. 1:19-21), to say that Adam and Eve were not real or were not the first human beings would be to call him either mistaken or untruthful as well.  While one would expect this from an atheist, the Christian who would do so is either ignorant of the Scriptures or rebelliously blasphemous, and in either case has exposed a serious flaw in his faith.

Furthermore, by stating in Matthew’s account, “Have you not read that he (God) who created them (Adam and Eve) from the beginning made them male and female,” and in Mark’s account, “But from the beginning of creation, God made them (Adam and Eve) male and female,” Jesus is placing Adam and Eve at the very beginning of the existence of this world.  The Genesis record does the same by stating that Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day along with the land-dwelling animals (Gen. 1:24-31).  Christians who state that the days in Genesis were in reality symbolic of millions of years each in their attempts to make the biblical account coincide with the flawed and unproven theories of Darwinistic evolution have Adam and Eve coming onto the scene millions of years after “the beginning.”  By doing so, they are disagreeing with their Lord and Savior who said the opposite.  If they choose to persist in doing so, even after “receiving the knowledge of the truth” (Heb. 10:26-31), they make their Christianity meaningless and put their soul in eternal peril.

You Can’t Have It Both Ways

I am continually amazed that some can apparently believe that God raised a Man from the dead after giving this same Man and his followers the ability to perform many miraculous signs which defy the laws of science…all while finding it hard to believe that God could also create the world, animals, and man in six literal days, and later decide to destroy that entire world with water and several cities with fire and sulfur.  I am even more amazed that these same folks proclaim to put their faith in this Man as their Lord and Savior…all while basically stating or implying that he, his followers, the Spirit who inspired them, and God the Father himself are wrong about their testimony as to the beginnings of our race.

Yet, perhaps we should not be amazed at this, because the same God who told us about the beginning of the world in Genesis also told us that false teachers would come, giving preference to empty human theories and philosophies over doctrine, and that many naive brethren who lack knowledge themselves would follow after them (Hos. 4:6; Matt. 7:15-27; Acts 20:28-32; Rom. 16:17-18; Gal. 1:6-10; Eph. 4:11-14; Col. 2:8; 1 Tim. 1:3-7; 4:1-2; 6:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:1-9; 4:1-5).

You can’t confess Christ while denying his Word, but that’s what you do when you do not take Genesis for what it says.  May we all choose to have faith which trusts in our God over men!

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Walk with God

Walk with God

In Micah 6:8 it states, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” The people of Israel were trying to buy off God through their sacrifices so they could continue to live in their sins.  But, Micah showed that God wanted them to do, which was, to walk humbly with Him.  How can we walk with God?

Our Life should be a walk with God.

Our life should be a walk with God.

Well, we know that our moral goodness cannot save us without the blood of Christ and outward acts of worship are hypocritical if they are not invested with the power of a virtuous life.  It is terrible to think that people have been duped into believing they can live any life they want to for six days and then go through the motions of worship on Sunday, and believe they are O.K.

We are to daily walk with God.  You should not forget that you have an unlimited resource by your side . . . God!  If you will have the sense and assurance to know this, then you can also know that we are fully equipped to do whatever God calls us to do, which is being justly and having loving mercy for man.  But first, we must walk with God.  You must see yourself as an ant standing next to an elephant because when Christians do not realize that God is next to us, we fail in our lives and in our difficulties.  Let us think of the great men and women of the Gospel.  Look at the greatness of Moses, David and Esther and see if they relied upon God’s power and His presence.  You know they did and we too should daily walk with God.

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Baptism is Not Enough

Baptism is Not Enough

The late James Bales, in his book The Hub of the Bible, entitled the fifteenth chapter as “Baptism Is Not Enough.” To a church that is continually stressing the need to be baptized for the remission of sins, it might be puzzling to consider that there is something more that is needed. Nonetheless, more there is and blessed are those who realize this fact.

Grace, Faith, Baptism... is there more?

Grace, Faith, Baptism… is there more?

In the second chapter of Acts, Peter and the other apostles preached the first sermons of the Christian era. Their Spirit-guided words pricked the hearts of the crowds concerning guilt and sin so that they asked, “What shall we do?” (2:37). As we know, these believers were told to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (2:38), along with many other words of exhortation and instruction (2:40). Many heeded the Divine commands and about three thousand became Christians that day. But they were not through!

Baptism may be called the “door of the church.” It is the portal by which one goes from outside to inside the church. Belief and repentance are the stoop and porch leading to the house of God. Paul told the Galatian brethren that they had been baptized into Christ, indicating that they were now inside the house of God (Gal. 3:27; 1 Tim. 3:15). Under this figure, do we now wander aimlessly about with no purpose nor plan? When we’re tired of being inside, no longer thrilled with the experience, do we walk back out the door? Surely there is something for the newborn in Christ to accomplish which suggests that being baptized into Christ is not an end but a beginning.

Being “born again” is a phrase which does indeed suggest a beginning. When we are converted, we put off the old man of corruption and put on the new man which is created in righteousness and true holiness (Eph. 4:22-24). While we may feel like the same person (and undoubtedly in many respects we are), there must be some aspects of our lives that are different, indicated by our willingness to repent as a part of conversion, a term indicating change from our old ways to God’s new ways. It is necessary that we learn how to live as a part of God’s family, for we rise from the watery tomb infused with neither great knowledge nor wisdom. But we can rise with great desire.

Baptism was not enough for the converts on Pentecost. It is not enough to begin a godly life, for one must continue. The writer noted that these 3,000 converts “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). Notice how these early Christians continued. It was not sporadically, or when they could slip out from work, or avoid confrontation with their spouses, etc. They continued their Christian journey steadfastly . First, they continued to learn from the apostles, gaining understanding of spiritual principles essential to form the Christian character. Later in life the venerable Peter said, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2). We must continue to learn God’s wonderful teachings, and let them influence our thoughts and actions.

Second, they continued steadfastly in fellowship. The term “fellowship” was used to express a relationship involving sharing and communing. Certainly the early brethren shared time in worship, shared material resources, and shared time in one another’s company. Each had entered fellowship with God, Christ and the Spirit, and so had entered fellowship with other Christians. They were a part of a spiritual family! We should so see ourselves. The Hebrews writer said that we should not sin in forsaking the fellowship of the spiritual family found in our worship assemblies on Sunday mornings and evening, and Wednesday evenings. More, we should seek opportunities to be together outside the worship assemblies, sharing our lives and common pursuits.

Third, they continued steadfastly in the breaking of bread. I know of no one who does not continue steadfastly in the breaking of bread for nourishment, so that is not what the record emphasizes. They continued to acknowledge the death, burial and resurrection of the Savior through the Lord’s Supper.

Fourth, they continued steadfastly in prayers. Since prayer is our means of communicating with our Father, these brethren, no doubt together and individually, actively continued this practice. There are proper and improper ways to pray, so the child of God would do well to consider the prayers of Jesus and the apostles in order to know what to pray for, and how to frame acceptable prayers.

When the brethren today continue steadfastly in these particulars, they continue the journey begun at conversion, and they continue to be influences for Christ in their homes and communities. When brethren fail to continue steadfastly in these particulars, they cease to grow spiritually and to be a blessing to others. Baptism is not enough!

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Narrow Minded?

Narrow Minded or a Triumphalist?

“It’s so easy to become narrow minded. So easy to become triumphalist in our own approach in our own religion that to be aware of the way that God expresses Himself in so many languages is essential to becoming Christian” – Preacher, The Church of Conscious Harmony

Are you narrow minded? Not accepting all beliefs?

Are you narrow minded? Not accepting all beliefs?

I heard the above statement on an audio file on the Internet. Several people that I personally know have, evidently, given themselves over to this particular “church” (which really looks more like an eastern cult, in my opinion) and the philosophies that it espouses. I’m writing these things to rebuke the madness of the person who made this statement and to warn those who listen to him to take heed lest they follow in the same path of ignorance. So, in the next few paragraphs, I want to analyze what has been said here and see what can be made of it. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Let’s examine these ideas and see if they are worth believing.

First, the speaker says, “It’s so easy to become narrow minded.” What is narrow mindedness, I wonder? If narrow mindedness means that you believe that truth exists and that God expects you to follow it in your life, then I guess I’m narrow minded. If narrow mindedness means that you don’t believe everything that every religion has ever perpetrated, then I guess I’m narrow minded. If narrow mindedness means that you don’t believe that truth is found in the multiplicity of beliefs from all of the other religions in the world, then I guess I am narrow minded. In fact, it’s great being narrow minded. I don’t have to worry about getting a ticket when I stop at a “Stop” sign because I’m narrow minded enough to obey the law. I don’t have to worry about getting my neighbor’s wife pregnant because I’m narrow minded enough to believe it is a sin to commit adultery. I don’t have to worry about the consequences of prolonged drug use, smoking, drinking, etc., because I’m narrow minded enough NOT to do those foolish things. I’m just narrow minded enough to be faithful to God and as a consequence, my wife, my family, and my Christian friends whom I love. If that is what it means to be narrow minded, then yes, I am guilty and (in the parlance of McDonald’s) “I’m lovin’ it!” This way brings TRUE peace with God, family, and friends because I will always act in a way that is void of absolute/objective offense. To so live is to truly love and fulfill God’s moral standards (Romans 13:8-10).

But second, I would say that it is NOT easy to be narrow minded. The narrow way is the straight way, the tight way, the difficult way. According to Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14 and in Luke 13:24 Jesus says that many will seek to enter the narrow way, but will not be able. The narrow way is the difficult way and it is NOT easy to be narrow. The person who tells you that it is easy to become “narrow” is a liar. When you are narrow, you’ve excluded all of these other false beliefs and because you have excluded them, you have judged them and the people who believe them. So what do they do? They attack YOU, the person who has accepted truth and call you “narrow minded” and all sorts of other names because they can’t deal with the fact that you have THE TRUTH. Argumentum ad hominem – because they can’t deal with the truth, they attack the man. Does that sound like the easy way? Does that sound like an “easy thing to do?” It is not. Why? Because everyone that you have “judged” is now seeking to “prove” that you are wrong and trying to get you to renounce your beliefs. How does it feel to have the majority of the people in the world attacking you? Not very good, but that’s exactly the kind of life that Jesus lived and in living, suffered, and died, and that is exactly the kind of life that He calls us to live as well (Galatians 2:20). Peter said, “Wherefore let them also that suffer according to the will of God commit their souls in well-doing unto a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19). What did Peter mean by that? He meant that if you suffer for the cause of Christ, don’t worry. God knows about your suffering and He will take it into account one day. Be content knowing that God is on your side and that you are doing right because with God we are ALWAYS in the majority! Nevertheless, we must, for the present, endure the ridicule, attacks, jokes, and the same old tired arguments from those who have given up and caved in to the pressures of the world. No, being narrow isn’t easy, not one bit.

But third, what is the opposite of narrow? Is it not wide? Broad? What exactly would a person who calls someone narrow minded have them to do? Accept just any and every belief that comes their way? Hold out for the possibility that those beliefs aren’t necessarily wrong, but that they are perhaps the RIGHT beliefs to have? What do I do when I admit the possibility of the contradictory? I become irrational and in essence, if I am going to accept anything, the truth is that I will believe NOTHING. You see, to truly believe something means that you don’t believe other things. And when you say that you don’t believe other things, guess what you have become? That’s right, you’ve become narrow minded, the very thing that you say you ought not to be. I have to say that I’ve grown sick and tired of people saying that I’m narrow minded when they, all along, are practicing the same thing in saying that I’m narrow minded. What hypocrites these individuals are who say such. Do they not see that they themselves are guilty of the same thing when they proclaim the narrow mindedness of others? The bottom line is that you either believe something, or you believe everything/nothing. Now what you are, the reader, going to do? Are you going to be a responsible person and believe the RIGHT things or are you going to be irresponsible and not believe anything? That system is going to bring you nothing of value. How are you going to be able to trust your “friends” who believe everything/nothing at the same time? Why would one of them not turn and stab you in the back for whatever reason the moment presents? There is absolutely nothing to keep them from doing that because they have no principles or morals upon which to stand up and say, “This is right; this is what I believe.” Yes, that is the “broad way that leads to destruction.”

Next, this person says, “So easy to become triumphalist in our own approach in our own religion….” I suppose by “triumphalist” he means to conclude that one religion is better than another and that in so concluding that you have “triumphed.” Of course, he talks about “our own approach” and “our own religion” as if these things are merely subjective and that one cannot obtain absolute and objective truth in such things and such matters. I’m sure that he doesn’t believe that any one religion has absolute truth over any other religion. (Makes you kind of wonder why he is even preaching if he doesn’t believe that he is right, doesn’t it? But that’s the ridiculous nature of the Post Modern/Existentialist approach to religion these days. It doesn’t matter if you’re right or wrong, it’s simply the attempt at being spiritual that somehow counts.) But let me ask myself whether I am triumphalist. Yes, in fact, I believe that I am triumphalist and I will not apologize for being that way. I believe that is exactly the right way to be. In fact, the New Testament teaches that the faithful Christian is triumphant. 2 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ….” Paul was a triumphalist as was Jesus. He triumphed in that he overcame death, was resurrected, and is now sitting on the right hand of the throne of God reigning as King of kings and Lord of lords.

But let’s ask another question. Is it “easy to become triumphalist?” Again, I say that it is not. The truth is that triumphing is a very difficult thing to accomplish. Ask the Olympic Athletes who train and work and sweat in order to win that gold medal if their triumph was easy. Ask the M.D. who has just completed his residency after having gone through medical school and passed his state medical exams whether or not his triumph was easy. Ask the mother who carried a child in her womb for nine months and delivered whether her triumph was easy. Ask the father who has raised his children for all of the years they were in his house and has finally seen his last graduate college, marry, and settle down with a new family whether his triumph was easy. So also in religion, there is a right way and there is a wrong way; when one finds the right way and accepts it and lives by that way every day of his life, he triumphs, but it is not easy to triumph; it requires discipline, hard work, perseverance, patience, and many other qualities that we value because we know that individuals who have such qualities in their life triumph!

But what is the opposite of triumphing? It is failure. Is that how we want to be in religion? Do we want to be failures? I submit that that is exactly the kind of thinking that this person would accept. He wants you, your friends, and everyone you know to be a failure when it comes to religious matters. He doesn’t want you to know the truth; he doesn’t want you to believe in absolute and objective truth; he doesn’t want you to live a principled life. Why is that? Because to live such a life would be to condemn all those who are not living that way and he can’t stand that; no he won’t have that at all. This person doesn’t want to elevate those who are failing to lives of success, but rather, he wants to destroy the successful to bring them down to the level of the failures. Does that sound like the religion that Christ brought? It isn’t even close to it. Christianity is about taking those who have failed in life and bringing them into success, those who have been defeated and bringing them to triumph. However, this process must be done not through our own subjective and varying standards of right and wrong, but through the absolute and objective standard of truth that is revealed in the Christian scripture. By following the plan that is laid out in the New Testament individuals may, in fact, leave behind lives of dismal failure destroyed by the consequences of sin and begin new lives, lives of true freedom and liberty, lives that glorify and honor God and lives that become successful and triumphant. This, however, isn’t done simply by believing anything and everything that comes along. One must be principled. One must believe the truth and one must act upon that truth in one’s life every day to live in a way that is absolutely morally correct. This is why John could say in 1 John 5:4 “… and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith.” Yes! FAITH is the victory and faith must be lived to be true faith. Yes, I am a triumphalist and I proudly proclaim that Christianity, as revealed in the New Testament, is the best; in fact, it is the ONLY religion that is worth living but not because it is “my own religion and my own approach,” but because it is absolutely and objectively right; it is the religion that comes from the mind of God and so it must be followed and practiced.

Finally, the speaker says, “that to be aware of the way that God expresses Himself in so many languages is essential to becoming Christian.” I’m sorry, but this person has absolutely no idea what Christianity is about. God doesn’t speak to us in “so many languages.” He speaks to us only one way and that is through His Son, Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-2). Peter had an opportunity to hear from God in many different languages on the mountain where Jesus was transfigured, but the voice that came out of heaven said, “THIS is my beloved Son; HEAR HIM.” The force of that statement is that we must hear Jesus and Jesus alone. Peter in Acts 4:12 said, “And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.” There is no other than Jesus; there never has been, there is not today, and there never will be. Those who say that “God expresses Himself in so many languages” speak out of ignorance and know nothing, and I’m sure they would be happy to admit that.

Let’s take that premise for a moment and see where it ends up. If we assume that God indeed does express himself in so many languages, then the “language” that I am using right now is one way in which God is expressing Himself. However, the words that I am writing here are saying that this concept of God expressing Himself in so many languages is false. Hence, the premise, “God expresses Himself in so many languages” is false, because one of the languages in which He is expressing Himself is my language which says the premise is false. The statement is self contradictory and absolutely false. The person who perpetrated it should apologize for saying it and leading people into error for encouraging it. This is the basic premise of pluralism, the idea that truth is to be found in the multiplicity of opinion and not in any one particular source or religion and it is completely contradictory. Those who accept the contradictory nature of it are irrational and have abandoned the basic principles of thinking, the mind which man was created by God to use, to accept it.

I find nothing useful in this statement at all. In fact, I find this statement to be exactly the opposite of what the speaker of this statement intended to communicate. He wanted to communicate “open mindedness” but he has only become close minded himself. He wanted to communicate the error of being triumphalist in religion, but he has only elevated his own thoughts in triumph over others. He wanted to communicate God’s speaking to man in many languages, but he has only said, “Listen to God through me only.” He wanted to communicate a fundamental principle of Christianity, but he has only communicated that you can believe whatever you want and do whatever you want because there are no principles. In other words, he has said that the only essential is that there are no essentials and to that I say, “Sir, you are a liar.”

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The Pope and Sin

The Pope and Sin

As the pope’s visit to America approaches, he has announced that this year local priests can absolve individuals of the sin of abortion. Prior to this announcement, forgiving this sin was restricted to those of a higher rank in the Catholic church. It is difficult for many to understand these matters.

The Pope is a key figure in Catholicism.

The Pope is a key figure in Catholicism.

The Roman Catholic church teaches that there are “levels” of sin. There are those lesser sins called venial sins which, when committed, do not destroy one’s  relationship with God. Those who commit them are still friends of God, but the relationship is tarnished. While one can confess these sins to a priest, it is not necessary for this to happen.

Then, there are mortal sins which separate one from God. There are many of them (the list includes extreme anger, hate, lying, cheating, extortion, murder, and many sexual sins—contraception, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, etc.). Forgiveness of these almost always demands confession of these sins to a priest.

Among these mortal sins and evidently elevated to a higher level is the sin of abortion. The Catholic church teaches that if it occurs the result is automatic excommunication from the church. As noted above, it cannot usually be forgiven by the local priests and demands a higher level of forgiveness.

Those who believe the clear teaching of the Bible are so perplexed by this. Forgiveness of sins lies in the heart of the one who has been sinned against. No mortal, not even the pope, has ever been given the right to forgive sins. “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). It is the law of God which has been transgressed. The Jews fully understood this and said, “Who can forgive sin, but God alone” (Mark 3:7)? The pope cannot give forgiveness for the sin of abortion for he has not been sinned against.

Some might say, “But did not Jesus give Peter the right to bind and loose on the earth?” This view misinterprets the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:19. Such a view makes Peter (and the “church”) greater than God! God did not have to wait for Peter to bind and loose, nor does He have to wait for the pope to absolve sin. Read Jesus’ words in the New American Standard Bible, for they absolutely reflect the Greek words Jesus used and the words Peter would have understood. “Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” The binding/loosing took place first in heaven.

If only the pope and those high in his church can forgive the sin of abortion, the world is doomed because only Catholics, and very few of them, have any chance of heaven.

God help us all to get back to the Bible!

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