is the bible reliable or just poetic?…

would you agree that the way that you read the first page of a book determines how you’re going to read the rest of the book? if you open a book and the first page says, “three cups salt,” you’re going to think, “cookbook.” if you open a book and the first page is humorous you start to think this is a funny book. if you open a book and the first page has all kinds of equations, you close the book immediately! right? the first page determines how you read the book.

when somebody comes to me and, because of a scientific theory, says, “you can’t trust the first page of this book, the bible. i know it says GOD said it and it happened but that’s not really what happened. that’s just poetic,” do you think that’s going to affect the way they read the rest of the book? he’ll start to think maybe everything is sort of poetic, maybe it says GOD said that but it doesn’t really mean that. it’s an incredibly important battle.

the fact is, in the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth. genesis 1.1 (niv). that fact is a foundation in our lives. it’s the foundation of purpose. a personal creator, personally made the heavens and the earth, personally made me and HE has a personal plan for my life. if HE didn’t create me personally, how could HE plan for my life personally?

henry morris said this, “if the bible’s truths about creation are not acceptable to the modern mind, then there’s no reason to think that the biblical commandments are applicable to modern morality or that the biblical truths about the future are meaningful in planning for your future.” it’s a battle for how we’re going to read this book and the importance of it. that’s why this is so important. that’s why you hear people talking about it.

CHRISTianity has science on its side too. there are creation scientists who said, “we’re not dumb as believers. we don’t say just have faith and ignore the facts. there are facts on our side too. but it comes in the fact that GOD created the heavens and the earth.” it’s such a simple truth but it’s under attack in our society. this simple truth that is the foundation for my purpose is under attack all the time. GOD created everything i see. GOD created me. and that’s a core truth, a purpose, in the book of genesis.

just a thought from the front porch…