Clare De Graaf's Blog, page 8
August 5, 2019
Love Your Enemies
Every Christian knows the following teaching of Jesus, but let’s be honest, very few of us have much interest in actually doing that.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48
This passage is pretty straightforward. Regardless how others treat us, we are not to be unkind to them. Period. God expects us to be god-like in that regard. Does that mean God “likes,” enjoys or admires his enemies? Apparently not.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48
This passage is pretty straightforward. Regardless how others treat us, we are not to be unkind to them. Period. God expects us to be god-like in that regard. Does that mean God “likes,” enjoys or admires his enemies? Apparently not.
July 29, 2019
The Deafening Silence of Evangelicals on Racism and Hateful Talk
I go out of my way to not be political in my blogs. But occasionally, I just have to ask, “Does anyone else notice how racism and hateful talk about our ‘enemies’ is rearing it’s ugly head again, and getting worse?” I’m not ready to call any politician a “racist” (yet), but as an evangelical and historically a Republican, I’m ashamed that the leaders of our party and pastors of churches do not courageously stand up and call out any statements that pits one race against another, or values one race, or nationality, higher than another, a sin.
July 22, 2019
Poly-What? And Who Cares?
This is a true story (with names changed) from a Christian Reformed denominational draft paper on human sexuality:
During Sunday worship, Lisa, 45, wonders how church members would react if they knew she and her husband each have deep personal relationships with other people which include sexual intimacy. They practice polyamory. She and Andrew know that many biblical figures were polygamous, and the couple believe Jesus preached an ethic of love. They realize they cannot meet all of each other’s needs and are happy to have discovered deeper love with more people.
This couple isn’t just your 70’s “swingers.” There’s way more to it than “just” swapping sex partners for a night. This practice is distorting everything Christians believe about family and fidelity and it’s probably happening right in your church.
The following blog is by Dr. Preston Sprinkle, PhD. in New Testament, former professor at Cedarville and Eternity Bible Colleges and the President of The Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender. www.centerforfaith.com.
During Sunday worship, Lisa, 45, wonders how church members would react if they knew she and her husband each have deep personal relationships with other people which include sexual intimacy. They practice polyamory. She and Andrew know that many biblical figures were polygamous, and the couple believe Jesus preached an ethic of love. They realize they cannot meet all of each other’s needs and are happy to have discovered deeper love with more people.
This couple isn’t just your 70’s “swingers.” There’s way more to it than “just” swapping sex partners for a night. This practice is distorting everything Christians believe about family and fidelity and it’s probably happening right in your church.
The following blog is by Dr. Preston Sprinkle, PhD. in New Testament, former professor at Cedarville and Eternity Bible Colleges and the President of The Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender. www.centerforfaith.com.
July 15, 2019
Case For Old Earth, Biblical Creationism Part 4
A Continuation of Age Six (Day Six): Mankind (p. 54-47).
“Let us make man in our image…’So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27
A. The only Hebrew noun used for mankind in Genesis 1 is ‘adam. This noun, used frequently in Hebrew literature, refers exclusively to the first individual human or to the first human couple and their descendants. In the report of God’s creation of ‘adam, we see the third and final usage of bara in Genesis 1. Just as in the case of the nephesh, a second verb, asa, is used. Again, something about ‘Adam is completely new, and something about him is not. Because creatures with body and soul (meaning that they had emotions) already existed, the spiritual dimension of this one creature set him apart from all others. Only the human, God’s final work of the creation days, bears “the image of God.” This distinction applies to no other creature.
“Let us make man in our image…’So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27
A. The only Hebrew noun used for mankind in Genesis 1 is ‘adam. This noun, used frequently in Hebrew literature, refers exclusively to the first individual human or to the first human couple and their descendants. In the report of God’s creation of ‘adam, we see the third and final usage of bara in Genesis 1. Just as in the case of the nephesh, a second verb, asa, is used. Again, something about ‘Adam is completely new, and something about him is not. Because creatures with body and soul (meaning that they had emotions) already existed, the spiritual dimension of this one creature set him apart from all others. Only the human, God’s final work of the creation days, bears “the image of God.” This distinction applies to no other creature.
July 8, 2019
A Case For Old Earth, Biblical Creationism Part 3
Age Four (Day Four): Lights in the Sky (p. 41-46). A. For many millions of years after light first pierced the dark shroud surrounding Earth, the sky would continue to resemble the heavy overcast of a stormy day. Certain atmospheric constituents, along with air temperature, pressure, and humidity, would have prevented any break in the […]
July 1, 2019
A Case For Old Earth, Biblical Creationism Part 2
Age One (Day One): Light comes to the earth (p. 28-31). “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was […]
June 24, 2019
A Case For Old Earth, Biblical Creationism Part 1
My blogs for the last three weeks we’ve been dancing around the question, “How old is the earth.” You may not care, because you’re firm in your faith. But I’m confident you have people in your life for whom the idea of a young earth is a true obstacle to their faith journey. So whether you’re spiritually mentoring someone, or you have a grandchild resisting true faith, you should at least understand an alternative biblical worldview that faithfully attempts to understand science in light of the Bible.
Almost everything you’ll read the next few weeks is scientific theory. While it has its basis in both scripture and science, not every premise the author makes, is provable. And frankly, neither is evolution. Both are theories. The next three blogs are long, so get a mug of coffee and let’s jump right into it.
Almost everything you’ll read the next few weeks is scientific theory. While it has its basis in both scripture and science, not every premise the author makes, is provable. And frankly, neither is evolution. Both are theories. The next three blogs are long, so get a mug of coffee and let’s jump right into it.
June 17, 2019
Where Did Christians Get the Idea Adam and Eve Were Only 6,000 – 8,000 Years Old?
I was raised believing the Bible showed that Adam and Eve were 6,000, maybe 8,000 years old and I held that belief until about 20 years ago. But, where did Christians get that idea? The following explanation was edited from a paper presented by the Institute for Creation Research.
Once the Bible became available in English, some British church leaders busied themselves with figuring out the precise date when God created Adam (and Eve, presumably). Genesis 5, together with Genesis 11, served as the basis for their calculations. The math seemed relatively simple and straightforward. Add the ages of the fathers to the ages of their sons and work backward from the fairly well-established date for Abraham. Cambridge University’s Vice-Chancellor John Lightfoot and the Anglican Archbishop of Ireland, James Ussher, actually became caught up in a race to see who could publish an accurate date first. By the middle of the seventeenth century, they announced to the world that Adam was created in 4004 B.C.
Unfortunately, the more widely and deeply this date became entrenched in published Bibles and Christian thinking, the wider and deeper became the credibility gap between educated people and biblical faith. For the first time the Bible became an object of ridicule. And this “problem” may be keeping people you know, or are trying to introduce to Jesus, from taking the Bible seriously. So, what’s wrong with Lightfoot and Usher’s calculations?
Once the Bible became available in English, some British church leaders busied themselves with figuring out the precise date when God created Adam (and Eve, presumably). Genesis 5, together with Genesis 11, served as the basis for their calculations. The math seemed relatively simple and straightforward. Add the ages of the fathers to the ages of their sons and work backward from the fairly well-established date for Abraham. Cambridge University’s Vice-Chancellor John Lightfoot and the Anglican Archbishop of Ireland, James Ussher, actually became caught up in a race to see who could publish an accurate date first. By the middle of the seventeenth century, they announced to the world that Adam was created in 4004 B.C.
Unfortunately, the more widely and deeply this date became entrenched in published Bibles and Christian thinking, the wider and deeper became the credibility gap between educated people and biblical faith. For the first time the Bible became an object of ridicule. And this “problem” may be keeping people you know, or are trying to introduce to Jesus, from taking the Bible seriously. So, what’s wrong with Lightfoot and Usher’s calculations?
June 10, 2019
How Old Was Adam and Eve?
In last week’s blog, I tried to make the case that the more we know about science, the closer we move toward the Bible. Some scientists are slowly discovering that God may have gotten it right after all.
One of the most fascinating scientific discoveries that should be moving scientists even closer to a biblical account is captured in a video, The Real Eve. This video is produced by The Discovery Channel, no friend of Christians or of a biblical worldview. Here is the basic premise for, and startling claims they make, for modern humans being only 150,000 years old.
About 150,000 years ago, a woman in sub-Saharan east Africa gave birth to a daughter. This woman was the first modern human being. And what we now know from the study of DNA, every single person on earth today came from her! Just let that sink in for a minute. How do they know that?
One of the most fascinating scientific discoveries that should be moving scientists even closer to a biblical account is captured in a video, The Real Eve. This video is produced by The Discovery Channel, no friend of Christians or of a biblical worldview. Here is the basic premise for, and startling claims they make, for modern humans being only 150,000 years old.
About 150,000 years ago, a woman in sub-Saharan east Africa gave birth to a daughter. This woman was the first modern human being. And what we now know from the study of DNA, every single person on earth today came from her! Just let that sink in for a minute. How do they know that?
June 3, 2019
Is Faith Compatible With Science?
The very first sentence in the very first book of the Bible is this bold declaration:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1
The commonly held belief that faith isn’t compatible with science, makes many of the non-Christian men I meet with wary of faith. My guess is that you have children, grandchildren and friends who believe in order to have faith, you have to throw your brains out the window! So my next few week’s blogs will be devoted to helping you dialogue with these doubters in your life.
A few weeks ago, I heard Dr. John Lennox, a brilliant professor from Oxford, and a committed followers of Jesus, speak on the topic, “Is faith compatible with science?” “Of course it is,” was the first sentence out of his mouth! He then went on to make these important observations.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1
The commonly held belief that faith isn’t compatible with science, makes many of the non-Christian men I meet with wary of faith. My guess is that you have children, grandchildren and friends who believe in order to have faith, you have to throw your brains out the window! So my next few week’s blogs will be devoted to helping you dialogue with these doubters in your life.
A few weeks ago, I heard Dr. John Lennox, a brilliant professor from Oxford, and a committed followers of Jesus, speak on the topic, “Is faith compatible with science?” “Of course it is,” was the first sentence out of his mouth! He then went on to make these important observations.
