Why we defend Genesis...
Many people, in their efforts to embrace evolution and the big bang have abandoned Genesis 1-11. We have established in previous emails that the early chapters of Genesis are the inspired Word of God. Everything recorded actually happened as it is described. In our Bible classes, we have looked at the evidence for the Biblical account of creation and we have refuted the claims of atheist scientists. But all of this was done for a larger purpose. We don't want to just win arguments, we want to win souls. Ultimately our job is to tell people the message of the Gospel and let God work in their hearts. So just how does Genesis 1-11 relate to the Gospel?
How Genesis fits in the Gospel...
God created the world and it was very good! He made people in his own image and gave them a purpose. He put man and woman in a complementary relationship with each other and he gave them some boundaries. They were there to work the garden and enjoy it. Their only rule was to avoid eating from one particular tree. Life here, for this brief moment in time, was perfect!
When presented with the temptation to "become like God," Adam and Eve sinned, bringing sin and death into the world. They were banished from the garden and eventually died. Just like Adam and Eve, we were created in God's image with a purpose, but because of their rebellion, from the moment of our conception, we are sinners separated from God. But fortunately God had a plan to one day send his son to die for the sins of the world and reconcile us to God.
Genesis as a foundation...
If you believe in Jesus, then you have to understand that the reason he came is because of what happened in Genesis 2 & 3. It's because of our sin that the savior came to die. His plan from eternity past was to become a man and die for you and me, taking the punishment for our sin. And he came back to life showing his power over sin and death. As we defend what we believe about Genesis, we do so to lay a foundation for the message of the Gospel. It's not enough to just poke holes in evolution, we have to also point people to Jesus. Once they see the problem of their theory and then acknowledge the problem of their sin, our job is to tell them about the solution we have in Jesus.
Family Discussion
How does Genesis 2 & 3 lay a foundation for the Gospel?
How would you go about sharing the gospel with an atheist scientist?
Where else in the Bible does the Gospel point back to something in Genesis?