I have, for over a year, written about the book known most commonly as the Holy Bible. I do so without apology, because I believe the Bible is the word of God, and should be spoken with clarity and conviction.
In addition, I need not defend what’s in its pages, as the Bible can speak for itself. And if I apologize for what the Bible has to say on any subject, I run the risk of offending God. I don’t want to be guilty of that ever.
So, for the sake of argument, or that we may agree to disagree, let me offer up my thoughts on the subject of God’s Holy Word.
Noting that there are at least 2,877 versions in 1,918 languages (including some books in Klingon, and a version in Elvish, the language created by J.R.R. Tolkein for his tales of middle earth), and considering that all the English versions we have today have first been translated from the original Hebrew and Greek, plus some Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke, is there any way in you-know-where that we could have an accurate accounting of, say, creation, considering no one was there to see it?
Speaking of creation, I looked at 20 versions of Genesis, the first book of the Bible.
To clarify, some of these are translations and some paraphrases, not literal word-for-word transliterate renderings of the original Hebrew. All but one of those begins with these words:
In the beginning
I can’t remember where I saw it, but one translation (or, more accurately paraphrase, not an actual translation) I recall put it very elegantly, in a way that to me captures the way I have come to understand God:
“When it was time, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Millions of years ago? Thousands of years ago? Billions of years? I don’t know. Suffice it to say He began His creating process when it was time, and not a millisecond before. That’s what I have come to believe.
In the beginning is very non-specific, giving away nothing that would tell us when it happened, but the fourth word in Genesis chapter one is very specific.
God
Now, it’s at this point I may have lost some of you. There are several points of contention already in the first verse of scripture, which in full reads “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” It would be easy to argue what in the beginning truly means, and why do some versions say heaven and others heavens. But the real controversy is the word “God.”
In the beginning God.
A simple statement of faith. You either agree with this statement or disagree, there is no extra qualifier, no circumstance where you might say “oh, I believe in God in this particular area.” In the mind of everyone reading this, He either exists or He doesn’t.
It’s your belief, so own it. Simply put, if you can’t get past the fourth word in the Bible, you might as well stop reading. At that point it will only present itself as a myth, or a made-up story.
Created the heavens and the earth
Now, if the fourth word has you shaking your head, the rest of the first line will have you rolling your eyes. In Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew word for “created” is bárá, which is only used relating to God. When humans create something, we use preexisting materials. But when God created the heavens and the earth, He did not use preexisting materials because, prior to the act of creation, God alone existed.
You want me to prove it? I can’t. God created the universe ex nihilo, or “out of nothing.” Yes, it’s hard to believe and even harder to convince someone that it’s true. So I won’t try. Doctrine and theology have been debated, used as weapons and changed so many times by man to suit the moment that they have become almost useless outside of the church, and even sometimes within.
So, what’s left for the believer? How can one trust fully in a God who exists independently of time, space, and matter? How can I believe that He loves me and has a plan for my life? How can I believe that my steps are ordered and my path chosen in advance?
I just do.
•••
I don’t claim to be religious, just a person of faith. You might call it blind, dumb faith. I’m okay with that.
Allow me a side note here: When we come to understand that there is such a thing as God’s timing, we can be assured that He never comes late to the party.
In our human frailty we may shake our fist toward heaven and demand to know “God, where were you when I needed you?” That is a serious overreach, and a failure to understand our relationship with the creator of the universe. He does not answer to us. If I were to talk that way to my dad growing up, I would expect to be quickly put in my place.
•••
But let me assure you, if you can get past the first four words of the Bible, it can open up a world to you that gives hope in these uncertain times.
Commented