QT 8 Nov 16, 2 Pet 3:3-7, Our faith rests on a firm foundation

2 Peter 3:3–7 (ESV) — 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

NOTE: We think that one can dismiss Peter for his antiquated ideas of science, but is he wrong? Can anyone actually unequivocally deny his assertions? I work as a scientist, been trained as a scientist, and have done research work all my life. An honest evaluation cannot dismiss his conclusions about life. And if he is right about the beginning, which I believe he is, what about his predictions for the future? Can we dismiss the fact that God has revealed to Peter truth, absolute and undeniable truth. Why is it undeniable? Because it comes from the infinite God, creator of the universe, and creator of each one us. In Romans, one of the first signs of the descent of man is the denial of God as the creator. As a mathematician, when I observe the statistical probabilities of random mutations in creating and evolving life, I can't in any objective sense see any possibility of near-zero events. And we are not talking one in 10 billion (a number with 10 zeros), but one in 10^37 (a number 27 orders of magnitude larger, a number with 37 zeros). No, an honest evaluation would bring a person to conclude that it requires an unbelievable amount of faith (a leap into darkness) to believe in a 1 in 10^37 event. I think I will stick to belief in Jesus and his resurrection from the dead, recorded by eyewitnesses, and preached around the known world to the point of death by those who knew him, knew the miracles, knew his quality of life, and witnessed the resurrection. That has a much greater probability.