PTM WEEKLY UPDATE -- SEPTERMBER 15, 2008

What about the flood?

Q. I enjoy PTM. Are there any good articles explaining the biblical flood? I would appreciate your comments also. Best to you all at PTM.

A. PTM doesn't view the account of the flood in the book of Genesis as a major issue -- as do some who, by virtue of their overly literal interpretation of the Bible, see it as a time to "defend" the Bible -- with all kinds of "proofs" -- lengthy discussions, etc.

I believe the flood happened, as the Bible teaches. As for all of the details about the flood, I don't see them as relevant to my relationship with God. Before the Cross of Christ, the issue of the flood, and all of its details, fades into a "non-essential" category for me. When viewed through the prism of God's grace, the flood is simply not a primary emphasis of my study of the Bible.

I believe the flood happened. I see no reason to go beyond that and become submerged (?!) by the trivia about how it happened. I believe it. It happened. There are lessons, of course, that we can learn from the flood, and what happened immediately before and after it. But, to be fair, there are lessons we can learn from virtually any historical event in the Bible.

I believe that there are people who are so overwhelmed by their studies into the flood and its so-called evidences and proofs that they are in danger of losing the real meaning and significance of the life in Christ God offers to us all. There is a virtual industry in flood literature, flood studies, flood proofs, flood information, recent findings that claim to verify the flood, etc. In my opinion, the flood can become yet another academic/theological fetish which can blind us from the real message of the Bible.

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