GOD IS NOT A MAN!

1 Sam 15:29 – “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.”

The curse of humanity is that man refuses to elevate his vision of the Almighty. The thought above deserves emphasis: GOD IS NOT A MAN! In Psalms 50:21, God speaks to the wicked: "These things thou has done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself....". As Isaiah records in Isaiah 55:8, 9, God says: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts; neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts..”

So much of the response we make to the Almighty comes from the misconception that God IS like man. "Man" can be deceived; so, we think we can deceive God. We know that we can hide things from "man", and so, we think we can hide things from God. We can sometimes "get around" "man", cajoling or teasing him into accepting what at other times he might reject-and so we misbehave in the presence of God thinking that we can persuade Him that we are not so bad, or that he will simply overlook our "shenanigans". With the passing of time, "man" is prone to forget the bad acts of himself or others (think of how we fondly remember the dead, and overlook the many times he may have disappointed or failed us); God never forgets! "Man" tends to play favorites with those he regards as special; there is no respect of persons with God (Acts 10:34).

The words of God are not like the words of "man". Even the silence of God is not like that of “man”. Often, God reveals as much by what He does NOT say, as by what He does. And, through it all, God is ABSOLUTELY true to WHO and WHAT He is. Everything He thinks, says, or does is perfectly consistent with His nature and character. We must learn to think as the Thessalonians thought, described by Paul in 1 Thess. 2:13: "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of man, but as it is in truth, the word of God...” As Paul says in Rom 3:4 - "Let God be true, and every man a liar...”

INTERPRETING THE WORD OF GOD

            Man has concocted many different approaches to interpreting the Bible. Catholics believe that the church is the arbiter of the meaning and application of God’s will. Other denominationalists believe that doctrinal questions can be settled by a vote of their denomination’s governing body. Still others think there is no God-given means of understanding the word – each of us must decide what the Bible means for ourselves, and what it means for me may be altogether different than what it means for you. But while no single method of interpretation has been adopted by the religious world as a whole, God expects us to interpret the Bible accurately and to understand the sacred text according to His original intent.

            Paul wrote, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). The New American Standard translates that last phrase: “handling accurately the word of truth.” If there is a right way to divide the word of God, then there certainly must also be a wrong way. Some today think that we cannot understand the Bible. But Paul said, “[W]hen you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ…” (Ephesians 3:4). This understanding does not depend on some mystical, direct operation of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “"If anyone wants to do His [the Father’s] will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority” (John 7:17). Anyone with an open mind and honest heart can study God’s word and understand it. It may takes days, or weeks, or months, or even years, but we can understand what God expects of us; we can grasp the teachings of scripture.

            All of this raises the question, how diligently are we applying ourselves to studying and understanding the word of God? Are we zealously pursuing the knowledge of God contained in the Bible, or is our interest rather half-hearted? Many rely on others to do the heavy-lifting of interpreting the Bible for them. They want a clergyman to simply tell them what to believe and do. The Bereans were more noble-minded than such men. The Bible tells us that “they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Are any of us so nobly and diligently inclined? -The Editors

THEISTIC EVOLUTION

The theory that man is upon this earth as a result of the process of evolution will ever remain a theory. Many are they in the field of science who now recognize the hopeless difficulties with which Darwin's theory is fraught. We are confident that as true science progresses, the theory of evolution will die. There are reputable authorities who boldly assert that the theory is losing popularity.

There is yet another group that, while denying Atheistic Evolution, advocates Theistic Evolution. Among this group will be found many so-called preachers of the Bible. Theistic Evolutionists hold the position that man evolved from the ape. God is responsible for man's appearance upon the earth, but through the process of evolution -- so they tell us! This concept provides its advocates with some of the missing links in their self-conceived chain of events.

Bible believers will immediately see that such a position contradicts the Bible account of creation. Theistic Evolutionists gain entrance into religious circles because of their claim to believe in God. But with them they drag in the basic doctrine of the Atheistic Evolutionists. Namely, that men and apes have the same ancestry. Their concept is that God created a tiny cell and gave it the power to multiply. Then through many miraculous transmutations of species all living things developed. In the process of which evolved the pre-eminent creature called man. Thus, these theorists begin with the very lowest state of things and through the evolutionary process present man as the highest state of things. The Bible account is precisely opposite. Man is presented as having been created a mature, intelligent, perfect being and without sin, and in a harmonious relationship with God his Creator. Then man, through choice, sinned, and thereby fell from divine favor, deserving of condemnation. (Gen.1-3) Thus, the Genesis record presents man as having been created perfect in every sense, and then through the exercise of his own volition sank into moral imperfection. The first state being regained only through obedience to Christ. (1 Pet. l:2l-24; Rev.2:10; 21:16-27; 22:14,15)

Let it be said loud and clear that Theistic Evolutionists are infidels! They do not accept the Bible as the infallible word of God. Hence, they deny the Bible account of creation. We hasten to say with firmness that their theory will forever remain a theory. Theistic Evolution is as saturated with as many unsolvable problems as is Atheistic Evolution. Its advocates are false teachers, who are engaged in a diabolical scheme which serves only to lead man away from God and His Word. (Rev.2l:8)

There is no way to harmonize the theory of evolution and Divine creation. To accept the former is to deny the latter...and vice versa! Theistic Evolution has nothing over Atheistic Evolution to offer the Bible believer. In fact, it has nothing at all to offer those who accept the Bible as the inerrant, Word of God…as indeed it is!

CHANGING: REAL OR IDEAL? 

Christians are committed to turning the world upside down (Acts 17:6) not by preaching anarchy and political upheaval but by preaching the gospel and changing men. Move men and they will move mountains---mountains of hate, fear, injustice, error and ignorance. Christians are dedicated to changing the real world with a vision of the ideal world. It is not easy. The size of the task must be matched by a great faith in God and in the power of his word.

The Biblical ideal is that men be one in the Lord---religious unity. The real situation is one of division, dissension, and denominationalism. Some would change the ideal to fit the real--- use the book that denounces division (1 Cor. 1:10-13) to defend division. God wants us to change the real by the ideal.

The Biblical ideal is that human sexual appetites be satisfied in marriage. The real situation of our world is too often one of pre-marital and extra-marital invo1vement---fornication. Some try to change the ideal by clever arguments calculated to justify the real---"situation ethics" and the “new morality.”

Back to Newsletter Archive                           Home