“And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth …
Continue reading GeoScriptures – Matthew 13:1-23 – Pedogenesis and the parable of the sower
"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" – Psalm 133:1 (ESV) There is only one church on Earth, and it is composed of those who, by God’s grace, have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We put different labels on ourselves, such as Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Nondenominational, Roman Catholic, and …
Continue reading GeoScriptures – Psalm 133:1 – Deep unity in Christ despite our disagreements
"For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night." -- Psalm 90:4 (ESV) Christians disagree with one another about the age of the Earth and the universe. Some Christians insist that the only possible way to interpret the opening chapters of Genesis …
Continue reading GeoScriptures — Psalm 90:4 — God’s days are not the same as our days
And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. -- Genesis …
Continue reading GeoScriptures — Genesis 2:2-3 — God’s rest and the age of the Earth
Some scholars within Christianity insist that the only way to understand the account of Noah's flood in Genesis 6-9 is that it describes a worldwide flood, which at its climax covered even the highest mountains on the planet. They point to apparently universal statements in the passage, such as where it says that the flood …
Continue reading GeoScriptures — Genesis 6-9 — Reading the account of Noah’s (local) flood
And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. …
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. -- 1 Corinthians 3:18-19 (ESV) As I get older, I hope I am getting wiser. Two things I have …
Continue reading GeoScriptures — 1 Corinthians 3:18-19 — Wisdom and folly
And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles …
Continue reading GeoScriptures — Genesis 3:17-18 — Thorns, thistles, cats, dogs, and hyperliteralism
And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. -- Genesis 7:19 (ESV) Many Christians point to the universal nature of some verses in the account of Noah's flood in Genesis 6-9 to prove that the flood must have been global in extent. For …
Continue reading GeoScriptures — Genesis 7:19 — “All the earth” doesn’t always mean “all the earth”
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” -- Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV 1984) According to Genesis, God created Adam and Eve and placed them …
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. -- Hebrews 11:1 (NIV 1984) A couple weeks ago, I was on a flight that landed in dense fog in Salt Lake City. I had a window seat, and the first thing I could see on the …
Continue reading GeoScriptures — Hebrews 11:1 — Christian faith is not blind faith
The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. --Psalm 77:16-18 (NIV 1984) …
Continue reading GeoScriptures – Psalm 77:16-18 – Deadly beauty and the glory of God
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. -- Genesis 1:1 (ESV) "The cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be." -- Carl Sagan, from Cosmos. Which of these two quotes is a scientific statement, and which is a religious statement? The initial reaction most people---including Christians--- have had …
Continue reading GeoScriptures — Genesis 1:1 — “In the beginning God” vs Carl Sagan
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. -- John 1:1,14 (NIV 1984) Perhaps one of the most extraordinary claims of the Christian faith is not that God created the universe (many philosophers believe there must be …
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." -- Genesis 3:15 ESV The Bible, despite containing passages and books with a great diversity of cultural backgrounds, literary genres, authors, and topics, has …
Continue reading GeoScriptures — Genesis 3:15 — The Protoevangelium
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." -- Genesis 1:1 One thing that young-Earth creationists and the New Atheists agree on is that if one were to believe the Bible, one would have to believe that the universe, including planet Earth, is only 6000 years old. Of course, both the YECs and the …
Continue reading GeoScriptures — Genesis 1:1 — When did “In the beginning” occur?
"In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has." -- Proverbs 21:20 (NIV 1984) This proverb condemns the fool who consumes all he has with no regard for the future. As a Christian who believes that it is as much a sin to be …
Continue reading GeoScriptures — Proverbs 21:20 — Sustainability
"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." -- Ephesians 4:15 (NIV 1984) In Ephesians 4:15, Paul calls on Christians to do two things at once. The first of these is that we are to speak the truth. The second is that we …
Continue reading GeoScriptures — Ephesians 4:15 — Speaking the truth in love
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