Blog Archives

Christ in Genesis

5/25/2014

By Scott Shifferd, Jr

If there was nothing in the beginning, there would be nothing now. Yet, we from the creation of the world have been able to see God's invisible attributes, His eternal power, and divinity (Rom. 1.20).

In the Scriptures, the Apostle John lived with Jesus and wrote of Jesus' life revealing that He was "In the beginning". Clearly, John was connecting Genesis with the Gospel. John wrote that Jesus was the Word, and the Word has been God (John 1:1-5).

Can Christ be seen in the book of Genesis? Genesis means "beginning", and the book of Genesis is filled with beginnings. Before the beginning, there was God, who spoke creating all from His Word and not from nothing (Heb. 11:3). From the beginning, God created the heavens, the earth, vegetation, and animals (Gen. 1). God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; [...] So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Gen. 1:26-27). The personalities of God are revealed in mankind's creation. By His image, God created mankind's immense value and unity in the institution of marriage (Gen. 2).

God made mankind with free will, and mankind chose to take the knowledge of good and evil upon their flesh and bring death when sinless paradise could not bear such knowledge (Gen. 3:19). God's angelic creation had a rebel, who fathered the lie in the beginning and deceived mankind to sin taking the knowledge upon themselves. From sin came death and its sufferings. The beginning of sin grew to include the beginning of murder, polygamy, enslavement, and more.

From evil hearts came the beginning of judgment and a demand for the lifeblood of mankind (Gen. 6:5-8, 9:5-6). Therefore, there was the beginning of the need for atonement and salvation from eternal death and separation from God. Therefore, God promised that the Seed, the Offspring, of woman will overcome Satan's head (Gen. 3:15). Genesis records the generations and the origins of the nations and languages. God made a way that all the Nations to be blessed through the Seed of Eve's descendant, Abraham. God said to Abraham in Gen. 22:18, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Gen. 22:18, cf. 12:3). That Seed is Christ.

Noah & God's Grace - Part 2

5/18/2014

By Scott Shifferd, Jr

Having God's grace, Noah's faith had to be a working faith to be saved. God's grace is seen in the specific details of God's commands for building a life-saving ark (Gen. 6:14-17). Noah was not permitted by God's grace to overlook these instructions. Noah did all that God told him to do (6:22, 7:5). By faith, Noah prepared the ark to save his family (Heb. 11:7).

God's covenant of grace was established with Noah's family by their entering the ark (Gen. 6:18). The fountains of the great deep broke open, rain fell for 40 days, and the waters rose above the mountains (7:10-12, 17-20). After 150 days, the waters started to recede, and after 6 months, the ark rested on Mt. Ararat.

Although Noah was a preacher, only 8 souls were saved through the water (1 Pet.3:20, cf. 2 Pet. 2:5). Likewise, Christians are saved through the water and through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter said,

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 3:21, ESV).

God's grace teaches us to observe His commands. Jesus said, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:16).

Thank God that His grace. After a year of living on the ark, the first that Noah did when he left the ark was to worship God (Gen. 8:20-21). God blessed Noah's family to be fruitful and multiply on the earth (9:1). God set His sign of the covenant in the clouds, the rainbow (9:11-13).

What do we learn from God's grace? Have you prepare your family to be saved? Are you walking with God? Will you build what God told you to build? Will you obey all God's instructions.

Noah & God's Grace - Part 1

5/11/2014

By Scott Shifferd, Jr.

After Adam & Eve, people multiplied over the face of the earth. In 4 centuries, billions of people could have populated the Earth. From Adam to Noah, there were 1,656 years give or take some months (MS text). In this time, giants lived on the earth (Gen. 6:4, cf. Job 40-41).

About 4,500 years ago in the days of Noah, God saw the wickedness of man across the earth filled with violence and corruption (Gen. 6:11-12). Yet, God also saw the world in a way in which people cannot. God saw that every intent of the thoughts of the heart were evil continually (Gen. 6:5). Only God can judge the hidden counsels of the heart (1 Cor. 4:5). Therefore, God judged the world and brought a just destruction upon the world by a flood. Like the flood, God has reserved the world now for fire until the judgment day (2 Pet. 3:5-7). Sadly, many do not understand the consequences of their sin.

The sin of the world, our sin, grieves the heart of the Almighty God. Genesis 6:6 states, "And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart" (cf. Eph. 4:30). This is why God decided to destroy the world with a flood. God said, "I am sorry that I have made them."

Yet in the world before the Flood, a man and his family found God's grace. Here is the first mention of grace in the Bible. See, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:8). Why? Because "Noah walked with God" (6:9). There is the extent of God's grace as God's grace is now in Christ.

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).

God's grace does not permit anyone to walk in darkness and continue in sin (1 John 1:6).

Christ in Genesis

Noah & God's Grace - Part 2

Noah & God's Grace - Part 1

Dean Road
church of Christ

Categories

Archives

Christ in Genesis

Noah & God's Grace - Part 2

Noah & God's Grace - Part 1

Dean Road​church of Christ

Categories

Archives

Dean Road
church of Christ