Vol. 13/10
I Timothy 1
4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly
edifying which is in faith: so do.
I Timothy 6
3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is
godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
II Timothy 2
23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.
Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
Wonder is the beginning of wisdom – Socrates
In the scriptures cited above, questions are apparently frowned upon.
My questions about God and the many stories from the bible started early. I remember grilling Sunday school teachers to the point when they would completely ignore my raised hand. My mom sometimes called me Doubting Thomas when I started up with the questions. I didn’t know what it meant back then, but I liked it.
The Inquisition
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; Who is with God
when He decides to make man in OUR image? Also, 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the
man is become as one of us, to know good and evil. Oh, and what is a firmament?
In 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Was this Adam and Eve? Wasn’t Adam (v.7) and Eve (v.22) created in
chapter 2? It does not infer that these two, Adam & Eve, were made in His image.
Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the
day; Genesis 5:3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own
likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: Does God have a human form? Does he
have physical legs, teeth, and hair? The likeness of a man?
Why did He put that tree there, in the middle of the garden? He already knew what was going
to happen. What happened to the tree of life? I often wondered what would have happened if
they had eaten from the tree of life before gaining the knowledge of good and evil. That last
part was just for fun.
Was the serpent correct? Why was he punished? Was it because he encouraged them to
disobey?
Adam did not stop Eve from taking that bite. Genesis 3:6 (in part) she took of the fruit thereof,
and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Why didn’t he say to that
serpent, “Get lost”, “Keep it moving”, or “Quit bothering my wife”? Why did Adam take that
bite?
What language did they speak? Where did language come from? Did God teach them reading
writing and arithmetic? Gimme-a-break, I was a kid.
Adam and Eve are evicted from the Garden of Eden. Adam must now work to provide for the family he now has because Eve has delivered two sons, Cain, and Abel. Children are taught that a man must go off to work every day because of Adam’s sin. Laborious childbirth is the result of Eve’s sin, which is a lot for a young mind to grasp.
Abel was a shepherd. Cain, a farmer (odds were stacked against him; it produce that got them kicked out of the garden). Both worked vital jobs. Cain brought an offering to the Lord, the fruits of his crop.
According to the bible, Abel brought the best of his flock. They both brought their offerings to God. Cain was disparaged for not bringing an acceptable offering. He killed his brother out of anger, jealousy, and shame.
Is this where sibling rivalry in its worst possible form began? Instigated by God Himself?
Does Cain realize that he is required to give a blood sacrifice? If he knows this, why is he
offering vegetation? Was this a teachable moment with the ultimate fail?
Why was Cain distressed so greatly over the punishment he received? In one moment, He’s
being flippant by saying, “Am I my brothers’ keeper?”. Then when his punishment is revealed
he says, “My punishment is greater that I can bear!”
His response to God, was that everyone who found him would kill him; Wait, where did these
other people come from?
Cain was exiled to the land of Nod where he took a wife; again, where did these people come
from and who called this land Nod? Who established a land to be called Nod, or named bdellium &
onyx stone, or Ethiopia, or the Euphrates? Was it God or man?
These are only a fraction of my never-ending questions. I was usually dismissed, waved off or simply ignored.
Are we made in His image? The creation story (in chapter 1) clearly states that man is made in
God’s image, just as Seth was born in Adam’s likeness and image. What changed?
John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands
II Corinthians Chapter 3
17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD.
After reading the scriptures from Timothy & Titus, I understand why Christian people handled me the way they did. Some, I’m sure, didn’t know how to answer. Does this mean my questions were not
important or valid? Faith cannot fill in the gaps. I find it frustrating when others try to invalidate my questions and suggest that I pray for faith and salvation. These questions may not seem important, but they have foundational value. Unless things make sense in the beginning, foundation building may prove to be hazardous.