PART FOUR OF "I AM: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY"

I have been thinking about the concept of the Bible being God's autobiography, and I realized that only God could have an autobiography that included an emphatic declaration of what He will do in the future. It is unique in that, even after time has ceased to exist, the Author is still "I AM." It is very difficult to grasp the concept of the fourth verse of Amazing Grace; "When we've been there ten thousand years...we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun!" The Bible, by necessity, will have innumerable sequels. I am so glad that we begin eternity knowing the past; otherwise, we could never catch up "on our reading" (1 John 3:2).

The first thing we learn about God from the Bible is that He had a plan. He saw what He intended to create, and He prepared a place for it. On days one, two, and three, God set the stage for what He intended to create on days four, five, and six. He made heaven (the Universe) on day one, and then He made the heavenly bodies He wanted to place in it on day four. He made another heaven (the atmosphere) and the seas on day two, and then the birds and fish on day five. On day three, God created land and plant life for the animals and for man which He created on day six. Creationists view the order of the Universe as being the result of design; God exists because every design requires a Designer. Bode's Law, a mathematical formula for the location of the planets in our solar system, clearly supports the creationist's evidence for "Intelligent Design" (see my post of 12-03-09).

God's plan was, and still is, centered upon mankind. Unfortunately, what He described as "very good" in Genesis 1:31, would become just the opposite: wicked, and full of evil (Genesis 6:5-7). God was not surprised by fallen man, for He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). He had already prepared for what He was about to do: demonstrate that His patience has a limit, and that His righteousness demands action. He also revealed that His plan did not end with the flood. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). What does that mean? Was Noah good? Was he the only "good" person out of the entire human race? No! Noah was just like the rest of us. Noah needed grace. God, who up to this point was presented as being austere, would reveal His ability to love the unlovable. Grace, charis in the Greek, means both "favor" and "a gift." Grace is unmerited favor, unearned, undeserved, and unsolicited by the recipient (one only comes to know that God is gracious after receiving grace). Perhaps if God had only rescued Noah, the loneliness and grief from being alone would have seemed like anything but grace. That is why God had Noah build an ark. After all, He said so Himself, "It is not good that man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18).

To be continued.