The book of Genesis is the book of beginnings. The first eleven chapters give us the beginnings of many things that are then further developed. In chapters 1&2 we have the creation of the heaven and the earth. God created everything very good. In chapter 3 we have the introduction of sin into the world. All of creation was plunged under the curse of God due to Adam’s sin. There are false religions today that claim that we are no longer under the curse because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. It is true that Jesus Christ went to the cross and shed His blood there and He died there for our sins. Those who are saved are forgiven and given eternal life. However, the Bible is also clear that we still get sick even if we are saved. We can still go blind or have heart trouble or liver trouble or any other sickness. Death is part of the reality of sin. The timing of death is in God’s hands and it is important to know the Lord in order to have eternal life. The sting of death is removed in Christ.
We have noted the introduction of humanistic religion from chapter 4. We have also seen the result of unchecked wrath which leads to murder. Then also we see the introduction of polygamy. We noted as well that the emphasis of lost humanity is on the material and physical world. The lost may have some interest in religion but it will be false religion. The lost want to build things and have things, but that is all they have. Saved people learn the importance of putting God first and they do not live just for the here and now.
In chapter 5 we are reminded that death is a reality due to sin. God gave us an account of the people of that time and every one of them died, except for Enoch. He was taken up without experiencing death in the same manner as all others.
We are reminded in verse 1 that God created man. Man is not an accident of time and process. Evolution is a lie from start to finish. Everything that God made was made with purpose. Everything that God made has a specific purpose and the primary purpose is to glorify God. We are reminded that man was made in the likeness of God. He was not made a god, but he was made in the likeness of God. Man has a spiritual part to his life. The animals do not have this. Man can think and reason and he has a will. Fallen man still has all of this but now it is corrupted. Cain demonstrated that corruption in insisting on humanistic religion and in murdering his brother and then lying about it. He also accused God of being unjust. Lost humanity has a distorted view of God.
Abel was also born a lost sinner, but he chose to believe in the true God. He demonstrated that faith by his actions. He did not work to be accepted by God. He trusted in God and the result of that was acting in the way that pleases God. He was hated by his brother because he chose to love God first and foremost. Jesus reminded the disciples that they should not be surprised if the world would hate them. He reminded them that the world hated Him first. The same is true for us today. Those who truly love the Lord will find they are strangers in this wicked world.
We are also reminded in verse 2 that God made man “male and female”. That phrase is found 7 times in the Bible. God wants us to know that there are only two genders. In the past couple of years the sodomites have had great success in advancing their wicked agenda. The majority of people are lost and do not believe there is such a thing as absolute truth and so most people cannot refute the lies of the sodomites. The sodomites make up a small minority of society, but they have a major influence on society because they know how to make noise. Too many professing Christians have no answer for the sodomite. They are intimidated by them and they remain silent when they should be speaking the truth.
Just as we can go back in history and see how Charles Darwin could promote his lie of evolution and some within professing Christianity chose to develop the lie of “theistic evolution”, rather than refute evolution out of hand and teach the truth. I know that I was not taught the truth about creation as a young person. I did not believe in evolution, but I could not refute it either. It was not until I was an adult that I finally submitted to God’s Word and He opened my understanding to see that Creation is a fact that can be believed and must be believed.
We learn that man lived much longer prior to the flood than after the flood. It is interesting to note that in chapter 5 God mentioned Adam and then skipped Cain’s family and went to Seth next. Seth was the replacement for Abel. We are told that Adam lived 800 years after the birth of Seth. Adam lived a total of 930 years. He had the opportunity to teach many children the truth. He could warn them of the danger of disobeying God and of the forgiveness of God.
God always makes sure that man has access to the truth. It is important for man to choose to listen to the LORD. God knows how long each person will live. During those few years, He wants us to know Him and then to make Him known to others. God blesses us with children and grandchildren according to His will. These blessings are precious and the most important thing we can give them is the truth. This life is short, and eternity is never ending. If we love our families, we will do our best to help them to choose wisely for now and eternity.
Pastor Bartel