Today's Reading: Genesis 2:7-17

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 12:1-25; Acts 22:30-23:11

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. (Genesis 2:7)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Do you have questions about science and the Bible? Most thoughtful people do, especially when it comes to the issue of creation and what it means to be human. Christians affirm what Scripture teaches: that God spoke the world into existence and willed everything into being. The other side contends that everything in this universe just happened by random chance and came about as a result of an accident. This is ultimately what the science and faith debate is about: Is there purpose or meaning to this life and everything in it, or is the universe just a bunch of random, meaningless chaos? Is man a special creation of God, made in His image and endowed with the gifts of reason and a soul? Or are human beings just highly evolved animals destined for extinction like every other species?

Christians may disagree about how literally to take certain parts of Genesis, but regarding the central issue of meaning and purpose, there is no debate. Here Scripture's teaching couldn't be clearer: God deliberately (on purpose) created man by breathing life into him (Genesis 2:7). He did so separately from the animals (Genesis 1:26) because man is not like the animals. Man is an image-bearer of his Maker. Every single human is of inestimable worth. We are so valuable, that when this first command (Genesis 2:17) was disobeyed and our first parents fell into sin, God wouldn't let them be lost forever. God would send His one and only Son to ransom sinners and give everlasting life to all who trust in Him.

Some of you will be headed off to college soon. You will likely encounter the atheistic worldview, if you haven't already. Some teachers you encounter will even tell you that if you take the Bible seriously and believe in a Creator, you have no hope of being any kind of credible scientist. Don't believe it for a second. Some of the greatest scientists in history were Christians and many Christians continue to work in the sciences. Our lives have meaning because we are created and redeemed children of our Heavenly Father. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. Amen. (The Apostles Creed)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor René Castillero