In our previous lessons we learned about the first step in following Jesus, that is, asking forgiveness for our sins, being healed from sin, putting forgiveness in action, and being justified before the Living God. In the next series of lessons, we are going to learn about some of the most important events and passages in Scripture. As we do so, we will learn about God, who he is, what he desires, and we will learn about ourselves as well. As we do so, we will discuss four relationships: 1. Our relationship to God. 2. Our relationships to each other. 3. Our relationship to the land and material resources. 4. How we are to deal with evil.
At the same time, we are going to address certain important questions: Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we now? Where are we going? What must we do? We are going to study what the Bible has to say about these questions. As we do this, we will understand where we belong in God’s plan for the world. In this lesson, we will begin with the first question, "Where did we come from?"
As we read Scripture, we will need to interpret it rightly. This requires study, prayer, and above all, God’s grace and mercy. One important way to understand Scriptures is in light of the entire biblical revelation centered in Jesus Christ. Why this is so will not be presented in this essay, but the interested reader can learn about this in the essay, ”The Creeds and Biblical Interpretation.”
After you have greeted each other and prayed together, please read the first two chapters of Genesis aloud. There are many important ideas in these two passages, but after you have finished reading these two chapters for the first time, read the following points. Then, read Genesis one and two again and notice these points in the text. Once that is done, there will be questions for discussion.
Genesis 1-2
1. In the beginning, God created everything good, even very, very good.
2. No one helped God create. He spoke his Word and it came to be. He created the world out of nothing. As we shall see later, that Word is Jesus Christ. Everything that exists was created by the one God through his Word, Jesus Christ. Our relationship to God is first and foremost given in Jesus Christ. At the same time, we acknowledge God as our creator, the source of all life and material blessings. When sin and death enter the world, God has the authority to make a new world.
3. Human beings are made in the image of God (1:26-27). This image is the capacity for relationship. Notice in 1:26-28 that the image is reflected in the creation of male and female, and their being called to create and rule the earth. The image is the capacity for relationship between those who are different (man and woman), and further, the capacity for them to create and work together. Note also that when the man was alone without someone to help him, 2:20, that God created Eve for him. The image of God is the ability to relate to God and other people.
4. God created the world as a blessing. After God created human beings, he blessed them (Genesis 1:28). Everything human beings needed for life was given to them. The word “Eden,” in the original language of this passage, means “delight.” It was a delight to be in Eden.
5. There was no sin, conflict, sorrow, or grief in God’s original good creation. Nothing like this is mentioned in Genesis 1-2. It is not what God intends. Therefore, it can be said that God’s original will is that evil not prevail against human beings.
6. Human beings are made for work, but the work was not hard for life in Eden was a delight. Only after sin, Genesis 3:17-19, did work become painful.
7. In the beginning, God did not create divisions among people, divisions between different races, tribes, and nations, or between rich and poor. Nor did God create certain people better or above other people. All were to be together and all were to be blessed by God. God’s good earth was given to all so that all could enjoy its benefits. There was only one human race, commanded to be fruitful and multiply.
8. The man, the woman, and their descendents were to have dominion over the earth and its animals. Dominion over the earth means to preserve its integrity as created by God. According to 2:15, the world is like a garden. Human beings are to work in it and tend to it, but not to destroy it as is the case today.
9. God gives human beings dominion over the land, the sea, and living things, 1:26, but not over other human beings. Later, as we shall see, God establishes authorities, and because of sin, some must rule by force. The ultimate authority is Jesus Christ who, at the present time, by the power of his cross and resurrection, rules with love.
10. God did not create chaos, floods, droughts, disease, and death. God protected the world from floods from above by the creation of the sky (Genesis 1:6), and from droughts by the water which flowed out of Eden (Genesis 2:10).
11. Human beings were created to worship and obey God. The seventh day (Genesis 2:2-3) was the day of rest, the day to worship God. Human beings were also created to obey God, and God commanded them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). Eating of that tree means deciding what is right or wrong without hearing God and keeping his commands. That is the fundamental sin, and as we shall see, it invites evil and death into our lives.
12. Adam names the animals, indicating that man’s normal emphasis is outside the family, understanding the nature of the world and working in it, 2:15. According to 1:26-28, the man and woman govern together, but there is a difference of emphasis. In the world beyond the family, the man leads while the woman helps him, Genesis 2:20 Eve is the mother of all living, Genesis 3:20. The emphasis for the woman is the family, but again, according to 1:26-28, the man and the woman raise families together. The relationship between the man and the woman is seen in Christ’s relationship to the Church, Ephesians 5. The man sacrifices himself for the woman and the family, and the woman, blessed by his sacrifice, helps him in his work and oversees the life of the family, Proverbs 31:10-31. At times, however, according to time, talents, and circumstances, men must come to the fore in raising families, and women become leaders as was the case with Deborah, Judges 4:4-5:31.
This is the world that God created in the beginning, a good world, a world of blessing, a world where all persons were at peace with God and each other. That is what God intended in the beginning, and that is what God intends for us now. As we shall see, God restores the world through Jesus Christ.
Questions for Discussion
1. What divisions or conflicts exist in your family, church, community, and nation? Has Christ healed any conflicts or divisions among you, and if so, how? As a follower of Christ, what can you do to heal divisions among people?
2. God intends for all to work. What is your work? Do you do it well? Has God helped you do your work?
3. God intended for the blessings of creation, the production of the land, its resources, water, minerals, to be a blessing for all. Do the members of your family, community, church, and nation help each other to secure the blessings of creation for all? How would you go about doing this? What do you or your church do for the poor or the unemployed in your community? How can you help each other?
4. Genesis 1:27-28 and 2:2-24 are the foundation for marriage, the marriage of one man with one woman. Is marriage honored in your community? How can a man and a woman honor each other in marriage? Do members of your community work to strengthen each others’ marriages? Do men love their wives and families as Christ loves the church, giving up his very life? Do women honor their husbands and help them as they work in the world. Does your church help the broken families to flourish?
5. Genesis 2:2-3 teaches us that God rested on the seventh day. For Christians, the day of rest is Sunday, the day of Christ’s resurrection. How do we honor God on that day? Do you rest from your work on that day? Do you trust God to take care of you if you work six days a week and spend one day in rest and worship?
6. Sin, sorrow, sickness, conflict, and death were not God’s original intent for you. Has God delivered you from any of these things through Jesus Christ, and if so, how did it happen? Have any of you been healed by Jesus?
7. How do we honor God as creator? Everything we have was lent to us by God. We honor him as creator by thanking him for our material blessings and by returning to God a portion of our material resources for the work of his Kingdom and the worship of his name. Scripturally, the tithe, ten percent of our harvests and income, is given to God for the work of his church on earth. Do you do that? Is this money being used for the church, it worship, and programs, and for the relief of the poor?
8. Finally, in light of what we have learned so far, how would you answer the questions given at the beginning of this lesson: Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we now? Where are we going? What must we do?
As you discuss these things, you will notice that God’s original good work and hopes for humanity have been shattered. As these lessons unfold, we will see how God is working to restore his good creation and to give his blessings to all who freely receive his love in Christ Jesus. Even now, let us give thanks to God that he has blessed us, that he wants to bless us, that he will bless us, and that he can use us to bless others.
O living and great God, we cannot thank you enough for creating such a beautiful and great world where all things can be a blessing for us. Help us to work for your Kingdom that these blessings may be given to all. By the merits of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
In our next lesson we will learn how sin and death entered God’s good world.
The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
