Read Genesis 1:1-28
God said, "Let there be light." And it was. And so the creation pattern began: God said, "Let the waters separate." And it was. God said, "Let dry ground appear." And it was. God said, "Let vegetation grow." And it was. You get the point. Repeatedly, God's spoken Word created something from nothing. God's Word defined reality. God's Word defines our reality, even in the face of apparent contradictions.
Here is an example of how God's Word defines reality: I asked, "Can God die?" She said, "No." Then I asked, "Is Jesus God?" And she replied, "Yes." Then I finished with, "Did Jesus die?" Stammering, she realized where the syllogism had led her. Logic is valuable within its limits. We must often submit our reason to what Scripture says, over and against what we think and experience.
Another example: Many reason that if God were all powerful (omnipotent) and all loving (omnibenevolent) that He would not allow suffering. We know that God has not prevented suffering. Therefore, many conclude God doesn't exist. God's Word manifested through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus says otherwise.
Are you a sinner or a saint? Unfortunately for your family and friends, you are a (riffing off a Dr. Demento song!) grit eatin, scum suckin, boot lickin, drop kickin, gut grindin, nail bitin, butt scratchin, egg hatchin, sleezy, smelly, pepper bellied, dirty, lousy, rotten, stinkin sinner (cf. Romans 3:10-18).
But fortunately for you, God has declared you a saint - new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) by His powerful, reality creating Word. So even though your life is often a contradiction, we hold fast to God's Word of promise that you are forgiven: a sinner-saint.
God said, "Let there be light." And it was. And so the creation pattern began: God said, "Let the waters separate." And it was. God said, "Let dry ground appear." And it was. God said, "Let vegetation grow." And it was. You get the point. Repeatedly, God's spoken Word created something from nothing. God's Word defined reality. God's Word defines our reality, even in the face of apparent contradictions.
Here is an example of how God's Word defines reality: I asked, "Can God die?" She said, "No." Then I asked, "Is Jesus God?" And she replied, "Yes." Then I finished with, "Did Jesus die?" Stammering, she realized where the syllogism had led her. Logic is valuable within its limits. We must often submit our reason to what Scripture says, over and against what we think and experience.
Another example: Many reason that if God were all powerful (omnipotent) and all loving (omnibenevolent) that He would not allow suffering. We know that God has not prevented suffering. Therefore, many conclude God doesn't exist. God's Word manifested through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus says otherwise.
Are you a sinner or a saint? Unfortunately for your family and friends, you are a (riffing off a Dr. Demento song!) grit eatin, scum suckin, boot lickin, drop kickin, gut grindin, nail bitin, butt scratchin, egg hatchin, sleezy, smelly, pepper bellied, dirty, lousy, rotten, stinkin sinner (cf. Romans 3:10-18).
But fortunately for you, God has declared you a saint - new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) by His powerful, reality creating Word. So even though your life is often a contradiction, we hold fast to God's Word of promise that you are forgiven: a sinner-saint.