Real Life Ministries
For real life people with real life problems.
Real Life Ministries
Bridging Worlds of Faith and Science
What if reconciling science and faith wasn't just a debate, but a journey of understanding? Join us for an enlightening conversation as my lovely wife co-hosts with me to explore the boundary between these two often conflicting worlds. Together, we dissect Genesis 1:1-5, shedding light on Christian interpretations like the day-age and gap theories, and discuss how they attempt to bridge the gap between scripture and science. This episode isn’t about compromise; it’s about holding steadfast to biblical teachings while navigating a world that often challenges our beliefs. We promise you'll gain a deeper appreciation for the importance of maintaining a unified mindset that aligns with faith, rather than succumbing to secular influences.
As we traverse through the themes of creation and faith, we encourage a bold stance against the negativity that seeks to erode our spiritual foundations. This isn’t just a theological discussion; it’s a call to action for personal reflection and spiritual growth. Our conversation underscores the necessity of understanding scripture in its original context, urging you to fortify your relationship with God. Wrapping up with a heartfelt prayer, we set the stage for an ongoing exploration of Genesis, inviting you to join us on this continued journey of faith and understanding.
Hello and welcome to Season 1, episode 2 of Real Life Ministries with Real Life People, real Life Problems Discussing the Bible. I want to welcome you to my new and improved second episode because I have a co-host and she is my lovely wife. Say hello.
Speaker 2:Hi, thank you so much for having me this evening. I'm super excited.
Speaker 1:I'm very excited to have you Now today. I just kind of want to recap what we did last week. We went through the first four words of the Bible. We didn't get very far, but it was a very important step in what we're doing, trying to really look at ourselves and really decide hey, what are we believing? Are we believing the world? Are we believing what the Bible says? Are we believing in God? What are we doing here? Because, like James said that we read last week, we can't be in the world and believe in God. Believe in the world, believe in God. We can't be on that fence or we're going to be tossed around by the waves of the sea. So it was important for us to make a huge decision as we start this process of going through the Bible and looking at it and really digging deep into it and trying to learn it the best we can.
Speaker 1:Now, this week, we are going to get a little bit further. We're going to go into and talk about the creation, and this is a very important part of the Bible, because this is one of the parts of the Bible that is attacked tremendously from a scientific perspective, because science believes if they can prove that nature has evolved on itself, then it can disprove God. So this is a very important part of science and as we go through this, I want us to see too, because there's different points of view from the Christian perspective that also are trying to compromise and that's going to be our word of the week trying to compromise between the world and what the Bible says, and so I hope you'll stick with me and we'll go through this. Now I'm going to start out saying in the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth.
Speaker 1:This is Genesis 1.1. The earth was formless and empty and darkness covered the deep waters and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said let there be light, and there was light, and God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day and the darkness. Night and evening passed and morning came, marking the first day. Now I want to stop right there, because this is where things get a little tricky, and with the Christian perspectives of things, because many Christians believe they have to make the Bible fit with what science is saying today about evolution, about how old the earth is to be able to teach it to people or get people to believe what they're saying, because science has such a strong hold in our universities and in our schools and I think it's very sad that someone wants to compromise what the Bible is saying. What do you think?
Speaker 2:I agree.
Speaker 1:I think that science and religion both tell a story and that you know there shouldn't be one way is the right way that it does show that through history that science and religion have kind of transformed together and have proven a lot of theories yes, I've been reading some books on archaeology and and the bible and it it talks about how archaeology is actually proving the accuracy of the Bible in history and that a lot of people did not believe that that was possible, but it is actually happening. So what I want us to understand here is that there are a few different ways that Christians interpret these first few passages about the creation, because it can become very, very confusing when you've got the secular world saying one thing, then you've got Christians teaching three different things, and so you don't really know where to start or where to begin. And it's so crucial to start off on the right foot as we begin the Bible. Now. One of the things that Christians teach is the day-age theory. Then there's the gap theory. So some people believe that the earth was made, then destroyed, then remade by God and there was a span of unknown amount of time in there that accounts for the age of the earth. And then there's some that believe that there's gaps in between the days of an unknown amount of time to help account for the age of the earth as well. But now, as we read this, I want you to hear me with this so we can both be on the same page. It says an evening passed and morning came, marking the first day. So, right there, there's not any talking about. Oh well, the earth was destroyed once and then remade. There's no. Oh wait a minute, there's the first day. Then there's a gap. No, it just goes straight into the to the next day, where it says then God said let there be a space between the waters to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth. There's no gaps in there. The Bible does not talk about anything like that, and it's frustrating to me when people teach these things because they're trying to just compromise what the Bible says with what the world is saying, and then they're not only that, they're adding things to the Bible that are not there.
Speaker 1:I had trouble with this when I went to school. This was one of the issues that I was really looking to resolve in one of my classes, and it was very interesting to me of how it was presented. And it was presented in a way to where people start off with presuppositions. They already have something in their mind of how things are going to be, and that's why it was so important for me last week to try to get us on the same page and say okay, we, we all have to be pointed in the same direction and have the same mindset about this. Because if we go into this with the wrong mindset, then we're going to be pointed in a different direction. If we're worried about thinking about what the world's saying and what the Bible says, then we're going to be distracted. What do you think?
Speaker 2:I agree with you. I do think that it can be difficult and that there's so many people out here in the world putting their version on what they feel Christianity should be or what scripture says. So for me who doesn't have schooling, it can be quite confusing.
Speaker 1:Yes, I agree, it definitely can be, and that's why I want to talk about this stuff, because this is not only what the secular world is saying. These are Christian theologians that are trying to teach this stuff, which can be very confusing to Christians. So that's why I think it's so important that we let the Bible speak for itself, and one of the things that really made sense to me with this was Dr David DeWitt. He was a book that we went through, and he was one of the professors at Liberty at the time I was there, and he made it very, very clear that the word for day in these verses is the Hebrew word Yom, y-o-m Yom. Now, what that means is basically a literal 24-hour day. It can mean other things in special instances, but for the most part, this means a literal 24-hour day, and that's just simply what it means. And that is what is meant here, in this situation where God is saying that was the first day, and so that is what is meant here, in this situation where God is saying that was the first day, and so that's what is really important for us to understand.
Speaker 1:The only place in the Bible where there is an argument about what the word Yom means is in these first few chapters of Genesis, where it's talking about the days of creation, and the reason why that is is due to the secular world, the theory of evolution, how old the earth is, and all these debates on all this different stuff. That is what is driving a lot of this is compromise. Once again, we come back to our our word of the week compromise and and I want us to understand that we don't have to compromise what the Bible is saying with the world. When we do that, we are limiting God, we are limiting what God can do and say and bringing him down to our level and we are looking at him just as like another human being, when this is the ultimate creator.
Speaker 2:And that is very um, it makes you think, right, like we go to church, we read, we believe that he is higher, he's a spirit, you know, which we know, you know spiritually formed, and he is the almighty. And when we compromise the scripture, we do bring him to our level, which then kind of makes us not believe. When you're in tough situations, you know you want to fix it. We keep giving it to him and taking it back, and that's a perfect example of compromising and it starts with the scripture.
Speaker 1:That's exactly right, and that's why it is so important for us to understand truly what scripture says, truly what God can do, and really understand who he is as the creator of the universe. You know, it only makes sense that when he created the earth, he created it with age already. He created the trees to bear fruit. He created Adam and Eve at an age to where they could work the soil, they could do things Well. The trees had to be of such an age that they could feed Adam and Eve and they could sustain them. So it only makes sense that the creation that God made was of such an age to where it looked older. It was older. It wasn't just brand new right out of the box, it was made for habitation. And that's what we also have to remember as we go into the age of the earth and things. Yeah, sure, the age may not be that old, but yet it may look so much older because of how God created it.
Speaker 1:We're not God. We don't understand how he thinks and, honestly, we could never even fathom what God is thinking, what he was thinking as he created this, as he created humans, as he created us in his image. There is no way we could have thought this through and then even to the, to the end of the story. Where you know god is is, you know, bringing us back to him. Even after all of the, the things that you know adam and eve sinning and all of us being sinners, it. It just, it's amazing when you step back and you really look at the big picture and you view God and you reverence him for who he truly is. I agree 100 percent.
Speaker 1:So, as we go about our week this week, I want us to make make sure that we are definitely, you know, praying on this. We're definitely thinking about you know where we are at in our walk with God. I want us to think about where we're at in learning the scripture. Have we heard of these different teachings? Have we heard people trying to compromise what the Bible says to make it fit, maybe, their situation, maybe to fit what the world is saying? Have we heard any of these things before and and have we thought anything about it? Has it triggered anything in our mind to think, hmm, something doesn't seem right there and I really want us to be aware. You know when we're going, throughout our daily activities, throughout our work, throughout, you know, taking care of our family and different things, and I want us to really think about you know. Where are we compromising in our own lives?
Speaker 2:Yes, you know, where are we compromising in our own lives? Yes, I, I do agree with that because I mean it's. We compromise things on a daily basis and what is so hard is for us to look at who we are, and that's looking inward. We want to point judgment at our spouses and our kids and our family and co-workers, but it's really hard to step back and really look what am I compromising in my life? What am I being blind on? What is the sin that I don't want to admit that? You know I'm reading scriptures or listening to other people. That makes me feel better instead of really hearing the truth to change.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I agree with you and and I think we really need to think about how we are compromising, you know, and how it's affecting our relationship with God. Because, like you said earlier, are we thinking maybe God can't help us through this situation? Are we not as willing to rely on God because we're listening to what the secular world is saying and we're compromising that aspect of our life and we're compromising that relationship with God?
Speaker 2:or we're naturally listening to ourselves, which is in constant doubt, which is, of course, the devil, are listening to negative influences in our lives and you know, unfortunately we're surrounded by it. It's on the tv, it it's on radio. Anywhere you go, it's constant negativity, it's constant negative thinking and so, naturally, the more you hear it, the more you believe it and then it gets into your psyche and then you discredit God, what he can do for you, the helping you in your situation, and it can drag you down a very dark hole. And again it comes back to compromising the scripture, listening to false prophets, in a way of people who get up here and they're on this platform and they take it and kind of waste it, in a sense by. Hey, you know, I'm going to use the Bible and I'm going to let my congregation go away feeling good about themselves, not learning from their sin or learning on. This is something I need to change in my life, to be a better person, because right now the world's filled of unhappy, compromising, self-centered people.
Speaker 1:I agree completely with you and it's so important that, as Christians, we're not compromising in this world. There are a lot of different things in this world that are becoming the norm, and it seems like Christians are being labeled, as you know, exactly as being bad people, simply because they're not going along with what the world says. But again, we're not made to compromise our beliefs the world says. But again, we're not. We're not made to compromise our beliefs. We're not made, and there's nothing wrong with not wanting to compromise your beliefs in this world because, like the scripture says, we're not of this world. You know, we're just here for a season. Our eternal home is with God, jesus Christ. It's in heaven, and this is but for a season. However, we are here to make an impact for the gospel, and it does it frustrates me.
Speaker 2:I can get on my soapbox about this, about Christianity, and in workplaces, and you know, just being out in America, the community, the world of how we are to be guarded, of what we say, and my thing is, and something that we definitely can end on today, is God wasn't drug on the cross. I mean, let's sit and think about this for a minute. At any point he could have stopped, he could have said not me. He could have said hey, you know, y'all figure it out. He climbed on the cross for each and every single one of us. If you want to believe it or you don't want to believe it. That is a loving and caring God, and for this world to turn it into something poorly, or let's don't speak of Jesus, it frustrates me and I think this is a lot of the reason why we've started this podcast and again, I could get on my soapbox and I know we don't have enough time, but I do think that it is important as Christians that we stand for our beliefs and we're bold about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree with you, and that reminds me of a previous podcast that we really enjoyed that had the word bold and shout out Brayden. And so you know, we just want to leave you with today just really thinking about where you're at with your walk with God. Where are you at with the teaching of scriptures? How are you studying the scriptures? You know there are different ways to study it, there's different forms out there, but you know the best way is to go back and look and see what is meant from the original author, not put our spin on it. And that's what we need to understand. We don't need to compromise it, we don't need to pollute it. We need to make sure we're reading the scripture and understanding it for what God's trying to say, and not make it sound good or make us feel good about ourselves. You know it's unfortunate, but there are times when we're going to mess up. I mean, it just is and we just have to own it, we have to learn from it and we have to move forward. So, again, the word of the week is compromise and again I want us to pray about that and think about it, and I want to pray for us as we go out of this, because this is a difficult, difficult thing to look at and look inside ourselves. This is really a difficult thing to look inside our heart and really really understand where we're coming from and really where we're going, and to really let God do the leading and us really let ourselves get out of the way.
Speaker 1:So, dear Heavenly Father, lord, thank you for all you do. You're an amazing and awesome God. There's no other way we could accomplish anything without you and we need to understand that, lord, and we just pray that we don't compromise the scripture, we don't compromise who you are as our God. We understand that you are the one and only true God, the creator of the universe, and that you want to have a loving, caring relationship with us, your creation. Lord, we just thank you for that. We just pray for all these people listening and their situations and what they have going on, and for you to touch them and help them. In Jesus' name, we pray amen.
Speaker 1:Now I just look forward to seeing you next week as we continue to work through Genesis and look at different areas of where maybe we need to work on ourselves. Not only are we studying the Bible and looking at what the Bible says and learning the Bible, but we're also learning about ourselves and, again, we look forward to seeing you next week. We're going to try to do this weekly and hopefully I'll have my beautiful co-host next week with me as well. I want to say thank you to her for being on with this. I thought it was amazing.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and I support what you're doing 100%.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you very much. And again, real life people with real life problems discussing the Bible. We'll see you next time.