Author Topic: SDA Sab Sch Lesson 8--2nd Quarter 2020--Creation: Genesis as Foundation, Part 1  (Read 2421 times)

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Wally

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Lesson 8 May 16-22




Creation: Genesis as Foundation, Part 1





Commentary in Navy                  Inspiration in Maroon








So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants:  we have done that which was our duty to do.  Luke 17:10

Wally

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Lesson 8 May 16-22

Creation: Genesis as Foundation, Part 1

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: John 1:1-3, Gen. 1:3-5, Exod. 20:8-11, Rev. 14:7, Matt. 19:3-6, Rom. 5:12.

Memory Text: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4, NKJV).

The first chapters of Genesis are foundational for the rest of Scripture.

This is a concept that  few Christians seem to understand, or they would not so easily embrace the evolutionary fairy tales that have been provided by the evil one.  All of Scripture rests on  Genesis.  If Genesis can be overthrown, the rest of Scripture falls with it.  If we cannot take Genesis 1-11 at face value, and accept them as real history, then how can we confident in such "unscientific" ideas such as the virgin birth, the miracles of Jesus, or His resurrection and ascension?  These truths are just as untestable and unproveable as creation ex nihilo.  But, then, evolution is unproven and unproveable as well.  The difference is that all the evidence points toward a Designer, not to spontaneous generation and random chance, two of the foundational doctrines of the church of Darwin.

That any Adventist could buy into such unscientific, and unbiblical nonsense is a sad commentary on the state of the Laodicean church.
So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants:  we have done that which was our duty to do.  Luke 17:10

Wally

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  • Romans 8:35, 38, 39
Lesson 8 May 16-22


Monday ↥         May 18

The Days of Creation


In recent years there has been a trend to view the Creation week as non-literal, as a metaphor, a parable, or even a myth. This has arisen in the wake of the theory of evolution, which assumes long ages of time to account for the development of life on planet Earth.



If Genesis 1 is a metaphor or  parable, how can we know that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John aren't also metaphors and parables?  Anyone without preconceived ideas would understand Genesis 1-11 as an historical narrative.  Treating Genesis 1 as a metaphor creates more problems than is solves.  In fact, it solves none, and creates confusion.  Too many Christians have more faith in scientists than is God's infallible word, or we wouldn't be having this discussion.  They forget that science is always changing, that assumptions about the past often have to be revised.  But God's word does not change.
So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants:  we have done that which was our duty to do.  Luke 17:10

Wally

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Tuesday ↥         May 19

The Sabbath and Creation

Today the seventh-day Sabbath is heavily under attack in secular society and in religious communities. This fact can be seen in the work schedules of global corporations; in the attempted change of the calendar in many European countries designating Monday as the first day of the week and Sunday as the seventh day; and by the recent papal encyclical on climate change that calls the seventh-day Sabbath “the Jewish Sabbath” and encourages the world to observe a day of rest to alleviate global warming (Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, Vatican City: Vatican Press, 2015, pp. 172, 173).



If evolution is true, and the days of creation are merely symbolic of longer periods of time (as is postulated by "progressive creationists" or "theistic evolutionists"), then the Sabbath commandment makes absolutely no sense.  Because it clearly states that God created the earth in 6 days, not 6 indefinite periods of time.

And if the pope and his fellow climate change alarmists want us all to observe a day of rest to "alleviate global warming," why not let us decide for ourselves which day works best for us?  Those who wish to honor the Biblical Sabbath can do so.  Those who want to take another day off could do so.  That makes perfect sense in a free society.
So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants:  we have done that which was our duty to do.  Luke 17:10

Richard Myers

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There is a good reason why we all cannot decide for ourselves. MIT came up with the "green sabbath." Any day, just rest from using energy one day a week. When the world takes a day off, we cannot take another day off. All is shut down. No electricity, no gas, no transportation, etc etc. It must be the same day. The seventh day Sabbath seems best since God has already told the world to rest one day a week on the Lord's Sabbath Day. We know the end of the matter. And, the pope has been calling for Sunday rest for a long time before MIT. The "greenies" and the pope are in alignment against the Sabbath. And, the Protestants who voted for Trump are in alignment with the "greenies" and the papal power they choose the first day, the sun day.

Look up, our redemption draweth nigh. We are witnessing what the prophets longed to see. Earthquakes, plagues, fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, violence,  all being blamed on God because the sun day has been desecrated. The Lord will protect us from all that falls upon the wicked.

"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth [shall be thy] shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; [nor] for the arrow [that] flieth by day; [Nor] for the pestilence [that] walketh in darkness; [nor] for the destruction [that] wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; [but] it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, [which is] my refuge, [even] the most High, thy habitation. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.  Psalm 91:4-10.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: John 1:1-3, Gen. 1:3-5, Exod. 20:8-11, Rev. 14:7, Matt. 19:3-6, Rom. 5:12.

Memory Text: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1-4

The first chapters of Genesis are foundational for the rest of Scripture. The major teachings or doctrines of the Bible have their source in these chapters. Here we find the nature of the Godhead working in harmony as the Father, Son (John 1:1-3, Heb. 1:1, 2), and the Spirit (Gen. 1:2) to create the world and all that is in it, culminating in humanity (Gen. 1:26-28). Genesis also introduces us to the Sabbath (Gen. 2:1-3), the origin of evil (Genesis 3), the Messiah and the plan of redemption (Gen. 3:15), the worldwide, universal flood (Genesis 6-9), the covenant (Gen. 1:28; 2:2, 3, 15-17; 9:9-17; Genesis 15), the dispersal of languages and people (Genesis 10, 11), and the genealogies that provide the framework for biblical chronology from Creation to Abraham (Genesis 5 and 11). Finally, the power of God’s spoken Word (Gen. 1:3, 2 Tim. 3:16, John 17:17), the nature of humanity (Gen. 1:26-28), God’s character (Matt. 10:29, 30), marriage between a man and a woman (Gen. 1:27, 28; Gen. 2:18, 21-25), stewardship of the earth and its resources (Gen. 1:26; 2:15, 19), and the promised hope of a new creation (Isa. 65:17, 66:22, Rev. 21:1) are all based on these first chapters, which will be our study this week and next.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 23.

Brother Wally's post covers this nicely.


Quote
The first chapters of Genesis are foundational for the rest of Scripture.

This is a concept that  few Christians seem to understand, or they would not so easily embrace the evolutionary fairy tales that have been provided by the evil one.  All of Scripture rests on  Genesis.  If Genesis can be overthrown, the rest of Scripture falls with it.  If we cannot take Genesis 1-11 at face value, and accept them as real history, then how can we confident in such "unscientific" ideas such as the virgin birth, the miracles of Jesus, or His resurrection and ascension?  These truths are just as untestable and unproveable as creation ex nihilo.  But, then, evolution is unproven and unproveable as well.  The difference is that all the evidence points toward a Designer, not to spontaneous generation and random chance, two of the foundational doctrines of the church of Darwin.

That any Adventist could buy into such unscientific, and unbiblical nonsense is a sad commentary on the state of the Laodicean church.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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  • Posts: 44592
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
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Sunday          May 17

In the Beginning …


Read Genesis 1:1.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 


What deep truths are revealed here?

The Bible opens with the most sublime and profound words, words that are simple but that simultaneously contain a measureless depth when carefully studied. In fact, the greatest questions of philosophy regarding who we are, why we are here, and how we got here are answered by the first sentence of the Bible.

We exist because God created us at a definite time in the past. We did not evolve out of nothing; nor did we come into existence by chance, for no ultimate purpose, and with no planned direction, as much of the contemporary scientific model of origins now teaches. Darwinian evolution is contradictory to Scripture in every way, and attempts by some to harmonize it with the Bible make Christians look silly.

We also were created by God at an absolute point in time: “in the beginning”. This must mean that God existed prior to this beginning. That is, God existed before time was created and expressed in the daily cycle of “evening and morning” and in the months and in the years, all marked by the relationship of the world to the sun and moon. This absolute beginning is echoed and supported by other passages of Scripture, which continually reaffirm the nature and means of God’s creative work (John 1:1-3).

Read John 1:1-3 and Hebrews 1:1, 2. Who was the agent of creation? Think about what it means that He also died on the cross.

The Bible teaches that Jesus was the agent of creation. The Bible says that “all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3, NKJV). Through Jesus “He made the worlds” (Heb. 1:1, 2, NKJV). Because all things have their origin in Jesus in the beginning, we can have hope that in the end He will complete what He has begun, because He is the “Alpha and the Omega”, “the First and the Last” (Rev. 1:8, Rev. 22:13, NKJV).

What difference does it make to know that you were created by God? Imagine if you didn’t believe that. How differently would you view yourself and others, and why?Kn

Knowing God created man plays into the plan of salvation and the plan to set the universe on a secure footing where sin will never ever happen again. God had power to create Adam and He has power to recreate man in His image once again. The difference is that it takes more than God's power to recreate us, we need to cooperate with Him. God does not do it all. We need to do our part which is immeasurably small, while His part is immeasurably large. Without our effort, we shall be lost. What is our part?
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Monday         May 18

The Days of Creation

In recent years there has been a trend to view the Creation week as non-literal, as a metaphor, a parable, or even a myth. This has arisen in the wake of the theory of evolution, which assumes long ages of time to account for the development of life on planet Earth.

What does the Bible teach on this subject? Why are the “days” of Creation in Genesis 1 to be understood as literal, and not figurative, days?

Read Genesis 1:3-5 and Exodus 20:8-11. How is the term “day” used in these contexts?

The Hebrew word yôm, or “day”, is used consistently throughout the Creation narrative for a literal day. Nothing in the Genesis Creation narrative indicates that anything other than a literal day was meant, as we understand a single day today. In fact, some scholars who don’t believe the days were literal will, nevertheless, admit that the author’s intention was to depict literal days.

It is interesting that God Himself designates this name for the first unit of time (Gen. 1:5). Yôm, or day, is defined with the phrase “and there was evening and there was morning” (Gen. 1:5, 8, etc., NASB). The term is used in the singular, not the plural, meaning a single day.

Thus, the seven days of Creation are to be understood as a complete unit of time, introduced by the cardinal number ’echad (“one”) followed by ordinal numbers (second, third, fourth, etc.). This pattern indicates a consecutive sequence of days, culminating in the seventh day. There is no indication in the use of terms or in the narrative form itself that there should be any gaps between these days. The seven days of Creation are, indeed, seven days as we delineate days today.

Also, the literal nature of the day is taken for granted when God wrote with His own finger the fourth commandment, indicating that the basis for the seventh-day Sabbath rests on the sequence of a literal seven-day, Creation week.

The Genesis Creation isn’t the only creation in the Bible. There is also the re-creation, at the Second Coming, when God will transform mortality into immortality “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (1 Cor. 15:52, NKJV). If, however, God can do this instantly at the re-creation, why would He use billions of years for the first creation, as theistic evolution teaches?

Yes, that is very good. But, most important is that God will not re create anyone at the second coming who have not already been recreated. When we are truly converted, we will not receive holy flesh, but we will be re-created in character. We will reflect His character and that will give glory to God. Why bring this up at this point? Because it is where Satan has deceived the multitude of professing Christians, even in His church.

Why are so many refusing to believe a literal seven days? Almost always, it is because they value the world's history more than the Bible's account of history. In other words, they do not accept the Bible as the truth. They have believed a lie from false science rather than trusting God's Word. And, this takes into account that there are modern day false bibles that also mislead.

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Tuesday          May 19

The Sabbath and Creation


Today the seventh-day Sabbath is heavily under attack in secular society and in religious communities. This fact can be seen in the work schedules of global corporations; in the attempted change of the calendar in many European countries designating Monday as the first day of the week and Sunday as the seventh day; and by the recent papal encyclical on climate change that calls the seventh-day Sabbath “the Jewish Sabbath” and encourages the world to observe a day of rest to alleviate global warming (Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, Vatican City: Vatican Press, 2015, pp. 172, 173).

Read Genesis 2:1-3, Exodus 20:8-11, Mark 2:27, and Revelation 14:7. How is the understanding of the Creation week tied to the fourth commandment? How is this tied to the Three Angels’ Messages?

The Bible says, “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done” (Gen. 2:2, NKJV). “After resting upon the seventh day, God sanctified it, or set it apart, as a day of rest for man”. — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 47. This is why Jesus can say, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27, NKJV). Jesus could make this authoritative statement because He made or created the Sabbath as the eternal sign and seal of God’s covenant with His people. The Sabbath was not for the Hebrew people only, but for all humanity.

Genesis indicates three things that Jesus did after He created the Sabbath day. First, He “rested” (Gen. 2:2), giving us a divine example of His desire to rest with us. Second, He “blessed” the seventh day (Gen. 2:3). In the Creation narrative, animals are blessed (Gen. 1:22), and Adam and Eve are blessed (Gen. 1:28), but the only day specifically blessed is the seventh day. Third, God “sanctified it” (Gen. 2:3) or “made it holy”.

No other day in the Bible receives these three designations. These three actions are repeated in the fourth commandment, though, when God writes with His own finger and points back to Creation as the foundation for the Sabbath (Exod. 20:11).

A comparison of Revelation 14:7 and Exodus 20:11 reveals the Sabbath commandment to be the basis for worshiping the Creator. How does this direct link to the Sabbath tie into last day events?

Those who reject Bible truth will be given one last chance to accept Christ and Savior and His Word as truth. The last test to come to mankind will be the Sabbath. Even today we see nations making the sun day a day of rest by law. The Coronavirus is an excuse to force the sun day upon humanity. The popes have been calling for Sunday legislation for many years. Now we are seeing results of Satan's efforts to blind the world as to what is happening just before this world perishes. Good is being called evil and evil is being called good. The whole world is wondering after the beast. The end is drawing nigh.

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Wednesday         May 20

Creation and Marriage


The last decade has witnessed enormous changes in the way society and governments define marriage. Many nations of the world have approved same-sex marriages, overturning previous laws that have protected the family structure that comprises at its center one man and one woman. This is an unprecedented development in many respects, and it raises new questions about the institution of marriage, the relationship of church and state, and also the sanctity of marriage and the family as defined in Scripture.

Read Genesis 1:26-28; and Genesis 2:18, 21-24. What do these texts teach us about God’s ideal for marriage?

On the sixth day, God comes to the climax of the Creation, the Creation of humanity. It is fascinating that the plural is used for God in Genesis 1:26: “Let us make man in our image”. All persons of the triune Godhead in loving relationship with each other now create the divinely instituted human relationship of marriage here on earth.

“In the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:27, NKJV). Adam declares, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23, NKJV) and Adam names her “Woman”. Marriage requires that “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24, NKJV).

Scripture is unequivocal that this relationship is to take place between a man and a woman, who themselves originate from their father and mother, also a man and woman. This concept is further clarified in the instruction given to the earth’s first parents: “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it’ ” (Gen. 1:28, NKJV). In the fifth commandment, children (offspring) are to honor their father and their mother (Exod. 20:12). This interrelationship cannot be fulfilled within anything but a heterosexual partnership.

Read Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:3-6. What do they teach us about the nature and sanctity of marriage? In light of Jesus’ words, and while never forgetting God’s love for all humanity and that all of us are sinners, how should we take a firm and faithful stand on the biblical principles of marriage?

In order to stand faithful to the Biblical principles of  marriage we must be truly converted. When we do not stand faithrful, it is because we do not have Jesus abiding in the heart. If we remain sinning, then we have no power to keep marriage vows.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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  • Posts: 44592
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Thursday ↥         May 21

Creation, the Fall, and the Cross


The Bible provides an unbroken link between the perfect Creation, the Fall, the promised Messiah, and final redemption. These major events become the basis of the theme of salvation history for the human race.

Read Genesis 1:31, Genesis 2:15-17, and Genesis 3:1-7. What happened to God’s perfect creation?

God declared His creation “very good” (Gen. 1:31). “The creation was now complete. … Eden bloomed on earth. Adam and Eve had free access to the tree of life. No taint of sin or shadow of death marred the fair creation”. — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 47. God had warned Adam and Eve that if they ate of the forbidden tree, they would surely die (Gen. 2:15-17). The serpent began his discourse with a question and then completely contradicted what God had said: “You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:4, NKJV). Satan promised Eve great knowledge and that she would be like God. Obviously, she believed him.

How does Paul confirm God’s statement in Genesis 2:15-17? Read Romans 5:12 and Romans 6:23. How do these teachings relate to theistic evolution?

In Scripture, we can see where later biblical writers confirmed earlier biblical statements and provided additional insights. In Romans 5-8, Paul writes about sin and the beauty of salvation: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people” (Rom. 5:12, NIV). But an evolutionary perspective would have death present for millions of years prior to humanity. This idea has serious implications for the biblical teaching of the origin of sin, Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross, and the plan of salvation. If death is not related to sin, then the wages of sin is not death (Rom. 6:23), and Christ would have had no reason to die for our sins. Thus, Creation, the Fall, and the Cross are inextricably linked. The first Adam is tied to the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45, 47). A belief in Darwinian evolution, even if some concept of God is inserted into the process, would destroy the very basis of Christianity.

Friday ↥         May 22

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Creation”, pp. 44-51; “The Literal Week”, pp. 111-116, in Patriarchs and Prophets.

“The cumulative evidence, based on comparative, literary, linguistic and other considerations, converges on every level, leading to the singular conclusion that the designation yôm, 'day’, in Genesis 1 means consistently a literal 24-hour day.

The author of Genesis 1 could not have produced more comprehensive and all-inclusive ways to express the idea of a literal 'day’ than the ones that were chosen”. — Gerhard F. Hasel, “The 'Days’ of Creation in Genesis 1: Literal 'Days’ or Figurative 'Periods/Epochs’ of Time?” Origins 21/1 [1994], pp. 30, 31.

“The greatest minds, if not guided by the word of God, become bewildered in their attempts to investigate the relations of science and revelation. The Creator and His works are beyond their comprehension; and because these cannot be explained by natural laws, Bible history is pronounced unreliable”. — Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 258.

Discussion Questions:


    Look at the Ellen G. White quote above. How often, even today, do we see exactly what she wrote, even among professed Christians who, in face of the claims of science, will automatically take the claims of science over the biblical account, which would, as she wrote, imply that biblical history “is unreliable”?

    Why is it impossible to take the Bible seriously while accepting theistic evolution? If you know a theistic evolutionist who claims to be a Christian, why not ask him or her to explain the Cross in light of what Paul wrote (see Romans 5) about the direct link between Adam’s fall and death and the cross of Jesus? What explanation does he or she give?

    If the Bible is God’s revelation, then are not the believer’s faith and eyes opened to the greater reality as expressed in Scripture? How can Christians then be called “closed-minded” when they are opening their minds to the Scriptural truths revealed by an infinite God? In fact, an atheistic, materialistic view of the world is much narrower than the Christian worldview is.

    As believers staying faithful to the Word of God, how can we minister to those who are struggling with questions of sexual identity? Why must we not be those who cast stones, even with people who, like the woman in adultery, are guilty of sin?
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

  • Servant
  • Posts: 44592
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
    • The Remnant Online
Thursday         May 21

Creation, the Fall, and the Cross


The Bible provides an unbroken link between the perfect Creation, the Fall, the promised Messiah, and final redemption. These major events become the basis of the theme of salvation history for the human race.

Read Genesis 1:31, Genesis 2:15-17, and Genesis 3:1-7. What happened to God’s perfect creation?

God declared His creation “very good” (Gen. 1:31). “The creation was now complete. … Eden bloomed on earth. Adam and Eve had free access to the tree of life. No taint of sin or shadow of death marred the fair creation”. — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 47. God had warned Adam and Eve that if they ate of the forbidden tree, they would surely die (Gen. 2:15-17). The serpent began his discourse with a question and then completely contradicted what God had said: “You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:4, NKJV). Satan promised Eve great knowledge and that she would be like God. Obviously, she believed him.

How does Paul confirm God’s statement in Genesis 2:15-17? Read Romans 5:12 and Romans 6:23. How do these teachings relate to theistic evolution?

In Scripture, we can see where later biblical writers confirmed earlier biblical statements and provided additional insights. In Romans 5-8, Paul writes about sin and the beauty of salvation: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people” (Rom. 5:12, NIV). But an evolutionary perspective would have death present for millions of years prior to humanity. This idea has serious implications for the biblical teaching of the origin of sin, Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross, and the plan of salvation. If death is not related to sin, then the wages of sin is not death (Rom. 6:23), and Christ would have had no reason to die for our sins. Thus, Creation, the Fall, and the Cross are inextricably linked. The first Adam is tied to the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45, 47). A belief in Darwinian evolution, even if some concept of God is inserted into the process, would destroy the very basis of Christianity.

Amen!  And many professing priests and pastors refuse to acknowledge that one sin reveals we are not in a converted state and do not have salvation (eternal life).  Genesis 3:15 is denied or never taught as the power of God's grace in allowing Jesus to take our sins upon Himself to transform sinners into saints. The reason for the incarnation of Christ was to transform sinners so they could witness the power of grace to convert sinners. "If we confess our sins, He will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

  • Servant
  • Posts: 44592
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
    • The Remnant Online
Friday         May 22

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Creation”, pp. 44-51; “The Literal Week”, pp. 111-116, in Patriarchs and Prophets.

“The cumulative evidence, based on comparative, literary, linguistic and other considerations, converges on every level, leading to the singular conclusion that the designation yôm, 'day’, in Genesis 1 means consistently a literal 24-hour day.

The author of Genesis 1 could not have produced more comprehensive and all-inclusive ways to express the idea of a literal 'day’ than the ones that were chosen”. — Gerhard F. Hasel, “The 'Days’ of Creation in Genesis 1: Literal 'Days’ or Figurative 'Periods/Epochs’ of Time?” Origins 21/1 [1994], pp. 30, 31.

“The greatest minds, if not guided by the word of God, become bewildered in their attempts to investigate the relations of science and revelation. The Creator and His works are beyond their comprehension; and because these cannot be explained by natural laws, Bible history is pronounced unreliable”. — Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 258.


Amen! How very sad that some have earned doctorate degrees and are teaching at our seminaries.


Discussion Questions:

    Look at the Ellen G. White quote above. How often, even today, do we see exactly what she wrote, even among professed Christians who, in face of the claims of science, will automatically take the claims of science over the biblical account, which would, as she wrote, imply that biblical history “is unreliable”?

    Why is it impossible to take the Bible seriously while accepting theistic evolution? If you know a theistic evolutionist who claims to be a Christian, why not ask him or her to explain the Cross in light of what Paul wrote (see Romans 5) about the direct link between Adam’s fall and death and the cross of Jesus? What explanation does he or she give?

    If the Bible is God’s revelation, then are not the believer’s faith and eyes opened to the greater reality as expressed in Scripture? How can Christians then be called “closed-minded” when they are opening their minds to the Scriptural truths revealed by an infinite God? In fact, an atheistic, materialistic view of the world is much narrower than the Christian worldview is.

    As believers staying faithful to the Word of God, how can we minister to those who are struggling with questions of sexual identity? Why must we not be those who cast stones, even with people who, like the woman in adultery, are guilty of sin?

What does it mean to "cast stones"?  If it is telling the truth to those who don't want to hear it, then Jesus was guilty. Listen to what He said to Nicodemus, a Laodicean leader of Israel. The woman caught in adultery was repentant and even then Jesus told her to not sin anymore. Can you imagine if I said that to a conference president, to "not sin anymore"? Some need to see they are sinners before they seek a Savior from sin. The Laodicean does not see he is lost, does not see he is sick. Why not? Because he has been taught that you can sin and retain salvation. He is fine just the way he is, he thinks since this is what he has been taught.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.