Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Creation,” pp. 44–51; “The Literal Week,” pp. 111–116, in Patriarchs and Prophets.
“The cumulative evidence, based on comparative, literary, linguistic and other considerations, converges on every level, leading to the singular conclusion that the designation yôm, ‘day,’ in Genesis 1 means consistently a literal 24-hour day.
“The author of Genesis 1 could not have produced more comprehensive and all-inclusive ways to express the idea of a literal ‘day’ than the ones that were chosen.”—Gerhard F. Hasel, “The ‘Days’ of Creation in Genesis 1: Literal ‘Days’ or Figurative ‘Periods/Epochs’ of Time?” Origins 21/1 (1994), pp. 30, 31.
“The greatest minds, if not guided by the word of God, become bewildered in their attempts to investigate the relations of science and revelation. The Creator and His works are beyond their comprehension; and because these cannot be explained by natural laws, Bible history is pronounced unreliable.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 258.
Discussion Questions:
Look at the Ellen G. White quote above. How often, even today, do we see exactly what she wrote, even among professed Christians who, in face of the claims of science, will automatically take the claims of science over the biblical account, which would, as she wrote, imply that biblical history “is unreliable”?
Why is it impossible to take the Bible seriously while accepting theistic evolution? If you know a theistic evolutionist who claims to be a Christian, why not ask him or her to explain the Cross in light of what Paul wrote (see Romans 5) about the direct link between Adam’s fall and death and the cross of Jesus? What explanation does he or she give?
If the Bible is God’s revelation, then are not the believer’s faith and eyes opened to the greater reality as expressed in Scripture? How can Christians then be called “closed-minded” when they are opening their minds to the scriptural truths revealed by an infinite God? In fact, an atheistic, materialistic view of the world is much narrower than is the Christian worldview.
As believers staying faithful to the Word of God, how can we minister to those who are struggling with questions of sexual identity? Why must we not be those who cast stones, even with people who, like the woman caught in adultery, are guilty of sin?
Inside Story
Delayed Heart Attack
By Yiannakis Kyriazis
Dreadful abdominal pain awoke me at 5:00 a.m.
Though rested, I felt exhausted and out of breath. I was nearly 60 and not
in the best of health, so I went straight to the hospital in Cyprus’s capital,
Nicosia. A doctor examined me, said everything was fine, and told me to
go home.
My wife, Marbie, was by my side. She had been instrumental in helping
me to stop smoking five packs of cigarettes a day. She also had led me
to Jesus and membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She had
agreed to marry me only after my life changed, and I was baptized.
Here I was now, just two years into my new faith and marriage, and feeling
very unwell.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I told the doctor.
I was still in pain and wanted to know why. Seeing my persistence, the
doctor agreed to call a cardiologist, who, it was discovered, was off duty.
I waited. One hour passed. Two hours. Then five, seven, eight hours.
Around 1:10 p.m., the pain increased substantially. Struggling to breathe,
I stood up to go outside for fresh air. My head began to spin, and darkness
came over me.
Someone shouted, “Quick! He’s having a heart attack.”
At that moment, the cardiologist arrived.
Medical workers rushed me to the emergency room.
When I regained consciousness, I learned that my heart arteries had been
badly blocked.
“We did everything that we could,” the cardiologist said.
I was hospitalized in the intensive-care unit for three weeks. Once my
condition improved, doctors performed open-heart surgery. I was in the
operating room for 9 ½ hours. By God’s grace, the operation went well, and
I am strong and happy again.
Looking back, I believe that the pains that awoke me at 5:00 a.m. were the
beginning of a heart attack. I could have died right away. Yet our loving God
delayed the heart attack for a full 8 ½ hours until the
cardiologist arrived, thus preserving my life.
Today I am 61 and very grateful to God for giving me a new
lease on life. I will use the extra years that He has given me to
serve Him and others.
Part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter will
help construct a new church building and community center in
Nicosia for Kyriazis’s congregation and two other congregations.
No comments:
Post a Comment