Question:
Nightingale emailed the following and I thought I would answer on the board for the sake of all to hear my answers and we all can learn together.
Nightingale's questions:
I am having problem discerning what actually happened in the bible and what was written in story/parable form so that humans could understand it. Take, for instance, the 3rd Chapter of Genesis. Did a serpent literally tell Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil?
Answer:
Yes, the serpent (satan in the form of a snake) literally did tell Eve to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As you know God had instructed Adam and Eve that they could eat of any tree in the garden but not the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Question:
Or was this just symbolic of all temptation? Is this how we developed a sense of "higher level" reasoning?
Answer:
The Bible has several ways of being interpreted. One is to take the actual Word literally (what it says) and another is to take it symbolically (meaning the interpretation carries with it a type of imagery that is speaking to a need we might have). You can also understand it alegorically (a type of interpretation such as a boat in the midst of a storm in the sea meaning the protection in the midst of the general ills of our society) or through parables (teachings such as illustrations). This is not to limit the interpretive powers to only these four but to give you an idea of ways of looking at Scripture.
Usually the literal approach will be backed up by other passages relating to the same event or will be referenced several times in the Bible. It can be even historically proven. However, most people will look at the Book of Revelation to be symbolic since the imagery used is pretty much a one time occurance.
Question:
Could we, at one time, communicate with animals?
Answer:
Yes
Question:
What was the serpent's/temptation's motivation behind getting Eve to eat the apple?
Satan's motivation from the beginning was to be God himself. He was very persuasive and he got many angels to follow him causing a great conflict in heaven. This happened in the process of creation. Gabriel, the arch angel, (or was it Michael, the arch angel - not necessarily important to know which right now unless you are going to heaven before you find out and you meet Michael or Gabriel and they bring up the subject ) fought with satan and he and those who followed him were cast out of heaven.
On earth, satan continued his same beguiling ways of deceiving those he came in contact. He knew that Adam and Eve were favorites of God and he knew that if he could cause them to break from God's command that it would go against the very nature of God to punish them thus create a flaw in the fabric of creation and God's commands.
Satan's plan failed as God had promised them death should they eat of the tree. When they ate of the tree, they were cast from the garden and death came upon them with age. However, His love was not removed from them as He continued to care and protect them even though they now were in a new walk with Him.
Satan continues his plan even though, through the cross, he knows that he is defeated. Revelation tells us that his power is through deception. Getting people to believe a lie. Eventually, satan will have to face God and does so in Revelation Chp 20 when Scripture says that fire reigns down from heaven and he is eternally destroyed and thrown into the lake of fire.
Question:
If Adam and Eve were chatting, working with God in the garden of Eden and everything was, well...perfect, why did God need for Adam and Eve to obey him?-(weren't they already?) I guess I am asking, if everything was perfect...why did Adam and Eve need a free will?
Answer:
Adam and Eve did not need a free will. They would not even know what a free will was if you had asked them. God needed to know that they truly loved Him and the only way to find that out was for man to have the ability to choose to love Him of his own free will. Adam could just as easily chosen not to love God. He had free will to choose. Now because of choice, and he did love God, God knew that He was truly loved by his creation and now He could have a true fellowship with Adam and Eve.
You are a new convert to Christianity. Prior to your conversion, you had a choice. You could choose to love God or not to love God. You made the choice of your own free will. Now because you are not a robot, God knows and you know that you truly love Him.
Question:
Why did God feel that there was a need to introduce evil into the world?
Answer:
God did not introduce evil into the world. Man introduced evil into the world. God knew that evil would be a part of His creation because He allowed free will. Free will is the ability to make choices. Some of those choices are not right and those choices can create evil.
In Genesis the 6th chapter, you will find that God repented of His creation because all that was on man's mind was evil and he wanted to destroy them all. Had not Noah found grace in God's sight, He would have destroyed the entire creation.
Those boys in Littleton, CO, through their choices, introduced evil into the school halls that day in the slaying of those young people. But now God uses that event for good and over a 100 lives have been brought to a saving faith in Jesus during three funerals. At Cassie Bernal's funeral alone, over 75 decisions were made to accept Christ during the service. Did God do that so that these could accept Christ - NO! But He did use the event and now good comes from it.
Keep in mind, however, God did not go "Oops, I did not know that was going to happen!" He knew it, He saw it coming, and used it to make good out of evil. Could He have stopped it - SURE but did He - NO. He sees from the beginning to the end and we can not comprehend His thinking, but when we can not see His Hand, we can trust His Heart.
Satan does not have the power to make good come from evil - only God can do that. And it is man who makes choices that creates evil.
Question:
Were Adam and Eve just blindly following and God felt like they needed a chance not to follow?
Answer:
Yes, otherwise they would have been robots doing only what He commanded. You are leaving out the element of love in the equation. He wanted love to be the reason they chose to follow Him. He says that I will be your God if you will be my people.
Question:
About the Bible authors: Is there any accurate information about the Bible authors in books (or other places) that we can access to get an idea of what kind of people they were. I would imagine that, even today, if these same people had gotten some insight from God and they tried to share it with others people would try to have them committed.
Answer:
There are numerous articles and books about the authors of the books in the Bible. Libraries, the internet, and commentaries are available either for purchase or for reading.
When you learn the background of the authors, you will find that even God in the penning of the Scriptures through their hands allowed their ifluence to be manifested in the style of their writings. Matthew was a tax collector (accountant - he grouped his writings like an accountant), Luke was a doctor (more specific in his writings covering all bases as a doctor), Paul came from the ranks of the Pharisees and Sadducees and was able to talk their language, etc.
Yes there are books and they are available. A good starting point for a new Christian is the Halley's Bible Commentary. It is an inexpensive commentary to help you as a companion resource.
Keep in mind also that God's Word is finished for mankind. There is an old saying about the Bible - "If its new, it is not true and if it is true then it is not new."
Question:
How was it decided what books would be added to the bible and what authors were credible as having true insight from God?
Answer:
The cannonocity (putting together the books of the Bible) of the Bible has been studied for centuries. Most of the reasons accepted is first and foremost, the inspiration of God's Hand in the writing through the timeless ages and has stood firm in man's mind. Second, we have the acceptance over the ages by christiandom. Thirdly, the universality of acceptance in the credibility and the uniformity within the books as they relate to each other. There have been some writings, for example, that have not been accepted as they do not relate in the same manner to teachings in other books. This in no way limits the acceptance of these reasons as being the only methods for choosing, but they will give you an idea of why the books were chosen.
It happened over the ages under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Summation:
Feel free to post these questions and your responses on the Cartaste. (Actually, please do!!) I would like to continue with the "bible study," as it seems to be turning out to be on the Cartaste, if it fits the direction that you wanted to go with the forum. I tend to get really rambunctious when I get started on something and I don't want my desire for answers to be seen as some sort of agenda for the "right wing Christians" on the board and turn people off. Or for my questioning to possibly be a deterent for anybody, in any way, to find their way to God. I fear that some of my questions might do that. Perhaps you are right, I should begin a more dilligent effort to find a Bible-centered Church and get my questions answered on a local level.
Then again, I wonder if God has some purpose for me airing my questions in this forum. Perhaps, He is using us both. I will definitely pray, as I have, that we can use this forum to lead people to Christ. Let me know what you think about this.
Statement by CP:
We learn together. You have caused my mind to visit some areas that I have not thought about since I was in seminary and this is good. Please continue with your questions, however, I still want you to know that I am not your pastor, nor can I be your pastor. Your pastor should be the man in the pulpit teaching you from God's Word and feeding your heart with understanding that can come only from the inspritation of the Holy Spirit as your pastor opens the Word of God to you.
Others learn with us. My prayer is that we say something or clear up an issue that is an obstacle for someone that might now allow them to come to Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. To that end we seek.
God bless you in your continued study.
B
CP

Answer:

Adam and Eve had two children, right? Cain killed Able and then Cain was scorned by the rest of the community. Where did those people who scorned Cain come from?
I never took the creation story literally. I believe God created men and women (male and female he created them) but simply can't accept the creation stories (there are two versions aren't there) literally.

Answer:

Opie,
Sorry to be so long in getting back to you. The question of gay rights has been running rampant and I have been trying to keep up with it.
Your questions regarding Genesis 2 have caused problems for many people including some noted scholars of our day.
First, many believe that there were two creations not two creation accounts. They hold that God did not like what He did first and took it back in His hand and molded it again getting it right the second time.
Second, there are those who hold that time and creation had to start sometime and obviously since man was not here to record it, it is the imagination of man and perhaps an answer to how it all started. These are those who hold to the myths of creation. Similar to your beliefs of not accepting it literally. The evolutionists of our day like to pick up on this one and state that there is as much credence for their version as it is for God's version.
Thirdly, it is thought that God created the earth and the inhabitants and that when He was ready to start His plan into action, He merely selected Adam and Eve from the midst of the people at that time and started His own little Garden of Eden and placed them in it and this was the start of the recorded Word. Not that they were the authors of the book of Genesis.
The creation account with all people is commonly referred to as the nothingness of the world as there was no guidance or order in the creation and when it says that He made Adam and Eve from the dust of the ground or as referred to as the nothingness it merely meant that He picked Adam and Eve from the nothingness of the existing people. This is referred to as the late Adam theory.
My belief is that God is God and can not nor will ever do anything that is not planned nor willed to imperfection. When He created the earth and man He did it in one swoop and it happened just as he planned.
The second creation account that you refer to is but an illumination of the first. As you will note there is more detail to the second than to the first. More detail to the actions of man and woman and the animals clearly not given in the first chapter. More detail, but not chronicled as the first as those actions are not critical to the account.
Lastly, the Bible is not a meant to be a chronilogical account of everything that happened on earth beginning with the creation. What is chronicled is the fine thread of salvation (known as the scarlet thread through the Bible) that is available to man from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation.
It is not a book of science, yet there is science in the book. It is not a book of history, yet there are historical accounts in the book. You can go on and on with what it is not, yet what it is - when in essence it is His letter recounting the birth of His Son, His walk among us, His crucifixion on the cross, and His resserrection from death unto life for us and that we can share in His life through our belief and trust in Him.
Where did all the people come from - well if the book did not chronicle every birth and every event then obviously some things happened that were not mentioned and since they obviously were not key to the scarlet thread through the Word, not until the scorn for Cain was mentioned did they get mentioned.
I trust that this will help you in your understanding of the early events of the Word.
Stay in the Word and God will give you what He wants just like He is giving you these answers today.
B
CP