Literally

Recently a fairly high profile "Christian" artist came out and said that they did not believe the account of Genesis in the bible to be literal. They have explained that because of science and reason, they just can't accept that what the bible says is what the bible means. While there are many responses that I could write in regards to these statements, I want to focus on one particular issue in this post. (I may write about some of the others later on.)

The first temptation of man.

Genesis 3:1 NKJV - Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" (Emphasis added)

The first thing satan wanted to do was to convince God's creation to question His word. This is the exact same thing satan is doing to God's people today. Convincing them to question the truth of what God has said.  Once we begin to entertain thoughts that what God has said is not what He really means, we open ourselves up to the deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons that Paul wrote about in 1 Timothy chapter 4.

The bible tells us that we stand on a firm foundation. Questioning God's word is not a firm foundation, it is a slippery slope that ultimately leads away from God. I know this slope very well. I slid down it when I was 13 years old and walked away from God for a long time. I had so many questions that didn't seem to have a biblical answer and the only place that wanted to talk about those issues were the realms of science and reasoning.

I have since come to the conclusion that science did not have the only answers...it simply had the easiest answers. It was easier to accept what science had to say about the history of the world than it was to study out what God said in His word. It took much less effort to just blindly accept proposed scientific theories than to try and find the answers in scripture. As a young man, the easier answers were just fine with me. However, as I have matured and grown as a person, I have found that the easy answers no longer satisfy my longing for truth. It is only as I study the bible with the help of the Holy Spirit that I have found the truth that satisfies my soul.

These truths are written in very black and white terms, with no real room for self interpretation. God's word is not an allegory or a metaphor, it is truth. It is not a poem, it is history. It is not to be reinterpreted, it is to be studied and accepted.

To all of you who may be tempted to question, "Has God indeed said...". Don't give in to the temptation. Stand up tall and sure, shouting form the rooftops, YES! Our God has indeed said!

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