Prodigal: This is an old typewriter.

Me: They use to write books on it.

Prodigal: How was the Bible written.

Me: I just read about that.

This is from the book Bold Love by Dr. Dan Allender & Dr. Tremper Longman III

As Christians who have grown up with the Bible in our culture, we sometimes treat it as a book that fell out of heaven whole. We have to remind ourselves constantly that God used a number of different authors living over a 1,600-year period (circa 1500 BC to AD 100). Over this lengthy period of time, God slowly unfolded His plan of salvation and relationship with His people.

As we keep this in mind, we see that God’s people have been at war with the Enemy since the Fall (Genesis 3). The Fall showed clearly that God had an enemy, and ever since that time, all people are on one or the other side of the battle. As Saint Augustine put it, an individual is either in the City of God or the city of man. In Genesis, we see God’s curse on the serpent clearly delineates the two sides: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). From this point and for the rest of history, there is vicious conflict between God and Satan, and between those who follow God and those who reject Him. Think of Cain and Abel, the line of Lamech and the line of Seth, Moses and the Egyptians, the Israelites and the Philistines, David and Goliath, and Elijah and Ahab. The list could go on and continues to this very day.

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 2:11

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org