Agreed. What did the first Christian missionaries tell people? They told
them that Christ is risen from the dead, and that by his atoning death on
the cross, their sins are washed away. All they must do is trust in him.
That seems to me a more powerful message than that the flood occurred at a
particular place and time.
I enjoy the
>discussion, but it seems to me that we are going back and forth talking
>about concordism and complimentarianism philosophically. What I want
>is answers to the following:
>
>1) Does the Bible teach that there was an historical flood? Was it
>local or global? If yes and local, is there ANY scenario that is
>POSSIBLE or is the Bible wrong?...
Or is our best current
>position one of
>"We have no idea how to reconcile the flood accounts with science.
It may be that some key information needed for a reconciliation simply has
not come to light at this time in history. For that reason it behooves us
to keep looking.
It
>sure
>looks like they are in conflict, but I'm not giving up the faith
>because of what I've seen God do in my life or because I'm convinced of
>the resurrection (or whatever other basis you have for your faith)."
Calvin and later the Westminster Divines (as well as other Christians
through the years) teach that it is only the Holy Spirit working in our own
hearts that enables us to be convicted of the truth of Scripture. We can
offer physical evidence til the Lord returns, and I daresay even if we
could offer irrefutable evidence, some people would not believe. It is the
work of the Holy Spirit to convince men of the truth of Scripture. All
these evidences contribute to the case the Lord brings together to convince
an individual, but it is the Lord's doing that he/she is convinced, not the
missionary's.
>
>These are fair questions and saying that "the Bible does not
>give precise information or data" does not help, unless you can
>convince me that the relevant passages are largely non-historical. Can
>anyone do this for the flood passages?
>
>
>2) Was there a Tower of Bable event? If not, or if a literal reading
>greatly exaggerates what happened, can you show me why I should not
>read it literally?
>
>3) Was there an historic Adam and fall? When and where did he live (at
>least within one million years and 1000 miles!) If you cant tell me
>when and where can you at least come up with one possible scenario?
I can't answer these. I quite frankly believe that Adam and Eve were real
individuals, that there was a historic fall, that the Tower of Babel event
described in Scripture represents a real historical event, and that the
flood was a real, historical event. To a skeptic who denies all of the
above, or to the Christian who despairs because he can't establish
definitively the time and location of them, all I can say is, "keep
looking." But my faith is not built on the characteristcs and ages of
rocks. My faith is built on The Rock.
Like it or not, we who are believers are believers because the Holy Spirit
entered our lives and performed an act of regeneration that enabled us to
recognize that Jesus Christ is Who He claims to be. Then we were in a
position to freely accept Him. _That_ process (regeneration by the Holy
Spirit) will not likely ever yield to scientific analysis.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William E. Hamilton, Jr., Ph.D.
1346 W. Fairview Lane
Rochester, MI 48306
(810) 652 4148