1) Where did all the different races/ethnicities come from? I read something about Shem, Ham, and Japheth?

GREAT QUESTION! GotQuestions gives a concise answer. Here's what they say:


The Bible does not explicitly give us the origin of the different “races” or skin colors in humanity. In actuality, there is only one race—the human race. Within the human race is diversity in skin color and other physical characteristics. Some speculate that when God confused the languages at the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), He also created racial diversity.
 
It is possible that God made genetic changes to humanity to better enable people to survive in different ecologies, such as the darker skin of Africans being better equipped genetically to survive the excessive heat in Africa. According to this view, God confused the languages, causing humanity to segregate linguistically, and then created genetic racial differences based on where each racial group would eventually settle. While possible, there is no explicit biblical basis for this view. The races/skin colors of humanity are nowhere mentioned in connection with the tower of Babel.

 

After the flood, when the different languages came into existence, groups that spoke one language moved away with others of the same language. In doing so, the gene pool for a specific group shrank dramatically as the group no longer had the entire human population to mix with. Closer inbreeding took place, and in time certain features were emphasized in these different groups (all of which were present as a possibility in the genetic code). As further inbreeding occurred through the generations, the gene pool grew smaller and smaller, to the point that people of one language family all had the same or similar features.



Another explanation is that Adam and Eve possessed the genes to produce black, brown, and white offspring (and everything else in between). This would be similar to how a mixed-race couple sometimes has children that vary in color. Since God obviously desired humanity to be diverse in appearance, it makes sense that God would have given Adam and Eve the ability to produce children of different skin tones. Later, the only survivors of the flood were Noah and his wife, Noah’s three sons and their wives—eight people in all.  Genesis 7:13 tells us, “On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark.”  Perhaps Noah’s daughters-in-law were of different races. It is also possible that Noah’s wife was of a different race than Noah. Maybe all eight of them were of mixed race, which would mean they possessed the genetics to produce children of different races.
 
Whatever the explanation, the most important aspect of this question is that we are all the same race, all created by the same God, all created for the same purpose—to glorify Him.

 THANKS FOR ASKING! 

[Answered by Ray Lee, Summer Intern]

Q: Since God is all-knowing...

...why did he create Lucifer knowing that he would turn bad? Also did God not make a mistake by creating humans? Where's the proof that God is all-knowing? Is he perfect?

These are tough theological questions. Allow me to answer the last two questions first.

1. Where is the proof that God is all-knowing?

There is no definitive proof of God's omniscience (How can a human being possibly know that God knows all things? It just doesn't work that way!) That being said, Scripture does REVEAL that God does have foreknowledge of all things. God's knowledge of events is described as his "omniscience," or his ability to fully know all things actual and possible in "one simple and eternal act." God is "perfect in knowledge" (Job 37:16) and knows all things (1 John 3:20). He knows all things ACTUAL, meaning all things that exist and all things that happen. He also knows all things that will happen in the future (Isa. 46:9-10) - even the smallest details of life (Matthew 10:30). In addition, God knows all things POSSIBLE, meaning God knows information regarding events that might happen but that do not actually happen. Jesus himself spoke about God's knowledge of possible events in Matthew 11:21, "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes." Jesus is saying that Tyre and Sidon WOULD HAVE repented if Jesus' own miracles had been done there.*

2. Is God perfect?

YES. God is perfect in all ways, even in his omniscience or his knowledge of all things actual and possible. The apostle John once wrote "God is light and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). "Light" - in this context means that God is both morally pure and fully aware of everything.

3. Why did he create Lucifer knowing that he would turn bad? Also did God not make a mistake by creating humans?

I know you are wondering how can God be perfect if he made his creatures with the full knowledge that they would one day sin. The answer: Just because God is knew that his creatures would sin against Him does not make God imperfect. After all, the reason God created the universe (and everything in it) was for his glory (Psalm 19:1). Even though we may not understand it fully, God's glory is displayed in the act of redeeming his creation. At this point, please read the following article by GodQuestions. Thankfully, they have already answered your question in a concise, biblical manner. Their conclusion?

1. The rebellion of Satan and the fall of mankind were foreknown and foreordained by God.

2. Those who would become the people of God, the elect, were foreknown and foreordained by God.

3. The crucifixion of Christ, as atonement for God’s people, was foreknown and foreordained by God.

So we are left with the following questions: Why create mankind with the knowledge of the fall? Why create mankind knowing that only some would be ‘saved?’ Why send Jesus knowingly to die for a people that knowingly fell into sin? From man’s perspective, it doesn’t make sense. If the meta-narrative moves from paradise to paradise lost to paradise regained, why not just go straight to paradise regained and avoid the whole paradise lost interlude?

The only conclusion we can come to in view of the above assertions is that God’s purpose was to create a world in which His glory could be manifest in all its fullness. The glory of God is the overarching goal of creation. In fact, it is the overarching goal of everything He does. The universe was created to display God’s glory (Psalm 19:1), and the wrath of God is revealed against those who fail to glorify God (Romans 1:23). Our sin causes us to fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23), and in the new heaven and new earth, the glory of God is what will provide light (Revelation 21:23). The glory of God is manifest when His attributes are on perfect display, and the story of redemption is part of that.

The best place to see this in Scripture is Romans 9:19-24. Wrath and mercy display the riches of God’s glory, and you can’t get either without the fall of mankind. Therefore, all of the above assertions—fall, election, redemption, atonement—serve the purpose of glorifying God. When man fell into sin, God’s mercy was immediately displayed in not killing him on the spot. God’s patience and forbearance were also on display as mankind fell deeper into sin prior to the flood. God’s justice and wrath were on display as He executed judgment during the flood, and God’s mercy and grace were demonstrated as he saved Noah and his family. God’s wrath and justice will be revealed in the future when He deals with Satan once and for all (Revelation 20:7-10).

God knew that Satan would rebel and Adam and Eve would sin in the Garden of Eden. With that knowledge, God still created Lucifer and Adam and Eve because creating them and ordaining the fall was part of His sovereign plan to manifest His glory in all its fullness. Even though the fall was foreknown and foreordained, our freedom in making choices is not violated because our free choices are the means by which God’s will is carried out.

I know you'll be frustrated as you wrestle with this issue. In my own experience, I have found the proper/best response when you have questions about why God allows certain things to happen is to be humble and trust in Him. God has perfect knowledge of all events AND He has our goodness in mind. This is reason enough to stay humble and trust Him - no matter what happens.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

*Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 190-191.

Q: Water before God existed?

Today, I was at school and someone said that the Bible was full of contradictions and I didn't know how to answer them. One of the examples they pointed out was the fact that God was hovering over water before he created light so does that mean that there was water before or during God existed?

Great question. The first thing to make sure you understand is that God has always existed. There is no time in which there was no God. Second, there is a difference between what happens in Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," and Genesis 1:2, "The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

In Genesis 1:1, God CREATED everything out of nothing ("Heavens and earth" here is the Hebraic way of saying "everything"). In Genesis 1:2 and beyond, God PREPARES/SHAPES his creation to sustain life. The phrase, "without form (tohu in Hebrew) and void (bohu in Hebrew)" is used to describe uninhabited land. Similarly, the phrase, "darkness was over the face of the deep" does not mean there is no sun, but that land is without God's blessing. So Genesis 1:2 is describing a state of the CONDITION of the land before God made it good, filling it with light and life. The earth is in a desert-like, empty state. It is only in Genesis 1:3 and beyond that God gives his blessing, making the land "good" and habitable for living creatures such as plants, fish, animals and human beings.

As you can see, there is no contradiction between these two verses. Friend, don't be discouraged when people say things about the Bible. If you do not read the Bible properly, you can make it say almost whatever you want. However, if you do read it properly (e.g. read a book of the Bible according to its genre; studying the original language carefully; understanding the author's original intention; looking at historical context, etc.), the Bible does not contradict itself at all.

Hope this helps you.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Why didn't God give Adam & Eve a second chance?

When God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, why didn't God give them a second chance to redeem themselves. Each day we all sin, but we then get to be "clean from sin" when we pray to God and ask for forgiveness. Right? Well why didn't Adam and Eve get a second chance to ask for forgiveness so that they could be accepted back into the garden. Adam and Eve didn't get the chance to know the differences between God and Satan. In result of one sin, it cost us the whole human race to live so far away from God. How is that fair. In addition, we fall into sin each day so why doesn't he send us to some other place for sinning so much but he sent Adam and Eve away after such a sin. Why did God become so strict to them?

I would like to humbly suggest the following preamble to an “answer” to your fundamental questions:

1. Why were Adam and Eve not given a second chance?

2. Isn’t that unfair?

3. Why doesn’t God punish us like He did Adam and Eve ….. relatively quickly after we sin, and severely?

Let us admit the following:

A. The Bible is not definitive in answering your questions. It is not definitive in a lot of areas, and cannot answer every question SPECIFICALLY (that would be impossible – there are an infinite number of questions that could come up!). B. THEREFORE, we need to humbly AND carefully respond with Biblical principles that apply. In other words, we do our best. In this case, the definitive answer is ultimately buried in God’s eternal purposes, and I cannot answer for God personally. C. Having said that, I believe we ARE given sufficient principles in Scripture to suggest several reasons why “Adam and Eve were not given a second chance.” I will now attempt to give you several of these principles.

Principle #1: God is infinitely holy, and takes sin very seriously.

How serious sin is directly relates to how holy God is. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit, they sinned and brought upon themselves the punishment of sin because God hates sin and punishes sin.

Ultimately, God chooses to punish sin. By doing so, I believe He exalts His own holiness and sovereignty. Not eating the fruit wasn’t simply a petty instruction to keep the peace, or prevent depletion of fruit, or to tease Adam and Eve.

This was a real litmus test of their obedience. God was very clear as to the consequences of disobedience. To respond casually to Adam and Eve’s actions would minimize the severity of their sin.

Principle #2: The concept of “fairness” is the prerogative of the person who is sovereign or in a position to define “fairness”.

Since all sin is ultimately against God … therefore God is the one who defines what is fair and what isn’t fair. God has delegated some of this responsibility. Parents often determine what is fair between children. Governments set up laws to determine fair punishments. This happens at all levels of decisions. For eternal and existential matters, God is sovereign, and He alone determines what is fair and what isn’t. He determines the rules.

One dictionary definition of “Fair” is: free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice: a fair decision; a fair judge. However, WHO determines what is free from bias, dishonesty or injustice? Everyone may have a different opinion. Ultimately, it is the judge, or person of authority who determines what is fair. For matters of the soul and eternity, that person is God!

Principle #3: We all deserve immediate punishment for our sins.

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). It is only the mercy and patience of God that prevents us from receiving the appropriate punishment for our sins (death) every time we sin.

Principle #4: The provision of Jesus Christ IS the second chance offered to Adam and Eve.

In a very real sense, Adam and Eve got better than a second chance …. they were offered salvation! We all need salvation. The ONLY way to be saved, is by believing in Jesus for salvation. Jesus, who is God, died on the cross for our sins to pay for all our sins, and then rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Salvation is a FREE GIFT that happens in a split second when you believe in Jesus alone to save you!

Final Thoughts to Ponder:

A. If God did not punish Adam and Eve after the FIRST sin, then what would be the appropriate (or “fair”) number of chances that they should have been given? Two chances? Five? Thirty-seven? Twelve million chances? Who decides what is the fair number of chances before it’s too late?

If you decided that punishment should only come after the second, third or fourth sin (etc.), does that lessen the importance of the first few sins? What makes the first few sins any less serious?

What severity of sin is sufficient to merit punishment? Just murder (ie. Cain and Abel)? What about rape or lying or stealing or anger or jealousy or pride? Who should decide which sin is severe enough to warrant punishment? Are you our I capable or authorized to do so?

B. God is NOT fair. He is gracious, kind and much more generous than just being fair.

This is especially clear in the New Testament. Take, for example, the Parable of the Vineyard Workers (Matt. 20:1-16). In this parable, the owner of the vineyard (God) is not only fair, he is excessively generous to some. The main thrust of the parable is that God’s standard of justice (and therefore, the standard for the Kingdom of God) is radically different from the standard of the world. All deserve hell. Salvation is not given because of merit or good works, but strictly as a pure gift. Therefore, there is no justification for boasting of our good deeds, or for jealous competition in the Kingdom of God.

In the Old Testament, Abraham asks the Angel of God, “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). The answer is a resounding “Yes!”, based on faith in a Just God. We must not distort the justice of God. Since it is a demonstration of His character, God’s justice is invariably connected with His love, mercy and compassion. Romans 3:25 reminds us that the greatest show of God’s justice was at the Cross. Here God displayed His love in the ultimate fashion, but He also showed that He does not compromise Himself. We must affirm the sovereignty of God. He has the right to bestow amazing love to whomever He pleases. Therefore, election and predestination are ultimately fair.

We misunderstand the depth of the goodness of God, and therefore His justice. We should not complain about God’s justice when we see others receiving God’s goodness.

C. In a real sense, we all were in Adam (as the head of our race and root of all mankind), and therefore we all sinned through him. In addition, we were all punished in the same way (with death).

However, praise God, the Bible tells us that in a similar way, the death and sacrifice of Christ gives us life. The key Biblical passage is in Romans 5:12, 15-19.

[Answered by Pastor Fred Tham, English Ministry]

Q: God, light and the sun?

In the beginning (1st day), God made light. He also separated darkness and light into day and night. But on the 4th day, Genesis says that God made the sun and the moon. What was lighting all the previous days if the sun wasn't created yet? Does it mean the light on the first 3 days was not literal but just representing the light of God/Jesus?

If you look at Genesis carefully, you'll notice creation is divided into two broad categories:

1. Location 2. Inhabitants

The locations are created on days 1-3:

Day 1: Light and Dark
Day 2: Sea and Sky
Day 3: Fertile Eath

The inhabitants, dwelling in these locations, are created on days 4-6:

Day 4: Lights of the day and night (i.e. sun, moon & stars)
Day 5: Fish and birds
Day 6: Land animals (including human beings)

Day 7, of course, is the day of rest.

On the first day, God created a location - in which the light could exist. When God spoke the words, "let there be light," he was creating the day-night cycle. "Let there be light" indicates the dawn of a new day. On the fourth day, God created the sun, moon and stars to occupy the "sky" at different times of this day-night cycle.

Hope this makes sense! Very insightful question, btw.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q:In the Book of Genesis, God created Adam and Eve. Did God ONLY create Adam and Eve or did he also create another couple?

Where did Cain's wife come?

Good question. Here is an answer by the lovely folks at GotQuestions. I think it answers your question directly. They write:

The Bible does not specifically say who Cain’s wife was. The only possible answer is that Cain's wife was his sister or niece or great-niece, etc....(*read the rest of the answer in the article)

Since Adam and Eve were the first (and only) human beings, their children would have no other choice than to intermarry. God did not forbid inter-family marriage until much later when there were enough people to make intermarriage unnecessary (Leviticus 18:6-18). The reason that incest today often results in genetic abnormalities is that when two people of similar genetics (i.e., a brother and sister) have children together, there is a high risk of their recessive characteristics becoming dominant. When people from different families have children, it is highly unlikely that both parents will carry the same recessive traits. The human genetic code has become increasingly “polluted” over the centuries as genetic defects are multiplied, amplified, and passed down from generation to generation. Adam and Eve did not have any genetic defects, and that enabled them and the first few generations of their descendants to have a far greater quality of health than we do now. Adam and Eve’s children had few, if any, genetic defects. As a result, it was safe for them to intermarry.

[Answered by Pastor HM]

Q: Are we all a big family?

"Because it all started off with Adam and Eve, and they probably reproduced their sons and daughters but for them to branch off again, would the sons and daughters have to reproduce with themselves, therefore doing incest? If that is true, is God then encouraging incest? Because when we marry and reproduce, we would be reproducing with our "brothers/sisters." How does this make sense?"

Good question. In Genesis 5:4, Scripture tells us that Adam and Eve had "other sons and daughters." It also tells us that Adam lived several hundred years (Gen. 5:5). This would mean that his children married each other.

So does this mean incest is allowed by God? No. Incest (i.e. sex between family members) is prohibited by God in Lev. 18:6-18, 20:11-12 and 20:19-21. But in such an early stage of human development as in the time of Adam and Eve, it was permitted as the genetic line was still pure. God allowed incest for a specific time and for a specific purpose - namely so that the human species could reproduce and "fill the earth" (Gen. 1:28).

When Leviticus was written at a much later date, the genetic line had become more unstable and therefore God commanded his people not to marry their relatives. Biologically, because relatives already share some genetic material, there is a greater risk that incest will result in a child who has a rare genetic disorder carried as arecessive trait. Recessive traits may cause no symptoms at all in those that carry the genes, but whencombined can result in seriously affected offspring. The closer the relationship of people in an incestuous relationship, the greater the risk that they both carry the same recessive genes.Even today, it has been shown that incest increases the chances of having children born with genetic diseases.

If you want to find out more, you can read this article which answers the question, "Is Incest Okay?" or this one, which gets into the real specifics of reproduction during the time of Adam & Eve.

[Answered by Pastor HM]