Genesis Review

Preliminaries:

General Pattern for Redemptive History:

  1. Creation (Generation)
  2. Fall (Degeneration)
  3. Redemption (Regeneration)

 

God’s plan centers on his Kingdom and is administered through his covenant…

  1. What is a kingdom?  A kingdom has three aspects
    1. A King / Sovereign / Lord
    2. His people
    3. The sphere of his reign
  2. What is a covenant?  A covenant is a bond in blood sovereignly administered by God that binds two parties together according to its stated principles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God’s plan is progressively revealed:

  1. The Kingdom revealed in Eden
  2. The Fall
  3. The Kingdom promised:  Abraham
  4. The Kingdom foreshadowed:  David
  5. The Kingdom ‘at hand’:  Jesus’ incarnation
  6. The Kingdom consummated / restored:  Jesus’ return

 

“In the beginning…”—Creation by God’s Word

Outline of biblical history, Genesis 1-2 [1]: “In the beginning God created everything that exists.  He made Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden of Eden.  God spoke to them and gave them certain tasks in the world.  For food he allowed them the fruit of all the trees in the garden except one.  He warned them that they would die if they ate the fruit of that one tree” (90).

1.       God creates by his word

a.        God had no beginning, but the universe did…described in Gen 1-2

                     i.            Because God is the only eternal being, only he can reveal himself to us—nothing can ‘prove’ God exists or testify to his existence unless he desires it to

                    ii.            God has chosen to reveal himself in his creation and his word

b.       Creation was out of nothing (ex nihilo) by God’s word

                     i.            This reality establishes God’s sovereignty

                    ii.            Many of the details we think we want to know about creation are not told in Scripture, but…

                  iii.            We learn of God’ role in creating all things

                  iv.            We learn of the relationships between Creator and creature

1.       God is distinct from all created things…we call this his transcendence

2.       Contrary to the Eastern philosophical / religious idea called pantheism, God is not one with nature or creation nor are we one with him (though Christians are united to Christ and indwelt by the Spirit)

                   v.            We learn of the relationships between created things

2.       The word and God’s established order

a.        The creation account is not just about beginnings but about purpose and relationships

b.       The universe was created (days 1-3) and filled (days 4-6) according to God’s order

c.        The entire creation is declared ‘very good’ at its completion

                     i.            Not according to some standard of goodness outside of God

                    ii.            According to his sovereign declaration of what goodness means

d.       The order of the universe implies:

                     i.            Everything has a proper function

1.       Sun, moon & stars (cf. Gen 1.14-19)

2.       Plants & animals (cf. Gen 1.11-13, 24-25)

3.       Humanity (cf. Gen 1.26-30)

                    ii.            Everything has a proper relationship to other things and to God

1.       Relationships imply some level of freedom within God-given boundaries and his sovereign control

2.       Initial freedom to Adam and Eve was great…only one restriction

                  iii.            Everything has a ‘rank’

1.       God is supreme

2.       Humanity is beneath God

3.       The rest of creation is subject to human governance/care

3.       God loves his creation

a.        Not explicitly stated in the creation accounts (Gen 1-2) but obvious in his reaction after the Fall

                     i.            Remember, Genesis was given by God through Moses after sin entered the world

                    ii.            Israelites waiting to enter Canaan knew sin and its effects firsthand!

b.       The focus of the Kingdom is on the loving Creator and King

                     i.            Creation is bound to God’s rule as expressed in his moral laws and the ‘laws of nature’

                    ii.            God rules sovereignly and freely…not bound to any natural laws, hence miracles

                  iii.            Man is subject to God and rules the rest of creation as God’s image…but what it the image?

4.       Man as made in the image of God (imago dei)

a.        Man in the image of God mentioned only in three places (cf. Gen 1.26, 27 and 9.6)

b.       ‘Image’ and ‘likeness’ are most likely synonymous

c.        Scripture is not explicit as to just what the image means but we may suggest…

                     i.            Relationality of humanity—toward each other and God

                    ii.            Dominion of humanity—given by God over the rest of creation

                  iii.            Status of humanity—God’s representatives, ruling creation by his authority

                  iv.            Special dignity of humanity before God

d.       Man is a creature who is ruled by God

                     i.            As creatures we are totally dependent upon God for everything (providence)

                    ii.            Beyond this, part of the essence of what it means to be human involves our relationship with God

1.       Denied by contemporary secularism and humanism (i.e., the ‘self-made man’)

2.       As God’s image, humans are uniquely responsible to God

                  iii.            Part of our responsibility to God involves the freedom to use it properly or not

1.       The essence of the test for Adam and Eve

2.       See below

5.       The pattern for the Kingdom of God (though not explicitly called such) was established in Eden

 

The Fall

Outline of biblical history, Genesis 3: “The snake persuaded Eve to disobey God and to eat the forbidden fruit.  She gave some to Adam and he ate also.  Then God spoke to them in judgment, and them sent them out of the garden into a world that came under the same judgment” (102).

1.       Temptation

a.        The account of the Fall leaves out many details we wish we knew

                     i.            Why a snake?  Did snakes used to have legs?

                    ii.            When did Satan fall?  What were the circumstances? (Note:  Is 14 does not address Satan’s fall!)

b.       The main points:

                     i.            The Fall was a real historical event…otherwise the gospel fails to make sense

                    ii.            The essence of the temptation was not about eating fruit that magically had the power to give knowledge (such a view falls short of the biblical view of reality) but of Adam and Eve experientially learning the difference between good and evil by rejecting God’s word and authority

                  iii.            To evaluate God’s word based on any creaturely standard is to elevate creature over Creator and is the root of the essence of any kind of sin (usurpation of God’s authority)

2.       Fall

a.        The most important effects of Adam’s action:

                     i.            God no longer regarded as self-evident, rightful Creator (Lord) but subject to human evaluation

                    ii.            His word no longer viewed as self-evident truth but reduced to the same level as creaturely speculation

b.       Adam rebels, not by consciously making Satan his authority, but by taking final authority upon himself

                     i.            Explicitly breaking God’s commandment not to eat

                    ii.            Implicitly destroying the relationships of the Kingdom initially established by God

                  iii.            The rest of Scripture is the story of God reestablishing (regenerating) the created (generated) order!

3.       Judgment

a.        Creation

                     i.            The snake somehow cursed above all creatures

                    ii.            All of creation is also subjected to the curse

b.       Human

                     i.            Adam and Eve are accountable for their actions

                    ii.            Primarily stems from the responsibility going with our freedom

                  iii.            To the woman—introduces pain as reality in a fallen world

                  iv.            To the man—dominion over the earth challenged in every aspect

                   v.            To both—the loss of paradise…our existence is now life in the midst of constant death

c.        Grace

                     i.            God could have judged and destroyed Adam and Eve the moment they sinned…end of story

                    ii.            In his grace he provided:

1.       Clothing to cover their shame

2.       The promise of a Redeemer (cf. Gen 3.15) who would triumph over Satan

3.       Grace to continue their lives and the human race

4.       Continued provision (albeit not without consequences) outside the garden

4.       Human conflict

a.        Gen 4 illustrates human sinfulness and how it continues to expand and permeate all relationships

b.       Abel’s murder demonstrates the effects of sin in:

                     i.            Broken relationships between people

                    ii.            Broken relationships between humanity and God

c.        Even in continued, escalating sin God showers his grace upon undeserving sinners

                     i.            Cain protected from revenge

                    ii.            Societal improvements (cities, arts, domestication of animals, etc.) come from Cain’s line

                  iii.            Experience would bear that even these gracious provisions would be perverted by human wickedness

5.       Culmination of human wickedness

a.        Gen 6 is a climax of human wickedness

b.       God’s judgment via the flood makes our stomachs turn but:

                     i.            Any judgment of sin is deserved (all humanity could have justly been destroyed…Noah was shown grace)

                    ii.            This judgment foreshadows the final judgment of wicked human sinfulness

                  iii.            Grace and judgment are inseparable and complimentary truths

6.       The Kingdom and the Fall

a.        The Kingdom relationships as created / established by God were shattered by the Fall

b.       God’s sovereign rule continued over all of creation

c.        Before the Fall, these two were co-equal…after the Fall they must be distinguished

                     i.            Only through redemption / regeneration will the Kingdom be reestablished

                    ii.            The fallen universe is the opposite of the Kingdom

                  iii.            Salvation is the process by which God reestablishes all things back into their proper relationship

 

First Revelation of Redemption—God’s Work to the Time of Abraham

Outline of biblical history, Genesis 4-11: “Outside Eden, Cain and Abel were born to Adam and Eve.  Cain murdered Abel and Eve bore another son, Seth.  Eventually the human race became so wicked that God determined to destroy every living thing with a flood.  Noah and his family were saved by building a great boat at God’s command.  The human race began again with Noah and his three sons with their families.  Sometime after the flood a still unified human race attempted a godless act to assert its power in the building of a high tower.  God thwarted these plans by scattering the people and confusing their language” (112).

1.       God’s commitment

a.        The background of redemption is God’s commitment to his Kingdom and his creation

b.       This commitment is implicit, but becomes more obvious as sin continues to increase

c.        Seth stands in the place of righteous Abel as a witness to the goodness of God at work in humanity

                     i.            Also stands in contrast to the wicked line of Cain

                    ii.            Direct link from Adam through Seth to Noah

2.       Noah and God’s covenant

a.        ‘Grace’ and ‘covenant’ are used explicitly for the first time in the Noah narrative

                     i.            God’s grace is the cause of sinners becoming righteous, not the other way around!

                    ii.            God’s covenant is the expression of his work in restoring and administering his Kingdom

b.       We may think of God’s covenant with Noah as a covenant of salvation, but just what ‘salvation’ means is yet to be completely established and revealed by God

c.        God is refusing to allow human rebellion to thwart his purpose of creating a people to be his people in his perfect (restored) universe…sin will not prevail!

3.       Division of mankind

a.        Babel

                     i.            A collective expression of Adam’s original effort to displace God

                    ii.            Sinners are not content to be known as God’s people and fall under his rightful authority

                  iii.            The confusion of languages and division of humanity characterizes human sinfulness

1.       Begins to be reversed at Pentecost (cf. Acts 2)

2.       Consummated in Christ’s redemption of people from all nations and languages (cf. Rev 7)

b.       From the very beginning, there are two lines of people—godly and ungodly

                     i.            What distinguishes the two is not their inherent goodness, we know this is a myth

                    ii.            God’s plans for the redemption of mankind involves the distinction of those rescued by grace and those continuing by their own volition in sin and rebellion

1.       This is the essence of the doctrine of election

2.       We must hold it in its proper tension with the biblical and experiential reality of our ability to continually make real, willing choices with real consequences

3.       Grace and election go hand-in-hand

a.        We must let these two plain teachings of Scripture have their rightful place in our thought

b.       Our problem comes when trying to peer into the hidden mind of God to figure out the details

 

Abraham, the Father of the Faithful

Outline of biblical history, Genesis 12-50: “Sometime in the early second millennium B.C. God called Abraham out of Mesopotamia to Canaan.  He promised to give this land to Abraham’s descendants and to bless them as a people.  Abraham went, and many years later he had a son, Isaac.  Isaac in turn had two sons, Esau and Jacob.  The promises of God were established with Jacob and his descendants.  He had twelve sons, and in time they all went to live in Egypt, because of famine in Canaan” (120).

1.       Abraham

a.        Tidbits…

                     i.            The first 11 chapters of Genesis cover an unspecified, though understandably lengthy, period of time

                    ii.            The final 39 chapters covers four generations of one family (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph)

1.       What is God emphasizing?

2.       All of human history is related to God’s promises to Abraham (consummating in Christ)

b.       God’s covenant promises to Abraham remain the heart of the story of redemption (cf. Gen 12, 15, 17)

                     i.            Innumerable descendants

                    ii.            Land

                  iii.            God will be their God

                  iv.            All nations will be blessed through his offspring

c.        The promises are threatened in two ways:

                     i.            Abraham’s sinfulness and occasional lack of faith

                    ii.            Outside threats (Pharaoh, Abimelech, infertility, age, etc.)

d.       The point of the threats?

                     i.            If the promises are ever fulfilled, it will not be through human effort, but by grace

                    ii.            God must continually be involved through his actions for the promises to come to pass

2.       Isaac

a.        Isaac’s birth is a gift of grace, working the impossible to fulfill God’s promises

b.       His selection as Abraham’s heir overturns the human order of things, which pointed to Ishmael

c.        God’s call to sacrifice Isaac:

                     i.            The most significant explicit threat to the promises and their fulfillment

                    ii.            Abraham’s obedience demonstrates his faith in God

                  iii.            Not much is said of the theology of sacrifice here save for the introduction of the idea of a substitute

1.       No mention here of atonement

2.       Theology of a substitutionary sacrifice will develop further in the Torah and find fulfillment in Christ

3.       Jacob

a.        </