Understanding The Principles of Genesis (Gen. 1:11)
We are predestined to have Christ formed in us. That is the gospel; that is the sovereign grace of God. God’s saints fully understand why God does brings chastisement in their lives; it is to crucify the old man of sin in order that Christ may be formed in them, the hope of glory.
Before any person will ever rightly understand this mystery of the gospel, "...which is Christ in you, the hope of glory," there must be a right understanding of the principles taught in Genesis 1-11. There we see the power and the authority of the Word of God, the purpose of God’s creation, and the fall of man. Our predestined purpose, as God’s creation, was to serve God and be the reflection of His character. Until we understand this principle, we do not understand what it is to have Christ formed in us, which is our hope of glory.
We were created in the image of God, but we lost that image when Adam sinned. Christ formed in you is the renewing of that image of God in which we were created. ROM 8:29 says, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." When we understand this, we understand Genesis l: 1-11, because there we see the purpose of our creation and that the fall of man caused us to become spiritually dead. We see our need for Christ to be formed in us, that we might be conformed to His image.
No person can have a right understanding of this third great beginning of events, i.e., God’s chosen nation, until the first two are rightly understood. We must first understand the purpose of God’s creation in the first great beginning. Then we must see the total depravity of man after the second great beginning. God had spared Noah and his sons, but they in turn corrupted themselves in a manner equal to those who had been destroyed in the flood. They had the same nature of apostasy.
GEN 1-11 is the preface of the whole book of Genesis, but it is also the preface of the whole Bible. It is the foundation of the entire Bible. Until those revelations are understood, we cannot understand the plan of salvation. The plan of salvation is to reconcile man unto God.
The word "conciliation" means a state of perfect harmony. So we must understand the state of harmony before the fall before we can understand re-conciliation. If we don’t understand the foundation found in Genesis, we cannot understand the gospel.
To illustrate the importance of these first chapters, one might rightly say, "As the root is to the stem, so are chapters 1-11 to the book of Genesis; and as the trunk is to the tree, so is Genesis to the rest of the Bible!" If you remove the root, there cannot be a stem. If you take Genesis 1-11 out of the Bible, you don’t have the gospel. The entire significance of the Bible would be lost.
Until we understand Genesis 1:1-3, ["1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."], we will never understand God’s plan of salvation and the work of regeneration. Those three verses teach us it was by the power and authority of the Word that God created all things.
Remember when Lazarus was lying in the grave, it was the power of the Word of the Son of God that brought Lazarus to life. JOH 11:43-44a says, "And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth..." It is the power of the Word that brings life. It is so important in the preaching of the gospel that we instill the Word into the gospel. That is where the power is. The quickening power is in the Word.
Now see the blessed harmony in the New Testament teaching of the work in the heart. Turn to EPH 1:17-19: "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him [Where do we receive the knowledge of Him? It is only in His Word. We must understand the essential element of the authority there is in the Word.]: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power."
Where do we receive the knowledge of this? It is in the authority of the Word. As we begin to see this, it is the understanding being enlightened. How does this happen? "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light," GEN 1:3. It is the power of the Word that enlightens the understanding. However, if we develop a religion outside of the Bible, we are outside of God’s Word and plan.
This "...spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him," can only be obtained in proportion to our growth in the knowledge and reverence of the authority of THE WORD, which is Christ.
The wisdom or insight of a human being goes no deeper than God grants. We must go to the Word to get our enlightening, not to any human theologian. I have a high respect for the works of godly men, but I don’t put them above the Bible. Take their works, compare them to the Bible, and decide if they are true.
I find these old fathers are much like Moses, Peter, and Abraham, who were flesh. Why did God allow Moses to sin to the extent he could not even enter the Promised Land? So we don’t worship Moses. Why did the Lord allow Peter to curse and swear and deny he ever knew the Lord? Why was Peter allowed to go to the extent that Jesus said in MAT 16:23, "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." Why did the Lord say that? It was so you and I do not worship Peter. Why did the Lord allow these old fathers to be imperfect? It was, "That no flesh should glory in his presence," 1CO 1:29.
I read the works of our forefathers, and I glean much from their works, but I try to be as wise as the men of Berea. I search the Word to see if those things are so. What do I find? So often, I find these highly respected men are far from perfect. So it is with my work. No human being will be allowed to glory before God. This is something we must understand from Genesis l. From the beginning, the authority of God’s Word is supreme; He enlightens the understanding of men through the Word. Amen.
Before any person will ever rightly understand this mystery of the gospel, "...which is Christ in you, the hope of glory," there must be a right understanding of the principles taught in Genesis 1-11. There we see the power and the authority of the Word of God, the purpose of God’s creation, and the fall of man. Our predestined purpose, as God’s creation, was to serve God and be the reflection of His character. Until we understand this principle, we do not understand what it is to have Christ formed in us, which is our hope of glory.
We were created in the image of God, but we lost that image when Adam sinned. Christ formed in you is the renewing of that image of God in which we were created. ROM 8:29 says, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." When we understand this, we understand Genesis l: 1-11, because there we see the purpose of our creation and that the fall of man caused us to become spiritually dead. We see our need for Christ to be formed in us, that we might be conformed to His image.
No person can have a right understanding of this third great beginning of events, i.e., God’s chosen nation, until the first two are rightly understood. We must first understand the purpose of God’s creation in the first great beginning. Then we must see the total depravity of man after the second great beginning. God had spared Noah and his sons, but they in turn corrupted themselves in a manner equal to those who had been destroyed in the flood. They had the same nature of apostasy.
GEN 1-11 is the preface of the whole book of Genesis, but it is also the preface of the whole Bible. It is the foundation of the entire Bible. Until those revelations are understood, we cannot understand the plan of salvation. The plan of salvation is to reconcile man unto God.
The word "conciliation" means a state of perfect harmony. So we must understand the state of harmony before the fall before we can understand re-conciliation. If we don’t understand the foundation found in Genesis, we cannot understand the gospel.
To illustrate the importance of these first chapters, one might rightly say, "As the root is to the stem, so are chapters 1-11 to the book of Genesis; and as the trunk is to the tree, so is Genesis to the rest of the Bible!" If you remove the root, there cannot be a stem. If you take Genesis 1-11 out of the Bible, you don’t have the gospel. The entire significance of the Bible would be lost.
Until we understand Genesis 1:1-3, ["1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."], we will never understand God’s plan of salvation and the work of regeneration. Those three verses teach us it was by the power and authority of the Word that God created all things.
Remember when Lazarus was lying in the grave, it was the power of the Word of the Son of God that brought Lazarus to life. JOH 11:43-44a says, "And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth..." It is the power of the Word that brings life. It is so important in the preaching of the gospel that we instill the Word into the gospel. That is where the power is. The quickening power is in the Word.
Now see the blessed harmony in the New Testament teaching of the work in the heart. Turn to EPH 1:17-19: "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him [Where do we receive the knowledge of Him? It is only in His Word. We must understand the essential element of the authority there is in the Word.]: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power."
Where do we receive the knowledge of this? It is in the authority of the Word. As we begin to see this, it is the understanding being enlightened. How does this happen? "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light," GEN 1:3. It is the power of the Word that enlightens the understanding. However, if we develop a religion outside of the Bible, we are outside of God’s Word and plan.
This "...spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him," can only be obtained in proportion to our growth in the knowledge and reverence of the authority of THE WORD, which is Christ.
The wisdom or insight of a human being goes no deeper than God grants. We must go to the Word to get our enlightening, not to any human theologian. I have a high respect for the works of godly men, but I don’t put them above the Bible. Take their works, compare them to the Bible, and decide if they are true.
I find these old fathers are much like Moses, Peter, and Abraham, who were flesh. Why did God allow Moses to sin to the extent he could not even enter the Promised Land? So we don’t worship Moses. Why did the Lord allow Peter to curse and swear and deny he ever knew the Lord? Why was Peter allowed to go to the extent that Jesus said in MAT 16:23, "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." Why did the Lord say that? It was so you and I do not worship Peter. Why did the Lord allow these old fathers to be imperfect? It was, "That no flesh should glory in his presence," 1CO 1:29.
I read the works of our forefathers, and I glean much from their works, but I try to be as wise as the men of Berea. I search the Word to see if those things are so. What do I find? So often, I find these highly respected men are far from perfect. So it is with my work. No human being will be allowed to glory before God. This is something we must understand from Genesis l. From the beginning, the authority of God’s Word is supreme; He enlightens the understanding of men through the Word. Amen.