Introduction
How does a simple man, with a mere Master of Ministry, attempt to comment on God’s Word? It is simple. Born again by the grace of God, I’ve got His Spirit inside me, as we see in various Scripture verses. It is done by one who trusts in the Lord, and what He did for me because I believed on His name. (John 1:12) I put my faith in what He did for me on the cross, that He took the punishment for all my sin, died, was buried, and rose again the third day. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
Of course, I don’t have perfect knowledge – like Paul, I see “through a glass darkly,” (1 Cor. 13:12). I will explain what can be explained, and speculate where only that can be done. At times, this tome will become poetic, philosophical, or instructional. It will not cover every verse, but it will cover what makes enough of an impression on me that I feel it’s important to write it down.
My fervent prayer is that it be a blessing and draw the reader closer to God, who so loved each of us – you – that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
Introduction to the Bible
Many modern people try to cast doubt on the Bible. However, the Bible is to be taken by faith. Of course, we don’t have time machines. However, what we can do is live by the same faith by which we breathe and live. It is the same faith by which we sit in chairs without holding on for dear life. Indeed, it’s the faith that what is under the floor – which we can’t see – will hold us up, instead of breaking and making us fall through.
If we did not have the faith that a chair would support us, we could not relax in it. If you were offered a chair, as a guest, and refused, that host would not accept the fact that you had never tested it. In the same way, we are guests. God has graciously given us this life, and we should put our faith in that which God has provided – namely, His Word. It was not written by men, but “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1:21)
People refuse to have faith in God’s Word for several reasons.
A. They refuse to trust in God’s Word because they have been taught wrong. All humans are capable of error. There are many verses which talk of the danger of false teachers. The Bible itself should be our only authority;
B. They wish to follow their own ways, to which the Scripture applies that, “professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” (Romans 1:22) Also, God made the “foolish things” of this world to confound the wise.” (1 Cor. 1:27);
C. They wish to avoid being confronted with their sin. This is an error because they will be confronted eventually, for in the end, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord. (Php. 2:10-11) They may feel they can gain more on earth, but “what doth it profit a man, to gain the world, and lose his own soul?”(Mark 8:36) It is best to confess and forsake sin now, and turn to Christ as Savior, before it is too late. And, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, for any of us. Jesus came that we might have life – in Heaven – but also that we might have it more abundantly – here while we live. (John 10:10)
Introduction to Genesis
Moses is the writer of “the law,” which means the first five books of the Bible. We must never make the mistake in thinking that the ancients were all illiterate cavemen. People lived in caves during the Ice Age following the Great Flood of Noah, it’s true. Lack of sunlight and improper diet led to things like rickets. This caused features of what modern science mistakenly thinks are Neanderthals. However, these people had the intelligence to read, to write, and even to work with iron, as Tubal-Cain did. (Gen. 4:22) It’s an error of false pride on the part of modern man to think that those in that time period couldn’t have read or written. And, growing up in Pharoah’s court, Moses would clearly have been very literate.
Genesis is written to explain the world’s beginnings. It does so in simple fashion, compared with the often fanciful writings of other ancient works. Such works can have similar themes, of course, such as the myriad Flood accounts of different civilizations. But, they have been corrupted by man’s ideas. The original, true story of Cretion is found here. God gives clear, concise explanations for how the world was made, how sin entered, and how He began the process of redeeming mankind by calling forth a people, from whom the Savior would later come
