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 | Blogs > Noah235 > PLOUGHMAN'S LUNCH > CREATION BLOG 2: HOW SHOULD WE INTERPRET THE BIBLE? |
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When I left school my first job was in an insurance office, and that was a career I pursued for 12 years. As part of my professional qualifications I had to study the law of contract, and learned some of the principles for the interpretation of legal documents. Several years later, after I became a Christian, I learned about 'Biblical hermeneutics' i.e. how to interpret the Bible, and was surprised to find similar principles in operation there! Here are some of the things I learned about reading legal documents: 1. If the meaning of a word is ambiguous, then its usual meaning in everyday speech is to be taken. 2. The exception to this is if it is to be used in a specialist capacity, in which case it will be defined to have this meaning at the beginning of the document before it actually appears in use. 3. In the event of a whole phrase having two or more possible meanings, then the plain and obvious meaning is to be preferred. 4. The intention of the person who drew up the contract is to be paramount. Some of you will have viewed the blog discussion I have been having the last few days with JustChristian1 on the "Gap Theory", and the above points are crucial in understanding my approach to this whole topic. My contention is that a plain reading of Genesis 1 to 3 reveals that God created the universe from nothing, and completed the job in 6 ordinary days. Creatures do not 'evolve' but reproduce 'according to their kinds' (that is not the same as saying that creatures now are exactly as they were at first, but I don't want to expand on that point just now). Adam and Eve were two real people who enjoyed the daily presence of God in the Garden of Eden (a real place) until they disobeyed God and brought death and suffering upon themselves and all their descendants. Because secular 'scientists' claim to have proof that the world is billions of years old, Christians have sought to reinterpret Genesis in various ways so that the billions of years can be fitted in. Two of the most common of these compromises are: 1. The Day-Age Theory: which suggests that the 'days' of Genesis are not 24 hour days but symbolically represent much longer periods of time. 2. The Gap Theory: which suggests there is a break between Genesis 1v1 and 1v2 in which Satan reigned on earth and after his rebellion against God the earth was laid waste i.e. rendered 'without form and void' as a judgement of God. Both of these theories fall foul of the Biblical interpretation principles referred to above. Genesis is not poetry, as some have suggested, but straightforward historical prose. A plain reading of this prose tells us that the time period involved from beginning to end was 6 days. The only reason anybody ever 'found' these other meanings is because of the opinions of 'scientists' who weren't there to observe what happened (whereas God WAS there of course). The correctness of the plain reading is also confirmed in Exodus 20v11 where God explains to Moses that the 6-day creation is the explanation of the weekly pattern of 6 days work and one day rest. However the most important reason why 6 days is the only possible interpretation is connected to the Fall in chapter 3. The Bible is absolutely crystal clear that death (spiritual AND physical) is a direct consequence of the Fall. If we allow billions of years of history before the Fall then these billions of years must have been full of untold amounts of death and suffering not only for people but for creatures of all kinds, and it must have been God's intention all along that this suffering should take place. We have all, I'm sure, had at some time a discussion with someone who blames God (as an omnipotent being) for all the death and suffering in the world, and claims there is no way that he can be a loving God if he causes (or even allows) disasters to befall people. Well, here's the crunch: if we don't hold to 6 days, then those people are right in their condemnation of God (and we can't have that, can we, because we KNOW God is a loving God). Furthermore, the Gospel is fatally undermined. If death was already here and not a result of the Fall, then what on earth did Jesus die for? "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth" 2 Timothy 2 v 15 |
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 5/13/2008 3:46 pm |
I always like to think that God must have a sense of humor. And created the world "old" just to throw us off. LOL Seriously though - there were fully grown things for the critters and people to eat! In 6 days! It's not like God planted a bunch of seeds and sat back and waited while everyone starved. The world was formed "whole" so who knows how "old" he made things! Simplistic? Yep! Better than over complicating it like all the theorists like to do.
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5/13/2008 5:29 pm |
I often think why many people endevor to explain away the statements in the Bible as a fiction story rather than a true chronology of God and human events. One thing that stands out is the father to son teachings and the capture of historical events throughout the whole Bible. It may just be me, but through all this I hear the still small voice of God opening the thoughts and intents of His heart through the lessons of our fore fathers. Thank you dear Heavenly Father for your Word! Always! Daniel
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5/14/2008 2:47 am |
Hi Peter, Another corker.Thank you Brother. GOD BLESS, Wendy 
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