Genesis
is not only the first book of the Bible. It is also the fundamental book
of the Bible. Those who have wanted to undermine the credibility
of the Christian faith have
understood this, and therefore there has
been a concerted attack for quite some
time now on this fundamental book of the Bible. This is done by either reinterpreting it, or by ridiculing
it. People have
called Genesis poetry and myth, and by such description have
reduced it to the level of Grimm’s fairy tales. Professor E.J.
Young, OT professor at Westminster Theological Seminary (1936-1968) says that “
if you accept such beliefs , you are
abandoning the Christian faith .”[1]
Prof. Young says : “ Genesis is not poetry. There are poetical
accounts of creation in the Bible- Psalm
104 and certain chapters in Job… Hebrew poetry
has certain characteristics, and they are not found in the first chapter
of Genesis.”[2]
Our departure point is that Genesis is
a factual and true account
of the origin of creation. Our thesis is that ultimately all Christian doctrine is founded upon the events
of the first 11 chapters of the Bible. Ken Ham has rightly said that Genesis is not only the basis of the gospel, but it gives the
basis for the fabric of our entire society.[3] Genesis
Chapters 1 -11 in particular establish those fundamental
doctrines that undergird our society, and which if ignored,
will due to the wrath of God[4]
lead to the eventual collapse of our society.
It
is also clear that the devil
is hard at work to undermine every single one of
these doctrines which form the foundations or pillars of our society.
Today
I want to begin with a brief overview of Genesis
1-11. I want you to be persuaded
as to the importance of our thesis, so that you will
work hard at living out and defending the truths which are found here.
Chapters 1 &2 :
“In the beginning God [5]
created…”: Here
we find the beginning or the origin of THEOLOGY or the knowledge of God. God is introduced to us in the first sentence of the Bible. He is
introduced as the Prime Mover and Originator
of all there is. The gospel of John makes
a vital connection in this regard: “In
the beginning was the Word and the Word
was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things
were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made”
[6]. The
Word is who is Christ is here shown to be the Agent of creation, so
that we understand that the God who in
the beginning created the heavens and the earth
is the same as the
Lord Jesus Christ.
What is also significant is that the
Name of God in Genesis 1 is not the
customary covenantal name of God, “Yahweh”[7],
by which He made Himself known to Moses,
but here it is the
Name “Elohim”[8].
The name indicates a plural form of God. Although the Bible affirms
that God is one absolute Being , the
name of God Elohim indicates that God is much more profound than we imagine. The New Testament really helps us here when John teaches
us that the Lord Jesus
Christ is the Creator, is co-existent , co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father.
In addition , the
Holy Spirit[9]
of God is mentioned in Genesis 1:2 . The doctrine of the Trinity is implied and established in the very beginning
of the Bible
“In the beginning God created”: Here we find the doctrine of
creation. This is an
important point, because we are
contending with the man- made doctrine of evolution which not only attempts to eliminate the
doctrine of the Creator, but
also the
doctrine of creation, maintaining that
this universe and the
earth came about by chance.
And God said, “Let
there be…” (1:3) According to Genesis all creation is spoken
into existence by God - there is no
thought, idea or concept of evolution
here. The doctrine of the origins of everything begins here. That simple phrase “and God said, “ Let there be…” destroys any notion and theory
that the universe is self-existent
or that it has evolved by chance.
“So God
created man in His own image“ (1:27):
The doctrine of the origin and
the value of man begins here.
Genesis asserts that man was created
directly by God. Genesis thus contradicts
the theory of evolution which
maintains that mankind has
evolved from the apes. Genesis also
asserts that mankind is the only
of God’s creatures to bear God’s image.
This gives unique value and
significance to human beings. One might
for instance legitimately address the issue of abortion on the basis of
this text. Every time a child [10]
is destroyed in the womb, the image of
God in man is assaulted. Dr. Francis Schaeffer
a leading Christian thinker of the
20th century said in this regard: ”If man is not made in the image of God, nothing then stands in the way
of inhumanity.” [11]
“Male and
female he created them” (1:27): The doctrine of
gender begins here. Men and
women are created by God as
equal in essence and yet different and complementary in
function. This doctrine today is challenged by those
who hold to an ‘egalitarian’ position
i.e. that there is no functional difference between men and women.
“God blessed them and said … rule over… every living
creature “ (1:28 ; 2:15): God appoints
the man to be steward or caretaker of His
earthly creation. The doctrine of
stewardship and ecology begins
here . Man is called by God to care for and
not destroy the earth, and to use and administer resources wisely. Christians on this basis
should be better and wiser stewards of the earth than Greenpeace activists who care more for whales and lions than for human babies.
“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden… but
not from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…“ (2:16,17).
In the midst of a garden of Eden there exists a mysterious, forbidden
tree. Man is commanded not to eat of
it, lest he in his state of innocence should receive the
knowledge of good and evil.
The doctrine of man’s free will begins here . Adam
could freely choose to eat
or not to eat. Here it must be
emphasized that man was not created as a
robot. God made man in His image. He is a free God. He made man to freely obey His God. He
made man with a capacity to choose.
However, there
is also the doctrine of man’s “will in
bondage“ which comes as a result of the fall in Genesis 3. We no longer
share in the pure free will such as Adam and Eve enjoyed in their unfallen state. Our wills are
now tainted by sin, and we like to do
what the sinful nature desires. Our
wills are now inclined towards
sin.
“He made a woman
and brought her to the man… “ (2:22-25).
The doctrine of marriage begins here – the relationship between one man and one woman is defined. They are “one
flesh” – an exclusive , permanent
and God-sealed covenant … “what God has
joined together let no man separate”[12]. The permanence of marriage is affirmed. So called ‘homosexual
marriage’ is hereby excluded. God made
Adam and Eve, and not Adam and Steve.
Man is created first and
then the woman. Gender wars would
not exist if mankind obeyed God in this
regard. God designed man to be the leader of the marriage team.
CHAPTER 3 :
“Now the serpent
was more crafty… He said to the woman (3:1): The doctrine of Satan’s existence begins here He challenges the decrees of God: ”You shall not surely
die“ ( cf. 2:17 à 3:4) The
subversive tactic of the devil in
approaching the weaker partner is demonstrated
here.
“Then the eyes of both were opened…. (3:7) thereby gaining the knowledge of good and evil , and paradise is lost. The doctrine of man’s original fall
into sin begins here . The
first response is shame. The
outward sign of their desire to hide
from God is that they feel naked – exposed, defiled. (Here is the real reason why we wear clothes!) We also note that they hide , because they
are too proud to confess their sin.
3: 14 – 19 : The consequence of
this one act of sin has horrific implications. This original sin
affects the entire offspring of
Adam and Eve. Man is cast out of God’s presence . The doctrine of the wrath of God
begins here . The results of the fall are established. Satan is cursed
and his certain destruction is announced (Gen 3: 14- 15). Woman is
cursed: evidences are painful labour in child birth; her desire to dominate her husband; her husband ruling sternly over her. Man is cursed: his work and livelihood
are a painful exercise ; man dies. The doctrine of death begins here . In the midst
of this sad state of events however
the seed of the Gospel is sown
in Genesis 3:15 . The doctrine of the Gospel begins here! A Redeemer of mankind and the destroyer of Satan
will come. Satan strikes his heel on
the cross, but the wound is not ultimately fatal, but the Saviour will
deliver a deathblow to Satan’s head
“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin and He clothed them…” (3: 21) The doctrine of God’s love and
providential care for sinners.
CHAPTER 4 :
The origin of
broken relationships This is exemplified in the strife between brother Cain and Abel. The cause (sin - 4:6) and the
outworking (effect): Unrighteousness, anger, jealousy, murder, as a result of which Cain kills his
brother Abel.
The mark upon Cain (4:15) : The doctrine of the love of God
for all sinners. However,
that love is not as particular and of the same quality as that
for SETH ( 4:25 lit. the appointed or granted ) who
shall become the bloodline for the promised SEED – the Messiah and His chosen people. The doctrine of the particular love
of God for His elect people .
Chapter 5 :
The bloodline of the SEED from Adam
to Noah establishes the doctrine of
election
Chapters 6 - 9
:
6:5 & 7:21 contains the doctrine of total depravity &
God’s continual wrath against sin
The Flood is an illustration of the doctrine of the final judgment
The story of Noah represents the doctrine of the remnant ( God’s elect) – the household of faith –
God’s chosen people.
The Noahic Covenant - another reminder of the doctrine of God’s grace to this fallen creation. As with Adam, God bestowed undeserved
blessings on Noah and the world.
Ch 9 – 11
The Origin of
nations , the origin of languages
SUMMARY & CONCLUSION :
· Genesis 1 – 11
has a profound effect on our worldview. Genesis explains our origins: Where we have
come from; what went wrong; God‘s Grace
and His wrath; man’s need for salvation and redemption.
· The New Testament
builds upon these foundations. Jesus makes frequent mention of these
original doctrines. The apostle
Paul establishes the doctrine of man’s
sin and the fall from this text.
·
We must build on these foundations. Every step away and every reversal from the truths contained in Genesis shall
lead to the undoing of our society.
·
God calls you today to stand firm on these truths
and to speak the truth in love to
your society.
[1]
E.J. Young: In The Beginning , p. 18 ,
Banner of Truth .
[2]
ibid
[3]
Andy McIntosh : Genesis for today , p.12 ( Day One Publications)
[4]
Romans 1:18ff
[5]
Hebr. Elohim
[6]
John 1:1-3
[7]
Translated as LORD in the
ESV . The first mention of YAHWEH is found in Genesis 2:5
[8]
The “im” ending in the
Hebrew indicates the plural ( so
also the Cherubim and Seraphim)
[9]
Hebr. Elohim Ruach
[10]
Hebr. “yeled” – the root name
for the child in the womb and the child that is born is the same
[11]
Andy McIntosh : Genesis for Today , p.27, Day One Publications
[12]
Mark 10:9
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