Is the Bible True?
God Knows!
Throughout this three part study I employ the analogy of a lighthouse. Here I start to examine the foundations of the Bible narrative. In future weeks I will look at the building blocks and finally at the birth of Jesus – the light of the world.
C O N T E N T S…
Preface
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 What is the Bible about
Chapter 3 Looking at the Bible – A First Glimpse
Chapter 4 The Foundations
Chapter 5 Who or What is God
Chapter 6 Exploring the Bible Further
Chapter 7 The Verdict Preface
For me, it all started with the Big Bang theory. For centuries scientists agreed that the world, the universe, had always more or less been as it is now. So, there was not much credibility for the creation story in the Bible.
But in the early 20th century, cosmologists observed that the universe is expanding, and projecting backwards in time it would have contracted to a single point 13.7 billion years ago. There was a massive explosion described as the Big Bang. Before that, nothing. At that point in time the universe was created. But they have no explanation for what happened at time zero.
But this same phenomenon was stated in the Bible, from stories passed down from generation to generation and eventually committed to print some 3500 years ago. We read in the book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, that from an empty void, God who was already present, said ”Let there be Light” and there was light. From this statement, the creation story unfolds.
Spurred on I started writing this as a personal challenge. An engineer by profession, my desire was to see if the whole Bible could be presented as a plausible, rational and relevant book, its authenticity backed up by all the findings of science, cosmology, archaeology, history and not least, logic and reason, the culmination being to present Christianity as the way to a fulfilled life. But I realised that it could appeal to Christians who want to establish a firmer foundation for their faith and understand more of the message and plausibility of the whole Bible, and to those with a curious nature, willing to explore a different way of living.
It may be true, but so what? What is Christianity all about? What’s in it for me? The answer is that it offers the way to a fulfilled life. Here are the words of Jesus about his purpose on earth – “I have come that you may have life, life in all its fullness.”
Many would say that they are fulfilled as they are, but I will coin a phrase, “Good is the Enemy of the Best.” I was curious to see if this was original, so I Googled it (like you do), and to my amazement, this is what I found. Voltaire, an 18th century French writer and philosopher observed that “The Best is the Enemy of Good.” He explained it by saying that “Close is sometimes Good Enough” and “Exact is far too costly.” What I am saying is that The Best – Fullness of Life – is actually achievable through Jesus. But much more on that later.
This is the first booklet in a series of three and looks at the foundations of the Bible narrative, beginning with the Creation story. The second booklet covers the period from the birth of Abraham, the founder of the Jewish nation, to the birth of Jesus, looking at the interaction between God and humankind. This period represents the building blocks of the Bible. The third booklet looks at the life, ministry and promises of Jesus – the Light of the World – and the growth of the early church. So, from this I use the analogy of a lighthouse – Foundations, Building blocks and Light. Moreover, I am reminded of the words of a worship song by the group Rend Collective, with Jesus metaphorically described as a lighthouse. This is the chorus: –
“My lighthouse, my lighthouse.
Shining in the darkness, I will follow you.
I will trust the promise,
You will carry me safe to shore”
The whole song is a message of hope for the present and the future. Feel free to play it on YouTube.
For me, writing this has been a personal journey of discovery. As I began writing I realised that my own knowledge was incomplete and in searching and researching for explanations I have added breadth and depth to my own understanding, far beyond my expectations. Not only to my understanding but it has deepened my own faith and my personal relationship with Jesus. The journey goes on! I hope that through reading these little booklets you will deepen your own understanding, and your life too will be enriched. As they say, “suck it and see!”
Feel free to email me at jdwhitehead1938@gmail.com for extra copies etc
Chapter 1. Introduction
Although this is a book of theology, I have endeavoured to present the Bible in a way that is simple to understand and not too “theological”. In the process, I will explain where a word or term has a different meaning from that understood in everyday use.
I have tried to be as concise as possible. So many books of a theological nature end up with deep scholarly discussions such that a reader can get easily over faced and discouraged and end up not reading to the end and missing the conclusion. Someone once said that the Bible is so simple that we need scholars to help us to misunderstand it. But being realistic, Francis Schaeffer observed that the gospel is complex enough to keep theologians and philosophers busy writing learned tomes for years, and yet simple enough for a child to grasp the essentials. We undoubtedly owe a great debt to those who have scrutinised what is written in the Bible, but in the forthcoming pages I want to keep my arguments and my probing as simple as possible so that the central points are not missed. I will take for granted the general conclusions of biblical scholars over the past century and concentrate on what the Bible is actually teaching, what it has to say about the meaning and purpose of life, about God, ourselves, and the world we live in.
The approach will be: –
1) To present the Bible as an authentic document, by examining what it says, to test the truth or otherwise of what is written and explore its relevance for the present time.
2) To make the Bible more accessible to the ordinary reader, the reader without any special scientific, literary or theological knowledge, making it as comfortable a read as picking up a novel, an adventure story, mystery or crime novel.
3) To enable the reader to dip into its pages and have some appreciation of the context of what he or she is reading.
4) To probe the relevance of the written words to the lives of the reader and the lives of the whole of humanity.
5) To show a way to achieve personal fulfilment, with the help of a God who cares about you, even loves you, a God you can know personally.
Summing up, the main aim is to examine the nature of God and His purpose, to examine the nature of humankind and the relationship between the two.
One fundamental question is, why are we here? One explanation is that we are here by accident. When we have completed our biologically determined role, we have no further purpose. We die and that is the end. Another and rather different explanation is that we have been created by a loving God, who has stooped down to meet us. It is about having a personal relationship with this living God, our becoming part of a new family, God’s family and bringing us home to Him. This is the possibility that I want to develop.
A major difficulty with the Bible is that it is such a big book, around 1250 pages, depending on the translation and size of print, from start to finish. And one must also bear in mind that it contains writing in a number of different genres – Narrative, law, poetry, prophecy, wisdom and letters, and this is not an exhaustive list – does not make things simpler. Do we need to read it all?
The simple answer to that is no, but…..! In presenting the case for Christianity, the one thing that is required is to know Jesus as a person, to know him as the Son of God – God inside a human body. A knowledge of the whole Bible can provide a helpful way to achieve this. But for others knowledge of the Bible comes much later.
Some get to know Jesus by seeing the life and example of a friend. My wife had a colleague who, looking at her lifestyle and attitude to life, said to her, “I want what you’ve got”. She explained to her friend that Jesus was the key, living life following His example. That moment was the beginning for her to becoming a follower of Jesus and through him having a personal relationship with God, developed by reading the Bible with my wife’s guidance, subsequently becoming part of God’s family in a church.
Some come to faith by seeing God’s super-natural miraculous power breaking into the natural world of humankind and doing what is impossible by natural physical laws as we understand them.
I have a friend who was a Muslim who was met by Jesus in a dream and who subsequently became a Christian. I discovered afterwards that this is not uncommon. An internet search and sites such as YouTube will reveal many more examples of similar conversions.
In the pages of the Bible there is also help when things are not going as you may have hoped or expected. Here are coping mechanisms. The fact is that the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, recognises and addresses every aspect of human behaviour, all of our strengths and weaknesses. The New Testament in particular shows we can overcome human failings. So we can pick certain passages out to help us through difficult times or encourage and spur us on when we are not in a good place.
Equally, it is true that there is much in the Old Testament that has little or no relevance for us today, relating to the culture at that time. The dilemma is that the earlier parts also contribute authenticity and provide stepping stones and building blocks for the later parts. So I will be selective and develop the parts which highlight the main themes of “God’s Story”.
As we begin examining and analysing the text of the Bible, I am reminded of a short rhyme by Rudyard Kipling: –
“I keep six honest serving-men,
They taught me all I knew;
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.”
These are good questions to ask as we look at the Bible in our search for truth. How does what it says stand up to scrutiny when we use these searching questions – questions like, “Why are we here at all? What is the purpose? Where are we going on our journey through life? How ought we to get there?
It is a result of our curiosity that civilization has been built. This questioning starts with children of a very young age. It is built into us to ask questions. That is how we learn. There’s a reason for everything (isn’t there?). From an early age, we want to make sense of the world around us
I recall my own experiences when one of my sons was small, the experiences shared by many parents.
Daddy, why? why? why?
-why do I have to go to school?
-why can’t I have a new bike?
-why do I have to go shopping with you? It’s so boring!
Often each explanation would be typically followed by, no but, why………? The discourse was likely to end with, “because I say so!” or “because, because, that’s why!” as dad became more impatient. When my father wanted to be really annoying, he would sing the little rhyme:
“Why has a cow got four legs?
We must find out somehow.
I don’t know, you don’t know,
And neither does the cow.”
…..leaving a very annoyed young lad! Those were the days!
We ask questions and we may get answers. Probably the most fundamental questions being, is there a purpose for my being here? What is life all about? Why are some things considered important or good or beautiful? Asking questions is how we grow mentally and spiritually. Yet there are questions which we ask as adults and continue to ask, but the answers don’t ever seem to be forthcoming. In so many aspects of life we simply do not have all the answers. And so much more so in the Bible. Only God Knows! Only God has all the answers. My response to this would be to Live the Questions. Don’t stop asking the questions. But doing so leads to a number of possibilities. The first is that you forget that you had asked the question, acknowledging that the question was not important. Secondly, the answer may come when you are least thinking about it. Thirdly, you might realise that you don’t really need the answer. Finally, the answer may never be forthcoming. So, live with the questions! But don’t stop asking the questions! Just as an aside, there are no such things as stupid questions. Stupid answers maybe, but no question is stupid.
There seems to be a loose hierarchy in Rudyard Kipling’s six questions. Some are easier to address, but when it comes to the How and the Why, Science can respond to the How, but so often the Why takes us into God’s territory.
In the oncoming chapters I will begin to address these questions, but in reality, I will merely do little more than scratch the surface. The Bible is such a detailed book. It is like seeing a plane 35,000ft above, not much more than a dot in the sky. Yet in reality it is an object weighing when loaded some 100 tonnes, having a powerful energy source and a payload including passengers each with a separate existence, their own past, present and future. Telescopes and microscopes are further examples. The Bible is rather like that. The deeper you delve into its pages, you realise, as scholars over the centuries have done, that there is so much more in it.
Chapter 2
What is the Bible about?
But what is the Bible about? The simple answer to that is that the Bible is about God – from the first page to the last. It is about the nature of God, the nature of humankind and the interaction between the two. It is about God’s activity throughout the earth over time, from the universe first coming into being, the climax being God appearing in human form on the earth. The aftermath is the implications for humanity, creation then and now and in the future. It is about God establishing a moral code for humankind to live by and a unique purpose for those who choose to follow God’s way, with ultimate accountability to God Himself. It is about God With Us in the here and now and in the future. An ever-present God. It is God’s Story of how he has provided a way into an intimate relationship with each person he has created, caring for, nurturing and giving each a unique future and purpose.
The Bible is in two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament tells us that we can know about God. The New Testament shows how God in Jesus made Himself known, whereby we can know him as a person.
But if it has such a fundamental message, why has it, in our day and age, become so neglected in this country by large sections of society? Is it because so many people live what they consider satisfying lives without any recourse to religious belief and the requirements of Christian living? Each of us can live by our own moral code even if it is breaking the law, if we think we can get away with it.
Many would say they have a good life and are blinded to the possibility that there may be something better, but I will coin a phrase, “Good is the Enemy of the Best”. I was curious to see if this was original, so I Googled it (like you do), and to my amazement, this is what I found. Voltaire, an 18th century French writer and philosopher observed that “The Best is the Enemy of Good”. He explained it by saying that “Close is sometimes Good Enough” and “Exact is far too costly”. What I am saying is the converse, that The Best – Fullness of Life – is actually achievable through Jesus. What do I mean by this? Well, if things are going well in your life, you may be unaware that you are making do with second best. But when things are clearly not good, difficult questions arise like, “Why me?” “When are things going to improve?” “Who can get me out of this mess?” Even when things are bad, the best is still available. But much more on that later.
But what is fulfilling I ask? What are the things that people value? That first thing that comes to mind is possessions. – like the car, the house, jewellery, the bank balance. We have our pastimes – for instance our holidays, our hobbies, good food. Is it being successful, being liked or even our appearance? We value people – our relationships with our spouse, our family, our friends.
I quote a simple example from my own experience. We bought a fine china dinner and tea service many years ago to be used for special occasions. The truth is that it has not been out of the cupboard in 20 years, even on special occasions. Materialism ultimately loses its value, it’s worth.
Then we could look at our routines. The traditional way we have always done things.
Christmas dinner was always a special occasion in our family, as it is in most families. Over the years, as children left home and returned for Christmas, it grew to include spouses, partners and grandchildren. I recall the year there were 19 of us in all. We had to borrow tables from the church so that we could all be seated together. That was a mega-event which took days and even weeks to plan and prepare for, to purchase all the food and drinks and then the hours of cooking. Completely exhausting! That was the last time! We passed the baton to the younger generation, who had smaller family groups!
But I have accepted that……
“All good things come to an end.
It was good while it lasted.
Thank you God for the memories.”
Marilyn Monroe was a movie idol and sex symbol during the 1950’s and beyond. In part of the movie, “There’s no Business like Show Business” she sang a song, “After You Get What You Want You Don’t Want It.” Prophetic words indeed. Sadly, at the age of 36 she died from an overdose of barbiturates after a very successful career but also two marriages which both ended in divorce. By the time of her death, her films had grossed $200 million, (equivalent to $2 billion in 2020). In material terms she had everything but in reality, to her it was worth nothing! Quite simply, money can’t buy fulfilment. The “world” saw her as nothing more than a sex object. Her perception of herself seemed to be that she had no real worth. Inevitably this is an oversimplification, the full picture has many more facets.
These observations demonstrating the worthlessness of material wealth are repeated over and over again among the super-rich. But to God, each and every person has truly infinite worth. It is not that material possessions are intrinsically bad. The point is elaborated in Matthew’s gospel chapter 6 verse 33 which reads, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be given to you.” Thus, materialism in its many forms will become your servants, not your masters.
However there is a flip side to this tragic scenario of the use of wealth. For example, we can look at Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft. With his wife Melinda, they launched the Bill Gates Foundation. Their vision was to make the world a better place. “We are focused on the areas of greatest need, on the ways in which we can do the most good. From poverty to health, to education, our areas of focus offer the opportunity to dramatically improve the quality of life for billions of people. So, we build partnerships that bring together resources, expertise and vision – working with the best organisations around the globe to identify issues, find answers, and drive change.”
Worship
All these are examples of what has worth for us. This gives us another term, worship. We could include here our lifestyle, our possessions, materialism in general. Modern illustrations would include hero worship, or in the music culture, the latest pop idol. We will come back to this in more detail in due course.
These ambitions are at best only reflections of the God whose worth we are created to acknowledge and worship.
Gone are the days when the basics of Christianity were taught in schools. And gone are the days when the normal Sunday activity was going to church or chapel. I recall something I heard recently about a small boy who heard the Christmas story at school for the first time, the story of Jesus’ birth. His comment was, “But why did they give him a swear word for his name?”
Considering the whole of the 20th century we see changing attitudes towards morality in general. In a sweeping statement, looking at three generations of one family, we find typically that the grandfather will have strong moral principles which will be associated in his mind with his religious beliefs. The father may have no religious beliefs, but his inherited moral standards will keep him pretty much on the straight and narrow. The son will tend to have no religious beliefs and diminishing moral standards, leading us into the present so-called permissive society where anything goes, and sex becomes a recreational activity rather than something associated with a life-long commitment.
Yet who could deny that the culture, legal system and society in the free world has been built on the foundations of the moral code expounded and elaborated in the Bible.
But if the question is asked nowadays “What do you believe about God?” We realise that there is a wide spectrum of views and attitudes about the Bible and religion in general and each may need a different approach in order to respond.
Some would say they don’t know, they have never really thought about it
Others would say it’s just fairy tales. There is no god. It all seems so far-fetched and implausible.
Yet others would say that we are born, we live our lives and then, when we have completed our biologically determined role, we have no further purpose and die, we cease to exist – implying that there is nothing beyond materialism.
Some would say that there may be a supreme being, but it is not something that is relevant today.
There is yet another group. Members of other religions who may or may not believe in the same god as the God of the Bible.
Finally, there are those who do believe in the God as described in the Bible, acknowledging the unique identity of Jesus – a creator God revealed in Jesus Christ, with us now, who wants to give us life in all its fullness.
I want to respond to these opinions by examining what is said in the Bible, to test the truth or otherwise of what is written, to demonstrate the authenticity of what the Bible says about God and then to explore its relevance then, now and in the future. The key here is authenticity, and as I have already said I am going to approach this by looking at statements in the Bible and subjecting them to our current knowledge gained through the evidence of astronomy, cosmology, archaeology, geology, science and history, and not least, logic and reason. I would say at the outset that I am not using these tools to confirm that the Bible is true, but to demonstrate that they have not disproved the Bible.
With such a large range of initial attitudes this presents quite a challenge. Let us consider these in turn.
If you haven’t really thought about it I would like to give you food for thought, to give you something to think about. Such a person may have been born of generations of unbelief but now at this moment he cannot believe – that now at this moment he has no notion of a god at all and cannot care in the least whether there is a god or not. But he can still have an innate sense of right and wrong. That can clear the atmosphere and make it possible for the true idea of a god to be born in him.
There are those who would say that there is no god. I would respond, where is your evidence?
To those who don’t believe in God because it seems so far-fetched and implausible, it suggests they may have a false perception of what God is like. If asked for a response to the question, “What sort of god do you not believe in?” My response would probably be that I do not believe in that sort of god either. Hopefully this book will present a God who is worth believing in.
The view that it is all fairy tales is probably based on awareness of some of the graphic accounts in the Bible especially in the Old Testament – for example, the stories of Daniel in the lion’s den, Noah’s Ark, Jonah being swallowed by a whale, or in the New Testament, the Christmas and Easter stories. Out of context and away from their historic setting such observations are understandable.
To those who say that there is nothing beyond this life, I will present evidence which contradicts this, and if you have an open mind, you may be in for a few surprises.
To members of other religions, I would say, keep reading and see how far a reasoned argument takes you. I am unashamedly making a case for Christianity built on sound logic. Yes, a bold claim indeed!
Next, the Christian believer. “Yes, by faith, I believe in God through His son Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son of God, God in human form. I read the Bible, well parts of it anyway, to find out what God wants to say to us and do through us. I read about the life of Jesus who shows us a better way of living our lives. We don’t read so much of the Old Testament because the New Testament is the fulfilment of God’s promises to humankind.”
There are those who hear a short talk about Jesus Christ and on that evidence and the evidence in the lives of people around them make a step of faith to follow Christ. Or, seeing the lifestyle of a Christian thinks something like “I want what you’ve got” and is led to a belief in the love of God through Christ, available for each one of us. All this without any real biblical awareness.
Here then lies a paradox. The Bible is a book of some 1250 pages, yet some make a decision to believe in Jesus and His promises without having read any of it. A step of faith. Awareness of the Bible, particularly the New Testament, would come later. Yes, faith and trust will carry you a long way in your Christian journey, but there will be times when your faith is challenged. Questions like, “Why, God? Why me?” will come to mind. I would hope by reading this book, reading from the Bible yourself and spending time with other Christians, you will have a firmer foundation for your faith.
I have used the word faith a number of times. We will explore this in greater depth, but a simple definition is that faith is believing something you hope for. Or alternatively, belief in a presence that does not let you go. (Not as once appeared in a schoolboy essay, that faith is believing something you know isn’t true!)
Again, paradoxically the whole essence of the Christian faith can be summed up in just a few sentences. One such expression of this is a song of worship, a modern hymn, call it what you like, popular in the 1960s, words by Sydney Carter.
Lord of the Dance
I danced in the morning when the world was begun
And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun
I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth:
Chorus
Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I’ll lead you all in the Dance, said He!
I danced for the scribe & the pharisee
But they would not dance & they wouldn’t follow me
I danced for fishermen, for James & John
They came with me & the dance went on:
Chorus
I danced on the Sabbath & I cured the lame
The holy people said it was a shame!
They whipped & they stripped & they hung me high
And they left me there on a cross to die!
Chorus
I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black
It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back
They buried my body & they thought I’d gone
But I am the dance & I still go on!
Chorus
They cut me down and I leapt up high
I am the Life that’ll never, never die!
I’ll live in you if you’ll live in Me –
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said He.
There’s so much metaphor here that it needs explaining. The first thing to say is that it has nothing to do with dancing.
I danced in the morning when the world was begun, refers to God’s presence, already there at the moment of creation, and goes on to describe the creation of stars, our planet and its moon.
The rest of the Old Testament is skipped, the song continues with God’s coming to the earth, born as a baby in real time in a real place, Bethlehem.
In his ministry, the religious leaders saw him as a threat to their understanding of the scriptures and schemed for ways to get rid of him. He made ordinary people his disciples. The religious leaders got rid of him. In the end he was executed by crucifixion, the most cruel method of execution known to man. Some victims would still be alive, undergoing the process of dying for up to three days before they breathed their last.
But he was raised from the dead to a new life, a life that would never die, with the promise that he would share his life with the whole of humankind. The implication of that promise will have to wait until much later in the series. Leading us in the dance is talking about his leading in our own individual journeys through life, wherever or whoever you may be.
So it is clearly not about dancing. “I danced” implies the presence of God, subsequently, Jesus. “Lead you in the dance” implies Jesus’ invitation to lead and guide each and every one of us on our own individual journeys through life.
As I have said, I want to explore a number of avenues: –
- Authenticity – to examine what is said in the Bible, to test the truth or otherwise of what is written, to demonstrate the authenticity of what the Bible says about God and then to explore its relevance then, now and in the future. The key here is authenticity, and I am going to approach this by looking at statements in the Bible and subjecting them to our current knowledge gained through logic and reason as well as all the scientific findings, asking Kipling’s classic questions.
- Context – to examine the nature of God – the power of God, the promises of God, the purpose of God, the presence of God, the people of God. In parallel with that, to examine the nature of humankind, and then to examine the relationship between the two.
- Relevance – in response to the question, “What’s In It for Me” – to probe the relevance of the written words to the lives of the reader and the lives of the whole of humanity, and to show a way to achieve fulfilment in life, with the help of a God who cares about, even loves, each individual, a God you can know personally.
We may choose to reject the conclusion that the Bible arrives at, but it would only be fair to first consider the evidence.
But What’s in it for Me?
Can a book written some 2000 years ago really have any relevance to us today?
Here are a few examples of passages that you may find encouraging and begin to answer the question, describing some rewards and some milestones along the way.
From the books of the Jewish law we read – “I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be my people.” Leviticus 26:12.
And the words of one of Jesus’ close companions – John 3:16-18. “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not die but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” Also, John 16:33 reads, “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
And of Jesus himself – John 10:10. “I have come in order that you may have life – life in all its fullness.”
In Micah 6.8, there is a challenge. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good? And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
We read in Jeremiah 29:11-12. “For I know the plans I have for you” says the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come to pray to me, and I will listen to you.”
And finally, here is a salutary message. Paul writes in Romans 6:23 – “The wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Not just life in all its fullness, but life that continues after the death of our physical bodies.
In the analogy of the lighthouse, the light is Jesus. But as this booklet only covers the foundations, considering this is the subject of a later booklet.
I trust that the foregoing has aroused your curiosity to encourage you to read further.
Sin
Sin is just a form of wrongdoing, but it does not have a single meaning. Here is the first word that needs some explaining, especially because it is a major theme of the whole Bible and also not in general everyday use. It is basically wrongdoing. The word is used many times, but does not have a single, simple meaning. Like many words in the Bible, it is shorthand and has a number of shades of meaning which we will be looking at and exploring when we look at the underlying issues.
We live in God’s world. He created the whole universe. He created everything in it, including of course you and me. Moreover, he established a moral code to provide boundaries to our behaviour. Deviating from this is sin.
Today we have rules and laws. In the same way that the rules of football make for a better game – can you imagine the free for all if there were no rules? And what would driving be like if we didn’t have the Rule of the Road in the Highway Code. Certain chaos would follow. Driving would carry a serious risk of accident injury or even death. From motorways to pavements the rules are there for our protection and safety. It is obvious that rules are necessary. It is only by living within the limitation of rules that we have order. But so many of man’s laws are arbitrary. What makes 30 mph and not 25 mph or 35mph a safe speed in built up areas? Why 70mph on motorways and not 60mph or 80mph? Moreover, if motorway safety is the criterion, it is different at 3:00am at night from rush hour at 5:00pm in the afternoon. But God’s law is unambiguous! And similarly, adhering to it leads to freedom.
It is interesting that both a sense of right and wrong, the knowledge of good and evil, and temptation to sin are all built into us from the dawn of our creation.
There is no way of getting away with it unnoticed! God Knows! God is omniscient! God is the ultimate authority. God’s laws are moral absolutes.
Legal systems across the world, at least in the Democratic West, are a diminutive of the laws required by God’s government. This varies in other countries to the extreme that they set their leaders as having ultimate power and authority, even elevating them as gods.
A further problem is that it does not have a unique definition – each religion has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin.
Like it or not we are all under the requirements of God’s law. Breaking it leaves each one of us subject to punishment, but inbuilt is a means of forgiveness. The wages of sin is death. But there is a remedy. “……the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.” Does this make you sit up and pay attention? It is very easy to commit sin. In fact, everyone sins and continues to do so. Yes, God’s law is the ultimate requirement for moral living. It contradicts the concept in our postmodern, relativistic world that, “I do what is right for me, you do what is right for you,” and their self-denying statement that, “There is no such thing as truth.”
Beyond these foundations, the Bible explores this moral code, looking at how God’s justice is administered, looking at the people’s and the nation’s responses – including both obedience and disobedience and the corresponding rewards and punishments. But most important of all is how recompense and forgiveness can be achieved.
Although whole books have been written and are still being written on the subject of sin, its origins, outworkings and remedy, there is the above core message, and we will be sticking to that.
But there is a tension here. It is human nature to be curious and ask the question, what happens if……? This is how we discover new things and covers the whole area of research and development. We want to try things that we haven’t done before. It is built into us. But there is the overspill, which leads us to breaking the rules. Sometimes we get away with it, sometimes we get caught. Is it worth the risk?
Thinking about new discoveries and the choices we have in applying them, I recall reading that gunpowder was discovered by the Chinese. What did they do with it? They made fireworks! It was left to others to use it as an explosive and exploit its destructive power, showing another aspect of human nature.
It is time to begin to examine the Bible, what it is and what it says, bearing in mind those questions of Rudyard Kipling.