"Does it really matter what I believe about the Bible as long as I believe in Jesus?"
Sincere church members have asked this question at Lake Christian Church. Some are skeptical about the reliability of the Bible. Some have an agenda that they want to promote. Others merely want to avoid the controversy caused by the Bible in today's society. Whatever the reason, there are those in the church who separate faith in Jesus Christ from faith in the Bible. So, does it really matter what we believe about the Bible? Maybe what we should be asking is this:
"Did it matter to Jesus?"
The Old Testament is the Bible that Jesus used. As one reads the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), you'll immediately notice how Jesus saturated his life and teachings with the Old Testament scriptures. Not only that, he readily acknowledged that God himself is the ultimate author of the Bible. For example:
- David wrote Psalm 110--but Jesus emphasized that he spoke "under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit" (Mark 12:36).
- Moses gave the Law--but Jesus attributes the commandments to God himself (Matthew 15:3-4).
Let's grow together through the Bible.
In 2011, Lake Christian Church will start the year with creation in the book of Genesis and end the year with completion in the book of Revelation. Join us every Sunday at 10:30a as we grow together through the Bible in a year!
So, my first question is why the story of creation is different in Genesis 1 versus Genesis 2? In Genesis 1, the Lord creates plants and trees on the third day, but in Genesis 2, man is created before any vegetation appears. Why is this?
ReplyDeleteYes, God created vegetation on day three (see Gen. 1:12). As you read Genesis 2:1-3, you find the record of the seventh day of creation--the day God ceased creating and rested. "God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it He rested from His work of creation" (Gen. 2:3).
ReplyDeleteThen 2:4-25 offers the history of Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 1 isn't different from Genesis 2. The second chapter merely fills in the details of man's creation on day six which weren't included in Genesis 1:1--2:3--subsequently, the fourth and fifth verses gives a summary of days one and two, before the vegetation of day three.
Chapter 2 is an additional creation account in the sense that it gives a more detailed explanation than chapter 1--not a contradictory one. Think of it as a specific description rather than a general description. Genesis 1 gives a loosely chronological account while Genesis 2 offers a topical account--which expands on the creation of human beings. One commentator succinctly stated: "Genesis 2 presupposes chapter 1 and does not duplicate all the creation events."