The connection between the Gospel and the creation Scriptures?

The story of the Bible begins with God in eternal glory before the beginning of time and history, and it ends with God and his redeemed people in eternal glory. At the center stands the cross, where God revealed his glory through his Son. The history of salvation is the grand overarching story of the Bible; embracing it gives coherence to all of life. It calls each of God’s people to own the story personally and it dignifies each believer with a role in the further outworking of the story.

The biblical story of redemption must be understood within the larger story of creation. First Adam, and later Israel, were placed in God’s sanctuary… the Garden of Eden and the Promised Land, respectively. But both Adam and Israel failed to be a faithful, obedient steward, and both were expelled from the sanctuary God had created for them. But Jesus Christ—the second Adam, the son of Abraham, the son of David—was faithful and obedient to God. Though the world killed him, God raised him to life, which meant that death was defeated.

Through his Spirit, God pours into sinners the resurrection life of his Son, creating a new humanity “in Christ.” Those who are “in Christ” move through death into new life and exaltation in God’s sanctuary, there to enjoy his presence forever.

Genesis and origins The English title “Genesis” comes from the Greek translation of the Pentateuch and means “origin,” a very apt title because Genesis is all about origins—of the world, of the human race, of sin, death, and of the Jewish people. The book of Genesis opens with a majestic description of how God first created the heavens and earth and how he ordered the earth so that it may become his dwelling place.

The entire episode conveys the picture of the all-powerful, transcendent God who sets everything in place with consummate skill in conformity to his grand design. The emphasis is mainly on how God orders or structures everything… thus revealing his nature, character, and magnificent attributes—his holiness, glory, majesty, and sovereignty.

Let’s turn to Chapter 1of the historical narrative on creation as given to us by the only one who was there in the beginning.

Genesis Chapter 1 (NIV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. ³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning–the first day.

⁶ And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” ⁷ So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning–the second day.

⁹ And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. ¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning–the third day.

¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights–the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning–the fourth day.

²⁰ And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening, and there was morning–the fifth day.

²⁴ And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. ²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground–everything that has the breath of life in it–I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. ³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning–the sixth day.

Chapter 2  Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. ² By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ³ And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

⁴ This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens– ⁵ and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, ⁶ but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground– ⁷ the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

⁸ Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. ⁹ And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground–trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ¹⁰ A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.

¹¹ The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) ¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. ¹⁴ The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵ The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

¹⁸ The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” ¹⁹ Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

²¹ So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. ²³ The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” ²⁴ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. ²⁵ The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Chapter 3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” ² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” ⁴ “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. ⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

⁹ But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” ¹¹ And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” ¹² The man said, “The woman you put here with me–she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” ¹³ Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

¹⁴ So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. ¹⁵ And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

¹⁶ To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” ¹⁷ To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. ¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” ²⁰ Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

²¹ The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. ²² And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” ²³ So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. ²⁴ After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Believers are human, and we are susceptible to influences and pressures of the world, family, friends, coworkers, the media, and other Christians? The world constantly screams at Christians that the literal six-day creation is just a Bible fable and that our creation view does not fit with the facts. Secularists (and some compromising Christians) tell us that the fossil record took millions of years to form and it proves that our view of origins is wrong.

Genesis, as the first volume of this first section of the Bible, orients the reader to the rest of the Pentateuch, and thus to the rest of the Bible.  1) It explains in story form the nature and character of God and the place of man in God’s creation.  2) The creation story also offers an analysis of sin and its consequences, and describes God’s reaction to it… and thus shows why true religion must be redemptive.

It is clear that Adam and Eve are presented as real people. Their role in the creation story, as the channel by which sin and death came into the world, implies that they are seen as the headwaters of the human race.

“Made in the image and the likeness of God” distinguishes mankind from all the animals. Our nature is a special bestowal of God (i.e., not a purely “natural” development). For example: A mind so that we can know the one true God and emotions so that we can love God. A free will to make a reasoned and free choice to love God with all our heart and all our mind.

Frankly though, who likes to feel embarrassed, ashamed, out-of-date, and unscientific? Slowly many Christians (including pas­tors) unconsciously soothe these uncomfortable feelings by adopting views contrary to the literal biblical text. They end up accommodating the world’s views by reading the secular beliefs and views into the Bible. Some clergy accept the idea that God used “goo-to-you” evolution; others compromise by believing that God created in spurts over millions of years.

But what does this do to the gospel? In any of these compromises, the need for the cross of Christ is severely undermined, because both of these views accept that physical death existed before Adam sinned. When a Christian’s view of history places death before Adam’s sin, they disregard the clear account in Genesis 1-3 that death was a consequence of Adam’s sin. In the old earth (billions of years) compromise view held today by many Christians (including so many pastors), death and suffering existed before and preceded Adam’s sin.

But this redefines all that the New Testament teaches on the cause of death. The Scripture makes it clear in Romans 5:12 and in 1 Corinthians 15:20-22that death-physical death-is the result of Adam’s sin.

•  Romans 5:12 says… “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned…”
• 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 tells us… “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

The cross and Adam’s sin The Bible says the work of Christ on the Cross was to remedy the effects of Adam’s sin. Jesus subjected himself to a torturous physical death, was placed in a physical tomb, and raised physically from the dead showing His complete power and victory over the effects of Adam’s sin. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 express the gospel of Christ. Paul wrote, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…”

Please think this through very carefully: If death existed before Adam sinned, then the work of Christ on the Cross did not speak to the issue of physical death! The work of Christ is rede­fined, undermined, and robbed of its fullness and effect. If Adam’s sin only brought spiritual death and not physical death, did Christ’s Cross only remedy spiritual death? Most certainly not! If that were true, why would there even be a need for Christ’s physical death and resurrection? And is not Christ’s physical resurrection the very basis of our hope of a future physical resurrection?

Salvation is spiritual and physical God brings spiritual salvation in the form of personal fellowship, spiritual intimacy, and the promise of eternal life with God. However, salvation also includes temporal, external deliverance—“salvation” in a physical sense… salvation is not merely spiritual. Christians look forward to the resurrection of the body and to “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwell” (2 Peter 3:13). Personal salvation starts with renewal of the heart, but in the end it will be comprehensive… physical and spiritual, and cosmic in scope.

God’s act of creation is the foundation for the entire biblical history and God’s plan of salvation through Christ. The events recorded in the Bible are there because God wanted them recorded, and he had them recorded with his people and their instruction in mind… “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4

If we say we are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, then to be consistent, we dare not be ashamed of what the Bible tells us about the necessity of the Son of God giving His life for us. And it is connected to the book of Genesis. There was a real Adam who sinned… physical and spiritual death (separation from God) was the consequence.

Jesus came, praise Him, to remove this consequence. To accept and believe in a literal Adam is to chart a course to literally what Jesus did for us. Over the years, pastors and Bible teachers have not consis­tently taught that if there was not a real Adam, then why would there even be a need for a Savior?

When you identify this absolute link between the sin of Adam and the death of Christ on the Cross, you realize the subtleness of Satan’s work, also. For if he openly attacked the Cross, Christians would be up in arms! But Satan came in the back door and attacked the credibil­ity of the Genesis record, and through false science brought a view into the church that undermines the authority of Scripture. When Christian leaders question the accuracy of the text, a literal six-day creation, and a young earth (6,000 to 9,000 years), this indirectly undermines the Cross!

Now what?

As you read Genesis 1, ask the Lord to help you to put aside outside influences that may cause you to have a predetermined idea of what the word “day” may mean. Just let the passages speak to you that you may receive the fruit of God’s holy Word. Taking Genesis 1 in this way, at face value, without doubt says that God created the universe, the earth, the sun, moon and stars, plants and animals, and the first two people within six ordinary (24 hour) days. Being really honest, you would have to admit that you could never get the idea of millions of years from reading the creation account.

Through his creative acts God reveals his nature, character, and attributes. In other words… we learn who he is through what he has done. The Bible says, “This is eternal life, that you know the one true God…” John 17:3.

The creation story simply says that God brought the heavens and the earth into being by means of his spoken word (“And God said”). It explains that God ordered the earth in terms of time, space, and matter. It also reveals that people were originally created by God and appointed by him, as the Creator/Owner, to be his representatives on earth and to rule it for his glory and the benefit of all creation.

To the extent that scientists deny that God is the Creator of all things, a fundamental conflict will exist between the foundation and conclusions of such scientific work and the Bible. At the same time, to the extent that the focus of science is on understanding and describing the world that God created, no conflict between the Bible and scientific work needs to exist.

Understood in terms of what, God, the author of Genesis seeks to communicate; sciences as well as the Bible have a valuable and legitimate place. By divine revelation, Genesis provides knowledge that cannot be discovered by human investigation. If it were otherwise, there would be no need for Genesis to be a part of the Bible.

Genesis is the front end of the grand narrative storytelling of creation, sin, and redemption—a narrative that has reached a glorious point in the resurrection of Jesus… the down payment of its even more glorious consummation. The story is of a perfect world made by a sovereign God and man’s role in that world. It is the story of how the stain of sin and Satan’s works affects everything; and the story of how God intends to reverse those effects.

There is no reason a Christian should be ashamed of the Gospel and neither should they be ashamed of what the Bible tells us what really happened in the beginning. It is critical for true worship to NOT BE ASHAMED of anything God has told us in His Word!

Jesus said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

In conclusion, let’s turn to the words that Paul wrote to the believers in Colosse… “My purpose is that they (you) may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they (you) may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they (you) may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.” (Colossians 2:1-4)

The Character of God[i]

“Without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Heb. 11:6)—but it is also impossible to have faith in God without knowing the character of God. Faith manifests itself by our belief in God’s promises, which in turn are grounded in his character.

Ways in Which God Reveals Himself

God has revealed himself through the stories of the Bible, primarily, in four overlapping ways: (1) actions; (2) names; (3) images; and (4) attributes… as seen in this chart. God reveals himself through actions, names, and images because they carry vivid, experiential, creative, and situational power. However, it is God’s attributes that are the fundamental descriptions of who he is.

Actions of God

God shows who he is in what he does. In creating the world, God shows his power, wisdom, beauty, goodness, and prodigious creativity. After the creation of humanity God talks to, walks with, and seeks out humans, even when they lapse into rebellion against him, showing that he is relational, personal, engaged, and caring. God demonstrates his holiness, wrath, and justice when he curses human rebellion in the garden and judges the unrighteous through the flood in Noah’s day. He shows his grace and mercy in establishing a covenant with Noah and Abraham. In sending his Son to live and die for humanity, he shows amazing love and compassion. Whenever God acts, we see his character and nature displayed.

Names of God

God offers his name as a personal introduction and as a window into his character. This is why David says, “Those who know your name put their trust in you” (Ps. 9:10). To know his name is to know he is trustworthy. God’s act of naming himself is a profoundly gracious act of accommodation and engagement.

Among the many names for God in the Bible, there is none more important than Yahweh (translated “Lord”), a name that was revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:15). Linguistically related to the verb “I am,” Yahweh is packed with theological import. It most likely communicates God’s self-existence, independence, self-sufficiency, eternality, and unchanging character. These transcendent qualities are powerfully complemented when God also tells Moses to refer to him as “the God of your fathers” (Ex. 3:15). God is both majestic and intimate, the great, eternal “I am,” the God who knows his children by name and keeps his covenant promises. Christian worship, discipleship, and preaching must maintain both healthy fear of the Lord and freedom and confidence in his presence

Another striking and revealing name for God is “Jealous” (Hb. ’El qana’). God tells Moses that he is so jealous for his glory expressed in the faithfulness of his people that “Jealous” is an appropriate name for himself. The reason God gives for his commandment against idolatry is grounded in his character as a jealous God: “For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Ex. 34:14). God deserves and demands absolute, exclusive loyalty and hates spiritual adultery. In his jealous love he refuses to allow his people to be supremely devoted to anything but himself. Because he is absolutely worthy of worship, allowing his people to love anything more than him would compromise his justice and love.

Images of God

Images of God are analogies from daily life that serve to illustrate his attributes. Among many other images, God is: Father, King, Consuming Fire, Judge, Husband, Shepherd, Potter, Farmer, Refiner, Landowner, Lion, Bear, Light, Water, Tower, and Lamb! These amazingly diverse descriptions from a multitude of human experiences offer pictures of God that reach minds and hearts in ways that abstract definitions do not. Images, like attributes and names, must be considered in relation to one another. If certain images are emphasized at the expense of others, God’s character will be misunderstood. The varied images in the Bible are all complementary to each other, and each is vital for understanding God. For example, God as the Rock points out his strength, stability, and justice, while God as Husband gives insight into his loving, faithful, committed heart for his covenant people.

The image of God as a Rock is used in both OT and NT. Deuteronomy 32 especially highlights God as Rock in light of Israel’s unfaithfulness: “You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth” (Deut. 32:18; cf. Deut. 32:4, 13, 15, 30, 31, 37). Paul uses this image as a title of strength and applies it to Christ in 1 Corinthians 10:4: “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” Although the Rock (Hb. tsur) of Deuteronomy 32 is Yahweh, Paul applies the same title to Jesus. The Rock that followed and provided for the Israelites in the wilderness in the old covenant was the Christ who provides for the Corinthian believers in the new covenant. The Rock in the wilderness shares the same attributes as the Rock of the table, cup, and bread.

The strength and stability of the rock imagery is beautifully complemented by the tender, compassionate image of God as the Husband of his people. “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called” (Isa. 54:5; cf. Jer. 2:2; Hosea 1–3). God’s relational involvement with his people is so intimate and personal that he is jealous when his people are unfaithful. God speaks with the jealous voice of a husband who has been betrayed by an adulterous wife: “Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord” (Jer. 3:20). The idea of God as a rock could lead to impersonal, static, cold conceptions, were it not for the intensely loving, engaged husband imagery. The marriage metaphor could reduce God to being weak, vulnerable, and pathetic if not for images like a rock (and a king, warrior, fire, etc.). Images of God bring his attributes from being mere abstractions into vivid clarity because they are based on our experiences of life.

Attributes of God

The attributes of God are the normal descriptions that images, names, and actions illuminate from different biblical narratives. His attributes are his essential characteristics that make him who he is. God’s attributes are typically classified as either incommunicable or communicable. Incommunicable attributes are not shared by humans as are communicable attributes but they can be known through reading God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The attributes can be organized using the classifications shown in the following charts titled “Incommunicable Attributes” and “Communicable Attributes.”

The Unity of God

This list of classified attributes of God can be helpful in developing an organized perspective on God’s character. However, his character cannot be reduced to a quantifiable list of properties. Maintaining the unity of God’s attributes is essential in the study of his character. His unity means that although we experience certain attributes more clearly at certain times, nevertheless, his attributes are not divided into parts and must always be understood interdependently. His attributes are not petals on a flower to be plucked off and viewed in isolation from the rest. The unity of God requires finite creatures to pursue a holistic understanding of him. When God expresses judgment and wrath, he does not cease to be merciful, patient, or kind in that moment. He never expresses certain attributes at the expense of others. Fallen humans tend to emphasize attributes that affirm our personal inclinations, experience, and contemporary sensibilities. Considering God’s attributes independently of each other leads to unbalanced idolatrous conceptions of God. A biblically integrated understanding of God involves, along with a list of attributes, the work of the Spirit, the whole counsel of God’s Word accurately interpreted, the input of church history, and the input of believers from diverse cultures.

Examples of Application to Life

The following two charts labeled “Practical Implications” offer a brief survey of some of God’s attributes. Each section of the charts provides a basic definition of an attribute (based on Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology), a key passage of supporting Scripture, and one basic implication for daily life.

Practical Implications of the Incommunicable Attributes of God

 Practical Implications of the Communicable Attributes of God

God’s Attributes Are Seen Most Clearly in Christ

Jesus Christ is the most definitive revelation of all of these attributes. To see God’s character we look ultimately to God incarnate: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). In the cross of Christ all God’s major attributes are displayed in condensed lucidity. His wrath, grace, justice, mercy, sovereignty, goodness, love, holiness, compassion, wisdom, and power meet there for the world to see. When discussions of God’s attributes become esoteric and sterile, it is the face and cross of Christ that restores radical clarity, reality, and compelling beauty.

[i] Based on ESV Study Bible article “Biblical Doctrine: An Overview” from Crossway Bibles

The Bible and Revelation

The most important thing in life is knowing the one true God. Jesus said, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3). God created people fundamentally for relationship with himself. This relationship depends on knowing who he is as he has revealed himself, what he has done, who we are in his eyes, and what he requires of us.

God is personal, which means he has a mind, will, emotions, relational ability, and self-consciousness. Because he is personal, and not merely an impersonal object, God must personally reveal himself to us. He has done this in general revelation (the world), special revelation (the Word of God), and in the life and passion of Jesus Christ—his Son.

God’s plan is to save believers (see below[1]) from their sins—and to bring them fully and finally to himself (John 3:16-18; 2 Pet 3:9; 2 Tim 2:10). Believers have been saved from the penalty of their sins; they are currently being saved from the power of sin; and one day, when God’s plan of salvation is completed and they are with Christ, they shall be like him, and they shall be saved even from the very presence of sin. This is God’s plan of salvation.

God’s ultimate purpose in redemptive history is to create a people, from every tribe and nation, to dwell in his presence, glorifying him through their lives and enjoying him forever.

Revelation 21:3-4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

The grand historical narrative of the Bible begins with God in eternal glory before the beginning of time and history and ending with God and his redeemed people in eternal glory… “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).

      At the center stands the cross, where God revealed his glory through his Son.

So let’s establish a framework for God’s overall plan in the chronology of dis­pensations[2] beginning with Adam and ending with the believer’s eternal home—the new heaven and new Earth. Such a study may seem unnecessary. However, the lack of such biblical teaching has bred confusion, fantasy, and out-­and-out heresy concerning biblical doctrine. Knowing God’s overall plan is essential for a true biblical worldview.

Time of Innocence

Since Adam, God has dealt with mankind through the progression of history to bring all things to fulfill­ment according to His Word. God has always given man a choice to accept or reject His direction. This has been the case from the very onset of man’s existence in the Garden of Eden. The Garden Period was a time of innocence supplied with choice through free will.

The period of innocence lasted until Adam sinned against God and was removed from the Garden. Adam and Eve had enjoyed access to every tree except one; therefore, choice did exist. Through the devil’s deception, Adam chose to disobey God and eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. Therefore, all mankind have been born under the curse of sin since Adam. It was then that death became a sentence for man (Rom. 5:12-17). What began with spiritual death—separation from God was fol­lowed by physical death (Rom. 6:23).

Romans 5:12-13 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned– for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.”  

Age of Personal Responsibility–Conscience

Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden brought an age of personal responsibility. The sentence would be immediately realized through labor: the sweat of the brow and pain in childbirth (Gen. 3:16, 19). Not only was God’s grace and mercy known because of the Garden experience, but also the plight of disobeying God was known due to Adam’s sin. Man’s conscience would be his guide during this time.

Also during this age of responsibility, Adam’s firstborn son, Cain, killed his brother, Abel. Abel was the first human to die physically because of sin. However, God continued a godly lineage through another son of Adam and Eve… Seth. Through this lin­eage Christ later came to Earth.

As punishment for his sin, Cain was cast away from the family and left to become a fugitive and a vagabond (Gen. 4:12). God put a mark (owth [as in appearance], as that of a beacon) on Cain for recog­nition, for shunning, and for his protection (Gen. 4:15). Cain’s expulsion and mark also stood as a reminder of God’s punishment against sin. Thus, those attributes both pleasing and displeasing to God were known during this age of responsibility.

Flood of Noah

Due to the flourishing population and the working of evil in the hearts of men, corruption and degrada­tion abounded after Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Man’s lack of self-discipline dur­ing the age of responsibility caused the searing of the conscience. Man became self-reliant. Disrespect for God’s principles continued. Such sin brought the nec­essary cleansing of the Earth, which came by flood.

Noah, a descendant of Adam through his son Seth, found grace in the eyes of the Lord and was spared this terrible judgment. The Bible clearly reveals that only eight individu­als survived the flood of Noah’s time (I Peter 3:20). This deluge covered the entire Earth and wiped out all forms of life (Gen. 6:17) except Noah, his family, the chosen animals in the ark, and the sea creatures.

Genesis 6:17 “I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.”

God made a covenant with Noah that the Earth would never again be flooded by water. God gave a rainbow as a sign of that covenant.

The Age of Man’s Covenant—Human Government

A great rebellion against the God of Noah was headed by Nimrod, a descendant of Noah through his son Ham. This was the time of the infamous Tower of Babel and the confusion of languages. However, a godly lineage continued through Noah’s son, Shem. Through Shem’s lineage came a man called Abram (”high father”), whose name God later changed to Abraham (”father of a multitude” – Gen. 17:5).

The age of God’s covenant with mankind for eternal pur­poses began with Abram. He became a great man of faith. His father, Terah, was an idolater (Josh. 24:2), yet Abram pur­posed to follow the one and only God (Gen. 12:1-3). Abram later came to be recognized as the father of nations (people of God), thus the name Abraham. It was his faith that was recognized by the people of God throughout history. The children of Israel came through Abraham’s grandson, Jacob and his sons.

The Age of the Law

Abraham’s descendants fell under Egyptian bondage due to the process of sin. During this time Moses was born. He later led the Hebrew children from this bondage. After the escape from bondage came the necessity for the Law. This Law was given to direct the people and was necessary because of sin… Read Gal. 3:19.

Nelson’s Bible Dictionary defines the Law as: An orderly system of rules and regulations by which a society is governed. At Mt. Sinai, during the exodus from Egyptian slavery, a unique law code was established by direct revelation from God to direct His people in their worship, in their relationship to Him, and in their social relationships with one another.

The Ten Commandments express God’s moral character and thus reveal righteousness to humanity. The commandments expressed the moral responsibilities of those living in old covenant relationship with God. Although the commandments were in themselves holy, just, and good they were unable to produce righteousness in members of the Old Testament community because of man’s sin nature and the resulting rebellion against God.

The Age of Ultimate Responsibility–Grace

The age of ultimate responsibility refers to the time extending from the Day of Pentecost until the “catch­ing away” of the Church (called the Rapture). This period of time is also known as the Church Age.

Acts 17:30-31 “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”

The Law ended in Christ Jesus. He came not to destroy (demolish) the Law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). The Law is now our schoolmaster that brings the people of God to Christ Jesus

Christ came to Earth to be the ultimate sacrifice for man, the only way by which man could be freed from the curse of sin and death and be righteous (1 Cor. 15:21-22). Salvation was offered because of grace—God’s undeserved kindness to sinners.

This era of grace, the Church Age, is also an age of ultimate responsibility. The responsibility lies in believing, by faith, in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and living, by the enabling of the Holy Spirit, a life exemplary of that profession of faith in Christ. Therefore, all people everywhere become respon­sible for their own fate if they do not trust God’s plan of salvation through Jesus.

• If one is not with Christ, he is against Christ (Matt. 12:30; Lk. 11:23).
• To steadfastly refuse to “receive” Him by “believing” in his name is the unpardonable sin (Matt. 12:31).

No one should ignore the Spirit’s urging to “believe.” Jesus said: “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men” (Matthew 12:30-31).

 John 3:18 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”.

Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension have assured eternal life for all those who call upon His name. The age of responsibility describes the time when ” …whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord [Jesus] shall be saved” (Rom. 3:10,13; 3:23; 5:12; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9,10,13).

We are now living in this age of responsibility awaiting the return of our Lord. This necessitates a future plan and that plan is clearly revealed by God in his Word.

Biblical Chronology of Things to Come

The Rapture

The next major event for believers (the Church) will be the “catching away” commonly called the Rapture (1 Thess.4:17). The Rapture will occur seven years prior to the Second Coming of Christ. The Bible gives us no signs preceding the Rapture; however, many passages of Scripture indicate that it will happen at any moment (Matt. 24:36; Lk. 21:36; 1 Thess. 4:17; Rev. 3:10). All believers who are alive, along with those who have died after the Day of Pentecost and before the Rapture, will be included in this event (I Thess. 4: 13-17). The resurrection of believers will occur at the Rapture.

The word “rapture” comes from the Latin word rapera, which means to be “caught up” and this is the term used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together…”. The New Testament was originally written in Greek… the Greek word is harpazo.

Those who miss the Rapture, by reason of rejecting (not believing) Christ as Lord, will be on earth to face seven years of the most terrible events in Earth’s and mankind’s history. This time is called the Tribulation Period (Matt. 24:21).

The Judgment Seat of Christ

Paul affirms the judgment of every believer in 2 Corinthians 5:10… “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” It immediately follows, or will occur in conjunction with, the Rapture.

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

This event will occur in heaven after the Rapture, after the Judgment Seat of Christ, and before the Second Corning of Jesus Christ to Earth (Rev. 19:7-9). This time frame is realized because the Church (”caught up” believers) will return to Earth with Christ (Zech. 14:5; Col. 3:4; I Thess. 3:13; Jude 14; Rev. 19:7-9). Then the Bride of Christ (2 Cor. 11:2) will be represented by the term “wife” (Rev. 19:7).

The Second Coming of Christ—2^nd Advent

The Second Coming of Christ is when Christ will split the eastern sky and return to Earth to set up His millennium kingdom. It will be the most glorious event the world has ever seen (Read Rev. 19:11). The Church, aka – the Body of Christ—the wife of Christ will rule and reign with Christ during the earthly kingdom.

The Judgment of Nations—Gentiles

The judgment of Gentiles will occur after the Tribulation Period and after the Second Coming of Christ. It will occur immediately after the Lord comes to the Earth to reign over His earthly kingdom (Matt. 25:31; Lk. 1:32). This judgment will be directed toward the gentile nations of people on Earth who help or do not help the children of Israel during the Tribulation Period because it is directed toward bringing the children of Israel to repentance.

Those judged at this event will either be cast into the Lake of Fire or allowed to enter into the Millennial Reign, depending upon their actions toward “my brethren” (Read Matt. 25: 31-46). Those who aid the children of Israel (Jews) are represented as sheep in Matthew’s Gospel account and those who do not help the Jews are represented by goats.

The Age of the Millennial Reign of Christ—Kingdom

This is the period when Christ Jesus will rule and reign upon the Earth from Jerusalem for 1,000 years. Those included in the Rapture will rule and reign with Him (Rom. 8:17; II Tim. 2:12).

Today, the term “millennium” has overshadowed the use of the biblical term “kingdom.” This is due to the mention of only the length of this period in Scripture, that is, the “one thousand years” of Revelation 20:1-5. The term is also used to minimize confusion between the spiritual and literal kingdoms of Christ.

The Millennial Reign and the Kingdom have often been treated interchangeably. They are so called because Christ will set up a divine government on Earth over the nations of the world. It is the “thy king­dom come” of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10).

The Creation of the New Heaven and New Earth

After the dissolution of the present heaven and earth at the end of the millennium, God will create a new heaven and a new earth (Isa. 65:17; 66:22; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1). By a definite act of creation God calls into being a new heaven and a new earth. As God created the present heavens and earth to be the scene of His theocratic display, so God will create the new heavens and earth to be the scene of the eternal theocratic kingdom of God.

Israel’s covenants guarantee the people the land, a national existence, a kingdom, a King, and spiritual blessings in perpetuity. Therefore there must be an eternal earth in which these blessings can be fulfilled. By a translation out of the old earth Israel will be brought into the new earth, there to enjoy forever all that God has promised to them. Then it shall be eternally true… as seen in Revelation 21:3 “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

The creation of the new heavens and new earth is the final preparatory act anticipating the eternal kingdom of God. It will then be true, that God has a kingdom “wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

Eternal Destiny of Believers

In relation to the eternal destiny of believers, it is to be observed that their destiny primarily is related to a Person rather than a place. While the place looms with importance (John 14:3), the place is overshadowed by the Person into whose presence the believer is taken, as seen in these Scriptures:

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  • And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also [John 14:3].
  • When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory [Col. 3:4].
  • For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord [1 Thess.4:16-17].
  • Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; we shall see him as he is [1 John 3:2].

It is the Person who is emphasized in all the passages dealing with the glorious expectation of the Church rather than the place to which they are taken.

We see, from passages such as Revelation 21:3 that the Lord Jesus Christ will be dwelling with men on the new earth in the eternal kingdom. Since Scripture reveals that the church will be with Christ, we can concluded that the eternal abode of the church will likewise be in the new earth, in that heavenly city—New Jerusalem, that has been especially prepared by God for the saints. Such a relationship would be the answer to the Lords Prayer for those God had given Him.

John 17:24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”

Since the eternal glory of Christ will be manifested in the eternal kingdom in his eternal rule, it is natural that the Church should be there to behold that glorification of Christ forever.

Salvation is spiritual and physical

God brings spiritual salvation in the form of personal fellowship, spiritual intimacy, and the promise of eternal life with God (Read Ephesians 1:3-8). However, salvation also includes temporal, external deliverance—“salvation” in a physical sense. Therefore, salvation is not merely spiritual.

Believers can and should look forward to the resurrection of the body and to “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwell” (2 Peter 3:13). Personal salvation starts with renewal of the heart, but in the end it will be comprehensive… physical and spiritual, and cosmic in scope. The Old Testament, when it speaks of the Promised Land, physical prosperity, and physical health anticipates the physical nature of the true Christian believer’s prosperity in the new heavens and the new earth.

Eternal Perspective

The biblical doctrines and truth discussed herein have only covered the highlights of God’s overall plan so that believers can know that they are not traveling through history in a helter-skelter fashion. God’s Word reveals order and direction, which includes both spiritual and physical death, and eternity. Not one person is excluded from God’s order of things to come. Scripture teaches that every member of the human race is accountable to God (Jeremiah 17:10; 32:19). There is one true God from whom we come, through whom we live, and to whom we are accountable.

God’s ultimate purpose in redemptive history is to create a people to dwell in his presence, glorifying him through their lives and enjoying him forever in eternal glory. The grand historical narrative of the Bible begins with God in eternal glory before the beginning of time and history, and it ends with God and his redeemed people in eternal glory. The history of salvation is the grand overarching story of the Bible and embracing  it gives coherence to all of life.

    It calls each of God’s people to own the story personally and it dignifies each believer with a role in the further outworking of the story in this life and for eternity.

Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

[2] Dispensations are a particular era in which God deals with humans in a certain way. For instance: The era of innocence—Creation to the Fall; the era of conscience—Adam to the Flood; etc.

All of the spirits were created in the beginning. Before the beginning, none of them were alive. It was God who gave them life (John 1:3). All spirits -that is, all angels- witnessed the creation of the earth (Job 38:4-7).

God did not give the spirits material bodies when He created them. The spirits do not have flesh and blood as we do. The Bible tells us that even though the spirits do not have material bodies, they sometimes show themselves to people as human beings and may also appear in other forms.

God created all the spirits perfect; not one of them was evil or unkind. Everything God does is perfect, because God is holy. God created the spirit beings with great wisdom and strength (Psalm 103:20). God created so many spirit beings that it would be impossible for us to count them (Revelation 5:11).

Angels were created by God to be His messengers and servants. They are mentioned more than 300 times in the Scriptures. (Psalm 148:1-6)

Their purpose is for worship (Rev. 5:11-14) and ministry (Heb.1:14).

The chief end of their service is the glory of God and the good of man. They must not be prayed to (Rev. 19:10; 22:9; Col 2:18).

Angels are intermediaries between God and man but they are not mediators. There is only one mediator between God and man and that is Jesus Christ (John 14:6; 1 Tim. 2:5).

What Jesus Says About Angels

People who confess Jesus’ name, He will confess before the angels; and those who deny Him, He will deny before the angels (Luke 12:8-9).

The angels rejoice when a sinner repents (Luke 15:10). Angels see the face of God (Matt. 18:10). The reapers of the harvest at the end of the age are angels (Matt 13:39).

When Jesus returns He will come “in the glory of His father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). Angels escort saints to God’s presence at the time of death (Luke 16:22).

Jesus has the authority to call many legions of angels to His aid (Matt 26:53).

Personality Traits of Angels

Intelligence… Angels desire to learn, they communicate with speech, and they have knowledge of God’s plan for the world (Matt. 28:5; Rev. 10:5-6; 17:1-18). The chief thing they know is the nature of God. They dwell in His presence, surround His throne, and worship Him continually. They obey His commandments completely and in that, they know God’s desires and right judgments.

God is wiser and stronger than all of the spirits. This truth is very important to remember. No matter what you may have heard or seen presented in movies or books or anywhere else, the Bible tells us that God is greater than all… he is sovereign!

Emotions… Angels have emotions and worship God with deep awe and humble reverence. The New Age religion falsely teaches that feelings such as: love, kindness, and generosity are the angels within us.

Will… Angels have the ability to choose and to follow through on those choices. (Heb. 1:6; Isaiah 14:12-15) They have “limited” free will. In the beginning, they choose to follow God or to not follow Him. Once the choice was made, it is 100% for or against God. It was with this will that Lucifer rebelled against God.

The Bible Gives a Fairly Clear Description of Five Main Types of Angels:

Cherubim… Presented as large winged guards with drawn sword or spear. (Gen. 3:24)

Seraphim… Are radiantly ablaze. The word “seraphim” literally means “fiery” or “burning”…glowing with the flame of God’s love. They are described as having six wings; two to cover their face, two to cover their feet, and two for flight (Isaiah 6:2-3)… four wings for worship and two for service.

Archangels… Are the “chief princes.” The Bible doesn’t give the number of archangels. Only two are mentioned: Michael and Gabriel

-        Michael Mentioned by name in Daniel 10:12-14. He is specifically described as an archangel in Jude 9. He is always pictured as warring and fighting and seems to have a special concern for the children of God (Daniel 12:1).

-        Gabriel Literally means “hero of God.” He is the angel of annunciation, heavenly mercy, resurrection, and revelation. He is the angel that told Mary of the virgin birth (Daniel 8:16-26; 9:20-27; Luke 1:11-20, 26-38).

Personal Angels… Guardian angels have two main purposes: rescue and protection (Ps.34:7; 91:11-12). They-are limited to believers (Ps. 91:1-2, 9-10). They escort believers into the presence of God at death (Luke 16:22).

The Bible uses many different words to talk about the spirit beings: Spirits, Angels, Cherubim, Seraphim, The host of the Lord, Host of Heaven, Powers, Principalities, Rulers in high places, Stars, or Morning Stars.

Lucifer and His Angels (Satan, demons, evil spirits)

God didn’t create all of the angels exactly the same; some were more beautiful, intelligent, and wise than others. The greatest spirit being was called Lucifer. He was considered to be the most magnificent angel of God. He was very powerful, the highest, the morning star, and the bearer of light (Ezekiel 28:15).

God did not create Lucifer evil. He created a unique angelic being, who, by a free act of his will cut himself off from God. Lucifer wanted to be like “the most High.” He decided that he wanted to take over God’s position as the ruler of all things. Lucifer rebelled against God’s authority over him. Many of God’s angels followed Lucifer, their leader. They joined Lucifer in rebelling against God.

God would not allow Lucifer to take His position. No one can take God’s place, because He is the only true God. God, in great anger, removed Lucifer from his important position of leadership over the angels. God also removed the angels who followed Lucifer from their place of service in Heaven.

Lucifer fell because of pride and became the devil (l Tim. 3:6; Isaiah 14:12-14). He is still a spirit being and has retained all of his power but now uses it to do evil, hates God, all believers, and fights against God. Lucifer and his followers hate God and every good thing that God loves. Right from the time when God removed them from His service until today Lucifer and these other spirits have been fighting against God and everything He does. Lucifer’s name Satan means “enemy, adversary, opponent, or accuser.”

Ten Lies About Angels

1. We become angels when we die.
2. Angels work miracles.
3. We should seek out angels with an open heart through our feelings.
4. All angels speak the truth.
5. When a person is lost in life “an angel will get right inside your heart with you and show you the way home.”
6. What is considered genius by the world is simply the angel within us acting without our interference.
7. Angels reward your love with an expansion of your own being. Angels help us evolve as people.
8. Angels are omnipresent with us and share our emotions.
9. Angels serve only to uncover our innate goodness and divinity.

   10.  All forms of help to humans is angelic in origin, meaning that all “hunches”, impulses, etc. are angelic.

Angels and New Age

New Age religious thinking puts angels in the place of God. They are believed to be like God the Father: omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent with humans. They are believed to be like God the Son: revealing, helping, redeeming, and raising man up from his current level to a higher one. They are believed to be like God the Holy Spirit continually prompting man toward his better nature… their version of the Trinity.

Bibliography:

C. Fred Dickason, Angels: Elect and Evil (Chicago, It: Moody Press, 1975)

Douglas Conneny, Angels Around Us: What the Bible Really Says Downers Grove, IL InterVarsity Press,1994).

Billy Graham, Angels: God’s Secret Agents (New York, NY: Doubleday & Co., Inc, 1975)

Herbert Lockyer, The Mystery and Ministry of Angels (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman Publishing, 1958) L. W. Northrup, Encounters with Angels (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale. 1988)

Phil Parker. Angels Angels Angels - Embraced By the Light Or Embraced by the Darkness? (Lancaster, FA: Starburst Publishers, 1995)

God’s ultimate purpose in redemptive history is to create a people to dwell in his presence, glorifying him through numerous varied activities and enjoying him forever.

Read… Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

The story of the Bible begins with God in eternal glory before the beginning of time and history, and it ends with God and his redeemed people in eternal glory. At the center stands the cross, where God revealed his glory through his Son. The history of salvation is the grand overarching story of the Bible; embracing it gives coherence to all of life. It calls each of God’s people to own the story personally and it dignifies each believer with a role in the further outworking of the story.

The biblical story of redemption must be understood within the larger story of creation. First Adam, and later Israel, were placed in God’s sanctuary… the Garden of Eden and the Promised Land, respectively. But both Adam and Israel failed to be a faithful, obedient steward, and both were expelled from the sanctuary God had created for them. But Jesus Christ—the second Adam, the son of Abraham, the son of David—was faithful and obedient to God.

Though the world killed him, God raised him to life, which meant that death was defeated. Through his Spirit, God pours into sinners the resurrection life of his Son, creating a new humanity “in Christ.” Those who are “in Christ” move through death into new life and exaltation in God’s sanctuary, there to enjoy his presence forever.

Genesis and origins

The English title “Genesis” comes from the Greek translation of the Pentateuch and means “origin,” a very apt title because Genesis is all about origins—of the world, of the human race, of sin, death, and of the Jewish people. The book of Genesis opens with a majestic description of how God first created the heavens and earth and how he ordered the earth so that it may become his dwelling place.

The creation story is structured into seven sections, each marked by the use of set phrases. The entire episode conveys the picture of the all-powerful, transcendent God who sets everything in place with consummate skill in conformity to his grand design. The emphasis is mainly on how God orders or structures everything… thus revealing his nature, character, and magnificent attributes—his holiness, glory, majesty, and sovereignty. Throughout the OT period, the stories of Genesis would have been a great encouragement to faith for the Israelites.

The first five books of the Bible are called by the Jews “the Law,” and by Christians “the Pentateuch” or “the Five Books of Moses.” The overall theme of the Pentateuch is God’s covenant with Israel through Moses, which established Israel as a theocracy, a nation where God’s directives rule the civil, social, and religious spheres… for the sake of the whole world.

Genesis, as the first volume of this first section of the Bible, orients the reader to the rest of the Pentateuch, and thus to the rest of the Bible.

1)      It explains in story form the nature and character of God and the place of man in God’s creation.

2)      The creation story also offers an analysis of sin and its consequences, and describes God’s reaction to it… and thus shows why true religion must be redemptive.

It records the call of Abraham, through whom all the nations of the world will be blessed, and traces the birth and careers of the forefathers of the nation of Israel, leading to Israel in Egypt. The fact that Yahweh (Hebrew word for Lord) is the universal Creator shows why Israel has a message for all mankind.

At the same time Genesis sets out models of behavior, both in its opening chapters and in the examples of the patriarchs’ faithful obedience to God. Genesis is therefore a book of instruction, and this is why Jews include it in the Law, for the Hebrew word torah, usually translated “law,” has the broader sense of “instruction.”

Genesis divides into two major sections:

1)      The primeval/early history of the world… the first 11 chapters tell the story of God’s creative acts, and of Adam and Eve and their first children; followed by the various historical events surrounding Noah and the Ark, the worldwide flood for the judgment of sin, the Tower of Babel and the Table of the Nations.

2)      Section two gives the history of the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in chapters 12–50.

The proportions of the two sections are significant… essentially chapters 1–11 are setting the stage for the main drama, which is God’s dealings with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and his sons… the main subject of the last chapters 12–50.

Genesis is about both beginnings and generations in a family line leading to the Messiah

Starting with the divine ordering of creation, Genesis follows the many generations of a family line from Adam to Jacob and his sons. This family line of the promised Deliverer—revealed as Christ in the New Testament, forms the backbone of Genesis, linking its varied elements into a cohesive complete narrative. As Genesis describes how the earth’s population increases over many generations, the reader’s attention is constantly being directed toward one particular person in each generation and his descendants.

Another important feature of Genesis is its particular recording of genealogies. Although these can be of little interest for many readers, as they lack the dramatic tension of the narrative storytelling episodes, they contribute in a special way to the structure of Genesis. Genesis has two linear genealogies that cover 10 generations, naming only one ancestor in each generation. These play an important role in linking major narrative storytelling sections. The period of Adam and Eve is linked to Noah by the genealogy in chapter 5 and a similar genealogy in 11:10–26 connects Noah’s son Shem with Abraham.

Themes of Genesis

The primary theme of Genesis is creation, sin, and re-creation. It tells how God created the world as very good, but that it was destroyed in the flood as a result of man’s disobedience. The new world after the flood was also spoiled by human sin (chp 11). However, the call of Abraham through whom all the nations of the world would be blessed, gives hope that God’s purpose will eventually be realized through Abraham’s descendant… the Messiah—Jesus Christ.

History of salvation in Genesis

Many readers are likely to be familiar with selected parts of Genesis. Most, however, struggle to comprehend how the different elements of the book combine to form a unified account… one overarching story. Consequently, individual episodes are often read in isolation, with an inadequate appreciation of how the larger literary context shapes the passage in question. Grasping the big picture of Genesis is very important.

Central to this picture is the family line of Christ—the genealogies that form the backbone of the entire book of Genesis. The importance of this lineage cannot be overstated, for beginning in 3:15 the offspring of the woman/Eve becomes the source of hope for the defeat of Satan and the restoration of the earth and everything on it. In due course, Eve’s offspring is traced through Seth to Noah, a “righteous man” (6:9) who found favor with God, so that God saved him and his family from being destroyed in the flood.

Read… Genesis 6:9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

From Noah the family line moves to Abraham, in whom all the families of the earth will be blessed (12:1–3). When God establishes the covenant of circumcision with Abraham, the divine promise of blessing is linked to a future royal descendant traced through Abraham’s son Isaac. As the Genesis stories unfold we see the true history of the world we live in.

The promise of blessing becomes intimately connected with the firstborn son. Eventually, the divine promises linked to the family line in Genesis come to fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God who becomes by adoption “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” By looking forward to a special King who will mediate God’s blessing to humanity, Genesis provides the foundation on which the rest of the Bible stands and the foundation for a climatic presentation of the Gospel.

However, in saying that Genesis points forward to Jesus Christ, we must be careful because Genesis does not provide a full-grown Christology. What begins in Genesis as a divine promise of salvation linked to the Eve’s offspring, in 3:15, is expanded throughout the rest of the OT. Nevertheless, the ideas that are introduced in Genesis are fully consistent with the final reality of the Messiah… God incarnate!

While the concept of all nations being blessed through a future King is at the heart of Genesis, other related themes are also developed. One of the most important of these is the divine promise to Abraham that he will become a “great nation” (Gen. 12:2). Central to this promise are the twin concepts of land and descendants, both being essential components of nationhood. This emphasis on a nation has to be understood in the light of God’s purpose for the earth. It is to be his dwelling place, where he will live surrounded by a human population of royal priests. However, when the first man and woman betray God they forfeited their special status.

Later, when God comes to dwell among the Israelites, they as a nation are given the opportunity to be a royal priesthood (Ex. 19:6). Unfortunately, they never fully realize all that God wants them to be. Yet even through failure, they provide an indication of how the earth should be under God’s rule. With the coming of Jesus Christ, the national theocracy of Israel is replaced by an international royal priesthood that includes Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles from every nation.

Read… 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Although the Church, the children of God, becomes the dwelling place of God on earth, evil still remains. Only after the return of Christ and the final judgment will all things be restored and a new earth be created. At that time the New Jerusalem will mark the completion of the divine project that began in Genesis. The Apostle John’s vision of the new earth in Revelation 21–22 has close similarities with Genesis 1–2.

The destruction of the last enemy, death, and the last judgment will finally lead to the renewal of the entire created order, heaven and earth, to be the perfect home in which the Lamb will live forever with his bride, the people whom he has redeemed out of all the nations through his atoning death.

Genesis and history

It is easy to see that Genesis aims to record actual events in the history of the world, in time, in real places rather than mythical events. The book explains to its Jewish audience how their nation came to be and why their ancestors were in Egypt. The genealogies connect Jacob and his children with the ancient generations, going back to Adam and Eve… from whom they descended. 

Genesis and science

The relation of Genesis to science is primarily a question of how one reads the accounts of creation and Adam’s sin, and answer legitimate questions such as these:

• What kind of “days” does Genesis 1 describe?
• How long ago is creation supposed to have happened?
• Were all species created as they are now?
• Were Adam and Eve real people? Are all people descended from them?
• How much of the earth did Noah’s flood cover? How much impact did it have on geological formations?

Should Genesis 1 be called a “scientific account”? Again, it is crucial to have a careful definition. Does Genesis 1 record a true account of the origin of the material universe? To that question a believer should be able to answer yes. On the other hand, does Genesis 1 provide information in a way that corresponds to the purposes of modern science? To this question the answer is no.

For example, the term “kind,” used in the English translations of the Bible, does not correspond to the notion of modern terminology for “species.” Kind simply means “category,” and could refer to a species, or a family, or an even more general taxonomic group. In Genesis 1, the plants are put into two general categories, small seed-bearing plants, and larger woody plants. The land animals are classified as domesticable stock animals (“livestock”); small things such as mice, lizards, and spiders (“creeping things”); and larger game and predatory animals (“beasts of the earth”). In Scripture, no species, other than man, gets a proper Hebrew name. Not even the sun and moon get their ordinary Hebrew names (1:16).

The creation story text says nothing about the process by which “the earth brought forth vegetation” (1:12), or by which the various kinds of animals appeared. Although, in fact, we see in Scripture that it was in response to God’s command indicates that it was not due to any natural powers inherent in the material universe itself. The creation account is a well written story for its main purpose, which was to enable a community of nomadic shepherds—the Israelites, wandering in the Sinai desert to learn about the Creator/Owner of all things and to celebrate the boundless creative goodness, character, holiness, majesty, glory, and attributes of their sovereign Lord.

However, it does not say why, e.g., a spider is different from a snake, nor does it comment on what genetic relationship there might be between various creatures. When the creation story is received, today, according to its purpose, it shapes a worldview in which science is at home (It is the only worldview that really makes science possible). This is a worldview of a world that a good and wise God made perfectly suited for humans to enjoy and to rule. The things in the world have natures that people can know, at least in part. Human senses and intelligence are the right tools for discerning and saying true things about the world… which is the fundamental goal of all science. However, it is important to note, the effects of sin interfere with this God-given process.

It is clear that Adam and Eve are presented as real people. Their role in the creation story, as the channel by which sin and death came into the world, implies that they are seen as the headwaters of the human race. “Made it the image and the likeness of God” distinguishes mankind from all the animals. Our nature is a special bestowal of God (i.e., not a purely “natural” development). For example:

• A mind so that we can know the one true God.
• Emotions so that we can love God.
• With free will to make a reasoned and free choice to love God with all our heart and all our mind.

It is no wonder that all human beings share capacities for language, moral judgment, rationality, and appreciation for beauty, unlike and beyond the powers observed in the animals… therefore, any science that ignores this fact does not faithfully describe reality. The biblical worldview leads one to expect that all humans now share a need for God and a bent toward sin… as well as a possibility for faith in the true God, through the grace and mercy of God. Thus, even though it is wrong to use Genesis as if it were directly furnishing information in modern scientific form, it is nonetheless crucial to affirm its historical account and its God-centered worldview in order to provide a proper foundation for doing good science.

Reading Genesis in the twenty-first century

The book of Genesis originated thousands of years ago… a fact easily forgotten when it is read in a modern translation. It was composed and written in an age and culture far removed from the experiences of most modern readers. Allowance must be made for this distance between text and reader. While modern translations attempt to bridge this gap, it is not always possible to replicate the nuances and wordplays of the Hebrew original. Moreover, Genesis employs literary techniques not commonly used today.

Woven into stories set in an ancient Near Eastern culture, these features present obstacles that can be overcome only through the Holy Spirit’s opening of hearts and minds as the multiple stories of historical events, and the folks of those historical periods unfold. We must not forget that Genesis is, in fact, the inspired Word of God and is, therefore, infallible… without error in the original manuscripts. However, Genesis is limited and selective in the information that it conveys. God does not tell readers everything that they could possibly want to know.

Frequently, readers may ask questions, legitimate in themselves, that are not answered by the text. Genesis does not tell, for instance, how the serpent that Satan used to deceive Eve came to be God’s enemy or where Cain found a wife. Such questions could be multiplied many times. Consequently, our natural curiosity must be correctly channeled, for the inspired author of Genesis intentionally communicates only certain things. Yet the text does not cease to be the Word of God simply because it is limited in what it tells the reader; it need not be exhaustive in order to be true.

Put simply, the author of Genesis writes to celebrate the fact that God made the world, not to explain the details of how he made it.

Read… Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Through his creative acts God reveals his nature, character, and attributes. In other words… we learn who he is through what he has done. The Bible says, “This is eternal life, that you know the one true God…” John 17:3. The creation story simply says that God brought the heavens and the earth into being by means of his spoken word (“And God said”). It explains that God ordered the earth in terms of time, space, and matter.

It also reveals that people were originally created by God and appointed by him as the Creator/Owner, to be his representatives on earth, to rule it for his glory and the benefit of all creation.

To the extent that scientists deny that God is the Creator of all things, a fundamental conflict will exist between the foundation and conclusions of such scientific work and the Bible. At the same time, to the extent that the focus of science is on understanding and describing the world that God created, no conflict between the Bible and scientific work needs to exist. Understood in terms of what the author of Genesis seeks to communicate, science as well as the Bible have a valuable and legitimate place. By divine revelation, Genesis provides knowledge that cannot be discovered by human investigation. If it were otherwise, there would be no need for Genesis to be a part of the Bible.

 Genesis is the front end of the grand narrative storytelling of creation, sin, and redemption—a narrative that has reached a glorious point in the resurrection of Jesus… the down payment of its even more glorious consummation. The story is of a good world made by a good God and man’s role in that world. It is the story of how the stain of sin affects everything and the story of how God intends to reverse those effects. Thus, the life that one lives in the body, one’s connection to all mankind, one’s connection to and responsibility for the created world, one’s dependence on God’s grace—all are founded on the story that begins in Genesis.

The Christian’s response, like the covenant made with Israel at Sinai, involves a need for moral purity and obedience to Christ, lived out by faith, in the daily life of each one who has believed God:

1)      Through the historical events by which God communicates his grace.

2)      Through each community of Christian believers to which the faithful members are bound—all affirming God’s original creation intent.

Genesis also offers a paradigm for God’s dealings with his creation, namely, the representative God appointed to rule over his creation. Adam represented mankind and the world, and the consequences of his disobedience—his sin and rebellion, pass to all those whom he represented. This provides the framework for the Christian understanding of how Jesus does his representative work as the second Adam, which will have consequences both for the people he represents—all who have believed; and for the rest of creation.

Genesis is a history book

All of the Genesis material falls into the overall genre of true, historical narrative. But in turn, the history is not packaged as it is in the history books with which modern readers are familiar. Instead, the book of Genesis is primarily a collection of what may be called hero stories—episodic tales focused on a central character with whom the reader is to sympathize—along with interspersed genealogies. The first three chapters belong to a genre known as the story of origins… of creation of the heavens and the earth… all that is seen and unseen. Genesis also has similarity with larger-than-life type stories because this story is one of true universal history (chs. 1–11) and the true origins of the nation of Israel (chs. 12–50).

A historical literary approach to the book of Genesis requires that the reader think correctly about the modern-day recognized concept of a literary “hero.” However, the heroes in these true historical Bible stories are not always “heroic.” They are simply the human center of attention in the story; their actions are brave or cowardly or noble or base, or (more often) a complex mixture of all these characteristics. As the narrative proceeds, the reader should be struck with the contingencies—that is, the episodes could have turned out differently… perhaps even should have turned out differently. We see that God’s sovereignty and providential care for his people uses their imperfections to achieve his purposes for them.

The original audience would see their own situations as permeated with God’s purpose, and would thus learn to embrace their lives as a gift from God, to be lived as he directs. An example is Isaac’s servant finding Rebekah to be Isaac’s wife. Any of these events could have turned out differently, and then Isaac and Rebekah would never have married—perhaps, in view of 24:3–8, Isaac would not have married at all, and then where would the promises to Abraham be? But God kept his promise (one is not obligated to think that everything the servant did was right), and the first readers could learn to see themselves under God’s care as the result of reflection on what took place. The modern Christian reader is likewise the heir and beneficiary of this story… learning that God is active in and sovereign over our lives (see Philippians 2:13).

Unifying literary themes include:

1)      The characterization of God so that man can know God through the stories of his dealings with people.

2)      The sinfulness of the human race and individuals within it.

3)      The story of the unfolding plan of God to redeem a people for himself despite human waywardness.

4)      The “hero story” as the nearly constant historical story format.

Characters, characters, characters: As one reads Genesis, one is continually drawn into encounters with unforgettable characters and their stories, and lessons about wisdom and folly that can be learned from them; along with learning about God in all his glory, majesty, holiness, and his sovereignty.

Christ in the Old Testament

Since God’s plan focuses on Christ and his glory, it is natural that the promises of God and the symbols in the OT all point forward to him… “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him [Christ]” (2 Cor. 1:20).

When Christ appeared to the disciples after his resurrection, his teaching focused on leading them to understand how the OT pointed to him.

Read… Luke 24:25-27 “And he said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Christ is showing us that the Old Testament is the foundation for the Gospel as Luke wrote, “Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things’” Luke 24:44–48.

Christ as the Last Adam

Christ is not only the offspring of Abraham, but—reaching back farther in time to an earlier promise of God—the offspring of the first woman—Eve.

Read… Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

The conquest over Satan, and therefore the conquest of evil and the reversal of its effects, is to take place through the offspring of the woman.

In Scripture we can trace this offspring from Eve through Seth and his godly descendants, through Noah, and down to Abraham, where God’s promise takes the specific form of offspring for Abraham. Thus Christ is not only the offspring of Abraham but he is the last Adam.

Like Adam, Christ represents all who belong to him, thus he reverses the effects of Adam’s sin and rebellion. In 1 Corinthians 15:45–49 we read… So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.”

Shadows, Prefigures, and “Types” of Christ in the Old Testament

It is obvious that the NT constantly talks about Christ and the salvation that he has brought. What is not so obvious is that the same is true of the OT, though it does this by way of anticipation. It gives us “shadows” and “types” of the things that were to come such as are seen in 1 Cor. 10:6, 11; Heb. 8:5:

• For example, 1 Corinthians 10:6 indicates that the events the Israelites experienced in the wilderness were “examples for us.”

• And 1 Corinthians 10:11 says, “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”

In 1 Corinthians 10:6 and 11, the Greek word for “example” is typos, from which derives the English word “type” (cf. Rom. 5:14). A “type,” in the language of theology, is a special example, symbol, or picture that God designed beforehand, and that he placed in history at an earlier point in time in order to point forward to a later, larger fulfillment. Animal sacrifices in the OT prefigure the final sacrifice of Christ… “the Lamb of God.” So these animal sacrifices were “types” of Christ. The temple, as a dwelling place for God, prefigured Christ, who is the final “dwelling place” of God, and through whom God comes to be with his people. The OT priests were types of Christ, who is the final high priest (Heb. 7:11–8:7). Fulfillment takes place only in Christ.

But in the NT those people who are “in Christ” are those who have received him by believing in his life giving death, burial, and resurrection, according the Scriptures for the forgiveness of their sins. Those who place their trust in him and thus experience fellowship with his person and his blessings, receive the benefits and free gift of what he has accomplished for them on the cross and in the resurrection.

Christ the Mediator

The Bible makes it clear that ever since the fall of Adam into sin, sin and its consequences have been the pervasive problem of the human race. Every person born since Adam and Eve sinned, are born separated from God. They are under the power of sin, Satan, and death. Sin and its consequences is a constant theme running through the Bible. Sin is “missing the mark” set by God as the standard for righteousness. God’s holiness demands that “the wages of sin is death” and that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.”

God is holy and righteous, and no sinful human being, not even a great man like Moses, can stand in the presence of God without dying: “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Ex. 33:20). Sinful man needs a mediator who will approach God on his behalf. Christ, who is both God and man, and who is innocent of sin, is the only one who can serve in this role.

Read… 1 Timothy 2:5-6 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men–the testimony given in its proper time.”

Though there is only one mediator in an ultimate sense, in a subordinate way various people in the OT serve in some kind of mediatorial capacity… Moses is one of them. But if there is only one mediator, as 1 Timothy 2:5 says, how could Moses possibly serve in that way? Moses was not the ultimate mediator, but he prefigured Christ’s mediation.

Because Moses was sinful, he could not possibly have survived the presence of God without forgiveness, that is, without having a sinless mediator on his own behalf. God welcomed Moses into his presence only because, according to the plan of God, Christ was to come and make atonement for Moses. The benefits of Christ’s work were reckoned beforehand for Moses’ benefit… “…that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.” 2 Corinthians 5:19a

And so it is for all the OT saints. How could they have been saved otherwise? God is perfectly holy, and they all needed his righteousness. Perfection was graciously reckoned to them because of Christ, who was to come. That means that there is only one way of salvation, throughout the OT as well as in the NT. Only Christ can save us… “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The stories of salvation in the OT all depend on Christ. All the instances of mediation in the OT prefigure Christ. How else could it be, since there is only one mediator and one way of salvation?

Read… John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Salvation is spiritual and physical

God brings spiritual salvation in the form of personal fellowship, spiritual intimacy, and the promise of eternal life with God. However, salvation also includes temporal, external deliverance—“salvation” in a physical sense… salvation is not merely spiritual.

Christians look forward to the resurrection of the body and to “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwell” (2 Peter 3:13). Personal salvation starts with renewal of the heart, but in the end it will be comprehensive… physical and spiritual, and cosmic in scope. The OT, when it pays attention to the Promised Land, and physical prosperity and physical health anticipates the physical nature of the true Christian believer’s prosperity in the new heavens and the new earth.

The Bible as a whole fits together even though the events and historical stories recorded in the Old and New Testaments took place over a span of thousands of years and in several different cultural settings. God’s act of creation is the foundation for the entire biblical history and God’s plan of salvation through Christ. A considerable number of New Testament passages refer back to creation and the Old Testament stories and people. All the rest of the Bible depends indirectly on it. The one unifying thread in the Bible is its divine authorship… every book of the Bible is the word of God.

The events recorded in the Bible are there because God wanted them recorded, and he had them recorded with his people and their instruction in mind… “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ [Eph. 3:14]. What was the cause? It was because of Paul’s deep interest in these Ephesians. He wanted them to enter into the great truth of this dispensation—the Church, this new economy in which they were living, and to experience all the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus. That was the background.

 There is another point which I think is rather important to note. We have here that Paul prayed to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You will also notice that back in chapter 1, verse 17, he prayed to the “God of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We find that this was his formula, and I think it is a rather tight formula to address all prayers to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Someone may say, “Aren’t you splitting hairs?” Listen to the Lord Jesus: “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you” (John 16:23). Jesus Christ is our great Intercessor. To pray in Jesus’ name means we go to God the Father with a prayer that the Lord Jesus Himself can lift to the Father for you and me.

Paul was a man of prayer and this is his second great prayer in this epistle. Because he viewed the church as the poem of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit, the mystery of the ages he went to God in prayer that these great truths might become realities in the lives of the Ephesian believers… and I might add in the lives of all those who might pray like this and those that we would pray for. The three years that Paul spent in Ephesus teaching, his epistle to the Church, and his prayers were no doubt the foundation for the gospel penetrating into every urban center of the province of Asia Minor. Many Bible teachers note that the greatest ministry the gospel has ever had was in what is today modern Turkey. In that day there were an estimated 25 million people living there. In Acts 19: 10 it says… “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.” What a difference it makes when we get the Word of God out!!

Paul’s prayer is brief and to the point:

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God [Eph. 3:16-19].

 Notice again that he prays according to the riches of His glory, not out of the riches of His glory. If He would take it out of His riches, He would be like Mr. Rockefeller who used to give his caddy a dime.
 

There are four definite petitions here which Paul makes on behalf of the Ephesian believers.

1. The petition is that the believers might “be strengthened with might [power] by his Spirit in the inner man.” The spiritual nature of the believer needs prayer as well as does the physical. How often the spiritual is neglected while all the attention is given to the physical side. Paul prays for the inner man because he realizes that the outward man is passing away. Power is needed to live the Christian life, to grow in grace, and to develop into full maturity — which is the work of the Holy Spirit.

We tend to pray a great deal for the outward man. It is a marvelous way to pray, praying for the physical needs of folk. Paul did, and he prayed for himself. Three times he asked God to remove the thorn in his flesh. It is wonderful to know that God does hear and does answer prayer, but we need to remember that the spiritual nature of the believer needs prayer as well as the physical. Only the Holy Spirit can supply power, living, and growth for the full maturity of the believer.

2. In the second petition Paul prays that “Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” This is to think the Lord’s thoughts after Him. “Ye in me and I in you.” Paul could exclaim, “. . . Christ liveth in me . . .” (Gal. 2:20). In Christ is the high word of this epistle. The wonderful counterpart of it is that Christ is in us. In Christ — that is our position. Christ in us — that is our possession. That is the practical side of it. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2Cor. 13:5).

Christ has not come as a temporary visitor. He has come as a permanent tenant by means of the Spirit to live in our lives. “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

3. The third petition is a request that the believers may know the dimensions of the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ. He prays that they may be “rooted and grounded in love.” “Rooted” refers to botany, to life. “Grounded” refers to architecture, to stability. This is for all the saints.

Paul wants them to “know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.” The vast expanse of the love of Christ is the love of God Himself. From this launching pad we can begin to measure that which is immeasurable and to know that which passes knowledge. This is one of the many paradoxes of the believer’s life.

The breadth… the arms of Christ reach around the world. “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved . . .” (John 10:9). “. . . him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

The length… the length of it begins with the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world and proceeds unto the endless ages of eternity.

The depth… the depth goes all the way to Christ’s death on the cross. “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8).

The height… the height reaches to the throne of God. “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God” (Phil. 2:6).

Only the Holy Spirit can lead a believer into this vast experience of the love of Christ. Since it is infinite, it is beyond human comprehension.

4. The fourth petition is a final outburst of an all-consuming fervor that believers “might be filled up to all the fullness of God.” Christ was thus filled. In proportion to our comprehension of the love of Christ, we shall be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen [Eph. 3:20-21].

This is both a doxology and a benediction which concludes the prayer of Paul. This is a mighty outburst of spiritual praise, which any comment would only tarnish. We are not able to so much as touch the hem of the garment of the spiritual gifts that God is prepared to give to His own. How wonderful this is! He wants to give to us super-abundantly. How good He is, and how small we are. We cannot even contain all of His blessings.

Pray for yourself:

Because you have saved me, by faith I bow my knee unto you the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of your glory you would strengthen me with power through your Spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith—that I, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that I may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to you who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to you be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Pray for someone else:

In you Lord Jesus, in whom I have boldness and access with confidence through my faith in you I bow my knee unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of your glory you may grant that ___________ be strengthened with power through the Spirit in his/her inner being, so that Christ may dwell in his/her heart through faith—, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that he/she may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to you who is able to do far more abundantly than all that I ask or think, according to the power at work within me, to you be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer, spiritual warfare and the Traitor Prince

What about the devil a.k.a. Satan or Lucifer? …Is he a real being that impacts our lives? …Did God really create Satan? …What about demons and evil spirits? Does Satan roam through the earth disguised as an angel of light? Are demons really at work on earth?

Unfortunately, far too many folks do not have an accurate view of who Satan is. Many underestimate him and his prowess, even going so far as to doubt his very existence. The Bible clearly shows us just how active and conniving the Devil really is. At the same time, Scripture also lets us know about Satan’s limitations and ultimate demise.

The more we understand the tactics of this intelligent spirit being, the better equipped we will be to ward off his attacks. If believers have a clear understanding of our adversary, then through faithful prayers there can be mighty defeats and victories… defeats for the foe, victories for our rightful prince, Jesus!

God’s Word reveals Satan as a being of great beauty, of great dignity and position… endowed with remarkable intellectual powers. He is a prince, at the head of a most remarkable, compact organization which he has wielded with phenomenal skill and success in furthering his ambitious purposes.

Ezekiel 28:12,15 “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created…”

Lucifer and his angels hate God.

Right from the time when God removed them from His service, and still today, Lucifer and these other spirits have been fighting against God and everything he does.[2]

From “Firm Foundations—Creation to Christ[3]” we see that the Bible tells us that although God expelled Satan and his demon followers from his presence, they retained their immense power and intellect. The Bible shows us that they are enemies of the Most High God… Lucifer and his followers hate God and every good thing that God loves.[4]

As to the exact events that occurred right after Satan’s rebellion, at the dawn of Creation, we can only speculate… you can almost see the Devil, consumed with jealousy and hatred, casting his shifty eyes around the universe looking for a weak link in God’s armor. There must be some way to get even with God. Can’t you just see Satan’s eyes settling on the weakest link… man? Can’t you just see the smirk on his face?

Satan’s impact on our prayers

The simple fact is that Satan has the power to hold the answer… to hold back, to delay—for a time, the answers to our prayers. However, he doesn’t have the power to hold them back, forever… that is, if we know him as he is, and then pray with quiet, steady persistence.

There are two facts running through the Bible from one end to the other. They are like two threads in a finely woven fabric… anywhere you check the fabric of the Word you will find these two threads. One is a black thread—the enemy… the other is a bright thread, a bit of God’s glory streaming through. Turn where you will from Genesis to Revelation… always an enemy. He is keen. He is subtle. He is malicious. He is cruel. He is obstinate. He is a master deceiver.

The bright thread is this: the great leaders for God, in the Bible, have always been men and women of prayer above everything else… they give prayer first place. The Gospels form the central pattern of the whole where the colors come together in the sharpest contrast.

Prayer is fighting

We are going to turn to Ephesians… Ephesians is the prayer epistle. It is significant to note that of Paul’s thirteen epistles Ephesians is peculiarly the prayer letter. He is on his knees here… he has much to say to these folks whom he has won to Christ. But, it comes in the parentheses of prayer… with bookends of prayer!

The connecting phrase running through is, “for this cause I pray” …I bow my knees! The climax of this prayer-epistle is this paragraph, v.14-20, and the climax of the paragraph is prayer. And from praying Paul urges them to pray… “With all prayer praying!!

READ… Ephesians 6:10 through 20 (Keep your Bible open as we look at Paul’s revelation)

In Paul’s addressing the Church at Ephesus we see that the main drive of all their living seems very clear to this battle scarred veteran… “That ye may be able to withstand the wiles of the Devil.” Paul seems to have no difficulty in believing in a personal devil… he probably had too many close encounters. To Paul, Satan is a cunning strategist requiring every bit of available resource to combat.

This masterful paragraph states two things: who the real foe is, against whom the fight is directed… and, then with climactic intensity it gives us the main thing that defeats him. Paul clearly tells us who the real foe is… “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood.” Not against men; never that… but something far subtler—“but against the principalities”—a Word for a compact organization of individuals—“against powers”—not only organized but highly endowed intellectually, “against the world-rulers of this darkness”. They are of princely kin… not common folk—“against the hosts of wicked spirits in the heavenlies”—spirit beings, in vast numbers… having their headquarters somewhere above the earth.

That is the foe… large numbers of highly endowed spirit beings, well organized, who are the sovereigns of the present age of moral darkness. Their headquarters of activity somewhere above the earth, and below the throne of God, but very clearly concerned with human beings on the earth. In Chapter 2 of the epistle the head or ruler of this organization is referred to as, “the prince of the powers of the air”. That is the real foe—namely Satan… formerly Lucifer—the greatest of the spirit beings created by God “in the beginning” but cast to earth for his rebellion against God.

Ezekiel 28:16-17  “Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth…” 

Lucifer did not go without a battle… he was still a very strong being and many other angels followed him. The Bible indicates that one-third of the angels followed Lucifer in his rebellion. The rebellious angels that followed Satan were called demons or evil spirits. The Bible tells us that after this rebellion they were no longer God’s servants; instead, they lived in constant rebellion against God. In the Book of Job, the Bible tells us that Satan could still come to speak to speak to God in Heaven. However, Satan and his followers could no longer live in heaven, nor could they be God’s servants.

The armor of God

In one of his strong piled-up climatic sentences Paul tells how the fight is to be won. This sentence runs unbroken through verses 14 to 20 inclusive. There are six preliminary clauses leading up to its main statement. These clauses name the pieces of armor used by a Roman soldier in the action of battle. The loins girt, the breastplate on; the feet shod… the shield, the helmet, the sword, and so on. A Roman soldier reading this or hearing Paul preach it, would expect him to finish the sentence by saying, “With all your fighting strength” …fight!

This would be the usual rhetorical conclusion of this sentence… however, when Paul reaches the climax with his usual intensity he drops the rhetorical figure and instead tells us the very thing with which our fighting must be done—“with all prayer praying”. In place of the expected word “fighting” we see the word “praying”. Our fighting is praying… praying is fighting, spirit-fighting! What this aging evangelist-missionary bishop says is that we are in the thick of a fight… there is a war on! So the question is, “How shall we best fight?”

First, Paul points out that we must get into good shape to pray and then with all your praying strength and skill “pray”. The word “praying” is the climax of this multiple-verse-long sentence and of the whole epistle. This is the sort of action that exposes the enemy’s flank… and reveals his heels. Paul is saying, Satan simply cannot stand before persistent knee-work!!

Let’s examine Paul’s insightful description of the most effective work in praying. Read… Eph 6:13-18

There are six qualifications under the analogy of the six pieces of armor:

1. v.14a Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…A clear understanding of truth.
2. v.14b …with the breastplate of righteousness in place… A clean, obedient life.
3. v.15a …and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace… Earnest service.
4. v.16 …in addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one… A profoundly simple trust on the Lord.
5. v.17a …take the helmet of salvation… Clear assurance of one’s own salvation and relationship to God. (see 1 Jn 1:7-10)
6. v.17b …and the sword of the Word of God… A good grip of the Truth—no relativism.

These things prepare us for the real battle… the conflict of prayer. Such praying drives back these hosts of the traitor prince. Someone praying in the full armor of God is invincible in his Chief—Jesus Christ! The equipment is simple and it is readily available to any willing, earnest heart.

Look with me at the strong climax of this long sentence… it is bristling with points. All of them soldier-points… like bayonet points. Just as a general engaged in a battle would give to his men.

Look carefully at Paul’s words…

• “With all pray and supplication”—there is intensity, intentionality;
• “praying”—this is the main thrust; ceaselessness… night and day, hot and cold, wet and dry;
• “in the Spirit”—as guided by the Chief;
• “and watching thereunto”—sleepless vigilance… watching is vital in battle, watch the enemy, watch your own forces;
• “with all perseverance”—persistence…joyful yet, head down, dogged persistence, bulldog tenacity;
• “and supplication”—intensity again;
• “for all the saints”—keep the whole army in mind.

Satan and his demons are the foe to be fought… and this is the sort of spiritual fighting that defeats this foe. Satan believes in the potency of prayer… he fears it. He can hinder the results for a while and he does his best to hinder it and to hinder it as long as possible… as he did to Daniel (See chp 10)

Prayer overcomes Satan

Prayer overcomes our adversaries in the heavenly realms… it defeats Satan’s plans and Satan himself. He trembles when some saint, in simple faith in God, prays… one who is in sympathetic touch with the Lord. Prayer is insistence upon God’s will being done… its basis is Christ’s victory on the cross… it overcomes the opposing will of the great traitor—leader.

“What must we do?” Should we fight against the powers of darkness? Paul said, “No”, emphatically… rather we are instructed to simply stand: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (6:13). In that “standing” position clothed in the armor of God, we must stand in faith and testify that Jesus is Victor.

That is your calling, and it is mine!

We are not called to fight against darkness, spiritual wickedness, and principalities because the Lord has already won that battle on the cross. Therefore, I encourage you: Stand and do what is instructed in Ephesians 6:18… “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints…”.

[2] 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

[3] New Tribes Mission, Sanford, FL by Trevor McIllwain  (From Lesson 3)

[4] Genesis 3:1-7, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10

Romans 1:3 tells us that the gospel is God’s good news concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. It is God’s assurance “…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4). The Gospel is first and foremost about Christ. It is the message of the finished historical work of God in Christ. The Gospel is the work of the Godhead alone, Christ was “…smitten of God…” “it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief…” “…his soul an offering for sin…” (Is 53:4,10) 

Many in the Church confuse the Gospel… God’s work FOR us in Christ, with God’s work IN us by the Holy Spirit. The Gospel is entirely objective… the Gospel is completely outside of ourselves. The Gospel is not about the change that needs to be made in sinners… and it does not take place within us. It was completed in Christ, quite apart from ourselves, 2000 years ago… it is not dependent on man in any way.

The Gospel is distorted when we turn people’s eyes to what is to be accomplished in them. We are not and cannot be involved in any part of Christ’s historical, finished, redemptive work. The sinner must be taught to look completely away from himself and trust only in Christ and his work of salvation on the cross. WE COMPLETELY DISTORT AND CONFUSE THE GOSPEL when we try to present the Gospel using terminology which turns people’s attention to what they must DO rather than outward to what God HAS DONE on their behalf in Christ!

Use only the terminology that cause repentant sinners to trust in what has been done FOR THEM through Christ rather than directing their attention to what must be done IN THEM. For example, these modern and commonly used phrases confuse people’s understanding of the Gospel: “Accept Jesus into your heart”. “Give your heart to Jesus”. “Give your life to Jesus”. “Open the door of your heart to the Lord”. “Ask Jesus to wash away your sins”. “Make your decision for Christ”. “Ask Jesus to give you eternal life”. “Ask God to save you”.

The biblical way

In our preparation of people for the Gospel, we must bring them to the point where they realize they can do nothing. However, even when folks do understand their inability to do anything… we must point them to Christ and not say such things as, “Now, you must give your heart to Jesus”. Having just taught them that they are unable to do anything we must not tell them what they must do… for the result will be confusion about the Gospel.

Our listener’s interest and concern must not be turned inward to their own experience… but to an outward trust… trusting only in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection from the dead—the true Gospel! If the sinner is to exercise true saving faith, there must be enlightenment by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God.

A true believer’s saving faith is based on objective, historical, biblical facts.

• True faith rests on the sure Word of God.
• The Gospel must be understood if it is to be believed for the saving of the soul.

The salvation which God offers sinners rests on a simple understanding; and on faith in the Word of God concerning the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. God in the person of Christ… stepped into history and acted on our behalf. He lived, died as our substitute, and rose again according to the Scriptures for the forgiveness of sins.

Divine building principles

God has stepped into the world’s history, not once, not twice, but repeatedly. God has acted… has spoken… and has not left man without a witness. He revealed himself to man as he has walked through history… not only as Jehovah of the Old Testament but also as Jesus Christ of the New Testament.

God uses this biblical, historical presentation of himself to convince folks of the truth of the Scriptures. This then should be our message… for this has been entrusted to us by God. Through teaching, we are to make all men, women, and children aware of God’s acts in history wherein he has revealed himself. These historical revelations are for all people and have been recorded and preserved by God as the basis for saving faith and true worship.

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

God has given us the job of sharing his saving truth… we are responsible to deliver it clearly. The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to prepare hearts. When God has prepared a heart, the truth will take root… the new birth is from God, not us. The key issue is that the person needs to understand that he is a sinner, totally unable to save himself. He must trust only in Jesus Christ who died on the cross to save him from the penalty of sin, death, and Satan.

The core message[ii]

Our message has its irreducible minimums—the core message. Four irreducible minimums that must be communicated if the gospel is to be understood are:

• A Holy God: God exists in all his majesty, being the Creator/Owner of the universe. 
  • He is a loving, caring God but equally he is also a holy lawgiver. 
  • His holiness demands that his law be kept perfectly… he can have nothing to do with any lawbreaker. 
  • Only perfect people can live with a perfect God.
• A Helpless Sinner
  • The Bible says that “all have sinned” and God’s holy law says that all sin demands the death penalty.
  • Not only do sinners die physically but face something the Bible calls the second death—an eternity of suffering in the Lake of Fire.
  • Since we all are sinners, there is no way we can avoid death… we are helpless!
• Jesus, A Sufficient Sacrifice
  • Jesus, God himself, came to earth to live as a man… he was perfect—sinless.
  • Because he had no sin of his own to die for, he could die for someone else’s sin.
  • In his love, he died in every sinners place… taking the consequences for their sin on himself.
  • As evidenced by Jesus’ resurrection,.. God accepted Christ’s death as an overwhelmingly sufficient payment for the sin of the world—a fulfillment of the requirement of his holy law.
• A Personal Faith
  • Our hearers must believe that when Jesus died on the cross he died in their place.
  • They must rest in the fact that Christ alone has saved them from the judgment for their sin.
  • In him, their resurrected Savior, they now have a perfection that is not their own… but is counted as theirs because of their trust/faith in Christ.
  • They will enjoy life with God both now and forever in Heaven.

These are the four irreducible minimums of the gospel message.

We want to clearly communicate nothing less. When it comes to the gospel, we definitely want them to know and remember these four essentials of a saving faith. When they have truly believed and have received Christ, the Holy Spirit, will enter them and convict them of God’s grace to sinners… giving them what they do not deserve—a way to escape the punishment for their sins.

A person exercises faith when he looks away from all his self-effort to the saving history of Christ… and depends only on him and his work of salvation on the sinner’s behalf… consider these verses:

Romans 5:6,8 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”.

Ephesians 2:4-7 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

[ii] From “And Beginning with Moses” by John R. Cross, GoodSeed Ministry