More Meditation on Creation and Fall
In an earlier post, we offered Meditations on Creation from our friend John Mincy. His meditations continue through Creation and Fall in a diary format.
June 23, 2019
The God of Creation
As we study the first chapters of Genesis it is important to keep in mind that the entire fabric of the rest of the Bible comes replete with references to early Genesis. These references treat Genesis as history. In addition, Creation, Fall, and Flood stories are also found in other ancient histories. Since these events happened at the beginning of the race, we expect that it should be so.
In Genesis 2, we find that God finished creating in the six days, and God created no more matter in the days that follow. This is exactly what the First Law of Thermodynamics states.
After creating, God rests and sanctifies the seventh day for man to rest and worship. This day is changed to the first day in the New Testament (Col 2:16-17), to recognize Christ’s resurrection and to establish the fact that New Testament Christians look back to the finished work of the Messiah as our rest, whereas the Old Testament saint looked forward to his rest.
God makes known his unified and historical revelation by the ten “generations” or “history” formulas throughout the Book of Genesis beginning with chapter two, verse four. Genesis introduces YHWH, the unique name of God (the “God who is”) and points to the rich revelation of God through His names in the Bible. We see that God is both great and good by His great creation of mankind in His image and in all the good things that He gave man. Those gifts included a delightful garden, good and pleasant food, rivers and precious jewels, and a special place and job. God is also a giver in that He gave man a helper especially suited for him. In this gift God established the pattern for successful marriage: Love on the husband’s part and obedience on the wife’s part will make every marriage work.
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
June 24, 2019
The Problem of Evil
Didn’t God know what was going to happen? Why did God allow all this to happen? God is all knowing. God is love, righteous, all powerful, and beyond our full comprehension. We leave the problem there.
There are many verses in the Bible referring to Genesis three, over twenty in the New Testament alone. In fact, even if Genesis three were not in the Bible, we could reconstruct its major contents from other Bible verses. The causes of sin in our lives remain the same as in Genesis three: Satan (the serpent, deceiver, causing doubt, liar, undermines confidence in God); Society (hedonism, appeals to bodily appetites; materialism, pleases the eye; humanism, fulfills the desire for self-sufficiency); and Self.
The consequences of sin include disobedience to God, shame, loneliness, selfishness, sorrow, and death. God promises to give the cure for sin in Genesis 3:15, the Coming One who would crush the serpent’s head.
June 25, 2019
The Continuation of Evil
Man knew God and His laws. Cain disobeyed. Abel obeyed in faith believing what God had said. Cain chose to go his own way and then complained about the consequences.
Eventually almost all of mankind began to ignore God, and “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). However, Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Grace is the word that sums up all the gifts that God the Father wants to give to His children, and all the “graces” come through Jesus by the Word and prayer. “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:7). Notice the three steps to biblical faith: revelation (receiving the Word from God), application (acting on what God says), and anticipation (expecting and living as though God will do what He says).
June 26, 2019
One More Look at Genesis 3
The literal interpretation of Genesis 3 is as true today as it ever was. The truth of this ancient narrative needs to be preached to the modern world, for without the Fall the great problem of man is an enigma. We’ve also noted that even if Genesis 3 were not in the Bible, we could reconstruct most of the details and facts from the many cross-references. Here are many of them.
Now the Serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan (Rev. 12:9; 20:2), was crafty (II Cor. 11:3). He deceived Eve (II Cor. 11:3), and both she and her husband Adam, the son of God and the father of Seth (Lk. 3:38), transgressed (I Tim. 2:14; Rom. 5) in the garden of God (Isa. 51:3; Ezek. 28:13) where there were trees (Ezek. 31:8-9). The Serpent tempted them by lying (John 8:44) and causing them to think that they could be like God (Ezek. 28:9). Because man broke his covenant with God (Hos. 6:7), he tried to hide his iniquity (Job 31:33), the first sin of the world (Rom. 5:12). Nevertheless, it could not be hidden, and as a result man would eventually return to the dust (Job 34:15; Ps. 104:29-30) and die (I Cor. 15:22; Rom. 5). The Serpent, because of his actions, would eat dust (Isa. 65:25) and finally be crushed (Rom. 16:20), though he would wage a fierce battle against the woman’s seed (Rev. 12:17). Therefore, God drove man out of the Garden (Ezek. 28:16), the location of the tree of life (Rev. 22:1-2, 14).
John Mincy was a church planter in Singapore and California and is now pastor emeritus of Heritage Baptist Church in Antioch, California.