were current in their day. Not surprisingly, many of these ideas are no longer plausible. This does not present a problem, however, since it does not in any way diminish the way the Bible leads us to God and confronts us with his message—a message that, according to the Reformed stance, pivots on God’s sovereign grace in Christ vis-à-vis human sin and misery. We must concentrate on this message as we read the Bible, for that is where its authority lies; we should not mix up that message with scientific