Genesis 1:1(ESV) In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
I have been thinking about the importance of taking the book of Genesis literally and seriously. Starting in verse one, the bible declares that God has always existed and furthermore, He created the heavens and the earth.
For those who don’t take Genesis chapter one seriously, exactly who do you think God is? What kind of God do you worship? Think about this – if Genesis 1:1 isn’t true then:
God hasn’t always existed. Obviously there is someone greater than Him that created Him.
He isn’t all powerful – only a real God would have the power to create.
He lied in the very first verse of His letter to us which would make Him unholy.
Nothing He says in the rest of His word would be trustworthy.
Such a God would not be worthy of worship.
Such a God would have no moral authority to tell creation His laws.
Basically you are left without a God. Those who don’t believe in God don’t believe in Jesus either. Says so in John:
John 5:19-24 (ESV) (19) So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. (20) For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. (21) For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. (22) The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, (23) that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. (24) Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
So tell me again how do you call yourself a Christian and yet don’t believe in Genesis 1:1?
While studying John chapter three yesterday, I stumbled upon something that amazed me. Look for a minute at these verses:
John 1:18 (NET) No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known. 6:46 (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God – he has seen the Father.) 8:47 The one who belongs to God listens and responds to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond, because you don’t belong to God.”
Who did Jesus say that He was? Over and over He said “I am the One".” To a first century Jew who was familiar with the Septuagint and who prayed the Shema every day – His words could not have been more clear. Jesus was claiming to be the great “I AM” of Exodus.
Here is John 3:13 in the Greek TR
13 και ουδεις αναβεβηκεν εις τον ουρανον ει μη ο εκ του ουρανου καταβας ο υιος του ανθρωπου ο ων εν τω ουρανω 3
Footnotes:
1Aland, K., Black, M., Martini, C. M., Metzger, B. M., Robinson, M., & Wikgren, A. (1993; 2006). The Greek New Testament, Fourth Revised Edition (with Morphology) (Jn 8:47). Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
2Septuaginta: With morphology. 1979 (electronic ed.) (Ex 3:14). Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.
3Robinson, M. (2002). Elzevir Textus Receptus (1624): With morphology (Jn 3:13). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
17 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. 18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, 21 and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. 22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. 25 But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them. Acts 21:17-26 (ESV)
Many Jews took the Nazarite vow at some point in their life. The minimum amount of time was 30 days and the maximum was for life although we only know of four who did that.
Scripture mentions three Nazarites for life: Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist, to which Christian tradition adds the name of James the Just, ‘the brother of the Lord,’ who presided over the Church at Jerusalem when Paul joined in the Nazarite-offering. In this respect it is noteworthy that, among those who urged upon Paul to ‘be at charges’ with the four Christian Nazarites, James himself is not specially mentioned. [Edersheim, A. (2003). The Temple, its ministry and services as they were at the time of Jesus Christ. (375). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.]
At this point in time, the early church is about twenty years after the cross or sometime in the early 50’s A.D. Why would Paul participate in something so Jewish twenty years after the cross?
For some reason, probably in the midst of his work at Corinth, Paul himself took on the Nazarite vow. This could only be terminated by his going up to Jerusalem to offer up his hair, which until then was to be left uncut. But it seems to have been allowable for persons at a distance to cut their hair, which was to be brought up to Jerusalem, where the ceremony was completed. This Paul did at Cenchrea just before setting out on his voyage into Syria (Acts 18:18). In our text-verse, Paul took on the Nazarite vow again at the Feast of Pentecost. One commentator writes: “The ceremonies involved took a longer time than Paul had at his disposal, but the law permitted a man to share the vow if he could find companions who had gone through the prescribed ceremonies, and who permitted him to join their company. This permission was commonly granted if the newcomer paid all the fees required from the whole company (fees to the Levites for cutting the hair and fees for sacrifices), and finished the vow along with the others. Four Jewish Christians were performing the vow, and would admit Paul to their company, provided he paid their expenses. Paul consented, paid the charges, and when the last seven days of the vow began he went with them to live in the temple, giving the usual notice to the priests that he had joined in regular fashion, was a sharer with the four men, and that his vow would end with theirs. Nazarites retired to the temple during the last period of seven days, because they could be secure there against any accidental defilement.” [Freeman, J. M., & Chadwick, H. J. (1998). Manners & customs of the Bible (534–535). North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers.]
If, as some believe, everything Jewish or associated with the Torah died instantly when Jesus breathed his last breath on the cross, they would be hard pressed to explain this portion of Scripture. However, Jesus, his disciples, Paul and most of the early church were Jewish and stayed within Jewish culture and practices. Jesus said:
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:17 (ESV)
And Paul said:
12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Romans 7:12 (ESV)
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
Without the Old Testament, the New Testament makes no sense. Jesus was the fulfillment of the entire sacrificial system of the temple. He is the promised Messiah of every prophet. Jesus didn’t come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it perfectly. Amen!
James 2:1-9 ESV (1) My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. (2) For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, (3) and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," (4) have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (5) Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? (6) But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? (7) Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? (8) If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. (9) But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
If you’ve ever been to a megachurch or large conference you have seen a rather unsettling phenomenon. Large sections of seats near the front are roped off for VIP guests leaving seats in the balcony or nosebleed section for those unfortunate enough to be just ordinary Christians. This practice has turned my stomach for as long as I’ve been a Christian.
I grew up in a Baptist church where most people left the front center pew open for the pastor and his family and the rest was open seating. It wasn’t necessary to rope off two thirds of the church for the “elite” as we were all members of the church. When I started attending charismatic churches in my twenties, I noticed everyone wanted to sit up front instead of the usual back row Baptists I had grown up with.
Then as celebrity speakers became the thing (rather than humble Spirit filled preachers) churches started marking off most of the front section of the church for staff members and their friends and of course that well known country music star that just happens to come to your church. It got so bad at one church that I counted over 65% of the seats were reserved and general members could only sit on the back 4 rows of the church!
For those of you who practice such sin in your church – can you please explain to me why James chapter two doesn’t apply to you?
Leviticus 18:2-5 ESV (2) "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. (3) You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. (4) You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. (5) You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.
Deuteronomy 12:29-31 ESV (29) "When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, (30) take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods?--that I also may do the same.' (31) You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the LORD hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.
It never ceases to amaze me, when something in the bible is about as crystal clear as it can be, how some people think they can get away with disobeying that part of Scripture and not have any consequences.
What is clear from the above texts and the clear teaching of Scripture in general is that we are not to take the practices of other religions and incorporate them into our worship. Most Christians skim over this with a relieved sigh and tell themselves “I’m so thankful I don’t worship idols.”
Just what were some of these ancient civilizations doing that caused God to vomit them out of their land? Leviticus 18 tells us:
They were marrying or having sexual relationships with relatives. Today we call that incest.
They were sacrificing their children to Molech. Today we call that abortion.
They were unfaithful to their wives – it was and still is called adultery.
They were engaged in same sex relationships i.e. homosexuality.
They were having sex with animals i.e. bestiality.
To this list we can also add any practice having its origins in another religion such as yoga (Hinduism), mind-emptying meditation (as opposed to biblical meditation), martial arts (rooted in Buddhism), and Freemasonry (based in Lucifer worship).
1 Corinthians 13:8-12 ESV (8) Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. (9) For we know in part and we prophesy in part, (10) but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. (11) When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. (12) For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
Those who hold to the position that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased when the final chapter of the final book of the New Testament was written are called cessationists. Those who believe that God can and still does work through the Holy Spirit in the life of believers today may be called continuationists.
The argument by the cessationists goes something like this: God used men to write the New Testament and so gave them miraculous abilities and gifts so they would be able to write Scripture. Once Scripture was completed, there was no reason to continue working in this manner again as man could simply read all that was necessary.
A continuationist would say there is no such artificial stopping point noted in Scripture and that God continues to work in man through the Holy Spirit just as illustrated for us in the Scripture.
A key verse for the cessationists is the one from 1 Corinthians 13 above. They read into the passage (eisigesis) that perfect must mean the completed New Testament canon. If this is true then the following must also be true:
Knowledge has ceased. Has it? No.
Prophecy must cease. Has it? That depends on how you define prophecy. If we define it as Holy Spirit inspired forth telling, then no it hasn’t. If we add in fore telling then that depends on the solution to the argument here.
We see Jesus face to face. Do we? Obviously no.
Conclusion: we still see in a mirror dimly so we also have knowledge in part and prophecy in part and tongues (note it never mentions tongues as being in part!). Therefore the gifts still continue today.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 ESV (1) Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, (2) not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. (3) Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, (4) who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. (5) Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? (6) And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. (7) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. (8) And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. From the Believer’s Bible Commentary:
2:6 They knew what was restraining the full and open manifestation of the man of sin, and what would continue to restrain him until the appointed time. This brings us to the third great unanswered question in this chapter. The first is, “What is the apostasy?” The second is, “Who is the man of sin?” The third is, “What or who is the restrainer?” In the first part of verse 6, the restrainer is described in an impersonal way ... what is restraining. But then in verse 7 it is a person—He who now restrains. E. W. Rogers puts it clearly:
It is Something and Someone who wittingly, purposefully, and designedly holds it in check with the view to ensuring that the Man of Lawlessness is revealed in his own proper time.
Seven of the more common views as to the identity of the restrainer are: (1) the Roman Empire, (2) the Jewish State, (3) Satan, (4) the principle of law and order as found in human government, (5) God, (6) the Holy Spirit, and (7) the true church as indwelt by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwelling the church and the individual believer seems to fit the description of the restrainer more completely and accurately than any of the others. Just as the restrainer is spoken of as Something and Someone in this chapter, so the Spirit is spoken of in John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:8, John 16:13-14 as both neuter (the Holy Spirit) and masculine (He). As early as Genesis 6:3, the Holy Spirit is spoken of in connection with the restraint of evil. Then later He is seen in this same role in Isaiah 59:19 b, John 16:7-11, and 1 John 4:4. It is by the indwelling Spirit that believers are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13) and the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Salt is a preservative, but it also hinders the spread of corruption. Light dispels darkness, the sphere in which men love to perform their evil deeds (John 3:19). When the Holy Spirit leaves the world as the permanent Indweller of the church (1 Corinthians 3:16) and of individual believers (1 Corinthians_6:19), the restraint of lawlessness will be gone.
I would agree with the above assessment and add this to it. Jesus speaks of the Church as not being subordinate to any evil: Matthew 16:18 ESV (18) And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Yet in this passage: Revelation 13:5-7 ESV (5) And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. (6) It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. (7) Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, it seems that the Beast has conquered the saints. The only way to make sense of this is to understand that the Church has been removed prior to the appearance of the Antichrist and the “saints” spoken of here in Revelation are Tribulation saints i.e. those saved after the rapture. Thus, once again, the doctrine of the rapture takes into account and fully explains these passages.
