Slippery Slopes

and do not give the devil a foothold. 

Paul – Ephesians 4:27

Is there anything wrong in saying parts of the Bible are nothing more than folklore passed down through the centuries like Gilgamesh, Pandora’s Box, or Osiris? Each of these stories taught a lesson, but is parts of the Bible the same way?

I’ve heard various people say that belief in the story of God creating the world in six days does not matter in the grand scheme of the Bible. It really doesn’t matter if God created everything from scratch in six days or six million days.

Then there is the story of Noah’s ark. Could a man really create a boat large enough to house not just two of each animal, but fourteen?

Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate,

God – Genesis 7:2

That boat must have been one large piece of craftsmanship.

But does the introduction of God’s covenant really matter if there were no ark or giant flood?

Then we have the great debate of was it a fish or a whale that swallowed Jonah? Jonah is a foreshadow of Christ’s death, burial in the tomb and ultimately his resurrection. So, does it really matter if there was never a man name Jonah fleeing God?

But I believe that if you start picking and choosing which parts of the Bible you are going to say are factual and which ones are pure fiction, then you are getting ready to find yourself on a slippery slope. Because where is the line? If you say the story of Noah couldn’t possibly happen, then how can you say the virgin birth happened?

Aren’t both of these miracles?

Faith goes beyond logic and reasoning. It confounds the wise.

So, if you start saying some parts of the Bible are just stories like parables that Jesus taught, then is your faith built upon truth or lies? Is your foundation built upon a solid rock or a falling house of cards?

People may say Jesus never confirmed the creation of the world in six days. But he did however say,

But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?

Jesus – John 5:45-47

Moses is the stated author of the creation story in Genesis. If the creation story wasn’t accurate, Jesus wouldn’t affirm Moses’ writing.

Then we have the story of Noah, which Jesus also referenced.

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;  and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

Jesus – Matthew 24:36-41

If the flood never happened, would Jesus cite this event? If Jesus was perfect and never lied, could he say this if the flood never happened?

Then we come to the craziest story of Jonah. Once again, Jesus mentions Jonah as well.

The sinful people of this day look for something special to see. There will be nothing special to see but the powerful works of the early preacher Jonah. Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of a big fish. The Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the grave also. The men of the city of Nineveh will stand up with the people of this day on the day men stand before God. Those men will say these people are guilty because the men of Nineveh were sorry for their sins and turned from them when Jonah preached. And see, Someone greater than Jonah is here!

Jesus – Matthew 12:39-41

Once again, if Jonah never existed, and he was never swallowed by a big fish, would Jesus mention it?

If we say the stories in the Bible are nothing more than myths to teach us lessons then we ultimately are saying the book is no better than a book of fairytales.

Many religions admire the teachings of Christ, yet they don’t believe he was who he said he was, the Son of God. So, in essence, they call Jesus a liar. And for Jesus to call himself the Son of God, he must be mentally crazy. If someone today said they were the Son of God, we would label them a cult leader. And we would laugh at the people following their leader with their brainwashing antics.

So, if you are saying some of the stories in the Bible are not 100% true, how can you say Christ is 100% true? And if he wasn’t 100% true, then he couldn’t be 100% Son of God. And if he wasn’t 100% Son of God, then his death was for nothing. And if his death was for nothing, this religion of Christianity is nothing but a fraud behind a curtain.

But…

But if you say the world was somehow created in six days, even as crazy as it sounds, then you can agree with what Christ said when me spoke about the the six days of work in Luke 13.

But if you say Noah built an ark and saved humanity, even as ludicrous as it looks, then you can agree with with the story Christ referenced and also his family lineage in Luke 3.

But if you say Jonah was a real man who was saved by being swallowed by a big, even as unbelievable as it sounds, then you can agree with what Christ said right after casting out a demon in Luke 11.

And that is what I find interesting. Right after Christ cast out a demon, he goes into a teaching referencing Jonah. As if he knew that if you give the Devil just an inch to say that story of Jonah isn’t factual, it could cause you to be looking over the ledge of “what ifs” and “not-so-sures”.

But beware. If you stand too close to the edge you may slip and not even know it. You could be wrapping your faith around false beliefs that sound intellectually correct. Yet, once again, faith isn’t about finding sound answers. It’s about believing in the One that holds all the answers that our mind cannot comprehend.

Peace