Adam’s Animals

One of my favorite programs once upon a time was a TV show called “Zoo Parade.” It featured a wildlife expert named Marlin Perkins. I enjoyed the antics of the various animals as they were brought into TV studio. Lining up animals and talking about their peculiar characteristics was fascinating and still is. A trip to the zoo with the grandchildren is an opportunity to marvel at the variety of animal life God has created. Can you imagine what it must have been like when God brought before Adam several hundreds of animals to name? It has been said that it would have been possible for Adam to name about 3,000 of the basic kinds of birds, domesticable animals, and smaller wild animals in about five hours. Naming the animals was the occasion for the first man to demonstrate his rule over creation.

We are told in the Bible that “the earth brought forth living creatures according to their kinds – livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” Through an economy of words there is given a summary of the creation of domesticable animals (e.g.,cows, dogs, cats), large non-domesticable animals (e.g., dinosaurs), and small animals that crawl or creep close to the ground (e.g., chipmunks, turtles). They were made out of the same material as man, the basic elements of the earth. Evolutionists would have us believe that the existence of similar broken genes in the genomes of humans and chimps proves their common descent. But why not understand similarities between humans and animals as traceable to their Creator?

Animals were made for man, not man for animals. Did Adam and Eve have any pets? We can only imagine. One thing we do know is that one of the animals, a serpent, appeared to Eve. Satan used it as an instrument of deceit. Whatever form the serpent had in the garden, Eve was not frightened. She carried on a conversation with the voice of the evil one with relatively deadly ease. The rest is history. One of God’s fallen celestial creatures used another creature, an animal, to bring our first parents and all other human beings into the domain of spiritual darkness.

As we read on in the story of redemption the world becomes increasingly corrupted by sin. It gets to the point that God was sorry he made man, animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky (Gen. 6:7). How did animals share in God’s curse on living creatures? Did the development of carnivorous appetites make them increasingly hostile to man? What we know is that animals, creeping things, and birds were doomed to die in the deluge. However, enough of them found a home on Noah’s ark so that the new world could be populated again with “birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Gen. 8:17). It is also stated that after the flood of Noah’s day God gave human beings permission to eat animal flesh (Gen. 9:3). Never has God rescinded this dietary permission. Though restricted in various ways for the nation of Israel by the Mosaic Law, meat is an accepted menu item. But even the Mosaic dietary laws were lifted under the New Covenant (Acts 10:15; 1 Tim. 4:3, 4). Those who choose to be vegetarians have the freedom to do so, but there is no spiritual advantage to a meatless diet. Certainly no Christian has the right to judge other Christians because of what they eat or do not eat (Col. 2:16). The protocol for our nutritional needs is determined by common sense eating and attention to God-honoring care of the physical body.

Because of the curse of sin animals die just as human beings do. Human life is sacred. Animal life is not. God provided garments of animal skin to clothe Adam and Eve in their new sin-conscious world (Gen. 3:21). It was upon two animals that physical death was first visited. It took the death of an innocent victim, the animal, to cover a sinful Adam and Eve so they could have fellowship with God. Animal sacrifice became necessary for man to worship God. We can follow a trail of animal blood from the first family, to Noah, to Abraham, and throughout Israel’s history. The shedding of innocent blood was necessary as a condition of forgiveness for man, the sinner. Israel’s sacrificial system was a major pedagogical preparation for the Messiah who came to shed His blood so that sinners might obtain eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12). Reader, do you know God’s forgiveness in Christ? The death of an animal is not a pleasant thing, but even more grievous was the piercing through and crushing of Jesus Christ so that we could be accepted by God (Isa. 53:5; Heb. 9:14). Now is the time for you, dear friend, if you have not already, to call out to God for His forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ.

The fact that animals have played a vital role in redemptive history does not mean that they can be treated with cruelty. Wisdom tells us that “a righteous man has regard for the life of his beast, but the compassion of the wicked is cruel” (Prov. 12:10). Henry Morris has aptly summarized the truth that is stated here, “When God placed animals under man’s dominion (Genesis 1:26-28), this was a stewardship, not a license for cruelty. God has a purpose for every creature, and even though man can use animals for food, clothing, etc., they should be respected as creatures of God. However, animals should not be regarded as human ancestors or as gods to worship (Numbers 11:21-34; Job 39).” Well said. Animals that are placed in our care should be treated properly. Feed them. Take good care of them. Enjoy them. We have every right to establish laws that punish people for being cruel to animals. At the same time, one has to wonder so many moderns can be incensed over pain inflicted on animals and have no regard for aborted babies.

The role of animals in man’s fall, redemption, and restoration will be completed in the millennial kingdom when Eden-like conditions will exist in the animal world. Isaiah casts an eye on that day when the wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, and the lion will eat straw like the ox (Isa. 11:6-8). If words mean anything, this is a picture of the harmony that creation will experience when the Messiah comes to establish His kingdom on earth. Lion petting and people friendly wolves and leopards excite the imagination. Will the bluebird light on our shoulder and the rabbit hop toward us for a scratch under the neck? We can only imagine. Best of all will be the presence of Jesus Christ. We will see Him whom so many have loved and served though having not seen Him. Come Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church

Meals on Wheels

The drive-through window at your favorite eatery can be a useful convenience. If you are eating the right kind of food (believe it or not some healthful meals can be created in the fast food world) and are pushed for time, the “may-I-take-your-order” system can work for your advantage. The same is true when it comes to truth. There are various ways you can make of a meal of God’s Word. You can study the Bible in your own private world. This should be happening in the life of every Christian. Small group Bible studies offer the opportunity to hear God’s Word taught, ask questions, and encourage fellow believers. Special things happen in worship services of the local church. Corporate worship offers the church family a united experience in hearing and doing the eternal Word of truth. Believers can enjoy the opportunity to think about and act upon a particular passage of Scripture and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ together.

But what if you have to miss the Sunday morning or Sunday evening service? May I suggest that you access the convenience of listening to the sermon on the internet, a C.D. or a tape. This will keep you up on what is happening in the congregational life of the church and nourish your own soul. Keep a supply of sermons on C.D. or tape in your automobile. Work out a system so that you can at least hear some exposition of the Bible during the week. This is an excellent way to redeem the time. Personally, I have listened to thousands of hours of Bible teaching in my truck when running errands, visiting someone in the hospital, and driving to my daughter’s house near Chattanooga. Beth and I have enriched our lives by attending Bible conferences while driving on the interstate to visit family and friends.

Last Sunday morning Justin preached on Matthew 5:27-30. It was an excellent treatment of a vital passage for dealing with lust and temptation. If you missed the message, get a tape or C.D. Listen to it and pass it on to someone else. Being there would have been good, but don’t let an absence go without some compensating action. Last Sunday evening the sermon was “Overcoming Depression.” Do you know how to think through in a biblical way the dark side of human experience? Some Christians have a better knowledge of the world’s interpretation of depression than what God has said. This should not be.

Our church, of course, is not the only source of Bible teaching. There are other excellent places where Bible truth is taught. When you find one of these, pass that information on to your friends. A network for recommended truth-meals is one way we blind beggars who have experienced God’s eye-opening grace can tell other blind beggars where food is to be found. In this way some of our car-time can be turned into meals on wheels.

Running With Endurance

The Peachtree Road Race offers runners of varying abilities the challenge of covering the distance of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) in the early morning heat and humidity of July 4 every year. This year’s race will be my 34th run from the Lenox Mall to Piedmont Park, though in the earlier years it began at the Sears store in Buckhead and finished in Downtown Atlanta. One thing is required of all entrants; world class runners, age group competitors, or fitness aspirants. Physical endurance is necessary.

Long distance runners know the value of endurance. Whether it’s a marathon or a 10 kilometer run, durability is required. Actually, endurance must be combined with stamina and speed in a competitive road race. Endurance gives the runner a strength base on which stamina can be built so that a desired speed (pace) can be maintained. These principles of road race training illustrate basic truths about the Christian life. We will come back to this.

What is the role of endurance in the Christian experience? One popular writer has said, “Must we endure to the end to be saved? Yes.” But what does this mean? Do believers in Jesus Christ have to hold on to their salvation through the sheer force of their will by means of good works in order to go to heaven? Does perseverance in the race of the Christian life clinch one’s salvation? The basic question before us is this: “Must those who profess Christ as their Savior endure to the end (of their life) in order to be saved?” To answer this question certain words have to be defined. First, the definition of the word “saved” must be properly understood. The Bible speaks of salvation from sin in three tenses. (1) We are saved from the penalty of sin (Rom. 8:1). This is a free gift, and comes because of God’s saving grace (i.e., we do not earn it). It comes by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone (Jn. 3:16). (2) We are being saved from the power of sin (Jn. 10:10; Gal. 5:16). This is a process of growth/maturity in Christ which is a lifetime in nature. (3) We will be saved from the presence of sin (Rom. 13:11). At that time there will be reward for perseverance in the faith (Rom. 2:6-7; Gal. 6:8). According to the Christian’s faithful obedience there will be rewards.

Secondly, the truth of endurance has to be understood. Does endurance bring us our justification? Absolutely not. If so, then our acceptance by God is based on our works. Justification becomes an ongoing process. This is not biblical (Eph. 2:8, 9; Rom. 3:24). Does endurance bring about our glorification (salvation from the presence of sin)? Absolutely not. We do not earn our entrance into the presence of God, nor do we have to wait until the end of our life to know if we are saved (Jude 24, 25). The gospel of Jesus Christ must not be front-end loaded with works or back-end loaded with works. A final question remains. Does endurance bring about our salvation from the power of sin (we are being saved)? It most certainly does. We are to be faithful before God by walking in obedience to His Word. To the degree we live faithfully and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are delivered from the power of sin (i.e., its tyrannical rule in our life). Our ability to bring glory to God throughout eternity is related to endurance. This brings us back to the picture of the Christian life as a race. We are to run the race by laying aside every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles us (Heb. 12:1). As we obey God’s Word and do those things that please him we accumulate the gold, silver, and precious stones of works that are valuable and enduring. Some Christians run a better race than others, but every Christian finishes the race. There are no “DNFs” (did not finish) for true Christians. The question is, how are you running?

So, in summary, it can be said that no Christian will ever stand before God because they have endured or persevered. Our acceptance before God is because of who God is and what He has done for us in Christ (Rom. 8:1-4). When we are declared righteous before God (2 Cor. 5:21) we are secure in Christ forever (Phil. 1:6; Jn. 10:27-30; Rom. 8:35-39). We are “protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:5).

It would be convenient if all evangelical Christians believed the same way about the role of endurance/perseverance in the believer’s salvation. But that is not the case. Some, for example, believe that it is possible for a Christian to fail to endure and thereby lose their salvation. How would this happen? Different answers are given, but most who believe in conditional security (“a believer can lose his salvation if he doesn’t persevere in holiness”) say that Christians may lose their salvation when a willful sin is committed or they willfully deny Christ. There are many problems with this view. But, in short, it is contradicted by the explicit teaching of the Scriptures that the security of the believer rests in God’s hand and not in the durability of the Christian (Jn. 10:27-30).

Those who believe in the eternal security of the Christian have different views of what persevering in the faith means. Some say that continual obedience is necessary for salvation in the sense that all true believers will endure in this obedience. Others say, however, that true Christians can backslide and do Christ-denying things with the result of loss of blessing and rewards. The difference between these two persuasions is the degree to which a believer can sin. These issues will be left for future analysis.

But, let’s come back to the Christian life as a long distance race. The race is entered by faith in Jesus Christ. It is to be run by faithful obedience to Christ. Endurance makes increasingly effective service possible (stamina). The better the race we run the more Christ is exalted. We must put aside anything that hinders our progress in the race. It could be a habit, a relationship, a secret pleasure, a house, a sport, entertainment, and anything that keeps us from finishing well. We must also put aside sin which is an ever-present threat to progress in the Christian life. Pride, envy, covetousness, and a host of other entangling sins can trip us up and make us fall. Christian, how are you running your race? Are you enduring? Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. It is His example that is to drive us to the finish line. If you want to know what faith is, look at Christ. He ran the race of faith to its triumphant finish trusting the Father each step of the way. He did so joyfully. Is that where you are? May we cry out to God for the grace needed to endure and finish well.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church