Jesus’ Testimony in Question
Yesterday, we looked at God’s testimony of creation. His Son, Jesus Christ, through Whom “all things were created,” and in Whom “all things hold together,” (Colossians 1), gives His own testimony in the Gospels. When the Pharisees asked about Jesus’ view on divorce in Matthew 19:3, He answered them saying, “Haven’t you read that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’…?”
His answer actually holds a lot of information important for us in 2023: in asking if they’d read His reference, He assumed they were familiar with the Torah and believed that it was true; He affirmed that human beings have one of two possible genders, male or female; He affirmed marriage is between one man and one woman; and more importantly for my current post, He affirmed that mankind was created at the beginning. Six days into the history of the world is “at the beginning.” Coming onto the scene millions, if not billions, of years after the “Big Bang” is not “at the beginning.” Do scholars and teachers who adhere to macro-evolution realize they’re essentially telling us that Jesus didn’t know the truth about Creation in His human state?
Yet Jesus was still fully God even though He became fully man, and since He was there at the beginning (John 1), He would know how it happened and how long it took. He didn’t empty His brains in the trash when He took on flesh.
But to listen to some of these scholars, apparently Jesus’s testimony is in question. So … how many other testimonies of Jesus are in question? And if He got the timeline for mankind wrong, how many other points I listed above did He get wrong? And if this part of the Gospel of Matthew is in question, how many other verses are in question? And if this Gospel is unreliable, how reliable are the other Gospels?
Scripture Interprets Scripture
Most Christians who have done any kind of Bible study would understand the phrase, “Scripture interprets Scripture,” which essentially means that whenever we come across an unclear passage of Scripture, we use the more straight-forward passages of Scripture to help clarify the troublesome passages. New Testament writers often quoted Scripture from the Old Testament to make a point. We’re able to understand some of the prophecies in Revelation because we can refer to the book of Daniel. So, I find it interesting that many of the Bible scholars and teachers who want to argue for Scripture interpreting Scripture in issues relating to communion or Hell or the role of pastors or the spiritual gifts, throw out this guide when it comes to Creation vs. evolution. The fact is the concept of macro-evolution is not found anywhere in the Bible. One must reach outside of Scripture and bring man’s ideas into Scripture in order to fashion this idea of macro-evolution.
Need I remind us man wasn’t there to know how it happened?
But God was.
Other Books in the Bible
Speaking of Scripture, Luke 3 follows Jesus’s genealogy all the way back to Adam. But if Genesis 1-11 is steeped in myth and allegory, we’re told by some scholars that Adam, Enoch, and Noah weren’t real people. Yet, how can a physical man have mythological people in his bloodline? He can’t.
What about in Romans and 1 Corinthians when Paul builds an entire argument around our need for Jesus Christ, comparing Him to Adam? One can’t build a case for a real man when comparing Him to a mythical man.
Jude talks about Enoch. 2 Peter makes a comparison using the Flood as part of the example. Job mentions the creation. 1 Chronicles opens with an historical record from Adam to Abraham. Hebrews has an entire “Hall of Faith” in which the writer highlights Enoch and Noah. Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Matthew are other books that mention Noah. Ezekiel, Joel, and Revelation mention the garden of Eden. And these are just the highlights. The fact remains that when we come right down to the nitty gritty, Genesis imprints on every single book in the Bible. Which means the Bible falls apart when we discredit Genesis.
Genesis gives us the answers for:
- why human life is important
- why human life supersedes all other life on earth
- why we have two genders
- why we have marriage between one man and one woman (God created & defines marriage; not men, governments, or even the church)
- why we have family
- why we work (work was instituted before the Fall)
- why we have one race but different ethnic groups
- why the earth can’t be destroyed by mankind or today’s “climate change” (Genesis 8)
- why we have sin
- why we have a fallen world marked with death and disease why we need a Redeemer (again, the first prophecy was given in Genesis 3)
I hope I’m helping you to see why Genesis is so important, why it has far-reaching ramifications, and that we don’t need a seminary degree to comprehend the truths God wants to impart to us.
But wait! There’s more tomorrow …
If you missed yesterday's post, you can read Part 1 here. Go to Part 3.
Scattered Whimsy 
Laurie,
You’re doing a great job – keep it up…
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What you really should understand is that scientists look at actual physical evidence instead of just blindly believing 100% in the bible. Why Should anyone believe that the bible is 100% true just because the bible and many people claim it is.
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No one should believe the Bible is true just because it claims to be true. We believe the Bible is true because it’s PROVEN to be true; the evidence attests to its validity. In the Old Testament alone, there are over 25,000 specific places verified in history, and the prophecies that have been fulfilled and continue to be fulfilled confirm the Bible (over 300 prophecies about Jesus have been fulfilled thus far). There are numerous accounts of skeptics who have attempted to disprove Scripture, but end up believing in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior because they found Scripture to be true. Christianity is not a blind faith; it’s a reasonable faith.
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OK. That makes sense. However many parts of the bible blatently contridict other parts. Many things in the bible are horribly imoral like it says if your son is disobedient, you disaplin him and he continues to be then have the whole village stone him to death. It also says that a rape victim must marry and stay married to her victim. I agree that there are great passages in the bible, but the bible is not one book. It is many books by various authors from various times with different points of view all put together. The cruel parts are mainly in the old testament, and yes Jesus teachings of unconditional love and helping the poor are great, as well as many other passages like 1 Corinthians 13 (the love chapter). So I think you have to look at both sides. And some of the claims in the bible are scientifically inacurate. And people make stuff up; make-believe. So just because parts of a story are true like mentioning real places doesn’t mean the whole story is. Hollywood does this all the time with movies that have some truth but some stuff made up. You can’t take any book and just decide to 100% believe it is all perfect. You have to use critical thinking.
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If you recall, I said up front on Day 1 that I didn’t write this for the non-believer; to do that would have required me to write an entire book, maybe a series of books, not a few simple blog posts. There are plenty of resources available out there that deal with each of the issues you brought up in your last comment. One good resource is J. Warner Wallace’s book, Cold Case Christianity, which I see has been recently updated. Here’s the link in case you’re interested: https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Case-Christianity-Updated-Expanded-Investigates/dp/0830785302/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2AYDWAL3M3ZGN&keywords=cold+case+christianity+by+j.+warner+wallace&qid=1701728598&sprefix=cold+case+%2Caps%2C168&sr=8-1 It’s also available on Hoopla, if you just want to borrow it or listen to the audio without having to pay for it.
There are many solid explanations for the things you’ve brought up, which is why I’m confident in my faith (which is not blind faith, but reasonable faith), but it would take too long for me to address them here. I’ve been on my Christian journey for over forty years, seeking the Lord, studying the Bible, going to classes, reading commentaries, asking questions of those wiser than me, reading the opposing arguments, wrestling with my doubts (it’s okay for Christians to have doubts now and then). A case for the Christian faith cannot be made in a few blog posts or 30-second TikTok videos, though those two venues can easily cast doubt on someone who is weak in his/her faith and/or who doesn’t know the Bible well, or is just a bystander with no skin in the game. A solid Christian faith requires lots of study, prayer, and a heart that seeks after Truth. If you’re seeking the Truth, I’d encourage you to start with Wallace’s book in one hand, the Bible in another, and go from there as the Lord leads you. C.S. Lewis is also another excellent, and obvious, resource, as is Francis Schaeffer.
Blessings,
Laurie
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