Genesis Revisited #2 – Beliefs Held

Christianity, like any other religion, holds tightly to beliefs.  However, long-held beliefs do not make them true.  When the Bible does not explicitly affirm what we want it to say, justifications and rationalizations arise that in time take precedence over what the Bible actually says.

One such dogma concerns creation described in Genesis 1-3.  We read the passages as if all the details we learned as children are there, blind to their absence.  Please, open your Bible and see what is not there.

Genesis never says God made everything perfect or anything perfect.  Not one idealistic word or phrase is presented to the reader.  If they existed in the Hebrew, then the English translators would have used them.  In addition, not one biblical writer proclaimed a perfect creation, an immortal Adam, inherited original sin, or even an immortal soul.  Yet, these theologies dominate our understanding of creation and our lives within that creation.

Many of you will quote Romans 5:12 to prove Adam became mortal.  However, that entire book makes a case for spiritual life and death, before we physically die.  Paul was skilled in the use of logic.  He would not have made such a blunder.  If v12 referred to Adam’s physical death, then the life given by Jesus in v17 would have been physical.  The people Paul/Saul once killed would not have died physically.  Paul never claimed that happened.  He did not emphasize a distinction here between physical and spiritual.  Theologians pulled one verse out of context to make a point not made by Paul.

We can interpret Genesis 2:16-17 in like manner.  A literal translation of God’s command to Adam is not “you will certainly die” (NIV), believed to be the origin of mortality.  Instead, it is “dieing thou dost die” (YLT), or “…to die, you will die,” which sounds suspiciously like second death.  If physical death already existed as part of creation, then the natural laws set by God did not change, and the innocent humans could understand the threat of God’s words.  Satan knew that what God meant was spiritual death.  He did not lie when he took advantage of the misunderstanding.

God did not change the laws of physics.  The Bible does not say, “No rain fell before Noah’s flood.”  Genesis 2:4 begins with a similar creed to Genesis 1:1.  Then, v5-6 gives a short version of the creation.  There was a time before man who tilled the ground (Day 6).  There was a time before plants that required rain (Day 3).  There was a time before rain when only mists watered the ground (Day 2).  Both accounts are brief outlines, which beautifully match the detailed scientific timeline of the evolution of earth.

Genesis never mentions a lamb snuggling up to a lion.  This imagery comes from misquoting Isaiah 11:6-9 and 65:25, and combining that with the descriptions of the lion and lamb of Revelations 5.  Pretty artwork solidified the belief.  However, neither prophet attached their metaphors to Eden, only to the future.  God created carnivores from the beginning of life.

After the first sin, God curses the serpent, but He never curses the humans.  The word “curse” was added in titles that are not in the Hebrew text.  This influences the reading of what follows.  Try reading the passage with a soft tone instead of a growl.  God’s dialogue does not convey anger toward the people.  The ground is “cursed” to grow unwanted plants, but that, like everything else God tells them, could simply be a forewarning of the future.  The people were no longer innocent.  Knowledge would change their perspective toward everything, even plants.

Adam and Eve did not “fall from grace.”  God came to them and stayed with them.  He taught them to tan animal hide to make clothing.  God spoke to them and their children, even the one who committed murder.  He continued to be with and speak to every generation.  God gives grace freely and generously.  What “falls” is our willingness to recognize His presence.

The expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden was not for sin or treason.  The people ate from one tree but were not permitted to eat from both.  No words of condemnation exist in the text.  God even tells the cherubim that the people now had knowledge like theirs.  God-like knowledge…  The ability to choose between good and evil…  That is a good thing… if used properly.  That is the Bible’s dominate theme.

God did not change the laws of genetics.  Not one biblical writer expressed surprise at the first dead animal (mortality) or of one animal eating another (carnivorous).  No one wished for our return to a perfect Eden where we could live immortal.  Biblically, immortality was always given as a quality of heaven, and heaven was never described as a lush garden.  Biblically, mortality always ruled on earth.  Immortality comes with God’s invitation to join Him in heaven.

Some of you will cry, “You are destroying faith in the Bible!”

I answer, “No.  I give you a miracle that will astound nonbelievers.  I proclaim no conflict exists between belief in the biblical Creator and the science of nature.”  Without unbiblical details, these ancient texts actually agree with standard science.  And, when I say agree, I mean all of Genesis One and almost all of Genesis 2-11 match the evidence as presented by scientists.  That includes the Big Bang and the evolution of humanity.  Yes, Genesis supports evolution!

Those Bronze-aged writers could not have known what we know about the universe.  Yet, without the unbiblical details, the first eleven chapters agree with recent discoveries.  Actually, this is the first time in history when humans understand the universe well enough that we can unlock the wonders held in these texts.  That much agreement goes beyond “dumb luck.”  It provides strong circumstantial evidence of external insight.  If the texts were inspired, then there is a high probability that inspiration came from the God described in the texts.

Harmony.  Yes, that is a miracle.

To be continued:

[Lessons from Creation’s Parables: Genesis and Standard Science, Sung as One, by Jo Helen Cox.]

Also in this series:

Genesis Revisited #1 – What to Worship

Genesis Revisited #3 – Who Is the Creator?

Genesis Revisited #4 – Meaning of Days

Genesis Revisited #5 – A Poetic Creation

Also see series:

Eden Revisited

Eden Revisited