Were you to ask “average” Christians to describe the storyline of Genesis, what would they come up with? Perhaps it would emphasize the “beginnings” aspect of the book. I took a very scientific survey of the standard evangelical understanding of Genesis by asking an unnamed one of my sisters who took all the Bible classes at The Master’s University to tell me about Genesis. She depicted it as something like this:
Continue ReadingAuthor: thebeardedone
PhD student, Hebrew Bible. Baseball, Coffee, League of Legends.
How the Tower of Babel Builds the Storyline of Genesis
Bible skeptics or critics often point to alleged inconsistencies in the biblical accounts of history to try to discredit the Bible’s truthfulness and authority. An example of such an alleged inconsistency is the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. Here is the problem: Genesis 11:1 says “Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.” However, the earlier passage Genesis 10:5 states, “From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans in their nations.” (Emphasis added.) How did the whole earth have one language after the different peoples scattered out with their own languages? Continue reading “How the Tower of Babel Builds the Storyline of Genesis”
Help! I put a Bible verse on my wall but I still sin!
Most likely the title has never crossed your mind as a thought before. But many Christians–myself included–have put up Bible verses on printouts and taped them to their mirrors, or written on index cards and posted them near their beds, or gotten verses artistically lettered and framed for their desks or living room wall pictures or castle hall tapestries. The Word of God plays such a central role in the Christian life it is appropriately honored when visibly depicted where we spend the majority of our time. Since the Bible plays such a transformative role in our thoughts, desires, words, and actions, it is only natural that people try to remind themselves of what God has told them by strategically placing God’s Words where they will be regularly, even unconsciously, read. This post is not a critique of that practice.
Continue reading “Help! I put a Bible verse on my wall but I still sin!”
Noah and God’s Rest in Hebrews 4
A neglected aspect of the story of Noah is his birth. When Noah was born, his father “called his name Noah (rest), saying ‘this one will console us over our work and the pain of our hands from the ground which Yahweh cursed.’ ” (Gen 5:29) This clear allusion back to the curse of Genesis 3 expresses and exasperated hope for fulfillment to the promise of Genesis 3:15–that God would send the seed of the woman to finally crush the serpent’s head and reverse the curse. Lamech expressed hope that Noah, whose name means rest, would finally bring about rest from the curse God put on the ground. Now while in the story of Noah and the ark we do not see Noah become this savior, and in fact at the end of chapter 9 of Genesis we see him disqualified form being this savior, the idea of God’s rest must somehow be connected with Noah. This is for a couple reasons: his name, and his salvation by God. But then, why does the author of Hebrews ignore the story of Noah in writing his exhortation to enter God’s rest in Hebrews 4?
Wordplay, the Flood, and God’s Judgment of Sin
Noah’s Ark is told as a children’s flannel-graph story, with cartoon animals, a cheerful Noah, and a stylized rainbow decorating baby’s rooms and storybook Bibles. However, the story of the flood provides a devastating description of God’s hatred and wrath expressed against pervasive, rampant human sin. The Babylon Bee has capitalized on this irony multiple times. As you read Genesis 6:5–22, in which God describes the reasons for the flood and commissions Noah to build an ark for his own salvation, several instances of wordplay reveal the nature of sin and the nature of God’s judgment on sin. This occurs along the lines of two themes: God’s grief over sin and sin’s corruption of creation.
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Cain and Abel: Humanity Can’t Save Itself from Sin
The Sunday School story of Cain and Abel has historically been put to many uses. As children, some of us probably heard it presented as a moral tale to discourage us from fighting with our siblings. In the biblical counseling world, the falling of Cain’s countenance (Gen 4:5–7) is used as a proof that emotions and conditions within the inner man can affect the outer man. Cain’s declaration that his punishment is too much for him has been used to encourage people to be wise and endure the consequences of their sin. But these and similar usages of Genesis 4 miss the main point being presented in the chapter: that redemption cannot come from man. People are unable to save themselves from sin and the curse. Continue reading “Cain and Abel: Humanity Can’t Save Itself from Sin”
Eve’s Deception and Our Perception
As Christians, we daily struggle with sin and temptation. In order to fight this, we need a strong understanding of how sin tempts us to turn away from the God who saved us. We find this knowledge in the Bible, even at the very beginning. Genesis 2 and 3 show us that the reason that Eve was deceived by the serpent is the same reason that we fall into sin under temptation in our individual lives today. Parallels between Genesis 2 and 3 demonstrate the heinous evil of the sin of Adam and of all sins since.
When Heaven Helped Those who Helped Themselves
Words matter. As a self-identified writer, I at least sometimes try to pick my words intentionally so that they create specific informational and emotional effects in the minds of my readers. The biblical authors of course did the same thing. Unlike me, they wrote in Hebrew and Greek, with at least the first of these two being a heavenly language. Their specific word choices in the original languages matter. Continue reading “When Heaven Helped Those who Helped Themselves”
Ministry Updates, Part III: Of Bibles and Teaching Opportunities
I am a preacher without a Bible. I do own several Bibles, and I do preach from the Bible, but I do not own a Bible I actually enjoy taking with me into a pulpit. Let me explain. Continue reading “Ministry Updates, Part III: Of Bibles and Teaching Opportunities”
Ministry Updates, Part II: Seminary
I am now in my spring semester of my second year of seminary. If I had always been on a 3 year plan, I’d be half done now. However, by unit count, I’m currently more like 40% done. This is unimportant; I’d rather talk about some things I’ve learned and the surprising unity of my seminary experience thus far. Having recently finished my survey courses, I have now had the privilege to read through the entire Bible for class, including reading the entire New Testament twice and large sections of the Old Testament two or more times. This alone has been incredibly beneficial.
Citizens & Sons 