Tag: Genesis

believing a lie from the wrong voice

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The Garden of Eden was a place of beauty; a place untainted by sin and its crippling, polluting, heartbreaking effects; a place where they could hear and communicate with the voice of God; a place of intimacy with man and of intimacy with almighty God. Everything God created He says is “good.” Adam and Eve’s world was a paradise.

One rule. All Adam and Eve had in the Garden was one rule, “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will certainly die.” [Genesis 2:17] Like a kid left alone with a cookie jar, our first parents started the first rebel-ution against their Heavenly Father.

If Genesis 1–2 was paradise, then Genesis 3 is paradise lost. Through one foolish and rebellious rule breaking act—eating the fruit God had forbidden—Adam and Eve lost their innocence, dignity, home, and relationship with God, “through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” [Romans 5:12] How did the Fall of Mankind happen?

The voice of God is the only voice Adam and Eve have know, however, a strange voice enters the Garden. The voice comes from a serpent. The serpent is defined later in Scripture as the “one of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” [Revelation 12:9]. He is a voice filled with lies. Jesus calls him the “the father of lies” [John 8:44]. Satan is sneaky and his first recorded words are deceitful and crafty [3:1]. Satan is no less crafty and deceitful today. How does he deceive with craftiness?

Satan seeks to confuse. His question for Eve was, “Did God actually say?” [3:1]. In other words, “Are you sure that’s what God said?” Eve heard God’s command loud and clear, but the serpent planted doubts in her head. He tries to confuse you too, “Maybe that verse doesn’t really mean what it looks it means. Maybe God doesn’t mean for you to take that literally. Maybe…Maybe…Maybe…” Satan’s strategy is to make you doubt the clear teachings of the Bible.

Satan twists God’s words. Satan puts words in God’s mouth, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” Nope. God did not say that! God told Adam and Eve they could eat from any tree of the garden—except the one [2:16–17]. Satan makes God look like a bully. Satan will says things like, “God won’t care if you take just one look. It won’t hurt anyone.” Or, “If it’s fun, why would it be bad?” Remember, God is good and Satan twists.

Satan comforts your conscience despite the consequences. He tries to ease the idea of actual consequences, “You will not surely die!” [3:4]. It is as if Satan is saying, “God’s not going to kill you over a small bite. Eating that apple is not a big deal. Go ahead. You know he will forgive and forget.” He is essentially saying God is a liar, but Jesus says that Satan is the liar [John 8:44]. This is where man needs to make a choice—believe God or not? God speaks the truth, “the wages of sin is death” [Rom. 6:23].

Satan speaks enough truth to make sin sound tasty. There is enough truth in Satan’s statement, “God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” [3:5]. Satan is making sin sound so freeing. Satan promised Adam and Eve freedom, instead they received guilt [3:7]. Sin’s promises are like a mirage that never appears. They were fooled into thinking they would be like God, instead they found themselves hiding from God [3:8–10]. Satan fell to pride and he knows mankind is just as foolish. Today, we view pride as a virtue and submission to authority as a weakness. The world says, “Do want you want. Do what makes you feel good. Go for it. Live you best life now. Be proud of yourself. Have more self-esteem.” All the while Satan has you heart bait-and-switched on yourself.

It is important to note that God created the smart-mouthed serpent, Satan. What you do not hear in Genesis, but is explained later in the Scripture is that Satan and 1/3 of all the angels of heaven who sided their allegiance with Satan’s ego-trip rebellion against God were cast out of heaven. Satan is not co-equal with God, over God, or in some cosmic battle of good and evil with God. God has no match; He has no equal, nor is there anyone like Him. God has Satan on a tight leash and Satan knows it. Satan, like mankind is a created being and is dependent upon God like all for God’s creation, however he has been around a while and knows the sinful ways of man, which makes him very smart and more experienced in the ways of sin than you. Be careful what voice you listen to. Make sure the voice matches the character of God.

the beginning of mankind

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What came first the chicken or the egg? That is the infamous question of origins. Except today we will unlock the mysteries to the question, what came first the human or ape? I am not satisfied with the conclusion that I evolved from an ape or primordial ooze. Is there another option? A better option?

Genesis does tell you a lot about God and everything He created, and it also says a lot about yourself. First, man is made in God’s image [1:26]. You were created. God made you. He made you to be a reflector of one thing—Himself. But what does it mean that God has created you in His image? The answer is in the context of Genesis 1:26. You are imaged as a dominioneers. A dominioneer is a ruler, a mini king like the King of kings. This is what sets you apart from every other animal, plant, or planet that God created.

As dominioneers you are charged to take care of everything God has created on earth and spread yourselves out in population as well as spread the popularity of God’s fame through your obedience. You were made in the image of God to bear His name, to work, to rule, and to serve as God’s steward.[1] The earth is not our mother; rather God is our very good Father. This cultural mandate is supposed to carry forth as the church building a kingdom counter culture that honors God, obeys His Word, and expands His fame.

Second, man was created as male and female [1:27; 2:4-25]. God created man equally in His image, but He created them differently in sex and roles. God made the male a helpmate suitable for him [2:18] because God knew he needed a personal companion and complement [not compliment, but a counterpart]. These verses on male and female are critical for relationships, marriage, and sexuality issues. Issues our culture would rather ignore. Man and woman become one flesh in marital union as designed by God. This is the miracle or marriage.

Third, man was created very good [1:31]. Above all of God’s creation He sets man apart as not just good, but very good. Man was innocent and sinless at first [2:25]. Man had direct communication with God in the garden. And man felt no shame with God. That is why they were naked. They had nothing to hide. They were completely open and transparent with God. Today, you would never walk outside your house without any clothes on because you would either be embarrassed or arrested. Today nakedness equals shame and hiding things is natural. Why? You will have to wait for more on this next week.

In conclusion, history and humanity has a beginning The Bible begins with God and the creative act that sent time into motion. The Bible addresses the origin of man and the universe [and everything] in Genesis 1-2. These first chapters of the Bible reveal to you the character of God, the beginnings of creation and the beginnings of man. You and I are left to ponder and wonder, let us draw to God in worship and praise for His wonderful creation.

[1] D.A. Carson, The God Who Is There, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI. 2010. Pg. 23.

the beginning of everything (except God)

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In the comedic book, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams everyone is on the quest to find the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. A super computer is built, named Deep Thoughts, to calculate the answer, but it must take 7.5 million years to compute. The great day arrives and the world awaits its answer. And the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything is, 42. Not the answer they were looking for. Deep Thoughts answers their disgruntlement, “So once you do know what the question actually is, you’ll know what the answer means.” Then Deep Thoughts suggests they build a computer, named Earth, to calculate the right question. The question will take another 10 million years, but a bypass is being built that just demolished earth. So long and thanks for all the fish.[1]

You do not have to build a super computer or search the worlds end to find the answer to the origins of life, the universe and everything. Genesis tell you a lot about the originator, and its origins. First, God created everything with order to reflect His character. Check out the precision and order to the days of God’s creation:

Day Day of the Week What God Made More Details Interesting Tidbits
1 Sunday [Forming] light and darkness The light rose and set. [Sun? Not sure.] Sunday is the same day Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus is the illumination of Heaven.
2 Monday [Forming] sky and waters separated Water in the sky, water in the clouds, water in the middle, and water below. In Genesis, God separates things by His Word. God does not say Monday is good!?
3 Tuesday [Forming] dry ground and waters separated Land and seas. God made things grow on Tuesday. Land appears 400 times in Genesis. Important. Also, you plant seeds in ground and grow with water. Seed is a key word in Genesis too.
4 Wednesday [Filling] sun, moon, stars (lights separated in Heaven) 2 lights. Great light: Sun. Lesser light: moon. How did God create light without the sun, moon and stars on Day 1?
5 Thursday [Filling] fish and birds God created things to swim in the water and fly in the sky. God is preparing man’s real-estate to be lived in. God blesses [v.22; 40x’s in Genesis]
6 Friday [Filling] animals and man, plants and trees God puts all the animals together in order [i.e. livestock/farm]. God gives the animals to man to use to help with work.
7 Saturday rest Sleep; day off from work to worship Days are for working and evenings are for sleeping.

Did God really need 6-days to create everything? It is just like asking the question, if God got tired after creating everything? No. God could have created everything in the blink of an eye or the snap of a finger, but He chose 6-days to demonstrate the week of work and need for day of rest. God made all this great stuff before He made you. He desires to take care of you from the get go. What a great God!

Second, without an understanding of Genesis 1-2, you cannot understand Genesis 3 and beyond. Without understanding how good God created everything, you cannot completely grasp what happens in the rest of the Bible.

Third, creation is a theme found throughout the Bible. You will see the notion of creation pop up other places in the Bible. It all starts in Genesis with God creating all things. Later in the Bible, Jesus Christ comes as the Savior of mankind, redeeming His creation. Those who believe in Him become new creations. Even later in the Bible, following the second coming of Jesus Christ, the idea of creation will reappear with the creation of a new heavens and new earth that are not stained with sin. God loves to create.

Fourth, since God created everything, everything is under his authority. You are responsible and accountable as a creation to your Creator. Why should I obey God? He made you. He owns you. He holds the deed to your life. You can still choose not to believe or obey, even create your own gods to worship, but that does not erase the fact that He is God and you are not. He owns your life, and you owe Him your life. Since, He is the authority everything will give account to Him. It is best to obey Him today than tomorrow.

[1] Douglas Adams, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,Portland House, New York, NY. 1997. 117-122

the beginning word on God

Posted in attributes of God, creation, Genesis, GodTagged , , , , , , , 2 Comments

The theme Genesis is God, “In the beginning, God.” The book is about God. All the books of the Bible are about God. All of history is about God. Everything is about God. Genesis is not exhaustive; it does not tell us everything about God. The book of Genesis covers about 2,000 years of human history. It covers as much history as all of the rest of the Bible combined.[1] Genesis is a selective telling of history by Moses. He gives the things that you need to know because they are most important and most related to our understanding of God. This leads you to what Genesis tells you about God.

The first information we have about God from Genesis is obvious:

God is [1:1]

There is not a long argument, just a statement of fact, “In the beginning, GOD.” He is. God exists as He is. He always was and is. God simply is.

However, God is not just simple, He is also complex. God is One [1:1, 26]. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is that there is one God,[2] and this one God is three equal persons—Father, Son, and Spirit [cf. Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:18-20]. Although Moses might have understood the Trinity concept completely because of progressive revelation, therefore, the rest of Scripture teaches that each member of the Trinity was involved in Creation: the Father created 9Psalm 19:1; Acts 17:28; 1 Corinthians 8:6], the Son created [John 1:1-3, 10, 14; Colossians 1:16-17], and the Spirit created [Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13].

God did not keep silent about His creation and plans with creation. God is a talker [1:3a]. God spoke His creation into existence with the power of His words. God said and it was. God created light, stars, planets, plants and animals all by saying so. He spoke to His creation and charged them on how to live. God is verbal. If God talks, you must listen.

God make everything [1:3-25]

The question is not often whether God created everything [Hebrews 11:3], rather how did He create everything. For the sake of time and space, I will not indulge in a scientific treatise of Genesis and creation. Yet I will give you a few thoughts to chew on. First, there are differences in opinion among Christians as to whether God created a young earth [7 literal days] or old earth [i.e. gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2]. There are tensions because in Genesis 1-2 there is a mixture of history and symbols. Second, there are even more differences in opinion in the claims of science. Scientists have wrestled with the origins of the universe and human kind for millennia’s [i.e. Darwinism, atheism, intelligent design, irreducible complexity, etc.]. The theories and hypothesis among scientists come in all shades of colors, sizes and textures.

Let it be known, Genesis is not a scientific textbook, but what Genesis does tell us is enough—God created everything. This must be clear or Genesis 2 and following do not make any sense. Galileo said it well, “The Bible is not preeminently concerned with telling us how the heavens go. The Bible is, instead, most concerned with telling us how to go to Heaven.”

When God made everything He made it good [1:25]. God openly says, “Let there be this, and let there be that,” not half-heartedness or with reckless speediness. He did not make cheap trinkets that would easily fall apart. He created everything good. In the beginning there was no need for a policeman, fireman, garbage man or handy man. Everything was created good—without death, defect, or decay.

God rests after making everything [2:1-3]

Why did God rest? Did He get tired from using all His creative juices? No God is limitless in His creative powers. He does not need a break because of tiredness or vacation from stress. He rested the seventh day because He knew in His infinite wisdom that His created man would need this as an example to live by. Man is a finite creature and needs to rest weekly in order to remain sane and Sabbath. Rest is something God models and makes for man. Rest is best for mankind.

God gets glory for His greatness

Every molecule, ameba, moth, mosquito, Madagascar hissing cockroach, muskrat, monkey, moose, mouse, mountain lion, manatee, and man were created to give back praise to their Creator. God made creation to glorify Himself [Psalm 19:1]. God made creation to pour forth His love [Psalm 136]. God made creation for Himself [Colossians 1:16]. God made creation to show you His attributes [Romans 1:20]. And God made creation to worship Him [Revelation 4:11]. Everything was made by God and for God. Only “the fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” [Psalm 14:1]

[1] Just Genesis 2, 3, 4, and 5, alone covers 1,656 years in a couple chapters.

[2] Cf. Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Chronicles 15:3; Jeremiah 10:10; John 17:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 John 5:20-21