Ken Ham writes:
Should Christians speak with authority?
“And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28–29).
Over the 40 years I’ve been involved in the Answers in Genesis ministry, I’ve had many Christians/Christian leaders accuse me of saying a person had to believe in six literal days of creation and a young earth to be saved.
Such an accusation is simply not true and can be documented as false from my many talks and articles I’ve written over the years showing clearly I have never equated salvation with believing in a young earth and literal creation days. What my accusers don’t like is the fact I speak with authority on what Genesis clearly says. They want me to allow other views. But there’s only one view: God’s Word as written.
Now, salvation is conditioned upon faith in Christ, not what a person believes about the age of the earth or days of creation. People then respond saying it’s not an important issue.
But, even though it’s not a salvation issue, it’s a very important matter indeed, as it’s one of authority.
The following examples represent the types of conversations I’ve had over the years with various Christians and Christian leaders as I’ve discussed this topic with me asking questions.
Question: “Do you believe Jesus bodily rose from the dead?”
Answer: “Of course, yes.”
Question: “Did you see it happen? Do you have a movie of the event? How do you know?”
Answer: “Because the Bible says so?”
Question: “Do you really believe Jesus fed thousands as a miracle?”
Answer: “Yes.”
Question: “Did you see this event? How do you know?”
Answer: “Because the Bible says so.”
Question: “Do you believe Jesus healed the blind, lame, and deaf and even raised people from the dead?”
Answer: “Yes.”
Question: “How do you know?”
Answer: “I know because the Bible says so.”
Question: “Do you believe the Israelites crossed the Red Sea as a miracle, and when wandering in the desert their clothes and shoes didn’t wear out?”
Answer: “Yes.”
Question: “How do you know?”
Answer: “Because the Bible teaches this.”
Question: “Do you believe a man was swallowed by a fish for three days and survived?”
Answer: “Yes, God’s Word says so.”
I then move to the book of Genesis and ask, “Do you believe God created in six literal days, death came after sin, Noah’s Flood was a global event, and we must take Genesis 1–11 as literal history?”
I often get answers like, “Well, no because of what the scientists tell us about millions of years, the big bang, and evolution. The days must be long periods of time. Noah’s flood might have been a local event. God used evolution.”
And here is my point! For other events in the Bible, Christians usually accept the accounts as written. But when it comes to Genesis, so many Christians and Christian leaders will go outside of Scripture and use what secular scientists are saying to then claim we can’t take Genesis as written on these matters.
And therein lies a major problem. They are putting man’s word over God’s Word and making man the authority, not God. Sadly, many pastors and Christian academics have taught generations of young people this. In doing so, they’ve unlocked a door that one can take man’s word over God’s Word. So if you can take millions of years and reinterpret God’s Word, why not take man’s word on marriage and gender and reinterpret God’s Word to allow gay “marriage,” etc. And this is happening in the church.
Over the years because so many Christian leaders have compromised God’s Word in Genesis, many people have been led to doubt God’s Word, and that leads to compromise and unbelief.
We can and should speak with authority on Genesis, just as we can with the rest of Scripture because it is the infallible Word of God!
I am saying compromise on Genesis is wrong, as there’s only one view—God’s! And I’ll continue speaking with authority (God’s) on this.
Are you taking God at his Word? Or putting man’s word over God’s Word? That’s the issue.