What Are We Waiting For?

It seems to me that Christians have lost their hope. By that I mean, that we have forgotten what we are anxiously longing for that will change our current condition into a much better one. But, it is clear that we, as Christians, have an expectation that no one else has-the hope of the return of Jesus Christ for His people. Accompanying Israel’s hope in the return of YHWH for Israel and their longing for that promised day of rest, we too are hoping for the return of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 there is a wonderful reality that Paul was teaching the Corinthian church concerning what it is that the church is looking forward to. There were some in Corinth teaching an error that there is no future resurrection (v.12). That strand of error had infiltrated the church and Pastor Paul has to deal with it. Like the errors associated with the return of Christ for His church affected the present ministry of the Thessalonians, so also the error concerning issues related to bodily resurrection affected Corinth.

What Paul has to say here is magnificent. It is comprehensive and profound. It is our hope and the future of the entire world. It will consummate God’s plan for the ages and will transition all things into His purposes for eternity as well.

20     But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.

21     For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.

22     For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

23     But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming,

24     then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

25     For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.

26     The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

27     For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him.

28     When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was told in the Old Testament (OT). Psalm 16:10 states that David understood that God’s Holy One would not be held by death. How could He promise One from David to sit on the throne over Israel forever and be defeated by death? So, it would be impossible for death to keep David from resurrection, but even more so, it would be impossible to keep the Christ from resurrection, life from the dead. He had to be raised so that He would reign on this earth. Peter also refers to this in Acts 2:22-36. So the fact of His resurrection from the dead is clear. If a Christian is no longer in Adam but in Christ and Christ is no longer dead but alive, then clearly the Christian will also be made alive though he die. That is what Paul means in vv. 20-22. Those still in Adam when they die will remain dead, although resurrected from the grave they will remain dead for eternity while suffering in Hell. However, those in Christ will be raised from the dead unto life for eternity to enjoy the communion promised him by the Father.

But Paul states something very interesting in the remainder of the passage. I only want to give some observations so that we can think about what this means.

He states in v.23, that the resurrection from the dead will each happen in a particular order. Christ, as if first fruits of a harvest, has been raised first. It is done and accomplished. His soul and body are united and He, in bodily form, is at the right hand of the Father for now (Psalm 110). Secondarily, those who belong to Christ will be raised after Christ. At this point, I have not seen any resurrection on this planet. I am not resurrected and I believe in Christ. Thus, this resurrection is still future. When? Paul writes, “at His coming.” What coming? When? Well, there are 2 comings to choose from: first, there is the coming described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and the coming referred to in Matthew 25 whose description is much different than 1 Thessalonians. Matthew 25 indicates a coming that has Jesus, in glory and with His angels, coming to earth and sitting on His glorious throne (v.31). Afterward there is judgment and rewards. Paul taught of a coming of Christ which is described as Him being visible in the air with the trumpet of God and then the dead in Christ will be raised from the dead and will go up into the air to meet Him and will be with Him forever from that point (vv.16-17). The passage in Matthew does not indicate a resurrection, but rather a judgment of the nations existing on the earth at that time (vv. 32-46). It is not until another time that the dead will be raised from the dead in order to be judged forever in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15). The prior resurrection spoken of by John in Revelation 20:4 occurs at a time when Jesus is already upon the earth (Revelation 19:11-19). So, Paul is speaking of a resurrection that occurs at the coming of Christ and this coming must be different than the coming described of by John in Revelation 19. So, those who are Christ’s will be resurrected “at His coming” (1 Corinthians 15:23). As a side-note, those saints who are raised in Revelation 20:4 are those who have been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus (Revelation 6:9) and because of the Word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image (Revelation 13:12-15), and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand (Revelation 13:16). These are not the descriptions of the saints of this age. These are all referring to the saints who die during the Tribulation. So, this resurrection that Paul is speaking of is distinct and different.

After the coming of Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:23, Paul writes that the end will come. What end? The end when Christ hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, further described by the clause “when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.” (v.24). So, the end will come when Christ has abolished all rule, authority and power. After having abolished all competing forces in the world, He, Jesus Christ, will hand the kingdom over to the Father. This time period is further described in v.25 as that time when He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. After He has put all His enemies under His feet, i.e. He has taken away their power and subdued them under His power or lordship, then He will hand over to the Father the kingdom. This limits the time period to only one time spoken of in Scripture. Some observations here need to be made in order to summarize what Paul is teaching.

The prophets spoke of a time when God’s Messiah will reign upon this physical earth. Daniel wrote that a kingdom will be given “One like a Son of Man” (Daniel 7:13), that is He is a Man. It is further explained as that kingdom that will come as a result of abolishing the kingdom of the little horn (Daniel 7:15-26). After that kingdom He will come with the saints and the Son of Man and will subdue the entire earth as evidenced by v.27, “Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One.” (emphasis mine). So, this is not a ‘spiritual’ kingdom in that it takes place in heaven. This is a kingdom which occurs on this earth and is worldwide. Further, it is a monarchical form of government and the single authority will be the Son of Man (cf. v.14; Is. 9:6). Haggai speaks of this time (Haggai 2:20-23) as well as Micah (Micah 5), Zechariah (Zechariah 12:6-10), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:1-8) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 20:39-44), just to name a few. So, there is a kingdom coming in which the Savior will establish Himself as rightful Ruler of this earth and all the nations will bow to Him and confess Him as Lord (Philippians 2:9-11). Then, when all the rebels are judged and sin is subdued and all that causes death is destroyed and even death itself is judged (1 Corinthians 15:26), then He will take that earthly kingdom that He established and submit it to the Father. Then, the Son Himself will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him (Christ). In this way, God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) will be all in all.

So, when Paul writes that we will be raised from the dead at His coming, he is referring to a different coming than that is spoken of at His Second Coming as evidenced by the fact that His saints will be with Him when He comes at His Second Coming-He does not come alone as in 1 Thessalonians 4. The coming that we look forward to is the Rapture of the church into His presence. After the church is raptured, then comes the end. But this is only a statement of sequence and not timing. That is, the abolishing of the authorities of this world occurs after the coming of Christ, but it does not here indicate how long after. From the book of Revelation we know that after the church is taken to be with Christ, the whole earth will undergo the time of Jacob’s distress, a time when Israel in particular is punished for the years of breaking the covenant (Mosaic Covenant). After that intense time described as a day “that…is great, [and] there is none like it” (Jeremiah 30:7), Jacob, i.e. national, ethnic Israel, will be completely delivered from their physical oppressors as well as their spiritual oppressor, sin. That is, Israel will finally enter into their land for eternal rest from their enemies, and the necessary repentance that God demanded from them will be granted to them and thus they will see the permanent fulfillment of Abraham’s covenant inaugurated (see Jeremiah 30; cf. Leviticus 26:40-45). And so, all Israel will be saved in that day (Romans 11:25-27). This will necessarily impact the entire world (Isaiah 2:1-4; 11:1-10; Zechariah 14:9-21). Thus, when Paul writes that Jesus is the Christ about whom the prophets wrote, and whom he preaches, this is what he is referring to. The first things above all of this, of course, are His death and resurrection (Romans 1:1-5; 16:25-27; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

So, as Christians, we are hoping for an actual resurrection that will occur prior to that day of purging of Israel and the judgment of the nations. When Jesus comes back after that time period of wrath, we will come with Him, and enter the Temple that will exist in Jerusalem (i.e. Ezekiel 40-48), and we will reign with Him as He rules over all the earth, subduing all kings and nations (even angels as well since they are part of the authorities that need to be subdued-1 Corinthians 6:2-3; cf. Ephesians 1:18-23). After that time, once all authority is subdued, including final judgment (John 5:22; Acts 17:30-31; Revelation 19:11-15), the entire earth will be created anew and God’s children will dwell with Him and His Son forever, serving Him day and night (Revelation 22:3-4) in a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17; cf. Romans 8:18-25). This is what we wait for with anticipation and eagerness all the while being faithful while it is still called night as the day is coming (cf. Romans 13:11-14).

The Creation of Man and Woman (Part 5)

We have been looking at the realities indicated in Genesis 1-3. We have been considering that God created the universe, as well as the man and woman, with specific purposes which ultimately were to radiate His glory. The fact that mankind does not radiate that glory is the very definition of sin itself (Romans 3:23). However, it is also sets the stage for One who would bear His image perfectly and thus radiate His glory, His own Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus Christ, His eternal Son, would fulfill the purposes for which He, the Father, created the universe and all that it contains. 

Now, we who are in Christ by the grace of God through faith, bear His (Christ’s) image (2 Corinthians 3:18) and we do so by faith. This image is the same image of the Father, but since we cannot attain to it having fallen from it, we have to rely upon another to accomplish that and He did (Romans 8:3). So, that is why we simply can only believe in Him and His Words. Through that faith, we are sanctified, so that little by little we might be able to bear that image we could never do otherwise (John 17:17; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:4; 10:17). This issue of image-bearing is crucial to a proper understanding of Jesus Christ and God’s plans for history. 

However, although this truth is profound and magnificent, my question is what does it matter in the day to day? That is, how is this truth implemented in my heart and thus my life? That is a fair question and one that we should ask ourselves. 

First of all, nothing of this sort can be done outside of Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ, the Father is glorified as we bear fruit for Him. God works in us and prunes us so that we might bear more fruit. If we abide in Christ, He will sanctify us and thus cause us to bear fruit, i.e. works of righteousness. The result of abiding in Christ, which is described as obedience to His Word is joy-eternal joy hear and now (John 15:1-11; Ezekiel 36:27; Ephesians 5:18; Philippians 2:13). 

Second, bearing the image of God and thus obeying His original mandate and purposes for creating us, is only done with diligence and effort. By that I mean, the results of effort and toil as it relates to obedience to the Scripture will produce in us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comprehension as a result of our toil in the things of God (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). Jesus said that in keeping His Word we will abide in His love. It is not true for us to think that we can simply go along in our own ways and efforts and plans and dreams, which oftentimes contradict Scripture, and think that God loves us and everything is alright. Simply put, unless we persist in the Word of God in our hearts, minds, and behavior, we are outside of the love of God to that degree. Jude wrote, “But you, beloved, while building yourselves up on your most holy faith, while praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, while waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” (my translation; Jude 20-21). The main mandate here is to “keep yourselves in the love of God” and the path to doing that is threefold: be in His truth, be in prayer, and be in constant expectation of Christ’s return (which refers to accountability and joy). 

It is the first aspect, “building ourselves up on our most holy faith”, that I want to refer to now as it relates to Genesis 1-3. The issues involved in this passage are easy to consider as simply interesting information and facts of creation. However, as we will see, they are much more than that. As propositional truth, they are the bedrock for our faith, as faith comes from hearing the Word of God. All Scripture is meant to expose wrong thinking in us and replace it with correct thinking that God then uses to transform us into His image (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Thus, our minds are renewed which, simply put, renews God’s glory in everything we do. For example, if a husband began to grow in his love for his wife how would that transform their marriage and homelife? If he loved her with the love that God expressed in Christ to the world, would that have any kind of effect on her heart towards him as well as the children’s heart towards him? Absolutely! Therefore, the key to that relationship, then, is not magical formulas and ‘projects’ that seek to demonstrate externally his love for her. The key to the relationship is the man’s heart being transformed to actually love his wife with the love of Christ! There is no substitute for that.

Let’s look at Genesis 1-2 with all of that as backdrop. The main theme that interests me here is the realities of the rulership of man over God’s creation as that relates to a man’s home. 

There is an expectation by God toward Adam to manage well the things God has given him (1 Timothy 3:4). Defining ‘well’ refers to managing according to the original intention which is identified as managing things the way God would manage them were He a man. Another way to understand this is, for a man to understand his leadership as an expression of God’s leadership in the home. When our wives and children see us, they should see the Lord, so to speak, in the way we behave and think. Our hearts should resonate with the truth s of Scripture so that we walk with God in the ‘cool of the day’. Our children should see in us a man who walks with God and keeps himself in the love of God. And this is nowhere else evident than it is in the way that we use authority. The way a man wields authority will tell everyone what that man thinks of God. 

In order to keep this post from becoming a book, there are a few simple principles that I would like to bring out along these lines.

-Authority/ruling is the governing and defining reality in the home.

• Ruling defines a marriage-1 Corinthians 7:4; 11:3-9; Ephesians 5:23-24.
  • If we understand authority as the expression of God’s own kind of authority, which of necessity, is defined as good, loving and holy, then we have no problem with the fact that a man has authority over his wife. This kind of authority is indisputable and welcome by the woman of God as well as the children. Just as Christ was a deliverer to the church and just as He sought to cleanse her in order to present her to Himself as holy, free from defilement, so also the husband bears this responsibility in his relationship to his wife. For example, what kind of movies would a husband and wife watch? Is it something that Christ would display in front of His church, whom He loves (and love seeks purity-1 Corinthians 13:5-6)?
  • Or, what kind of friends does a husband and wife have? Do these friends promote godliness and holiness?
  • Or, does a man refuse to ‘rule’, i.e. bear the responsibility of rulership, by failing to provide leadership, provision and decision-making with God’s intentions in mind?
  • Does the wife demonstrate submission to this man’s authority with joy? Is it her pleasure to seek to submit to God’s authority given to him? Or, does she seek to take from him the exercise of that leadership assuming she can do it better?
• Ruling defines parenting:
  • Parents are accountable to God for the condition of their children. That is, the training of the children is to be according to God’s purposes and means which are revealed in Scripture.
  • Children are accountable to God for their obedience to their parents. That is, children are to be obedient to their parents in every way, in the Lord (Ephesians 6:1-3).
  • The training relationship of parents to children extends up to the point when the son leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife (Genesis 2:24). And, to the point that a young man receives a young lady from her parents and cleaves to her. Up to that point, the child is progressing toward a greater and greater level of responsibility and maturity which ultimately is demonstrated in his own home-life. For example, I would not expect my 3-year-old to be able to change a tire, but I would expect my 15-year-old to. I would not expect my 3-year-old to be able to discern between good and evil to the degree that my 15-year-old would. Further, I would not expect my 15-year-old to be as discerning and wise as I am at 39 years old. Nor do I have the level of wisdom that a 60-year-old man would who has been walking with Christ all his life.
• Ruling defines the condition of the home as the expression of rulership-that of function and glory.
  • Just like Eden was Adam and Eve’s home, so we too have homes provided by God. It may be an apartment, a rental, or a million-dollar mansion. Whatever it is, it is from God and for our good. However, primarily a home is not the location but the people in it. God’s household is made up of saints (1 Timothy 3:15). So too, our households are made up of people as well. Understanding the organization of responsibility is crucial to the relationships within the home. Rebellion is understood as rejecting or fighting against authority. Thus, a home in rebellion is that which is fighting against God’s authority exercised by the Word of God.
  • There should be a clear understanding of authority in the home and who has it. This is why one of the commandments to Israel was to “honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12). This kind of honor includes respect, obedience and love. It is no honor to parents if a child does what his parents say, but does not love them (incidentally, their lack of love for their parents, because of their sin-nature, could be used of the Lord to demonstrate to them that they are a sinner and need the righteousness of Jesus Christ).
  • Within the home, a home in which Jesus Christ is Lord and His Word governs all the functions of it, is peace and pleasure and purpose. This does not mean that there is no sin to be rooted out, or problems to deal with or even extreme pressure at times that forces parents to cry out to God for help. However, what it does mean is the overall direction of the home, including asking for forgiveness for sins done to one another, is toward Christ and His glory. In fact, redemption is the act of taking one out of slavery to sin and submitting oneself to the lordship of Christ. That is in fact to be happening all the time in the home. James writes it this way, “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” -James 5:19-20. When a wife, or child or husband strays from the truth, the work of the others in the family is to bring him back by working with his heart through patience, kindness, goodness and prayer. This is the wisdom that James was talking about in chapter 3:17-18. The seed of peace is sown by those who make peace, i.e. making peace sows the seed, and the result (fruit) is righteousness.
• Ruling defines the relationship of the home to the rest of the world-that of glory to God.
  • Jesus taught, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16). Jesus Christ is the light of the glory of the gospel and that light thus shines in the life of the one who believes Him (2 Corinthians 4:6). Therefore, when others see the works that one does and they praise the man for his works, they are, in actuality, praising God, who performed those works in the person (John 3:21).
  • Thus, the home then becomes a ‘bright-spot’ on an otherwise dark planet. The light of the knowledge of Jesus Christ is evident in the home of the believer because He is there, He is working and His Word fills the place.
  • All of this is the fruit of recognizing the proper authority structures that exist in the home. The supreme Lord over it all, of course, is Jesus Christ. 

-None of this, however, is accomplished apart from faith in Jesus Christ which is demonstrated in obedience to His Word.

• This presupposes we love Jesus Christ.
• This presupposes we know His Word.
• This presupposes we want to honor Him in our homes.
• This presupposes we see to glorify Him in all that we do (1 Corinthians 10:31).

The Creation of Man and Woman (Part 4)

We have been looking at the teaching of Genesis concerning the creation of the man and the woman. They were created on the sixth day. The days were literal 24 hour days, not long periods of God-supervised eons which gave rise to man as the pinnacle of this theistic, evolutionary structure. Man and woman were both created in an instant on a single day in a particular order which helps us to determine the purposes for which He created them (1 Timothy 2:13). The man was created first from the dust of the ground and into him was breathed the breath of life (i.e. his soul). The woman was created not from the dust of the ground but from a side-piece of Adam both bone and flesh (cf. Genesis 2:23). She is the most complex and intricate, and thus the most precious, of all the created beings in creation. She was to be honored as God’s particular and special creation as Adam’s counterpart to fulfilling the commands of God. She was, for all intents and purposes, the highest of creation in beauty and glory. This helps us to comprehend Adam’s joy when, after waking up from his sleep, he saw this magnificent creation of God and exclaimed in wondrous poetry:

 “This is now bone of my bones,

And flesh of my flesh;

She shall be called Woman,

Because she was taken out of Man.”

 Adam understood that she was taken from him, and thus would compliment him forever. She would be called ‘woman’, which has reference to her origin, “from a man”. The last part of the verse also bears this out. She is a dynamic creation of God and no doubt beautiful in Adam’s eyes. However, she is still one over which he is to exercise authority and that is evident by the fact that he: 1) designates what category she would be in, i.e. the only compliment to Adam as she is from a man as opposed to the animals that did not compliment him in Genesis 18-20; 2) he also names her in Genesis 3:21. She is a woman and her name is Eve. This is an appropriate expression from one who bears the weight of authority before God. In the same way that Adam would name all the animals, he now names her. That is not to say, obviously, that Eve was no better than an animal as that contradicts the point of her uniqueness, complexity and origin. By creating all of the animals first and finding no equal, God demonstrates to Adam that only one would compliment him in every way thereby fulfilling God’s mandate of dominion over the earth and bringing Him glory in the process (Genesis 1:26).

 Now, we have Adam and Eve, as they would be called, in a world which God has created. They are in the garden and surrounded by animals of all sorts. They have infinite food and water and a relationship between one another that they could enjoy forever. Some, at this point, would ask, “Now what do they do?” What is the purpose?

 For the answer to this question, we need to look back to the first chapter of Genesis verse 26. In this verse, which we have looked at already, is the entire summary of man’s responsibility on this earth. We have already discussed this aspect to some degree previously, but I want to refer to it again so that it is expanded upon and implemented in a variety modern situations.

 Genesis 1:26 states: “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Please notice something very important here. Within Himself, God collaborated to create a man (not woman at this point). “Let us” indicates that Adam was the first act of God in which each ‘Person’ of the godhead equally created the man, Adam, at the same time. I cannot envision that the Father made the head, Jesus made the arms and the Spirit made the legs and they kept doing that until he was completed. It would seem that how they co-operated is a great mystery (most likely, each of them created 100% as that is the nature of the godhead-absolute unity), but they did it. Thus, man is the display of the first created being who is the result of the very special and unique expression of work from each of the godhead in unison and with the fullest effort of creativity. To say the least, man is a special creation. He truly is the glory of God. Everything about a man is to be to the glory of the power and image of God. It is no wonder that Paul states that sin is defined best by “falling short of His glory” (Romans 3:23). The fullest expression of the godhead is wrapped up, so to speak, in the man. And it is in that condition of created, moral, glory that man was to exercise dominion over the world. Again, Paul teaches that, I believe based upon this very text, that man is the image and glory of God. However, the woman is the glory of the man (1 Corinthians 11:7). This man, uniquely, bears the image and glory of God. Therefore, he is accountable for that.

 God worked in unison to create the man. What would the man do, then? It is important that we realize that the woman was not created at this time. She came afterward. So, the mandate given here is only for the man. Having said that, however, notice that God said, “Let them rule…” There is an aspect to rulership that both the man and woman would exercise. But they do not do that equally, as the previous discussion showed. Adam, being created first, has the greater authority and thus the greatest responsibility. There is an aspect to the woman’s authority. However , her authority differs from the man’s. For now, let us simply think about the teaching of “rule”.

 This word ‘rule’ means to ‘tread’ or ‘rule’ or ‘govern’. It indicates the exercise of one who is able to tread on the earth anywhere freely, thus indicating his ownership of it. That is, there is nowhere that the man can go on the earth with fear of confrontation. He has dominion rights much like a man walking in his own yard. Therefore, this man (and woman to some extent) had the freedom to walk anywhere on the created earth freely and without hindrance from another person or animal. This is absolute dominion. In itself, it is a neutral term. It does not specify despotism nor benign dictatorship. But it certainly does not refer to one who lets something or someone tread upon him. Only the context can really determine what it means. Therefore, we can qualify this kind of dominion by the previous qualities of being in the image and likeness of God Himself. That is, man would exist on the earth in the manner and fashion that God Himself would if He became a man. All that God is, man would be, apart from deity, so that God’s kind of rulership would be displayed. In doing that, Adam, and succeeding sons, would glorify God.

 Now, in order to accomplish this kind of on-going dominion, there had to be more than Adam on the earth. To multiply and express this God-like authority would require more men. Therefore, Adam needed a helper, to say the least. Adam could not produce sons on his own nor with the aid of animals. He needed one who would compliment him as well as aid in the production of sons (as well as daughters who would then also aid in the production of future generations). Thus, God created Eve, a counterpart in every way. Together, they would create children who would grow to also tread all over the earth and display the dominion of God.

 That, then, makes it natural that God would state, “God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28). The ability to create (although technically God is the One who actually creates as is stated in Psalm 139:13-16; cf. Jeremiah 1:5. The man and the woman are only the instruments of ‘pro-creation’. This is exactly why children are a blessing and are precious in the sight of God. They are His special handiwork!) was given to the man and woman so that the expression of the dominion of God could be made over the entire world. To exercise the privileges of marriage, i.e. marital intimacy outside of the bounds of marriage is to take God’s created blessings, which should be used in the way He designed it to be used, and use it for your own personal, selfish ends. Any kind of immorality is horrendous simply because it turns God’s glorious purposes upside down and steals from God His glory.

 One last correlation has to be made here. This mandate has never been removed from the responsibility of man. It is a created dynamic. A creation is bound by the design of the creature itself. That is, we still marry and bear children and the purposes for that are the same, the expression of God’s dominion. However, as mentioned before, we have fallen short of the glory of God. We are fallen. We are sinful. We are unable to bear the image and likeness of God. We dominate apart from God. We don’t express His glory, but our own. Or, as Jesus would say, “[our] father, the devil” (John 8:44). That is why, the perfect Adam, has to come and rule for God, not in created perfection, but divine righteousness. He will come again. He will rule (tread upon) this earth without hindrance. The first time He came to tread and He was hindered and was hung on a tree (1 Peter 2:24). However, He still gave glory to God by exercising patience and grace, even as He died. Now, He rules from heaven over the earth as Lord (Acts 2:36), and will one day return to rule forever, and we with Him. Thus, there will be a new humanity treading upon a new earth without anything less than the righteousness of Jesus Christ expressed in our rulership. But for now, we rule. Enabled by the Spirit of God, through faith. Our homes, marriages, children, jobs, are all the areas that we, men, are to ‘tread’ unhindered with the power and the quality of the image of God. Our wives continue to help us. They continue to be the object of our affections and honor. We live with our wives with understanding and they recognize our authority. In Christ, the glory from which we fell is restored and upheld. And so we wait for Him to come from heaven (Titus 2:11-14). All praise to Him forever and ever! Amen!

The Creation of Man and Woman (Part 3)

We have seen that God created the heavens and the earth in six literal, 24-hour days. This is not a difficult thing for God. The culmination of His handiwork is the man and the woman. They are God’s images placed on earth to bring Him glory and, I believe, pleasure. He must have rejoiced in His heart over the creation of the man and woman. They are His crown of creation. They are His most complex creatures. They would bear His glorious and beautiful image on this planet.

This issue of image-bearing is a critical one if a person is to understand God’s desire and design for mankind. From a proper understanding of this reality, we can bring answers to questions like, “Why are we here?”, “Is there an ultimate right and wrong?”, “What about the grey areas?” and others. For the Christian, and in fact, everyman, but especially the Christian, bringing God glory is still the mandate of God. It does not appear that God has ever removed that expectation from mankind. In fact, it is the tragic reality of falling short of His glory that will bring God’s just condemnation of mankind upon themselves (Romans 3:23). To fail to give and bring God glory is the essence of sin and is the essence of depravity. Therefore, whatever we do as Christians and whatever direction life takes us, it is all meant for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31; cf. Colossians 3:17; 1 Peter 4:11).

But what does it mean to give God glory? This critical reality is given in Genesis 1:26-27: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” So, in this passage we understand that there are two aspects to this creation: 1) the man and woman were created ‘in [God's] image, according to [God's] likeness”, and 2) the man and the woman were to ‘rule’ over God’s creation.

The first thing to realize in this passage is that this is a conversation between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Not doubt initiated by the Father, the statement to “let Us” indicates that the original intention of man was not shared with man himself. He was simply created in this fashion. It is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who determined what man would be created for and then proceed to fulfill that purpose. Moses was given this conversation as part of revelation. And, we have it in order to comprehend what God’s purpose is in creating the man and woman (as well as to demonstrate how far we have fallen-Romans 3:19-20; Galatians 3:19). This initial act in the creation of man gives us insight into the mind of God and the relationship of the Father and the Son. To consider that ‘moment’ (although there are no ‘moments’ in eternity) when the words were uttered from the Father is breathtaking. There is no way to know if there was silence before this or other conversations between the Father and Son and Spirit in eternity past. The angels did not exist eternally. They were created as well. Yet, whatever the conditions before, now, at the moment that God uttered these words, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit acted in unison.

If you consider that fact, it becomes astounding. All the other aspects of creation were done as a command, “Let there be light…” (Genesis 1:3), for example. However, here we hear not ‘let there be’ but ‘let Us’. And the endeavor that they took up was the creation of the man and woman. The motive of the likeness and image of God is vast and difficult to grasp. But, we have enough to give us some clarity concerning this issue. First, whatever it was, to bear the likeness and image of God was a good thing as God declared all that He created (which includes the purposes for which He created them) as very good (v.31). This will help us understand some tricky issues a little later. Second, this image-bearing must include the total person, and not simply the mind or soul. God said, ‘Let Us make man’ and the result was a real, live physical man with a heartbeat and skin. Thus, to bear the image of God included the man’s body as well as his immaterial part, his soul. Third, both the man and the woman somehow bear the image and likeness of God together. Verse 27 says deliberately that “God created man, in His own image He created him, male and female He created them.” From this verse, it is clear that the man (male, not mankind) primarily bears this resemblance to God. That is, the man is created after God’s own image and was distinctively created to represent God on this planet. This verse is not saying that the woman also bears this level of resemblance to God, but only the man. This would be difficult to comprehend without some NT instruction.

Paul, no doubt, refers to this very issue in 1 Corinthians 11:7-9. The issue here is the fact of head coverings and symbols of authority in the church at Corinth. Corinth was a debauched and wretched city full of every imaginable sexual perversion and immorality. Thus, in a context like that, it is conceivable that the understanding of the intent of men and women would be skewed. Paul gives the definitive word in the church based upon Genesis 1:26-27. For Paul, the issue was authority. Who had authority over whom? Women were attempting to take over the meeting of the church as evidenced by this whole discussion as well as the issue of prophesying (v.5). There was obviously an issue of authority going on and Paul does not try to step around the issue. He appeals to creation, as he does in a number of other texts (i.e. Ephesians 5:31; 1 Timothy 2:9-15 etc.), to give the final, authoritative word on the matter. The result of his teaching is that the man, not mankind in general, is made in the image and glory of God (v.7). Paul is here saying that the man has the responsibility of exercising this resemblance to God in every way that he should, but primarily it comes down to an exercise of authority or rulership. No one would deny that God is good, kind, and loving. And that is exactly the components of authority that a man should have. But God is also righteous, just and, when necessary, punishes. These are also components of authority that the man has as well. Paul is saying that the responsibility for these actions, based upon Genesis 1:26-27, fall upon the man, and not the woman. To reverse this is to rebel against God’s original creation, which is still in-tact, even in Christ (Romans 8:29; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:10).

The second clause of v.7 is very important, however, in understanding the role and responsibilities of the woman. The man is the glory of God, yet the woman is the glory of the man. That is, God created the man directly from the dust of the earth. He was a direct creation and the very first ‘human being’. However, Eve was made through the man, from his side. She was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. Thus, in God’s order, this demonstrated a lesser authority than the man. This sequence of creation indicated that the woman exists for a man to glorify. That is, she is for the man (Genesis 2:18; 1 Corinthians 11:9). She is not a possession, nor an object to be exploited. Nor is she to be ruling over the man as that reverses the whole condition. Rather, as God loves, so also should a man love his wife (Ephesians 5:22-33). In this way, men are to imitate God (Ephesians 5:1) and women are to recognize the created authority that the man has and be submissive to that authority as to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18; 1 Peter 3:1-6). So, does a woman bear the image and glory of God? Yes. James 3:9 indicates that every person is made in the image of God, and not just the man alone. However, this image and glory resemblance has different degrees. It seems that a man bears the image and glory of God directly as he carries out obedience to God’s Word and exercises His authority in the family, the church and society. However, the woman also bears God’s image as she exhibits submission to her husband, bears children and keeps her home so that in that home her husband and the children are cared for (Titus 2:4-5). This is a different degree of authority as she manages her home, raises her children (1 Timothy 5:10), and provides for others as she can (Proverbs 31:19-20).

 This can all be summed up in this: man is created to put God on display. Woman is created to put her husband on display, as he puts God on display.

 When God created Adam and Eve, they were perfect. Adam would bear the direct image of God. Eve would bear the image of her husband, and that is how they would also train their children as well. Next time, we will develop further this issue of authority as the second component in v.26 when God speaks within Himself and says that the man is to “rule”.

An Introduction To The Creation Of The Man And The Woman (Part 2)

 In the state that Adam was in, he was responsible for a lot. We see that he was responsible for:

• Living in the image and likeness of God Himself-Gen.1:26.
  • This refers to the whole man being a reflection of the excellencies of God. His whole heart and mind and will would all please God and be as God would be were He a man.
• Ruling over every creature that would exist on the earth-Gen.1:26.
  • This refers to the proper management and care for all the animals, including those in the sea and in the air. How? Simply by the recognition of his dominion as one who is made in the image of God, who is Himself in dominion over everything.
  • This aspect of the creation of man defines and informs everything about the man. He is to rule, govern, in the way that God governs His kingdom. He was to express the righteous character of God and the holiness of God as well. He was to exercise final authority but in the way that God would in a perfect creation. This also informs the homelife of the man as well as he is to express his authority over his wife and children with the same righteousness and wisdom and skill that God does over His own children. This reality is a critical one in order to understand what a godly home is to be and one that we will look at in more detail later.
• Bearing children and filling the earth and subduing it for the purposes of ruling over it-Gen.1:27.
• Working in the garden and keeping it all the while avoiding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil-Gen.2:7-9, 15-17.
• Being joined to his wife and becoming one flesh with her in the context of marriage-Gen.2:24.

These are tremendous responsibilities. However, there is one responsibility that supersedes all of these by virtue of the fact that Genesis 1-3 indicates that whenever God speaks, it is creative, purposeful and authoritative. His words carry grave importance and power. They are as precious as they are fearful. Whenever God speaks, it is not a trite event. It is to create in His creation a fear that causes us to tremble in awe (Isaiah 66:1-2). This responsibility is the proper dissemination of and obedience to God’s Word.

 Apparently, the very first words to Adam, before Eve was created, are found in Genesis 2:16-17. I believe that these were spoken before the woman was created because the following verses, which are there for sequential flow of the narrative, show the need for the man to have a companion in order to fulfill the mandate from God to fill the earth. So, prior to the creation of the man’s beautiful helper, God gave man, and man alone, a command. Here it is: “The Lord God commanded the man saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Apart from the actual meaning of this text, I want to make a few observations at this point.

Consider the fact that these words are given to Adam, before Eve was created. What does that tell you? In the context of the original creation, man was to be a manager of all things created. He was to be the ruler over the entire earth and the things in the earth. However, all that existed in the created universe was there simply(!) because God spoke it into existence. Thus, God’s word is far superior to the creation itself as God is far superior to the creation itself. All of this Adam would understand. Therefore, when God spoke to Adam, it carried great weight and seriousness. This is God after all! So, now, not only is Adam responsible for the creation and its care and management, he is also responsible for the Word of God, i.e. God’s instructions, which is far more important than the creation itself. These words from God indicate relationship and revelation of a holy and immensely perfect Creator to a created being who exists only because God created him. Adam now is a steward of God’s word. He would be responsible for conveying God’s mandate to Eve and explaining it their children and their children’s children. Again, that is true to this day. Whenever the call to teach, or explain, or train people in the revelation of God’s commands is given, it is to the men that God refers (Deuteronomy 6; Pss.44:1; 78:1-7; Ephesians 6:4). Moreover, men will be held accountable for that in the day when He judges all men (and women) in the future. 

The implications of this fact are clear and may form the basis for the ways in which God has worked through the ages by different methods with different people depending upon the amount of revelation, i.e. Scripture, they were given (Hebrews 1:1-2). A further implication is that this also helps us to understand why God would allow only men as leaders in the church. Adam was created first and thus the very first commands of God were given to him as a stewardship and that cannot be reneged upon. This would be the understanding of 1 Timothy 2:9-15. Why does Paul not allow a woman to exercise authority, which in this case relates to teaching (v.12)? Because God spoke to Adam first and, as such, gave him the responsibility of the handling of His Word. That is why Paul indicates that the order of creation is the pivotal rationale for his assertion that only the man is allowed to teach in the church-he was created first and first received revelation from God (v.13). Further, the introduction of deception came through Eve, and not Adam (v.14). That is not to say that Eve was evil as she was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). But, in Genesis 3, we will see that the path that Satan took to enter mankind into his dominion was through the woman and thus she fell into transgression. The man also clearly was there with her and through his disobedience plunged themselves and their children, of whom we all are, into a condition of sin which is called ‘depravity’. The product of which is death (Romans 5:12; Cf. Genesis 2:17).

 Therefore, God created the man out of the dust of the soil and gave him life and gave him a charge, a stewardship. The greatest of this stewardship was the Word of God, which then was in straightforward commands and instructions. Today, we have  a volume of 66 books we call a ‘Bible’ that is the summation of all God’s revelation to mankind. Adam was given much. However, all of this was for the purpose of the glory of God which is indicated by the fact that man was created in His image, according to His likeness.

The man had a responsibility to God to obey His word. In order to do that, he needed a helper. The woman was created with the awesome and lofty intention of helping Adam manage all that God has given to him. Hers is a privileged position.

An Introduction To The Creation Of The Man And The Woman (Part 1)

On the sixth day of creation, God created the man and the woman and placed them in a garden. Because this is such a critical and far-reaching matter, I hope to deal with it in some depth. 

Genesis 2:7-25 details for us the creation of the man and the woman and the circumstances around that creative act, of which we are all the result. We continue to live and work and play in the condition in which God design and created the man and the woman, except for the changes that occurred in the judgment of the flood. In that flood, the topography of the entire earth and the condition of the atmosphere changed, but God’s purposes and intentions and the ultimate mandate for the man and the woman would stay the same. This creative purpose of God is still the expectation for mankind today.

 In the beginning of chapter 2, God has rested from His labors and declared that day a blessed day, a day in which God’s magnificent and powerful creative act, through which His glory is declared (Psalm 19:1-6), is remembered and He is revered for His work. This is a perfect creation and there is nothing more that could have been done to it in order to improve upon it. It is beautiful, functional and enjoyable. “Behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31).

 Into that world, He placed Adam. God formed man from the  dust of the ground (2:7) and gave him breath (which I also believe is the time in which He gave the man a soul which was also to be in the ‘image and likeness’ of God-1:26) and the man became a living being. In the East, in a place God called Eden, He placed the man. In that garden, Adam would cultivate (‘work’-Genesis 3:23; 4:2) and watch over its produce. Adam would be a worker and a manager of what God has given to him. God would render from Adam productivity in the garden as God always expects a return for His labors (Luke 19:11-27). What exactly would Adam do for eternity? Till the ground? Work in soil? Yes. That is exactly what he would do for insodoing he would be able to provide food for himself and his family. It does not appear that God simply would have food grow on trees and Adam and Eve simply lounge all day and enjoy God’s work. He actually was expected to, indeed created for, work. It was not toil and it was not aggravated by fallen vanity. However, the work that Adam was supposed to do was in reflection of God Himself in that He also worked to create the entire existence in which Adam lives. Thus, work is a righteous endeavor as long as it is for the sake of glorifying God who designed and epitomized it.

 Next, we need to see the act of the commandment of God toward Adam in vv. 16-17. In these verses we learn that the original Word of God was given to Adam and thus the precedence of the man’s responsibility to disseminate God’s Word is established.

God Displays His Power And Glory

As we learn about the days of creation what are we looking at? Are we looking at a textbook explanation of some kind of incredible phenomenon? Are we looking at a comprehensive explanation of how light or grass or cows were created? Are we looking at evolution in hidden terms? None of the above really is the intent of the narrative of the days of creation found in Genesis 1. If Genesis 1 was meant to be a detailed explanation, first of all, we would never be able to grasp it. That kind of power and its expression is reserved for God alone so that all glory is given to Him. Second, to explain the absolute infinitesimal detail needed to create all that exists (let alone to sustain it) would exhaust many, many volumes. No, Genesis chapter 1 is given as an explanation of the creation of the universe, i.e. “the heavens and the earth”, in general and summary terms. What details there are are sufficient for us to fear God because of His omnipotence. But, we should never see this narrative as a kind of textbook explanation for every detail in creation. More than anything, it seems that Moses wrote, by the superintending work of the Spirit of God, to begin to explain to Israel who their God is. He is the Designer and Creator of the world. He owns it all and all of it is for His purpose. Israel needed to know their God. Israel needed to tremble at His word. Israel needed to be brought to some measure of humiliation for their sins before this wonderful and glorious Creator who is obviously above and outside of all that exists and thus controls it all (Psalm 19:1).

 On the first day of creation, at the beginning of the day, God created the heavens and the earth (1:1). What is that? This statement is not a summary of the entire creation narrative following it. It is, in fact, the initial step in the creative order. It is in the beginning of day one that God created, out of no preexisting material, the heavens, which refers to the expanse of what we might call “dark matter”, which very well may be infinite, and stretched it out (Job 9:8; 37:18; Psalm 104:2; Isaiah 40:22) without the stars punctuating it as we know today. Within that darkness, God inserted, the earth. It is set at a very precise location within this darkness. This planet, was a solid core of soil and rock surrounded by a deep bath of water. When God created the earth, there was no visible soil. Soil did not become visible until day three.

On this first day also, God created light. Darkness was already created, as indicated by v.2. It was created at the same time that the heavens and the earth were. But light was yet to be created. Once light was installed into the universe, there was an immediate separation, by design. The light, without a sun as a source (which is not a problem since we are speaking of the One who created it. He can sustain it without a star without a problem), was of such a property to distinguish between it and darkness. What a God who can design such a thing! God gave a name to the light and the day and thus began the first installation of an extremely methodical and purposeful creative order.

 On the second 24-hour cycle, i.e. day, presumably at the start of the day (as given by the formula “and there was evening and there was morning…”), God took the water which was miles deep, and separated it by inserting an ‘airy’ expanse (King James, “firmament”) into the middle of the waters and separated it into two halves. Since the simple reading of the text indicates that the waters above the expanse were from the same stock as those waters below the expanse, it would seem best to see this as essentially an ocean above the expanse to the same degree as the waters below it. Some would see the verb ‘separate’ as making a distinction of the kind of water above the expanse from the kind of water below the expanse. This kind of separation did in fact occur between light and dark, v.4. However, light did not come out of darkness and darkness did not come out of light. They were already different in substance. The waters here are of the same substance. It is difficult to understand how there could have been an Edenic ocean above the expanse, but not understanding something should not lead us to reject it. Exegetically, it appears safer to assume that the waters above the expanse were the same as the waters below the expanse and possibly equal in measure or quantity.

 On the third day, God commanded that the earth, which had been below the waters, appear above the waters. This seems to indicate a kind of rising of the earth which, in turn, caused a basin to form around the risen earth and thus cause the water to run off into that basin. It would be best to understand this as a single continent rising above the waters in order to give a place for the land animals, mankind and the Garden of Eden. God commanded the waters to gather and the dry land appear and it was so. Upon that dry land (reminiscent of the dry land that appeared when God removed a slice out of the Red Sea in order to provide an escape for Israel from Pharaoh-Exodus 14:21 [cf.. 2 Kings 2:8]), God caused to sprout various trees, plants and vegetation. This is all for food for the man and animals later.

 On the fourth day, God designed and created ‘luminaries’ in the heavens. These are, from the vantage point of the earth, light emitting bodies suspended in the darkness of space. The sun is the greater light and it rules the day. That is, it is the dominating body in the sky during the daytime. During the night, there is a smaller body, the moon, which dominates the nighttime sky. The sun would become the source of the created light which was created on day one, and the moon would reflect the light of the sun which, depending upon the season, is on the opposite side of the planet during the nighttime. Almost as an aside, Moses inserts “He made the stars also” in v.6. All of these luminaries provide light to the earth in order to give a chronology of time. They would be for signs, seasons, and for days and for years. These are categories of the passing of time for the purposes of mankind. It is still that way today. We are bound and held in our chronicling of time by the functions of the sun, moon and stars and their effect upon the earth.

 On the fifth day, God created the swimming creatures and the flying creatures. These animals would occupy the waters below the expanse as well as the expanse itself. The swimming creatures include the fish, whales and larger “monsters” that we are not familiar with. Presumably, this would refer to the Leviathan spoken of in Psalm 104:26 and Job 41. That must have been a phenomenal creature!

 On the sixth day, God crowns His creation. That is, the pinnacle of His creation and the purpose for it is formed and placed upon the earth. The final category of beings, however, that needed to be placed there are the land animals which are divided into three categories: the beasts of the earth, which refer to those less domesticated animals, the creeping things (literally, “those which drag the body”),  and the domesticated “cattle”. All of these creatures are called ‘living beings’ and it is in them that is the “breath of the spirit of life” (Genesis 7:22). It would be wrong, however, to presume that the animals have a ‘soul’ as mankind does. Animals are not made in God’s image. Animals were made directly from the ground. So was Adam. However, God did not breath into the animals the breath of life as He did Adam, thus making it clear of the difference. Further, Adam did not find a compliment to himself in the animal realm when it came to a relationship. Animals are made living beings. Adam became a living being after God gave him a soul, which is made in His image.

The Old Testament: The Soil Out Of Which The Flower Of The New Testament Grows

The first book in the Bible is the book of Genesis. This is a book that is first in Moses’ writings, after which came Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Together, these 5 books are called the Pentateuch, or the Torah. The weight of meaning and significance of these books are unmatched in any other writing in the world. It is in these books that God revealed to Moses the intentions of His creation of man, the origin of His universe, the purpose of the nation of Israel and the expectation of mankind in light of who God is. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” ( Romans 15:4). We, the church of God, are encouraged and given hope through a proper instruction of the Old Testament (OT), and the body of instruction in the OT begins with the Pentateuch and the Pentateuch begins with Genesis. Thus, Genesis bears the weight of instructing God’s people, whether Israel or the church, and it is up to the task.
Therefore, the understanding of Genesis is foundational to the understanding of God’s entire revelation. In fact, it is so critical, that to misunderstand it, or worse, to ignore it, is to often leave the interpretation of a New Testament (NT) passage up to our own imagination. It introduces us to God. He is the foundation. He is the Creator of all things. It introduces to us how God thinks and how He operates. We see in Genesis the way that God deals with sin and the way He blesses the righteous. We learn a vocabulary that is heavenly, i.e. “Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6). We learn of atonement (Genesis 3:20-21) and of judgment (Genesis 3). We are instructed concerning the human heart and all of its wickedness (Genesis 6:5) and God’s response in His heart concerning this wickedness of man (Genesis 6:6). We learn that God has the right, and will exercise that right, to execute man. He has the right to carry out the death that was promised to Adam (for eating of the fruit of the tree) at any time He believes it is needed (Genesis 2:17; 7:21-23). We are also instructed of God’s grace and His mercy (Genesis 3:21-24). We understand, further, that God extends grace toward whomever He desires (Genesis 6:8; see Romans 9:13-15). And there is more.

In Genesis 1, we are introduced to God as Sovereign. It is more than a “simple” recounting of creation. It is very clearly the introduction of God to the readers. The first glimpse that the reader has of God is that of absolute sovereign designer and creator of all things. What does this teach us?

1. It teaches us that this world/universe belongs to God-Psalm 24:1.
2. It teaches us that this world/universe is sustained by God-Psalm 104:14-23, 27-30.
3. It teaches us that man is a created being and really has no control over his circumstances-Proverbs 16:1, 9.
4. It teaches us that man is a created being and as such is expected to exist according to God’s original intentions-Genesis 1:26-30.

It is the last point that often goes overlooked or treated without any depth. Often, in my opinion, we don’t consider God’s original design for mankind as binding today because we believe that since we are the church, we are somehow disconnected from the OT revelation. It seems too many Christians believe, erroneously, that the OT revelation is irrelevant to modern times, especially since Jesus came. Pastor’s often cite the slogan, “I am a New Covenant preacher” without stopping to consider that the New Covenant is introduced and defined in the OT. Further, the covenants of God had a starting point in Genesis, not in the way that Reformed Theology would define it, i.e. a covenant with Adam (the Scriptures do not teach any such covenant), but in the sense that the effect of the New Covenant is in fact the crushing of the head of the serpent promised in Genesis 3:15. To make that happen, all the groundwork had to be laid, i.e. previous covenants, and the revelation of God had to develop the prophecies and the practices necessary to demonstrate His glory in the coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, in demonstration of His Messiahship to hardened sinners, fulfilled that which was written of Him so that through them we might believe (John 20:30-31). Further, much of the OT teaching is repeated directly or alluded to and forms the basis for the teaching of the NT. Here are some examples:

• The basis of the work of Satan on believers is alluded to in 2 Corinthians 11:3 referring back to Genesis 3:1-7.
• The responsibilities of husband and wife are referred to in Ephesians 5:22-33 as noted by Paul’s reference to Genesis 2:24.
• The responsibilities of children are also referred to in Ephesians 6:1-3, without an explanation concerning how a child in the church will live long on the earth if they obey Exodus 20:12.
• The referral to the teaching of the Passover (Exodus 12:1-13) is the basis for Paul’s judicial decision concerning those who continue in sin in the church in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8.
• Every mention of the washing of the Spirit of God (i.e. Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Acts 22:16; Ephesians 5:26, to name a few) are all references to the promise of the cleansing work of the Spirit of God in Ezekiel 36:25-27. Furthermore, this teaching of Ezekiel 36 is based upon the idea of cleansing in Levitical law (i.e. Leviticus 11:32; 14:1-9; Exodus 29:4; 30:17-21; Numbers 19:8-9), and forms the basis for the NT ordinance of baptism, of which NT baptism is only a picture and does not actually cleanse the heart.
• The financial support of pastors and elders is taught via OT references to the care for animals in 1 Timothy 5:18 and the interpretation of such is explained in 1 Corinthians 9:9-11.

Further, the issues related to the definition of sin, the example of righteousness and meaning of sanctification are all given flesh and bones in the OT. The only exceptions to this are the references to a “mystery” that has been kept hidden from long ages ago and is now revealed to the church (Matthew 13:11). But the rest of the NT rests on the shoulders of the OT as far as fulfillment, completion, further instruction and clarification of OT procedures (for example, Jesus Christ’s role as mediator [1 Timothy 2:5] would hardly have the significance it does unless we understand the role of the high priest in the OT [Hebrews 3:1; 4:1-10]) is concerned. Thus, in order to fully grasp the NT teaching in these areas, a pastor needs to do his homework in the related subjects in the OT and thus promote perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures (see 2 Timothy 3:15-17).

It is important to understand that , repeating what has been stated above, properly understanding the teaching of the OT (in its normal, historical context) gives proper understanding to the NT. And the OT has as its foundation the five books of Moses and the foundation of the Pentateuch is Genesis. It is in this vein that I hope to consider some of the profound truths contained in Genesis and how they unfold in the NT.