John 3
Recently a parishioner asked about the apparent conflict between the creation and the evolution. This controversy has been around for a long time, but, still, many people do not understand a few critical elements in this issue. Today, I like to speak about only one aspect which is somewhat related to today’s gospel.
John the Baptist says today, “…the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things…The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony.”
What the Bible teaches and the words Jesus speaks are called revelations. Revelations are given by someone from above. Revelations are what the person from above has seen and heard from above. They are presented as truths, not as theories. In other words, what the Bible and Jesus teach are not probable explanations of this world but unchangeable reality and divine plans for man’s salvation.
Theories are concerned about explaining phenomena. Theories are useful because they can explain observable things in this world. They speak about “earthly things”. They explain how things are in this world.
On the other hand, revealed truths show us the purposes of this life and world and direct us to “above”. The book of Genesis was not written to record how the world came about along a timeline. Rather, God wanted to reveal he is the ultimate source of all existence and all were created for harmony, peace, and happiness. And the man was called to participate in God’s life. The book of Genesis teaches God the Creator exists beyond all creations in the universe. And it reveals the purpose of human life and its destiny.
“The one who comes from above is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard.” Revealed truths are not gathered by quantifiable observations or experimentations but given by the one from heaven. The Holy Spirit inspired the biblical writers. Finally, the Son of God himself also came to the world and revealed the purpose and destiny of life. Jesus didn't come as a science teacher. The Bible does not compete against science.
