|
1 PART
I - Creation as presented in the Bible Preface The following
chapters are primarily
a commentary on
Scriptures dealing with creation. I
do not wish
to simply produce
something which is
just a rehash
of well known arguments for
creation versus evolution.
However, there is inevitably some
overlap with books on the same subject. Before writing
on the particular
passages dealing with
creation one has
commented in chapters 1
and 2 on
the problems that
are a puzzle
to many -
the wonderful world
that we live in
which, at the
same time, contains
disease and death
and demon. Christ,
dealt with these things
when here on
earth (Mark 5),
and they will
be eliminated in
a day to come
(Revelation 21:4). Connected
with these things
we have God's
creatorial and governmental ordering. Because
they do not
understand or believe
these things atheists
and other sceptics deny
that creation is the work of a
beneficent creator. Some people
are inclined to
say that they
do not understand
Scripture. That there are
things hard to
be understood in
the Bible is
no doubt true
as Peter said
(2 Peter 3:15/16). However,
it helps if
we start at
the beginning of
the Bible. Genesis
1 sets the stage
on which mankind
is to live
and introduces man
and woman on
day six. Genesis 2, we may say, zooms in on them more
specifically. Genesis 3
tells us of
their fall; being deceived by
the serpent they
disobeyed God. Genesis
4 tells us
of the outworking
of the evil which
led to the
murder of Abel
by Cain. In
the following chapters
we find that
the world became so
corrupt and filled
with violence that
God had to
bring a flood
of waters on the
earth which, we
may say, cleansed
the earth and
only left a
remnant (Noah, his family
and some animals),
to refill the
earth (Genesis 9:7).
The sin question
was dealt with by
Christ in the
New Testament. However,
unless we understand
how sin came
in as we get
it in Genesis
we are not
likely to have
a clear understanding of
the work of
Christ to remove it (John 1:29). The following
chapters (3 to
9) treat of
Scripture passages dealing
with creation. Chapters 10
and 11 deal
with two matters
that puzzle many
and are used
by sceptics to justify
their rejection of
Scripture. Chapters 12
and 13 demonstrate
that there is
a divine mind behind
the early chapters
of Genesis and
that the way
in which they
correlate with other passages
of Scripture cannot
simply be attributed
to coincidence or,
we may say, human
contrivance. Chapters 14
and 15, though
not dealing directly with
creation are related matters. ____________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|