Beginning with Moses and the Prophets
The Book of Beginnings - An Intro, Part I
Genesis 1:1; Luke 24:18 - 27; John 1:1-3; 1 John 1:1-3
Introduction
Going back to last fall, I have been trying to decide which part of the Old Testament best the gives account of the gospel of God. Where to begin; then last Sunday talking with Bro. Gene he made a comment, unrelated to today, concerning the Holy Spirit, then after-wards talking with Bro. Mark on something else, also unrelated, it dawned on me to go back to the beginning.
Mark this morning read for us from Luke 24, a portion of what occurred on the road to Emmaus – Luke tells us that Jesus talking to two disciples asked what had transpired and that one of them named Cleopas asked Him in words to the effect, “Where have you been that you haven’t heard . . .” Then after Cleopas had finished talking Jesus beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (v27).
This tells us that the gospel is in the Old Testament. Look, the Law & the Prophets was the only written thing they all had back then. It wasn’t until the mid-2nd century that pretty much the New Testament was together as we have it now with few exceptions.
The point here is that the good news of salvation can be found & understood in the Old Testament.
St. Augustine is credited with coining the phrase – “The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed, the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed.”
Augustine expressed the astonishing way in which the two testaments are so closely interrelated with each other.
The key to understanding the New Testament in its fullest is to see in it the fulfillment of those things that were revealed in the background of the Old Testament.
The Old Testament points forward in time, preparing God’s people for the work of Christ in the New Testament.
For us, believers from all ethnic groups, nations, languages, our redemption is in Christ Jesus. We, believers, have been redeemed, literally, bought-back. Just those who believe? No, everyone has been paid for. Unfortunately not everyone accepts that truth, but rejects it.
But, bought-back from what?
Well, let’s find out; let’s go back to the beginning; the beginning? You mean like Little Foot in the land before time? No, though God was before time when there was nothing, there was a point when time began.
‘Bereshith’, “in the beginning” when God created the heavens and the earth; That which was from the beginning; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The Greek equivalent to Bereshith is Genesis, in that the Hebrews titled the first book Bereshith, in the Greek Old Testament is was translated Genesis and the Latin, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese adopted the word letter for letter. The title is perfect because it gives us the genesis, the origin, of the doctrine of God.
It is said to be the most important book ever written. Now, as a whole, the Bible is considered, (even by those who don’t believe in its inspiration) as the book that has exerted great influence, if not the greatest, on history of any book ever produced.
By its name, the Bible tells us that it is one book comprised of a compilation of many books, 66 in our Bibles, just to note, there are 73 in the Roman Catholic the Orthodox Church in America—contains 80 books: 39 in its Old Testament, 14 in its Apocrypha, and 27 in its New Testament; the book of Genesis is the foundation of all of them.
If you remove the Book of Genesis, like some people would like to do, the rest of the Bible would be incomprehensible.
It would be like a building with no ground floor, a house with no firm foundation. Like the Talmadge Bridge with no suspension supports. You’d have the narration of God’s dealing with Israel to be narrow and sectarian if it isn’t set in the context of God’s developing purpose for all mankind as it is laid down in the early chapters.
The New Testament when describing the execution & implementation of God’s plan for man’s, ours, redemption, is actually being redundant and antiquated except in light of our, that is man’s, desperate need for salvation. As fixed in the record of man’s primeval history, that’s only recorded in Genesis.
Vital information on the origin of everything is given to us in Genesis – therefore, the meaning of all things, which would otherwise be forever inaccessible to man, to us.
The future is bound up in the past.
What anyone believes about their origin is going to inevitably determine his/hers belief in their purpose & their destiny. People that hold to the naturalistic worldview philosophy, the concept that beginnings specifies a naturalistic program for the future
If you believe your southern mamma that life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get, then that’s exactly how you’ll live, never knowing you future destiny.
But on the other hand, an origin in the hands of an Almighty, omnipotent, (I know that's redundant), loving God, predicts a divine purpose in history & an assurance of the consummation of that purpose -
So, it is important, it's a prerequisite, to an understanding of God & what He means to man, to understand & believe the Book of Genesis.
Genesis: the word means the origin or coming into being of something; the Book of Genesis gives the only true & reliable account of the origin, the coming into being of all the basic things of the universe & of life.
The Book of Genesis gives all the following information,
The origin of: 1)- the universe; of order & complexity; the solar system; the atmosphere & hydrosphere (waters of the world);of life; of man; of marriage; of evil; of language; of culture; of government; of nations; of religion; of chosen people -
In reality, Genesis is the foundation of all true history, true science & true philosophy.
Above all else it is the foundation of God's revelation, as given in the Bible – No other book of the Bible is quoted more, referred to as frequently as is Genesis.
The New Testament is dependent on Genesis more so than the Old Testament – There are about 165 passages in Genesis that are referred to or quoted directly in the New Testament. Many of these are alluded to more than once, so you come close to over 200 quotations/allusions to Genesis in the New Testament.
The first eleven chapters has been the portion of Genesis that has been the object of the greatest attacks of skepticism & unbelief, still, those first eleven chapters is the portion that's had the greatest influence on the New Testament.
On at least six different occasions Jesus himself referred to or quoted something, or someone from these chapters, inclusive specific reference to each of the first seven chapters -
Myths? Or Legends?
There is no evidence at all that the writers regarded the events and-or the persons as myths or allegories – All to the contrary, they viewed Genesis as absolutely historical, true & authoritative.
It is impossible for anyone to reject the historicity & the Divine authority of the Book of Genesis without undermining, repudiating, the authority of the entire Bible.
Listen, if the first Adam is only, as the skeptics & many others claim, an allegory, then by all logical reason, so is the second Adam who is Christ Jesus the Lord.
If man really did not fall into sin from his state of created innocence, then there is absolutely no reason for him to need a savior. If everything can be accounted for by the natural process of evolution, then there is no reason whatsoever to look forward to a future supernatural consummation of all things.
If Genesis isn't true, neither is the rest of Bible; nor the testimonies of those prophets & apostles who believed it to be true.
If Genesis isn't true then Jesus Himself becomes a false witness, either a deceiver, (liar) or one who was deceived; the problem than multiplies; If Jesus of Nazareth is not God, then he is a liar. If he is a liar, he then is not a good man but a bad man, “homo malus”. A serious problem arises now in that Jesus has been recognized as being trustworthy, therefore good and wise; if he was not God but sincerely believed that he was then there is the possibility that Jesus was a lunatic. If he really was not God he would not be a good man. He would still be a bad man though a very sincere one. Though people have attested that Jesus was a good and wise man, the issue remains that if he was not really God, Jesus then was a liar. On the other hand if he held to his claim to be God, then he most definitely was a lunatic. It is not a matter of either or; whether he was a lunatic or a liar. Jesus’ character attests to what he claims. A lunatic is opposite of wise, and a liar is opposite of good. (BTW, this was from the paper I wrote handed out Christmas)-
If all this then results from one book, the first Book not being true, faith then in the gospel of Jesus Christ for one's eternal salvation is just an empty mockery – That means then that when a person dies and the body decomposes back to dust, it is dead and the person might never have ever existed. There was, there is no purpose at all for having existed for such a miniscule period of time.
An Opposition
We all must oppose any effort from wherever, to make it a mythology, or an allegory. It's written as sober history, a divinely inspired account of the origin of all things.
If so, nobody then, can hope to attain, or to be more emphatic, will have a snowball's chance in the 'infierno', of attaining a true & full understanding of anything without a basic acceptance & comprehension/understanding of the origin of everything as it is recorded in Genesis.
Transition
Genesis is structured in themes; chapters 1-11 cover primeval history; chapters 12-50 the patriarchal history – the history of israel's founding fathers.
Primeval or universal history relates five stories having the same structure: the fall, Cain, sons of God marrying daughters of man, the flood, & the tower of Babel.
The pattern is fourfold – 1) sin, its described; 2) Speech: God announcing punishment; 3) Grace: God brings grace to ease the misery due to sin; 4) Punishment: God punishes sin.
[In your inserts is a chart on this]
Amazing Grace
We see amazing grace in these first chapters; and just as John Newton, a licentious man, a recalcitrant, insubordinate while in the Royal Navy, and slave trader -
When in a violent storm off the coast of Ireland, he called out to God for mercy, a moment that marked his spiritual conversion -
The song, hymn, Amazing Grace which he penned, the message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless, I say again, regardless, of sins committed & that the soul can be delivered through the mercy of God -
God tells us in Hebrews 13:8 that He is the same yesterday, today & tomorrow. We read in Numbers 23:19 that He says that He is not a man that He should lie or change His mind.
From the very beginning we see this grace, mercy, Amazing Grace of God – We are given a clear view of His purpose. We see in the first stories, accounts that sin is like an avalanche always increasing in size and strength as it cascades down the mountain slopes. Adam & Eve are punished, they're expelled from paradise, the Garden, but the penalty of death is withheld and He cares fro them, clothing them, covering them, their nakedness their sin;
Cain is banished from his family but God graces him a sign of protection; the flood comes but God saves the human race through Noah – Grace is muted at Babel, but this just sets up the continuation of grace through the Patriarchal history in chapters 12-50.
Abraham receives the gracious promise that all peoples of the world will be blessed through him – Despite the patriarchs repeated sins, God's promise stands -
The salvation history of the narrative of the patriarch functions as the gracious answer to the scattering of mankind at Babel.
The book of Beginnings, the Book of Foundation, the Book of Genesis is all about grace – God's free gift.
Paul's pithy observation in Romans 5:20b, “. . . but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. Genesis provides us a grandiose revelation of God's faithfulness as it recounts over & over again in the lives of the patriarchs, His fidelity.
He remains faithful even when the people to whom the promises are made become themselves the greatest threat to the fulfillment of the promise.
We can shout with praise for that because if it weren't so, we wouldn't be here today worshiping Him.
The disordered lives with their dysfunctional people & families, cannot abort God's promises, His faithfulness.
That's how God has always been – The New Testament puts it this way in 2 Timothy 2:13 - if we are faithless, He remains faithful— for He cannot deny himself.
Conclusion
Regarding man, Genesis is articulate: He is at the same time, truly wonderful & truly awful. Genesis affirms our terrible sinfulness – The best of the patriarch's are helpless, hopeless sinners. Not a single one of them comes to salvation by merit -
So, from the very beginning we come to understand that salvation comes only through faith -
Moses makes it clear; that's how Abraham, the greatest of the patriarchs, was saved. Genesis 15:6 -
Paul alludes to this in the New Testament; Romans 4:11 - He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well
The only way fallen humanity can be saved is the Genesis way – by faith – There's no other way.
We'll pick up right here next week with “who wrote Genesis?”
For now, those of you who may sense a tugging on your heart, your consience, of a need of forgiveness for whatever, I pray, as one who know all to well, that He, God, is faithful & just to forgive -
O hope that you will journey with us, and that you see, that the Lord open your eyes and heart to see and know that He, the Almighty Creator is waiting there for you with open arms, waiting for all those who hear His call and come to Him.
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