Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

Genesis 1-10 ESV

The first ten chapters of Genesis are a seed bed of doctrines. The truths learned in these chapters will follow the Bible student throughout the Scriptures. That being so, it serves us well to review at this point.

The truths taught in these chapters are

1. God is absolute creator of all that exists, material or immaterial, physical or spiritual. It is worth noting that the Apostles’ Creed begins with this fact. “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth”.

2. God is triune. Any fair exegesis of Genesis 1 shows the presence of the Trinity. Certainly this needs and will have a full development. But it must be noted that it is in the early words of Scripture.

3. God is covenantal. In these chapters there are the Adamic covenant, the Messianic covenant, and the Rainbow or Noahic covenant. Some unchanging principles of covenants are: They are unilateral; they are divinely initiated; they are time-bound; and they contain reward and curse.

4. God reveals Himself through a mediator. This again will be more fully developed to the point of John 1:18 where we understand with absolute clarity that god is known through Christ.

18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

5. God is a just judge. The flood teaches this truth with clarity and certainty. This truth derives ultimately from the holiness of God. There is neither fact nor act of God which is not holy. It may not be wrathful love, but it is holy wrath. It may not be loving wrath, but it is holy love. The triune God is never to be thought of separate from His holiness.

6. God elects men to His favor. God chose Adam. Before the Fall Adam did not create himself. After the Fall Adam did not seek God but hid when God called. It was the call of God which brought Adam to God – not his free will. That will be unchanging until the last sinner is renewed. John 1:13

13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

7. It is God who makes man acceptable. He covered Adam and Eve with skins. He accepted Able’s sacrifice. He put Noah and his family in the ark and accepted their sacrifice. This must be understood through the lens of I John 4:10.

10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

8. God and His creatures are completely separate. There is nothing in creation, material or spiritual, that depicts God as He is one or is useful as an illustration of the Trinity. God is known only through the God-man. All we know and need to know is revealed in Jesus who is the “image of the invisible God”. Colossians 1:15A.

These first ten chapters furnish a good foundation for all that follows in Scripture. It is time well spent studying here.