What does it matter? That was the question a friend asked of me as we discussed whether the universe is 14 billion years old (as modern science asserts) or much less than 10 thousand (as a literal reading of the book of Genesis demands). That’s a fair question. And with God’s help, I’ll attempt an answer. For me the truth of Genesis is analogous to the ground upon which my house is built. If there is an earthquake fault line passing under my bedroom, then my house is not safe. If the foundation of my house is unstable, then my house is both worthless and dangerous. I should abandon it and rebuild upon solid ground. In the same manner, if the foundational book upon which every biblical doctrine is based is untrue, then I can hardly trust anything else I read in any of the other books of the Bible either. So what difference does it make? Well, if the Genesis record is wrong or misleading about historical facts such as the age and origin of the universe, then the rest of scripture is suspect at best. Why should I trust any of it? If Genesis is not true, we have no reliable explanation for the origin and continuing presence of evil in the world. Evil is with us -- where did it come from? Why is evil so pernicious? Why can’t we eradicate it? Why does evil not diminish in inverse proportion to civilization’s advancement? Why does evil seem to eventually creep into and contaminate every good thing we try to do? Genesis says it’s because of a congenital birth defect we’re all born with, a defect called original sin, the effect of Adam’s sin. But without Genesis, sin is not a systemic problem of mankind, and therefore there is no basis for having ultimate and unchangeable standards of right and wrong. If Genesis is not true, then man is not inherently estranged from his creator and in need of salvation. If Genesis is not true, then God gave us lies and misrepresentations – in a book in which he claimed to be truth personified. And if Genesis is not true, then man may legitimately argue that there IS no God, no creator to answer to at all. If Genesis is a lie, then the whole Bible could very well be a lie for all we know, and therefore we may set our own individual rules within our sphere of authority. Our rules may conflict with our neighbor’s rules, but so what? His rules are no more right than ours. Why should I care about my neighbor anyway? What can he do for me? If Genesis isn’t true, my only real incentive for caring about my neighbor is selfishness. I’ll care for him, but only to the degree that he returns the favor. If Genesis is not true, then Hitler was not wrong, and the worst that can be said of him is that he was just not powerful enough to impose his version of “rightness” upon the world. If Genesis is untrue, terrorists may be a nuisance, but their acts are not inherently wrong. If morals are transient, and if man makes his own rules, then might always makes right. Without Genesis there is no personal Satan to resist and no personal God to obey. And if there are no eternal consequences, why not just do what is right in our own eyes, or do what we believe we can get away with? If there are no eternal consequences for our behavior, then theft and murder are okay, and society may even codify them. But if Genesis IS true, then there really is a God, and we all have a single progenitor, Adam, who really did fall into sin and thereby curse his progeny with spiritual death. If Genesis is true, that speaks to the continuity and truthfulness of the rest of the Bible, and a truthful Bible requires accountability from each of us. If Genesis is true, this life is not all there is, death is not the ultimate end, and we all have a future appointment before our Creator. Accepting that is scary, because it makes us accountable for our actions, so I suppose it’s understandable that so many would prefer Genesis to be a fairy tale. If I stated a belief that the stars control our destiny, few people would care, and many would probably agree with me. But if I assert my belief in the historicity of Genesis, I know I’ll touch many nerves. Why? Why is that? I believe it’s because there is something deep inside each of us that knows that Genesis is the true record. Genesis as it is written touches us in places we’d rather not be touched, and that should set off alarm bells somewhere deep within us.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 12:31:16 +0000
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