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Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
In these “Word from Scotland” pieces, I want to do something quite different. Seventeen years ago, I was asked to attempt to sweep through the Bible in ten weeks – impossible! Sometimes it might take me that long to cover a few verses – however we did it – but here goes!
Through the Bible in Ten Weeks – impossible? And yet it is good - now and again - to seek to sweep right through The Word of God.
The Bible is not one book but 66 books.
The Bible begins with GOD - this is a book about GOD - in every book in this book we learn something about GOD - about ourselves - and how God would have us live.
The Bible does not try to prove the existence of GOD. The Bible begins with GOD.
At the beginning, the Bible tells us about Creation - how GOD created - and everything was perfect - and how things went wrong.
Creation is not a secondary Doctrine. These opening Chapters are fundamental to - sin - how sin came into this world - what went wrong - how sin marred this beautiful Creation of GOD. Creation is fundamental to marriage - to clothing - and to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
All fundamental doctrines are dependent upon Genesis.
Ephesians and Romans and the Gospels refer back to Genesis - all the later writings have no problem with Genesis.
Who cares if we take Genesis literally? Jesus cares. He refers in John to the writings of Moses. Paul cared - he quotes from these writings frequently.
Man was created in a perfect environment - and things went wrong. We hear it said today that if only we can improve man's environment, we will improve the way man acts and behaves. That is not true.
In these opening Chapters of Genesis, we have man being created in a perfect environment - and the coming of sin and its tragic consequences – and the coming of pain and death.
We have here the account of the beginning of the Universe - of our world - of life - of man - man's origins.
We have the beginning of nations - languages - the people of God, the Jews - Israel - from that people comes Jesus Christ our Saviour.
We have here the answers to many and various questions. Where did Cain get his wife? Genesis 5 verse 4 tells us. The race was so pure at this time that there were as yet no degenerative genes - and of course the law does not come along until the days of Moses. There then arose a genetic reason. But when Cain took his wife there were not the accumulated genetic weaknesses at that time.
We can defend the authority of Scripture from the very first verse.
There was a curse - and our brains and bodies have suffered 6,000 years of the consequence of the curse.
Other favourite questions are - Are dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible? Is there a GOD? Was the Flood not just local? How long were the days in Genesis 1?
But then things did begin to degenerate fast - and we come to one of the saddest verses in the Bible – Genesis 6 verse 6 . But God found a man - righteous - and God called and used this man, and his family.
This is always God's way. He looks for a man and calls a man and works through that man to rescue and save and bless.
There was a flood - it was universal - everything was lost - except the eight aboard the ARK - and the animals which were brought to Noah.
Chapter 8 - GOD remembered Noah - He renewed His relationship with Noah - and the first thing Noah did when he came out of the ARK was worship. And God made a Covenant with Noah.
It is after that we read of the beginnings of nations - and how man tried to be so clever and build a tower and reach up to God. We know roughly what this tower looked like from others which were built around that time - and the European Parliament is built on this model - and European man has said, "We will complete what they began." We will go without GOD. We no longer need GOD. We have economics and money and banks and the power of political argument and debate.
But none of that is effective when man faces a tsunami - AIDS - earthquakes and other disasters.
God came down and confused their languages – Chapter 11 - until they could no longer communicate with one another as they had been doing. They babbled, and they were scattered.
It was at that point that GOD decided to do something which lies at the very heart of our world situation today. He called a man by the name of Abraham - end of Chapter 11.
If it is some time since you have read these opening Chapters of Genesis, please take time to do so – God always has a special blessing for those who make time to read His Holy Word.
Now - we have covered some 2,000 years since the time of Creation.
I am often asked – when Moses wrote all this down, how did Moses know?
Psalm 103verse 7 tells us - God made known His ways to Moses.
There are answers to every relevant question.
“Almighty God – help us to read Your Word – and to study it. Enable us to understand the Bible – You gave the Bible so that ordinary men and women could understand and be rescued and saved by Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Saviour and Shepherd and Lord. Help us at this time to enjoy that deeper and deepening communion and fellowship with You – and with one another – in Jesus Name.” Amen.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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