A regular collection of current news and issues in the church, country, and world.
Here are some excellent thoughts on the recent Ken Ham and Bill Nye creation/evolution debate, as well as a quick look at four views on the historical Adam:
Bill Nye’s Reasonable Man – The Central Worldview Clash of the Ham-Nye Debate – Albert Mohler
Lessons from the Ken Ham vs. Bill Nye Creation Debate – Rick Phillips (Reformation 21)
Four Views on the Historical Adam – Tim Challies
Malachite
As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—
the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice
for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying,
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,
“Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered,
“I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
– Luke 19:37-40
I love rocks. I collect rocks. I have a LOT of rocks. I still remember my father-in-law helping my wife and I move several years ago. He picked up a really heavy box and exclaimed something to the affect of: “What do you have in here, rocks?” And then he looked at the label on the box, and sure enough, that was exactly what was in the box.
Creation proclaims the glory of the Creator. The beauty of so many rocks points to the beauty of our God. The wide variety of colors, textures, and designs points to the creativity of our Creator. Rocks proclaim the glory of the Lord.
Of course some rocks are more beautiful than others. As I stroll across the pebble beaches along Lake Superior, some rocks stand out. And in a world full of people, Christians should stand out because of their faith and love and humility and joy. We should stand out as our lives proclaim the glory of God.
Luke 19 records how Jesus entered into Jerusalem to the praises of the crowds. The Pharisees of course were upset and told Jesus to rebuke his disciples. But Jesus declared, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” Was he speaking literally? Should we think of rocks developing mouths and singing the praises of God? Or was he suggesting the sad irony that all of creation declares in its own ways the glory of God, but too often we as the pinnacle of his creation fail to do so? If stones declare the glory of God, how much more should we.
With those thoughts, I am going to start a new Monday series called “The Stones Cry Out” featuring rocks from my collection. My hope is that it will remind us to join the rocks in praising God. This new series will rotate with “Declaring the Glory” and “Songs of Passion.” My hope is that all three will remind us at the beginning of each work week to praise the Lord – for he is worthy of all our praises. His glory fills the whole earth. We even find it in the rocks he has made.
Sturgeon River in Baraga County in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
Old Mission Peninsula, north of Traverse City, Michigan
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
Old Mission Peninsula, north of Traverse City, Michigan
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
Who am I? Last week we said that we are creatures made by God and dependent upon God. We are also image-bearers of God. God made us in his image after his likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). That means that I am like God in certain ways:
• I am a rational being – God made me like him to think. Consider the thought that went into creating the world. And then God gives Adam and Eve the task of having dominion over it (Genesis 1:26). In one day, Adam names the animals (Genesis 2:19). Consider the thought required to do all of that. God made us to think like he does. And so we ought to think! We ought to use the minds God gave us. We ought to learn. We ought to think through our actions. We ought to think.
• I am a relational being – God made me like him to love. God is three persons in an eternal loving relationship with each other. God shows his love for Adam and Eve as he provides for their needs and enters into a relationship with them. And God made us to love as he does. The two great commands are to love God and love people. We are to live in a relationship with God and the people around us. And those relationships are to be governed by love.
• I am an occupational being – God made me like him to work. Again consider the work that went into creating the world. And then God gives Adam and Eve the job of having dominion over it (Genesis 1:26). He creates a garden and tells Adam to take care of it (Genesis 2:15). God made us to work like he does. Whether it is a job, the raising of our families, or the chores around the house, God made us to work.
• I am a recreational being – God made me like him to rest. After 6 days of creating, God rested on the seventh day. He looked at his creation, and proclaimed it good. He enjoyed the results of his work. And we too are called to rest, to enjoy the work of our hands, the work of our minds. Rest from our labors is a good thing. God created us to rest like he did.
• I am a moral being – God created me like him to live uprightly. God is righteous, holy, pure, good – without any taint of evil. And we are to be holy as he is holy (I Peter 1:15-16). God commanded Adam not to eat of a certain tree, and Adam was to obey (Genesis 2:16-17). And God has given us commands that we are to obey. God made us to live uprightly.
I am like God – made in his likeness as a rational, relational, occupational, recreational, moral being. That is who I am. And I ought to live like it.
Au Sable River in Lower Michigan
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
Who am I? This is a huge question in our world. And many people are looking for the answer in all the wrong places. Who am I? The Bible has a lot to say about who we are. And the answer begins in creation: I am a creature.
I am a creature made by God. “So God created man” (Genesis 1:27). God made us. He is the Creator; we are the created – the creatures. There is an infinite difference between God and us. He is God; we are not. What’s more, we were formed from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). We are living walking dirt.
And we are dependent dirt. He made us – our very existence depends on God. We depend upon God for food – we have food only because God created a world for us to live in that has food. We depend upon him for our abilities – he made us with mouths, eyes, ears, hands, and feet able to do numerous things. We are creatures made by God and dependent upon God.
My identity as a creature made by God and dependent on God calls for a response of humility. The cocky “look at me” attitude so common in our world is completely out of place – and downright foolish. What are we saying? Look at me – one big pile of dirt! I am dust boy. I am dust girl. Not very impressive. Not much to look at. We need humility.
And as a creature, I am not God. The world doesn’t revolve around me. God is not at my beck and call to answer my every whim. The people around me are not my personal slaves. Things don’t have to go my way. I need humility.
I am a creature made by God and dependent upon God – and my identity calls for humility.
Sturgeon River in Baraga County in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
Brian J. Mikul 