My answer briefly put was, Yes. If we do not take Genesis literally (using the original Hebrew text) then we will fall into a trap questioning what else in the Bible is not literal, Jesus' resurrection for example.
One person's defense for not accepting a literal interpretation of Genesis was John 6:54, "whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life." They stated that this was not to be taken literally and they are correct....BUT Jesus made that clear when you go back and read John 6:51, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven." (Any time something is symbolic in the Bible it is made clear by the speaker and when taken in context.)
My thought for today is this: Our acceptance of God and of His Word, becomes a matter of pure FAITH. Take my unicorn for example. Did it really exist? The unicorn is mentioned in the Bible 6 times (Numbers 23:22, 24:8, Job 39:9 and 10, Psalm 29:6, 92:10). Now it may not have looked like my painting, but it did exist. Also the great leviathan and the same with dinosaurs coexisting with man, because they were both created on Day 6 (Genesis 1:24-31). You can read more about that in an earlier post of mine.
Arabah stated something rather profound in her response to the discussion on Sept 5th,
"As missionaries in an atheistic country, this issue [6 literal days of creation] is actually really important. It is hard for local believers here to accept evolution in Creation as they are coming out of atheism/evolution when they accept Christ. This means they read it as a literal 6 day Creation, as do I.
Sadly, some of the "expert" westerners here are confusing them more with all the academic knowledge and apologetic reasonings they are passing on. While the educated westerners wax eloquent, the local scratch their heads and wonder what is going on. A simple person should be able to read the Bible and know the Truth. I think we muddy the waters trying to make things so intellectual."
We, the educated, are 'muddying the waters,' and I agree with Arabah. What must we do to correct ourselves? It is stated so simply in Hebrews 11, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Jesus himself speaking to Thomas said, "because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed, Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed (John 20:29).
In what is my daily scripture today, Jesus said (sadly, I think), "except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe" (John 4:48). I'd rather accept His blessing and believe with the evidence I have not seen. It's a simple matter of faith.
May you have the substance of things hoped for today.
Laura
Illustration Note: I realize this original is in bad shape - I did it back in apx. 1994. I wanted to use it for today's post and I had to dig through my art closet to find it. My oldest daughter loved unicorns. She was about 9 when I painted this especially for her. I remember receiving the biggest hug when I gave it to her. She's now grown and perhaps a little beyond decorating with unicorns, maybe her daughter would like it. It is acrylic painted on canvas paper.
