Creation

Genesis 1:1 thru 1:31

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…

I always thought the Bible started out…In the beginning was the Word. I was a bit surprised that it doesn’t start out with exactly those words because I’ve heard that so many times. But, each verse starts out…And God said, “Let there be” which is just another way of saying it. So the land, air, sea, day, night, sun, moon, stars, plants, and animals were created; then he created man.

Now this is the part I am going to address, not that calling forth an entire world isn’t awesome.

Genesis 1:27 – So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (NIV)

It seems to me that people generally think we are created in his image in a purely physical sense. That physically we look like God and that is as far as it goes. That otherwise we play no part in the creation of our individual lives. That God is responsible for what shows up – good or bad. To me this is a limiting and completely boring point of view.

What do I believe “in his own image” means? Truly everything God created before man was also created in his image because it/we all came from his imagination. God is the life force of everything. The difference between us and what came before us is that we were created (in the image of God) with the ability to create by our word from our imagination. I live my life out of this belief, and in order to better understand the power God endowed us with, I study and practice the principles of the law of attraction.

I also think this is what the founding fathers meant when they wrote the opening to the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

We are created from the essence of God. He brought us forth with the intention that we have a great life and gave us a very simple structure in which to live that life. Don’t worry, be happy. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Be playful. Love, Laugh, Prosper, Enjoy.

Bible Revision

My friend sent this article to me the other day. The NIV Bible is about to undergo a revision.

The purpose of this revision is to "reflect changes in English usage and advances in Biblical scholarship". The Committee on Bible Translation, who created and developed the current version, will oversee this effort.

The main focus will be on modernizing the language (with some emphasis on gender terms), though it is expected that 90% of the current NIV Bible will remain the same.

I expect that as I go along, I will have a few comments on this issue. My only comment now is that given the extensive review and approval process the original went through, I think it quite ambitious of those involved to think they will have a revised Bible by the end of 2011.

If interested, here is a link to the article. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090901/ap_on_re/us_rel_bible_translation

Preface

The Preface in summary:

The NIV Bible is a new translation of the Holy Bible worked on by hundreds of scholars working directly from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. (I didn’t know Jesus went to Greece.) This undertaking began in 1965.

The goal of the participants who worked on this translation was to produce an accurate translation and one that would have clarity and literary quality and so prove suitable for public and private reading, teaching, preaching, memorizing, and liturgical use. They also sought to preserve some measure of continuity with the long tradition of translating the Scriptures into English.

The Committee on Bible Translation, mainly biblical scholars from colleges, universities, and seminaries, accepted the responsibility of guiding the many distinguished scholars enlisted to assist in the translation and review process. To ensure an international perspective, participants were recruited from the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. To safeguard this translation from sectarian bias, participants were chosen from many denominations, including, Anglican, Assemblies of God, Baptist, Brethren, Christian Reformed, Church of Christ, Evangelical Free, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Nazarene, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, and other churches.

These translators were united in their commitment to the authority and infallibility of the Bible as God’s Word in written form. They believe that it contains the divine answer to the deepest needs of humanity, that it sheds unique light on our path in a dark world, and that it sets forth the way to our eternal well-being.

There are then several paragraphs that deal with explanations of the translation and review processes, as well as technical writing issues, i.e. spellings, grammar, punctuation, definitions, etc.

In conclusion, The Committee on Bible Translation, basically say that they gave it their best shot and offer the publication up to God with love, respect, gratitude, and the hope that it will lead many to a better understanding of the Scriptures and a fuller knowledge of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word.

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Reading the Preface of any book is always a good idea since it provides a context for what one is about to read. I don’t have much to say, other than I was impressed with the thoughtfulness and care that were taken to put forth a work of literature that best represents Christian ideals and values as passed down through the ages.

I was not familiar with the word incarnate so I looked it up. The definition in the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary is: 1a. invested with bodily and especially human nature and form; b. made manifest or comprehensible.

I liked the part about shedding light on our path in a dark world. About 10 years ago I was visiting the Bay Area in California and saw a postcard of the sun breaking through the fog over Morro Bay. I took one look at it and thought, “what a great picture of God.” So I bought it, framed it, and it’s been sitting on my bookcase ever since.

Copyright Permission

Since I will, at times, be quoting verses from the NIV Bible, I have the responsibility of stating the following:

“Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ©. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.”

Introduction

I came up with the idea to write this blog after an incident with a friend who attends a Christian-based church that believes the following with regard to the Bible. I obtained this information from his Church’s Doctrinal Statement on their main website.

The Bible…We believe the Old and New Testaments are completely verbally inspired by God and without error in the original writings, and that they are the complete, full and final authority for faith and life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)

Personally I have no problem with his Church or his faith. Spiritual worship is a personal thing. I’m happy he has such a strong relationship with God. What I take exception to is his disdainful attitude towards anyone who does not conform to his particular belief system. I maintain the position that we are often talking about the same thing; we just don’t speak the same language. He doubts that but then again, he is always so busy defending his position that he isn’t listening to a single word I say. He interrupts, he talks over me, all of the sudden whatever is on TV is more interesting than what I am saying…etc.

I prescribe to the “many paths, one God” theory of spirituality. I have read many books by authors who have interpreted the teachings of Christ in a modern way without despoiling the message. I believe these writings are also inspired by God.

You see I think God doesn't care whether you fly, drive, walk, run, or take a train. Or if you come in through the front door, the back door, or climb in through a window, as long as you come home.

So, I have decided to read the entire Bible with the intention of finding the similarities between traditional Christian studies and the non-traditional. I chose the new international version of the Bible that contains the Old and New Testaments. I decided against getting a study Bible with interpretive footnotes because I want an unadulterated experience of the writing contained therein.

I have chosen to write under the name “Genesis11” because in these verses is the story of the Tower of Babel and how God decided to confuse the language of the whole world. Mmmmm…could it be that even though we speak about our faith differently we are often talking about the same thing?