Bear with me. Something happened tonight and I feel led to share it.
A few years ago, I was in one of Patrick’s apologetics classes. He was discussing the concepts of young earth vs. old earth. Basically, the debate centered around how literal the creation story is in Genesis. For example, he showed a video of one theologian who believed there was a time gap in the creation timeline and that could have been millions of years long (I may be exaggerating on this, it was several years ago).
Anyway, like the true introvert I am, I listened and came home and tried to reconcile the Genesis creation timeline with the secular theory of the formation of the earth. I even wrote a paper arguing that Moses, in interpreting what God gave him to write down, may have used timelines that made sense to him based on what God gave him. For example, if you think of any TV show or movie, you may have one scene where the person goes to bed and the next scene is them at work the next day. We see that and realize we are getting the highlights and there is a plethora of things that happened between the two scenes that don’t impact the story being told.
I sent this paper to Patrick and asked for his thoughts. I don’t remember if he asked me the question that pops in my head today: “What complications does that interpretation open up to the rest of the Bible and God’s saving grace in general?” If he didn’t ask me that, he should have. He did see me and asked if I’d be willing to write a few of these devotions. I think he knew if I spent time thinking of and writing these devotions, it would help my faith walk as well as provide all of you with some, hopefully, interesting tidbits. Thank God, I feel used.
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” - 2 Timothy 3:12-17 ESV
I was reminded of this tonight when I was in a small group and we were talking about a Senate candidate from this state. The actual candidate is less important than some of his answers to these God-breathed questions.
I get it, politicians, actors, and celebrities in general, are best served when they don’t share their positions if part of their audience might disagree with their views. (Ironically, several celebrities have come out and said if you vote for so and so, don’t buy my stuff. Way to cut off your nose to spite your face). For example, have you ever heard a politician answer a direct question such as “do you believe abortion should be allowed anytime before birth?” They twist their answer or direct it to something else or, most often, blame their opponent for causing the problem. They know if they directly answer the question, some of the people who support them might stop doing so.
The candidate being discussed was doing that when answering questions about homosexuality and the literal interpretation of the Bible. He twisted and minimized the Bible to say what he thought would be the most widely accepted by the voting public. An even worse possibility was that he was intentionally misleading people away from God as described in the Bible.
“And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” - 2 Corinthians 11:12-15
This is exactly why Patrick should have asked me years ago what problems my initial response to an old earth interpretation might have resulted in. If you, even under honorable intentions (not trying to intentionally mislead people away from God’s truth) pick and chose what things to believe and what things to dismiss or minimize, then almost anything could be true and absolute. In that case, nothing is true or absolute.
