Subscribe to receive weekly emails of the Reasons for Hope blog.

* indicates required

Response to debate question: “How did God create the earth from water?”

Juan responds to the claim Dr. Hector Avalos made the earth from water.  Does the Bible say that?
Responding to Dr. Hector Avalos
During our recent debate, Dr. Avalos raised several direct questions in addition to numerous attacks on the Bible, Genesis, the flood, Jesus, Christians, Christian Pastors, Creation Scientists, etc,… Because of the time constraints in a debate, and because many of his attacks were clearly outside the scope of the debate (Genesis 1-3), I was only able to answer some of the questions raised so over the next few weeks, I will be responding to each and every question / attack more thoroughly.
In his opening statements, Dr. Avalos asked me three specific questions and I want to tackle them in order. The first question was, “How did God create the earth from water?
His argument was based on Genesis 1:2, “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” [1]  When I responded that a clear reading of the Genesis 1:1 establishes the order and makes it clear that God did not create from water he accused me of not believing my own Bible, because I was not in agreement with his interpretation of 2 Peter 3:5, “For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,” which he interprets to mean that God created the world from water.  So let’s deal with it!
What does Genesis 1:1 say regarding the creation of the universe? “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” It clearly DOES NOT say that God created either the heavens or the earth from water. In Genesis 1:2 God reveals to us what the initial creation looked like—it was not suitable for life. It had not been prepared yet for life to inhabit it.  So what does Genesis 1:2 say about water?  It says that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Does this mean God created the Earth from water? Of course not! It doesn’t even say that the whole planet was covered with water. We have to read on to what God did on day three of creation to realize that water did indeed cover the entire surface of the Earth, Gen 1:9-10, “9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.”[2]
Thus, a clear reading of Genesis 1 establishes quite literally that God did not create the earth from water. Instead, God created the heavens and the earth which contained water, lots of water. Everyone knows that water is foundational to life. As a matter of fact, what is it that scientists look for in other planets and stars to determine if there is or ever was life? Water, of course.
Now let us focus on the 2 Peter 3:5 passage. In order to understand the passage, we must consider the context, much to the chagrin of Dr. Avalos, who of his own admission, doesn’t seem to think context is important.[3] The verse in question says, “For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,” so let’s break it down. The verse begins with a main clause—“For this they willfully forget.” Who is “they”? I find it interesting that Peter is speaking about scoffers.
In a line of argumentation that begins in verses 1 & 2, with a stern and much needed reminder no to neglect the Word of God both Old and New Testaments, Peter exhorts believers to be careful of scoffers. Why is this important or relevant to the discussion at hand? Because verses 3-4 warn us that in the end times there will be many scoffers (mockers) who will deny the authority of God’s Word and question the veracity of it, particularly regarding Jesus’ second coming, but also in other areas. That leads us to the verse we are considering, and answers the question of who “they” are.  This clause also reveals to us the strategy that “they” (the scoffers) use to undermine the authority of God’s Word, they “willfully forget” what the Word of God clearly says. I love the way Anderson summarizes Peter’s argument here,
“Scoffers are deceivers, because they deliberately forget what the Bible teaches. This is an act of the will; they refuse to remember the truth and therefore they speak falsely. These are people who know all about the biblical account of creation as recorded in Genesis 1, yet their whole philosophy, lifestyle and beliefs are based on a complete denial of these things.[4] [emphasis added]
We need to consider another key word in the main clause—“this” in order to understand the passage. What is Peter referring to with the word “this”?  The answer lies in the rest of the verse which appears as a subordinate clause—“ that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,” and which continues into verse 6 with yet another subordinate clause, “by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.”
What does this passage teach? Does it teach that God created the world from water? Absolutely not!  First, it teaches what the scoffers have willfully forgotten, namely, that God spoke the world into existence and by his word destroyed it with a flood.  Second, it teaches that water, which is so prevalent and indispensable for life, was also used by God as a tool of judgment upon a world full of wickedness that had rebelled against the Creator. Finally, and most relevant to our discussion, it explains that the land we live on came out of the water and was surrounded by water. Obviously, the phrase, “standing out of water and in the water” does not say or even imply a creation from water.  It is clearly making a connection with Genesis 1:9-10 where we are told by God that the dry land appeared from underneath the water, when these were collected into the seas. This harmonizes perfectly with numerous other passages that express the same idea.
The psalmists were particularly fond of describing the preeminence of water in the natural world, after all, the beauty and wonder of the natural world was a very common theme in Hebrew poetry.
Consider Psalm 104
5 You who laid the foundations of the earth,
So that it should not be moved forever,
6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters stood above the mountains.
7 At Your rebuke they fled;
At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.
They went up over the mountains;
They went down into the valleys,
To the place which You founded for them.
9 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over,
That they may not return to cover the earth.
[emphasis added]
Notice the amazing poetic expression of the way God uncovered the land that was under the waters (Genesis 1:9-10)
Notice that it doesn’t say the earth was made of water, but rather covered with water.’
Other examples of this theme include Psalm 24:1-2 and  Psalm 136:6.
I suppose Dr. Avalos would respond to these arguments with all types of allusions to Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic but we must be careful with this. Remember the English translations we use are done by entire teams of translators, experts in the biblical languages and trustworthy in their rendering of the original text.
In conclusion, when we let the entire counsel of God’s Word be the primary interpreter of itself, we see a complete harmony of content thereof.  Regarding our question, the Word of God is clear—God created water, but God did not create the Earth from water. Therefore, the question itself is invalid, because it is asking us to explain something that never happened.
[1] For consistency, all bible references will be NKJV.
[2] I have purposely skipped day two of creation where God also deals with water, because that is directly tied to the issue of the “firmament” which I will address in a separate article.
[3] I will deal with Dr. Avalos’ claim that “context is a theological construct” and thus it is inadmissible and irrelevant to the discussion, in another article. However, I find it perplexing, to say the least, that someone with Dr. Avalos’ linguistics background would find context to be irrelevant, when EVERYONE knows that the only way to correctly ascertain the meaning of words is by considering the context in which they are found.
[4] Anderson, C. (2007). Opening up 2 Peter (p. 94). Leominster: Day One Publications.
 
Posted in
Posted in

Recent

Archive

 2024

Categories

Tags

1 Chronicles 16:8-12 1 Chronicles 22:14 1 Chronicles 29:11 1 Corinthians 10:31 1 Corinthians 13 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 1 Corinthians 15:21 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 1 Corinthians 15:33 1 Corinthians 15:45 1 Corinthians 15:57 1 Corinthians 15:58 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 1 Corinthians 6:20 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 1 John 2:15-17 1 John 2:15 1 John 2:2 1 John 4:10 1 John 4:19 1 John 4:7-8 1 Peter 1:23 1 Peter 2:24 1 Peter 3:15 1 Peter 3:18 1 Peter 4:12-13 1 Peter 4:12-19 1 Peter 5:10 1 Samuel 8:4-5 1 Samuel 8:7-9 1 Thessalonians 5:11 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 1 Thessalonians 5:17 1 Timothy 4:8 1 Timothy 6:10 1 Timothy 6:3-10 1 corinthians 10:13 1 thessalonians 5:18 100 miles 100% human 1Peter 1:17-21 2 Chronicles 9:13-29 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 2 Corinthians 12:9-11 2 Corinthians 12:9 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 2 Corinthians 1:3-6 2 Corinthians 1:3 2 Corinthians 3:17 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 2 Corinthians 4:17 2 Corinthians 5:21 2 Corinthians 6:18 2 Peter 3:9 2 Samuel 23:8-12 2 Samuel 6:17 2 Thessalonians 3:3 2 Timothy 1:7 2 Timothy 2:15 2 Timothy 2:25 2 Timothy 2:7 2 Timothy 3:12 2 Timothy 3:16-17 2 Timothy 4:11 2 Timothy 4:2 25% are staying 50k 55-mile race AI Abraham sacrificing Isaac Abraham was very rich. Abuja Acts 10:3-4 Acts 11 Acts 13 and 15 Acts 17:11 Acts 17:22-34 Acts 17 Acts 1:8 Acts 27:35 Acts 2:42 Acts 3:1 Acts 5:38-39 Acts 9 Albert Einstein All great men were born in February. Alyssa Glander America waited too long. Apalachee High School Apostle Peter Asbury Barabbas Barna poll Barnabas Baruch Bulla Be a Berean Be bold! Be bold Be happy! Be part of the process. Be still and know that I am God Be the hands and feet of Jesus. Best Evidence God Created Bethlehem Bible reading Bible Biblical archaeology Bob Gillespie Brian Miller C.S. Lewis CRT Camp Sigel Candace Nordine Carl Kerby Jr. Carl Kerby Cell phones Choosing for Two Christ in me Christ opened my eyes. Christian Camps Christian witness Christian worldview Chruch Circadian rhythm Colossians 1:27 Colossians 2:14 Colossians 2:8 Colossians 3:16 Colossians 3:17 and 23-24 Colossians 3:17-23 Colossians 3:17 Colossians 3:1 Colossians 4:5-6 Columbo Tactic Creation Creator God D. Mark Jacobs Jr. Dan Lietha Daniel 1-6 Daniel 12:4 Daniel 2:21 Dave Glander David Tautofi DeBunked 15 DeBunked TV DeBunked Deuteronomy 11:13 Deuteronomy 32:35 Deuteronomy 6:4-6 Deuteronomy 6:6-7 Deuteronomy 6:6-9 Deuteronomy 6:7 Did Jesus Commit Suicide? Dr. Andrew Fabich Dr. Francis Schaeffer Dr. Jason Lisle Dr. Juan Valdes Dr. William Beal Draa Mackey EQUIP+ EQUIP Easter Ecclesiastes 12:13 Ecclesiastes 12:14 Ecclesiastes 3:11 Ecclesiastes 4:10 Eleazar Elohim Ephesians 1-3 Ephesians 1:13-14 Ephesians 2:10 Ephesians 2:8-9 Ephesians 3:12 Ephesians 3:17-18 Ephesians 3:19-21 Ephesians 3:20-21 Ephesians 4:29 Ephesians 5:15-16 Ephesians 5:15-17 Ephesians 5:19 Ephesians 5:20 Ephesians 6:10-18 Ephesians 6:12 Ephesians 6:4 Equip Retreat Exodus 13:17-18 Exodus 17:11 Exodus 17:12 Exodus 20:11 Exodus 33:14 Ezekiel 33:11 Facing the Giants Family dinner Fascinating Facts Fearless Faith Frank Figueroa Gabby Terry Galatians 2:20 Galatians 4:4-5 Galatians 5:1 Galatians 5:22-23 Galatians 5:22-24 Galatians 6:7 Galatians 6:9 Gary Varvel Gen Z Genesis 11:1-2 Genesis 11:6 Genesis 11:7 Genesis 13:1-2 Genesis 13:8-12 Genesis 1:14-15 Genesis 1:14 Genesis 1:27 Genesis 1:28 Genesis 1:29 Genesis 1:31 Genesis 1:3 Genesis 22 Genesis 3:10 Genesis 3:12 Genesis 3:14-15 Genesis 3:20 Genesis 3 Genesis 9:7 Genesis and the Gospel Genesis Give thanks to the Lord. Glad You Asked Christmas Edition Glad You Asked Glendive Montana Glory to God! God created you God is light. God is love. God is rich in mercy God loves us. God loves you God makes no mistakes. God won the battle God-created world God-shaped vacuum God's Word God's character God's dwelling place God's grace God's joy God's plan God's pursuit God\'s Word God\'s character God\'s joy God\'s plan God\'s pursuit God\\\'s character God\\\'s joy God\\\'s plan God\\\'s pursuit God\\\\\\\'s character God\\\\\\\'s joy God\\\\\\\'s plan God\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s character God\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s plan God\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s character God\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s plan Gods Word is truth Gods Word Gods care Gods character Gods divine plan Gods light Gods love story Gods plan of redemption Gods plan Gods wisdom Good Shepherd Gospel message Grace Mally Grace Moffitt Grammar matters Groggy Habakkuk 1:5 Hallelujah! Hawaii He is always faithful. He is risen Heaven Hebrews 10:1-18 Hebrews 10:19-22 Hebrews 10:23 Hebrews 11 Hebrews 12:1-3 Hebrews 12 Hebrews 13:14 Hebrews 13:5-6 Hebrews 13:5 Hebrews 13:8 Hebrews 4:12 Hebrews 4:16 Hebrews 7:25 Hell His glory Holly Varnum Holy Spirit How can I fight and overcome fear? How to Think Hubble Human life is sacred. Huntsman Center Hurry sickness I Peter 3:15 IMPACT Impact Curriculum In everything give thanks. Is it okay for a Christian to be rich? Is life good? Isaiah 11:1 Isaiah 26:3-4 Isaiah 26:3 Isaiah 40:28-31 Isaiah 40:29 Isaiah 40:31 Isaiah 40:8 Isaiah 41:10 Isaiah 41 Isaiah 43:1 Isaiah 43:2 Isaiah 45:9a Isaiah 53:6 Isaiah 55:11 Isaiah 55:8-9 Isaiah 55:8 Isaiah 64:8 Isaiah 7:14 Isaiah 9:6 Israel Museum It is well with my soul Jamaica James 1:12 James 1:15 James 1:17 James 1:2 James 1:8 James 2:14-17 James 2:14-26 James 4:10 James 4:14 James 4:7 James 4:8a James 4:8 January 2022 Jehovah Rapha Jeremiah 17:9 Jeremiah 29:11 Jeremiah 29:13 Jeremiah 31:3 Jeremiah 33:3 Jeremiah 36:32 Jerusalem Jesus and me Jesus chose to die. Jesus comforts the broken-hearted. Jesus saw their faith Jesus the Messiah Jesus Jewish feasts Job 1:3 Job 2:8 John 10:10 John 10:11 John 10:17-18 John 10:27 John 11:25 John 12:32 John 14:1-3 John 14:6 John 15:1-11 John 15:13 John 15:16a John 16:33 John 1:12 John 1:35-42 John 3:16-17 John 3:16 John 3:17 John 4:23-24 John 6:51 John 8:32 John 8:36 John Mark John Ray Joni Eareckson Tada Joni and Friends Joseph A. Kennedy Joseph and Mary Joseph Joshua 1:9 Joshua 22:5 Joshua 24:15 Juan Valdes Jude 1:22 Julaine Appling Justice Kaimuki Bulldogs Kaimuki High School Keeping teens faithful King David King Hezekiah King Solomon Know It! Live It! Share It! Know why you believe. LEAD Wisconsin Lacey Reitz Lamentations 3:22-23 Lamentations 3:22-24 Leviticus 12:8 Leviticus 18:24-30 Leviticus 25:23 Liberty Institute Life in layers Life is good because God is good. Life is good Listen to His voice. Listen Little boys need Mamas. Little boys need to know their Mamas like them. Loose the Lion Luke 12:12 Luke 18:1 Luke 1:32 Luke 22:32 Luke 24:38 Luke 2:1-14 Luke 2:24 Luke 2:55 Luke 2:7 Luke 5:1-11 Luke 5:37-39 MRRHWQ 15:32-38 MTD Malachi 3:3 Malachi 3:6a Malachi 3:6 Marc Glander Mark 10:45 Mark 10:8 Mark 16:15 Mark 1:16-18 Mark 1:35 Mark 2:3-5 Mark 5:19 Mark 6:31 Mark 6:46 Martin Luther Mary Master Potter Matthew 10:20 Matthew 10:32 Matthew 11:28-29 Matthew 11:28-30 Matthew 11:28 Matthew 11:29-30 Matthew 11:29 Matthew 13 Matthew 14:13-21 Matthew 14:22-33 Matthew 14:31 Matthew 15:17-19 Matthew 16:24 Matthew 19:16-24 Matthew 19:23-24 Matthew 1:22-23 Matthew 24:35 Matthew 27:15-25 Matthew 27:75 Matthew 28:18-20 Matthew 4:18-20 Matthew 5:13 Matthew 5:16 Matthew 5:18 Matthew 6:19-20 Matthew 6:19-21 Matthew 6:19 Matthew 6:1 Matthew 6:25-26 Matthew 6:27 Matthew 6:33 Matthew 7:21-23 Matthew 9:35 May 15 1987 Memory Lane Mere Christianity Messiah Mic'd Up Mic'dUP Mic\'d Up Mic\'dUP Mic\\\'d Up Mic\\\\\\\'d Up Mic\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'d Up Micah 5:2 Micah 6:8 Micd Up Michigan State University Miracles Money is their god. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism Mosaic NRB National Religious Broadcasters Never Forget. Never Again. Never thirst again. New Year's resolutions New Year\'s resolutions Nigeria Noah's ark Nobody Loves Me . . . DeBunked Nonconformity Not yet a human. Numbers 23:19 OJ Simpson Parable of the sower Pastor Baba Paul Varnum Peter Philippians 1:6 Philippians 2:13 Philippians 2:3-4 Philippians 2:6-11 Philippians 3:12-16 Philippians 3:7-8 Philippians 4:13 Philippians 4:6-7 Philippians 4:6-9 Philippians 4:8 Pilate Plan C Please say Yes! Please say "Yes!" Please say \"Yes!\" Please say \\\"Yes!\\\" Pool of Siloam Potter Pray for Rachael Neal. Pray without ceasing. Proverbs 11:10 Proverbs 12:26 Proverbs 14:12 Proverbs 14:34 Proverbs 15:4 Proverbs 16:3 Proverbs 18:12 Proverbs 18:24 Proverbs 19:21 Proverbs 1:20 Proverbs 1:8-9 Proverbs 20:12 Proverbs 22:6 Proverbs 23:19-21 Proverbs 27:17 Proverbs 3:5-6 Proverbs 3:5 Proverbs 3:9 Proverbs 3;5-6 Proverbs 6:16-19 Psalm 100:5 Psalm 100 Psalm 103:2-5 Psalm 119:105 Psalm 119:11 Psalm 119:160 Psalm 122:1 Psalm 138:1-2 Psalm 139:14 Psalm 139:17 Psalm 139:4 Psalm 139 Psalm 13:6 Psalm 145:13 Psalm 145:18 Psalm 147:4 Psalm 16:11 Psalm 18:1-2 Psalm 18:30 Psalm 19:1 Psalm 1:1 Psalm 1 Psalm 23:1 Psalm 23:2 Psalm 23:4 Psalm 23:6 Psalm 27 Psalm 29:2 Psalm 2:1-6 Psalm 31:14-15 Psalm 33:11 Psalm 34:18 Psalm 34:19 Psalm 37:3-7 Psalm 37:5-6 Psalm 37:5 Psalm 40:2 Psalm 40:8 Psalm 42 Psalm 55:17 Psalm 63:3 Psalm 68:19 Psalm 69:9a Psalm 73:16-17 Psalm 84:11 Psalm 8:3 Psalm 8:4 Psalm 92:1-4 Psalm 95:1 Pursued Put God first Rachael Neal Reasons for Hope Responds Reasons for Hope in the Mosaic of Your Life Reasons for Hope* Reasons for Hope Rebekah Haynie Respond to God's voice Respond to God\'s voice Respond to God\\\'s voice Respond to God\\\\\\\'s voice Respond to God\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s voice Resurrection Revelation 19:11 Revelation 20:12 Revelation 22:18-19 Revelation 7:9-11 RforH Romans 10:14 Romans 10:15 Romans 10:9-10 Romans 10:9 Romans 11:36 Romans 12:1-2 Romans 12:2 Romans 12:9-21 Romans 15:13 Romans 1:16 Romans 1:20 Romans 3:23 Romans 5:10-11 Romans 5:12 Romans 5:17 Romans 5:2-5 Romans 5:6-10 Romans 6:23 Romans 8:14 Romans 8:18-25 Romans 8:18 Romans 8:26 Romans 8:28 Romans 8:38-39 Romans 8:38 Sanctity of Life Schaftlein Report Scriptures Seal of Baruch September 11 Shelby Pruitt Shema Spurgeon Stay bold! Stay bold Steve Herzig Supreme Court Surprised by Joy Testify Thanksgiving The Bible Project The Bible is a Jewish book. The DeBunked Files The Plumb Line The Right Ingredients The Screwtape Letters There is no truth. There is no truth There's Nothing Wrong with Abortion ... DeBunked! There\'s Nothing Wrong with Abortion ... DeBunked! There\\\'s Nothing Wrong with Abortion ... DeBunked! There\\\\\\\'s Nothing Wrong with Abortion ... DeBunked! Think before you post. Thinkful TikTok Tish Kerby Titus 2:6 Tower of Babel Trust His heart Trusting God Use God's Word correctly. Use God\'s Word correctly. WEF Wade Wacker Wash their feet. Wealthy Christians What are you thankful for? What is a Christian? What is my purpose? Who Made God? Why am I here? Why did Jesus have to die? Will Our Generation Speak? Within Our Reach Wooed Word of God Your grace still amazes me. Your vote matters. Youth outreach Yuval Noah Harari Zola Levitt a little at a time a process; not an event abortion absolute truth abundant life acacia accepting help achieving the impossible adventure anatomy and physiology angels angry another child of God struggling answering questions antidote to fear anxious apologetics artificial intelligence astronomy astrophysics atonement for sin be not afraid best of luck biblical Christianity biblical creationist biblical perspective biblical worldview biblical worship biology blindfold boldness bold boys branch brokenness bullae bulla butterfly caged called to encourage cancellation cancer journey cancer cease striving certainty challenge character check your attitude children choices clay coercion come alongside comfort zone comfortable Christian commas save lives compromised confidence confused conjunction consequences consistency consistent created in Gods image creation vs. evolution critical race theory critical thinking cross curriculum cut the head off the snake debate deception defend depressed depression design of the eye designed by God desperate passion dinosaur dig distractions don't fight alone don't stop don\'t fight alone don\'t stop don\\\'t fight alone don\\\'t stop don\\\\\\\'t stop dont stop doubt eisegeses election embryology encouragement entrusted by God to do good eternal life eternity without God eternity evangelism evidence for a creator examine the scriptures exegesis eye fair and impartial faith walk family circle family first fear not fearfully and wonderfully made fear feeling lost feeling overwhelmed fig filled with joy and worship flight cancelled football coach forest forever home former athiest free will freedom in Christ freedom of choice freedom fruit fulfilled prophecies galaxies gestation give a defense give thanks glory in His holy name good luck good news of Jesus Christ good news good will toward men government grace gratitude grog having conversations heavenly host hermeneutics heroes of the faith history of the universe hope human eye humble ourselves illness impact lives impact your teammates positively impulsive incomprehensible God inn investment isolation keep moving keep progressing largest church in the world layers leaf let go light year speed like Christ live in freedom loss of loved ones loss love of money love mATTHEW 26: 20-29 made for another world made in His image manger marriage memories memorization without application memorizing Scripture miraculous design missing opportunities more like Christ motivation multiple meanings mystical truth never compromised no coincidence no complaints no hope no pain no gain no place like home no quitting no room in the inn nonconformist not a fetus not ashamed oak objective right and wrong olive one foot in front of the other one race one-world government opened doors opportunity to bring hope overwhelming distance palms part of a team passionate patience patriotism paying it forward peace persecution persevere perspective physics plans pomegranate positive messages postgame prayer potsherd pottery potter power of the Word praying pregnancy pregnant preposition prioritize God pro-life progress propitiation providence quadriplegic quiet time reach the younger generation reality exists reality reassurance red cardinal redemptive work of Christ refining refocus what church looks like relationship with God relentless forward motion represent Christ resolutions rest for your soul rest revival right time right words righteousness root of all evil root sacrifice salvation see God move seed experiment seek the Lord shine a light silversmith situation slavery social media son of encouragement speak life speak your truth spiritual apathy spiritual harvest spiritual legacy spotless Lamb of God stable stagnant church stand boldly on the Word of God stand up against evil star-gazing starstruck stars step by step stranded stress statistics stress study for yourself suffering summer camp swaddling clothes sycamore symbol of God's love and reassurance symbol of God\'s love and reassurance symbol of God\\\'s love and reassurance symbol of God\\\\\\\'s love and reassurance symbol of Gods love and reassurance teaching science technology teen questions teens telescope temple of the Holy Spirit terebinth thank you thankfulness thankful the apple of his eye the finish line the human eye the lion will defend itself the long route the seeing eye the wooing of God theology think for yourself thriving in Christ traditions traffic trees trials tribulation troubles trust Jesus truth turn to God ultamarathon ultrarunner ultrmarathon unborn child uncage the Lion uncertain uncover the truth unfair universe unpredictable use your gift vine virgin birth visual reminders vote voting weathering the storm wethering the storm where two worlds collide willow windows to the soul wonder of boys work ethic worldview worship worth fighting for worth it worthy of protection young earth your circle matters youth ministry youth zeal for worship zoo guide