THE CREATION, FALL OF MAN AND REDEMPTION!
God created a place where we could enter into community with him and
each other, but we must live with a deep awareness that the Creator
and the creation are infinitely different. Though the creation can
reveal things about the nature and character of the Creator, the
creation must never be worshiped. Ther is a human tendency to get
this confused!
In the New Testament, the apostle Paul (a man of God) put it this
way: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and
served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever
praised. Amen” (Romans 1:25).
Look at the order of creation and how God made the sun, the
moon, and the stars. In the order of creation, the sun and moon are
not spoken into existence until the fourth day. This truth spoke
volumes to people who worshiped the heavenly bodies. Genesis teaches
that the sun and moon are not divine; they are created objects. They
were made by the one God who spoke heaven and earth into existence.
Not only does the Bible teach that they have a beginning, but they
will also have an end (Revelation 21:23).
A healthy understanding of creation will give us a balanced
perspective on material things. We should not be captivated by the
stuff of this world, but rather by the One who made it all. Too
often in this life, we can become enamored by material things.
Recognize the Enemy!
The
first step on the way to victory is to recognize the enemy. The
enemy comes into the picture early in human history! He is not
called Satan in the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. But
the Christian church came to identify the serpent with the evil one
(Satan). The Genesis account gives us a brilliant exposition of how
temptation works. This was true at the beginning of time, and it is
just as true today!
Satan twists the truth! He begins with a lie. He twists the
truth and misquotes God. Had God said Adam and Eve could not eat
from any tree at all? No. God said they could eat from every
tree except one. In Genesis 2:9, we are told that there were all
sorts of trees that were beautiful to see and that their fruit was
delicious to eat. Adam and Eve were invited to feast on the fruit of
all of them, except for one.
Satan wants us to see God as more severe than he really is.
Satan misquotes God in an effort to plant a doubt in the woman's
mind. He wants her to doubt the goodness of God. He wants her to
think, I can't trust that God has my best interests at heart. I
think if I really obey God fully, I will miss out on something good,
so I guess I will have to watch out for myself in this world.
The decision to sin always involves these kinds of thoughts.
When speaking to the serpent of the
forbidden fruit, Eve adds the words, “and you must not touch it.”
God never said, “You must not touch it.” But in Eve's mind,
she's making God a little more severe than he really is. She's
making him a little unreasonable so that disobeying him
becomes more justifiable.
The Fall of Man!
Satan
attacks our vulnerable spots and isolates us from community.
As Eve is engaged in her process of deliberation and dealing with
temptation, she does not invove the man. When we play with
temptation and do it in isolation, we are in grave danger. The enemy
wants us to keep it to outselves – to keep things hidden in the
dark of our own heart. But when we don't tell anybody else about our
struggle and temptation, we make ourselves infinitely more
vulnerable.
Satan
wants us to fixate on sin.
As Eve looks at the forbidden fruit, she becomes obessed with it.
She keeps things obessed with it. She keeps thinking about what she
will miss if she doesn't eat it. She keeps looking at it, obessing
over it without God or another person to challenge her thinging. And
when she does that, the next step becomes inevitable.
Satan
entices us to invite others into our sin.
When we read the account of sin entering the world, we simply read
that Eve gave Adam some of the fruit, and he ate. Have you ever
noticed that sin loves company? So often, when a person enters into
sin, they want others to join with them. Just as misery loves
company, sin loves to invite others to take a taste.
Redemption through
Jesus Christ!
Genesis tells us that in the beginning God created, and then He
presented Himself as life to man. Bcause man fell, God had to redeem
fallen man that life might still be made available to him. Genesis
3:21 tells us that God mad coats of skins of the sacrifice for Adam
and Eve and clothed them. In order to make coats of the skins of the
lambs, God probably killed the lambs in the presence of Adam and Eve.
Thus, the blood of the lambs were shed, for without shedding of
blood there is no forgiveness (Heb. 9:22). Adam, experienced the
anticipated redemption of God.
The first chapter of John's Gospel in the New Testament has the same
spiritual points and concept as the first three chapters of Genesis
in the Old Testament. John 1 tells us that in the beginning was
the Word and the Word was God (v. 1). Creation came into being
through God as the Word, and in Him was the life presented to man
(vv. 3-4). Because of the problem of the fall of the human race,
there is the need of redemption.
Thus, John 1:29 says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away
the sin of the World!” We should not think that the New
Testament has a different thought or concept from the Old Testament.
The Old and New Testaments are one book. The Old Testament is a book
of pictures, while the New Testament gives us the definition of these
pictures. The thought, the concept, and the spirit of the Old and
New Testaments are exactly the same.
Life in the Gospel of John:
Nearly every chapter of the Gospel of John tells us someting about
life. In the Scripture reading of this book (the Gospel of John) we have selected some
important verses concerning life. John 3:36 says, “He who
believes in the Son (Jesus) has eternal life; but he who disobeys the
Son (Jesus) shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
According to John 1,the Son (Jesus) in whom we believe is the One in
the beginning, the Word, God, the One with life in Him, and the Lamb
that takes away our sin. We have to believe in this One that we may
have life. If we do not believe in this One, we cannot have life or
see life (eternal life).
John 5:21 says, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives
them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wills.” The
Son's intention is to give life, and His coming is to give life. We
have to remember the phrase “the Son gives life.” Thus, the Lord
says in John 10:10b, “I came that they may have life and may
have it abundantly.”
In
John 11:25a the Lord told Martha, “I
am the resurrection and the life.”
In John 14:6 He (Jesus) declared that He was the life. These verses
show that Christ Himself is the tree of life. Following man's
redemption, the tree of life is again presented to man in the New
Testament. Colossians 3:4a tells us that Christ is our life.
