AiG and Lazarus

I like to use the passage in John 11 about the raising of Lazarus from the dead as an analogy for the Answers in Genesis ministry.

Lazarus was dead physically. This is a reminder that everyone eventually dies: “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). But it’s also a reminder that death is not the end. God’s Word makes it clear that when a person’s body dies, the person’s soul does not, and will spend eternity with or without the Lord. That’s a reminder that we are all sinners and “dead in the trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).

But, for Christians, “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4–5). So for those who have done what Romans 10:9 teaches, we know with certainty we will spend forever with the Lord, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

When Jesus came to the tomb of Lazarus, he could have moved the stone away with one word. He could have raised Lazarus and brought him out without moving the stone at all.

Now, all through Scripture we see man’s responsibility and God’s sovereignty work hand in hand, even though as finite humans we will never totally understand this. When Jesus came to the tomb of Lazarus, he could have moved the stone away with one word. He could have raised Lazarus and brought him out without moving the stone at all. But the first thing Jesus did was say, “Take away the stone” (John 11:39).

In other words, humans can roll the stone away. That’s man’s responsibility. But only God can raise the dead. So when Jesus said, “Lazarus, come out” (John 11:43), Lazarus rose from the dead.

At Answers in Genesis, we specialize in apologetics, giving answers to the skeptical questions and attacks on God’s Word in our day (1 Peter 3:15). This, to me, is how we “roll the stone away,” by providing answers that remove stumbling blocks so that people will believe God’s Word. But it’s only God’s Word that can save by raising “dead” people as new creations in Christ. So, in all we do, we are pointing people to the Word of God that saves. That’s why you will find that the exhibits at the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter answer many questions that help people trust the historicity of God’s Word—particularly in Genesis—but we don’t just stop there. We also very clearly point people to God’s Word and the saving gospel. There’s no point in just “rolling the stone” away. We also must point them to the one who raises dead people to life. That’s man’s responsibility and God’s sovereignty working hand in hand!