Sin Lies at the Door for All of Us

As the Sabbath begins, we can rejoice in the peace, purpose, and hope that God gives to us. Sadly, remembering our Creator and being reminded of the plan of God does not block out everything from a week that has come to an end.

This week a young man went into a Florida school and opened fire killing and wounding students and faculty.

One of the sad things about the event is that people had noticed and reported warning signs about the nineteen-year old shooter. The young man had been expelled from school, and surely the faculty of the school had issued warnings about the destructive path the young man had been on.

It is a strange quirk of human nature that human beings all too often fail to heed warnings of danger. The failure to listen to wise counsel leads all too often to serious consequences.

To me this coincides with the biblical example found in the story of Cain and Abel.

The two sons of Adam and Eve came to God with offerings. God recognized Abel’s offering because it met the criteria that God had apparently established. Cain’s offering did not meet the standard God had established. Note Genesis 4:5, “He (God) did not respect Cain and his offering.” Not only did God not respect Cain’s offering but He did not respect Cain because of his wrong attitude.

Did Cain have a wrong attitude? We only have to look at the end of Genesis 4:5 where we find Cain filled with anger and “his countenance fell” over God’s rejection of his offering. If you had been on the scene of this event, Cain’s wrong attitude would have been clearly visible.

Did God recognize the problem? We only have to look at Genesis 4:6-7 where God addresses Cain’s wrong attitude, “So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."”

God pointed out that Cain was being ruled by sin and if he did not change his line of thinking there would be a terrible outcome. God counseled Cain to recognize his wrong mindset and rule over it. God knew the potential that could unfold if Cain did not reverse his course. Sadly, Cain did not heed God’s counsel. He allowed anger to rule and explode into the murder of his brother.

As we look at the all too common atrocities in our world, we are not going to end their occurrence until we recognize that “sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you and you should rule over it.” Until men and women recognize sin lurking at the door and take measures to reject the sinful mindset, evil of all kinds will continue.

Unfortunately, how many people are self-aware enough to reject sin? Even if the majority of the world’s population are oblivious to the need to rule over sin, we in the church know this to be a crucial aspect of the Christian life.

As the Passover draws close, we need to recognize that “sin lies at the door” for all of us. Do we recognize the pulls and pressures of sin? Do we seek to repent of those sins that still plague us? Do we beseech God for His help to rule over sin?

As we ready ourselves to come before God at Passover, is our attitude like that of Abel: humble, faithful, obedient, offering the first and best? Or is our attitude like Cain: prideful, disobedient, offering that which is blemished?

Where we stand in regard to the Passover is a most worthwhile consideration for the Sabbath.

Have a pleasant and profitable Sabbath,

Gary Smith

Cosmology and the Big Bang Theory

One of the blessings of the Sabbath is to remember our Creator. Exodus 20:11 states, “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” The word “therefore” in this verse points us back to what has gone before. In essence we are being told, “As a result of God making the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, God rested the seventh day.” God wants us to look back to what was brought into being by the Creator.

With the Creator in mind, I’d like to refer to the word: cosmology—a noun that is defined as “the science of the origin and development of the universe. Modern astronomy is dominated by the Big Bang theory, which brings together observational astronomy and particle physics.”

Over my years in the Church, I have always believed the entire universe came into being as a result of “a big bang.” It seemed a reasonable explanation. My view was there was nothing until God decided to bring the physical universe into being. In a great burst of energy, the universe began. However, that theory is just that “a theory.”

In last weeks, current events section published in the October 31, 2015 Houston bulletin another theory was posed in the article, New Astronomy Findings Challenging Big Bang Theory, by Tom Olago, October 27, 2015. The article reads, “Researchers in the field of astronomy have recently announced what is described to be a ‘truly monstrous’ structure, consisting of a ring of galaxies around 5 billion light-years across. Reported findings show that the seemingly unprecedented galactic ring, which was revealed by nine Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), is located 7 billion light-years away.

“These GRBs, and by extension the galaxies they inhabit, are believed to be somehow associated since all nine are located at a similar distance from Earth. The odds of this distribution are said to be as low as 1 in 20,000. This means that they are very likely associated with the same structure; which structure should not even exist according to cosmological models led by the famous ‘Big Bang’ theory.

“The ‘Big Bang’ theory is an effort to explain what happened at the very beginning of our universe. Scientific findings have shown beyond a reasonable doubt that our universe did in fact have a beginning. The ‘Big Bang’ theory is an effort to explain what happened during and after that moment.

“It’s proponents in effect dismiss the possibility that the universe was directly created by God, and even the possibility that the ‘Big Bang’ is just an attempt to be scientifically descriptive of a process God may have chosen to use in creating the universe.”

As I considered this new theory of the origin of the universe, which might overturn “the Big Bang Theory”, how does this impact my overall view of the origin of the universe? Interestingly, it does not overturn what the Bible says in any way.

We are told, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). God brought all into being. God does not explain what method He used to bring all into being. We as human beings can seek the origins of the universe, but it is a daunting task given the vastness of the heavenly realm.

The Apostle Paul also speaks of how all came into being, “For by Him (Jesus Christ) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). Again, we are reminded of the Originator of the universe.

It is likely that theories of the origin of the universe will change over time and this side of the coming of the Kingdom of God we may never know the exact beginning point of origin. If we do figure out the origin of the universe it will be a most interesting piece of information. But regardless of the cosmological theory we know that, “. . . without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6).

Each Sabbath, we are to remember the Creator regardless of what cosmological theory holds sway in the realm of men.

Rejoice in the Creator this Sabbath.

Gary Smith