The Unmodified Seed

“And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”

Genesis 1:12 

In the beginning God created plants which brought forth seed after their own kind.  In simple terms, the seed of each plant is produced in the fruit.  Fruitfulness increases future fruitfulness as more plants grow to maturity.  Seeds produce plants which grow more plants which will bring forth additional fruit of the same kind.  Over the years, plants have been “engineered” or genetically altered to improve aspects of the fruit.  Seedless watermelons and mandarins, sweeter corn with more kernels, and firmer tomatoes are all examples of such efforts.  Whilst many of these engineered crops have various benefits, in many cases they are rendered unable to reproduce themselves.  The alterations have made seedless watermelons but removed the capacity for future fruitfulness from the same vine.

At camp this week, we have talked about the importance of answering questions by sharing the pure Word of God, the Bible.  In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus compared the Word of God to good seed which falls on different soil conditions which represent various conditions of the human heart.  Even as many plants and crops are genetically altered to make them more palatable or to remove those annoying seeds, the same can be done with the good seed of God’s Word.  If we alter the Word or the message, we strip the text of the power to be fruitful in the hearts and minds of others.  Pressure from scientifically minded people have sought to introduce man’s ideas into the biblical account of creation of the earth by God.  In doing so, the text may be more acceptable to our finite, biased minds and make it unfruitful.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ shared without the necessary seeds of man’s sinfulness, need for repentance and atonement, and that Jesus is the only way of salvation, rob souls of kernels necessary to spring into new life.

How important it is therefore to preach the Word without modification!  We live in a day where the tweaking of the Word and denial of literal interpretation is common.  2 Timothy 4:1-4 says, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: ² preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. ³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”  The Bible is not a platform for us to espouse our own beliefs or interpretations, but gives us a charge to hold forth the true doctrine of scripture even if it is mocked or wildly unpopular – get this – even amongst professing Christians.  Modify the scripture even so slightly to make it more palatable to the unbelieving soul, and our vain efforts work to rob it of saving power.