ETERNITY PAST AND THE GENERAL IMPORTANCE OF THE BOOK OF GENESIS

Primary Bible Passages: Ephesians 1:3-5 & Genesis 1:1

Key Verse: Genesis 1:1

Memory Verses: John 1:1-3

Lesson Aim: To Emphasize the importance of the book of Genesis

Preparatory Daily Bible Readings:

Monday: Ephesians 1:3-5 & II Timothy 1:9
Tuesday: Galatians 3:26 & Colossians 3:3
Wednesday: John 3:16 & Revelation 22:17
Thursday: Genesis 1:1-5
Friday: Romans 1:20; Job 23:12; Psalm 138:2 & Psalm 11:3
Saturday: Psalm 19:1-6
Sunday: John 1:1-3& Psalm 115:3

LESSON OUTLINE

I. ETERNITY PAST. (Ephesians 1:3-5)

A. The Bible does not elaborate greatly on eternity past. God was doing whatever he pleased. "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." (Psalm 90:2, Psalm 115:3)

1. It was in eternity past that God determined the plan of eternal redemption. He and He alone is responsible for devising the plan by which fallen sinners, in time, could be redeemed. Salvation is exclusively his design and purpose. (II Timothy 1:9, Jonah 2:9)

2. Before there was a universe with all its beings, including man, God determined to save and eternally keep all who are in Christ. See Ephesians 1:3-5. The key to salvation is in Christ, a position one reaches only by faith in Him. (Galatians 3:26)

God not only determined to save and keep all "in Christ," He also devised the plan by which men could get "in Christ." (John 3:16, Revelation 22:17, Matthew 11:28) Back then, He made the decision to save all believers "in Christ." These He predestinated to eternal life. Back then, though He knew, He did not make the decision for each man as to whether or not he would believe. He simply made the decision to save all who would. It is up to every man in time to make the personal decision to believe or not to believe. Man's eternal destiny hinges on the decision he makes. (John 3:36)

B. To believe puts one "in Christ" and God has already predetermined to eternally save each of these.

II. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ACCOUNTS RECORDED IN GENESIS.

A. The profound impact of Christianity upon the history of the world.

1. Christianity has had a very broad influence upon humanity for many centuries, impacting architecture, art, law, personal conduct and the paths of nations.

2. The central document of Christianity is the Bible. (Job 23:12, Psalm 138:2)

B. The integrity of the Bible relies upon the truth of the Genesis account. (Psalm 119:160)

1. The first 11 chapters of Genesis constitute the core of factual information out of which all the rest of the book grows.

2. The foundation of the first 11 chapters of Genesis, and consequentially all of the Bible, is its first statement in Genesis 1:1. If that statement is not true, then the reliability of the rest of the Bible is undermined. If its first statement is not true, there is no reason to believe any other statement in the Bible. (II Corinthians 1:18, III John 12)

C. Genesis means "origins."

1. The origin of many things are recorded in this book: the universe, man, sin, government, languages, marriage, the nation of Israel and much more.

2. Without the Genesis accounting of origins, much of the rest of the Bible would be like a house without a proper foundation. (Psalm 11:3) For example, the elaborate story of the work of redemption by Christ, as told in the New Testament, would be meaningless apart from the origin of the need for such a work, the fall of man, which is recorded in Genesis 3.

3. The origins recorded in Genesis are foundational to the understanding of the rest of the Bible, the existence of the universe and man's existence and purpose. (Psalm 119:130)

III. THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE (Genesis 1:1)

A. Creation appears to have occurred approximately 4000 years B.C. ¹

1. Though an "exact" date is a matter of much debate, there is extensive scientific data to support a young age for the universe and no provable evidence to support the theory of an old age universe: ²

a. One such proof is the Mississippi River delta. "Careful studies of the volume and rate of accumulation of the delta of the Mississippi show that it could not be older than about 5000 years. This age is obtained by dividing the weight of the sediments deposited annually into the total weight of the delta." ³

b. Another case in point is meteorites, which have been plunging to the earth's surface during the entire history of the earth. If the thousands of feet of sedimentary rocks which blanket much of the earth required several billion years for their deposition, large numbers of meteorites should be embedded in them. "In actual fact meteorites have been found only in the surface or younger sedimentary layers, none being discovered in the deeper, 'older' strata."⁴

c. Consideration of phenomena such as high-pressure petroleum and gas reserves, time for the earth to cool, elements and salts in ocean water, sediment on the ocean floor, helium, carbon-14, comets, meteoritic dust on the earth and the moon, star clusters, galaxies and the earth's decaying magnetic field all testify of young earth. ⁵

2. Much documentation to support a young age for the universe occurs in books by Dr. Henry Morris, Dr. Duane T. Gish, Dr. John Morris, Dr. John C. Whitcomb, Dr. Richard B. Bliss, and many others.

B. As the existence of a watch proves a watchmaker, the existence of a world proves a world-maker; and only God could make from nothing (create) "the heaven and the earth," Genesis 1:1.

1. According to Romans 1:20, that which is seen speaks of the existence of that which is unseen.

2. Design in the physical world is one of the greatest testimonials to God. Consistent design must have a designer. The specific nature of the unvarying laws of physics, the intricate design which abounds in such prolific variety in plants and animals, and even in inorganic materials, the predictable activities of heavenly bodies such as the orbit and speed of the moon and even the molecular structures of matter are indisputable proof of design everywhere in the universe.

Psalm 19:1-6 records the observable fact that in all areas of natural phenomena, the evidence of a designer occurs.

3. The Bible spends no time attempting to prove the existence of God. His existence is self evident. Only those who are brainwashed to deny what they see refuse to believe in God.

FOOTNOTES

1. Reese, Edward, The Chronological Bible, Nashville: E.E. Gaddy & Associates, 1977, page 2.

2. Morris, Henry, The Genesis Record, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976, pages 42-46.

3. Kofahl, Robert E, Handy Dandy Evolution Refuter, San Diego: Beta Books, 1977, section k.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

SUMMARY

Before any material world existed, God was. He is eternal, having no beginning, nor ending. He is perfect and all-powerful.

The Bible, the primary source by which one may understand God, does not discuss God's activities prior to creation in great detail. One activity of God, which occurred prior to creation, was His determination of the plan of eternal redemption. Of Himself alone, He devised the plan by which He would redeem the man whom He would create. In His foreknowledge He knew man would fall in sin. God also knew that there would be no hope for man's deliverance from eternal damnation apart from His personal intervention on man's behalf. He thus determined to come, in the person of Christ, to the world, where He would personally die in the place of sinful man. He predetermined that every man who would come to Him in faith would be redeemed or saved from damnation. Identification with Him by faith would constitute the spiritual position of being in Christ. He predetermined that all in Christ would be eternally saved and all outside Him would be eternally damned. He gave every man the choice in time to either believe, and thereby get in Christ, or not believe and thus be damned.

Christianity has had an enormous impact upon the course of human events for many centuries and the central document of the Christian faith is the Bible. The first 11 chapters of the Bible constitute the core of factual information from which the rest of the Bible grows. Without this core of information, the rest of the Bible would not make good sense. For example, the New Testament of the Bible is largely given to the unfolding of the plan of eternal redemption. This part of the Bible goes into great detail recording the coming of Christ and His work leading up to and then on the cross. Great detail is given to the ramifications of Christ's redemptive work, although, apart from the record of man's fall into sin, which is given in Genesis, the redemptive work of Christ would seem meaningless and the New Testament empty. In repeated ways, the book of Genesis is vital to an understanding of the rest of the Bible, to understanding the universe and to an understanding of man's existence.

The foundation of the book of Genesis and the rest of the Bible is the first statement of the Bible. If that statement is not trustworthy, none of the rest of the Bible can be trusted. It is extremely important that the significance of the first chapter of Genesis be understood. No statement more profound than Genesis 1:1 has ever been made.

There is much evidence to support the idea that the universe is quite young, probably not more than 10,000 years, perhaps even younger. Many learned scholars such as Dr. Henry Morris, Dr. Duane Gish and Dr. Robert Kofahl have written numerous scholarly scientific works offering strong evidence of a young universe. A study of meteorites, comets, star clusters, galaxies and many other areas of natural phenomena point to a few thousand years for the age of the earth and universe. There is no provable or strong scientific evidence in support of the universe being billions, or even millions, of years old.

It is significant to note that the Bible spends no time attempting to prove the existence of God. It simply begins with an assertion of what He did. What He did constitutes proof within itself that He did it. The existence of anything, especially something intricately complex, is proof that somebody made it. The creation of an enormously complex universe is infinitely beyond what man could do. To say the universe upgraded itself from simplicity to greater complexity is to defy logic and the observable laws of nature. There can be only one legitimate explanation for its undeniable existence, and that explanation is that in the beginning, God created it. Thus, to those who observe the world around them, with its abundance of intricately complex design, the existence of God is obvious and self-evident.

QUESTIONS

1. When did God begin?

2. What did God do before He initiated time?

3. How do we know that God conceived the plan of salvation independently of human input?

4. Explain the meaning of "in Christ" in relationship to the salvation of individuals.

5. By what means does one get positionally "in Christ" from a spiritual perspective?

6. What did God "predestinate" before the foundation of the world?

7. What impact does God's predestination have upon the security of every believer?

8. Does the salvation of a believer occur at the point of his belief or did it occur before the foundation of the world?

9. Discuss the impact of Christianity upon the course of human events.

10. Explain how the integrity of the Bible hinges upon the validity of the Genesis account.

11. Why are the first 11 chapters of Genesis so crucial to the Bible?

12. Why are the records of the origins given in Genesis important to the rest of the Bible and to the understanding of human existence?

13. What reason is there to believe that the earth is "young," perhaps less than 10,000 years?

14. Name some areas of physical phenomena which support the concept of a "young" universe.

15. What proof is there of the existence of God?

16. Why doesn't the Bible systematically argue the existence of God at length?

17. Discuss the implications of design in relationship to the existence of God.

18. Name areas in the physical universe where design is abundant and clearly observable.

19. Discuss the argument of Psalm 19:1-6.

20. By simple observance of one's surroundings, what must one conclude regarding the existence of God?