Catherine Marshall, widow of Peter Marshall (Chaplain to the U.S. Senate), makes this statement related to God as Creator,
“By giving humans freedom of will, the Creator has chosen to limit His own power. He risked the daring experiment of giving us the freedom to make good or bad decisions, to live decent or evil lives, because God does not want the forced obedience of slaves. Instead, He covets the voluntary love and obedience of sons who love Him for Himself.”*
One element of conversations believers often have with pre-saved men and women revolves around questions that are closely related to Mrs. Marshall’s thought… “Why did God…?”
As a mere human, I find myself unable to answer questions about why God did, does, or doesn’t do anything that He does! After all, how can the finite make authoritative comments on the infinite? It seems presumptive or even prideful to respond for God. Yet we are placed in such positions sometimes as we share the love of Christ with lost humanity.
Realizing that Mrs. Marshall used literary license in her comment, God never conducted any daring experiment. He always knows exactly what He is doing and what the outcome will be! This is true in all of His creative acts and is absolutely true in His creation of humanity. While God could at any time impose His will upon mankind, He has chosen to permit personal choice to each one knowing in advance what those choices and consequences will be. God desires voluntary obedience from His human handiwork.
Genesis 1-3 is a goldmine for the human heart. Genesis 1-3 provides all the information needed for any person to come to a full and complete understanding of who we are as humans. In Genesis 1-3 the foundation is completely laid for a healthy self-image. In almost 30 years of missionary work among down-and-out street level addicts in New Orleans, Genesis 1-3 continues to demonstrate great power to those in recovery providing great value, insight, and ultimate appreciation by those who hear her message. To this day I hear from people who call just to say thank you for helping me to understand who I am to God.
By contrast, culture has ways of both exalting and devaluing the humanity. Those who are most valued have achieved greatness by some gauge of measurement, typically things like personal wealth, sports fame, or tremendous contribution to the human plight. Few people make that list. Today, to be accused of being ordinary is a devaluing of humanity. Modern concepts of evolution devalue humanity. To live a counter-culture life in today’s culture devalues humanity. Sin also impacts how we view ourselves. Shame, embarrassment, and humiliation affect self-image. Addictions utterly destroy any sense of human worth. Genesis 1-3 provides answers to who God made us to be and how to achieve both success in life and a proper view of self.
The following elements from Genesis 1-3 speak clearly to any person seeking a solid base for personal meaning and being human.
GOD:
Genesis 1-3 is famous for shouting out the existence of God. There is no attempt to explain, define, or argue the existence of God. The message is simple… God is. Researchers remind us that, by far, most people believe in God. Yet, in today’s culture, it seems that only those who doubt, demean, decry, and deny the existence of God have a valid, valued voice. We who believe in (accept the existence of) God make up the huge majority. We need to remind ourselves of this fact.
CREATION:
Genesis 1-3 also tells the story of creation. Simple, tremendous truth is found as days 1-5 indicate a particular type of creative action taken by God and a very different kind of creative act is depicted on day six of creation. While both indicate the power of God, the contrast between these two kinds of creation could be described as generic versus personal. God by His power “spoke into existence” the elements created on days 1-5 but God interacted personally in His creation of mankind. He engaged Himself, contemplated, utilized ingredients. The word “formed” is used indicating that God used His hands (if God has hands) to make mankind. Creation of mankind is multi-staged, meaning the body was formed before life was given.
IMAGE:
Genesis 1-3 is careful to state that that there is something within the creation of mankind that is God-like. No great clarity is provided to the reader yet we know the attributes of God and to have any of those attributes built into humanity is a tremendous mark to be able to say even in a small way, “I am like God.” Notice how Satan used those words in his temptation of Eve… if you eat you will become “like God.” She was “like God” already, more so than any other creation ever made! So, of all of creation, only humanity was made to be like God.
SOUL:
After the formation of mankind it is noteworthy that man was not yet alive. Another act of God was required to enliven mankind. God Himself breathed His own breath into the nostrils of mankind in order for humanity to gain life. This also indicates another way in which mankind is like God. As God breathed into man, scripture notes the kind of life provided, soul life, a deeper kind of life than was provided in any of the other creative acts of God.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
God made mankind with and for a purpose. That purpose is found throughout scripture but in Genesis 1-3 God states several specific tasks that define and provide meaning for man’s existence upon the earth. This job description is valuable in reminding ourselves and others that man is not here by accident and has a purposeful existence that was designed from the very beginning by God.
HELPMATE:
Two key elements are found here. First, God designed man for partnership. Secondly, as God formed the partner that He desired for man, He defines the partnership.
RULES AND CONSEQUENCES:
God gives only one, single rule by which mankind was to live. How simple. In a world that imposes layers of rules upon humanity, God only had one. No one knows how long before that one rule was broken. Along with the rule, God clearly states the consequence.
TEMPTATION:
Temptation is a given in life. But temptation is not sin. The temptation that came to mankind was aimed at their point of greatest vulnerability. In this case, Adam and Eve already had everything and needed nothing! They were the King and Queen of earth. So the tempter cast doubt in their minds about the veracity of God’s words to them. He played up their desire to be more than human and to be like God. Satan still attacks humanity only at points of personal vulnerability. How are you vulnerable? How can you be strengthened to resist?
SIN:
Failure to live by the rule given by God resulted in sin. Sin, any sin, separates humanity from God. Mankind enjoyed a perfect relationship and union with God up until the time temptation yielded sin. Upon breaking God’s rules for their life they become sinners. Today, people are separated from God by personal sin just as was the case for the first humans.
HIDING:
Two kinds of hiding are found in Genesis 1-3. First, Adam hides from God. Adam, like all sinners, hopes to avoid an encounter with God about his sin. Secondly, Adam, like all sinners, hopes to disguise the markers or indicators of his sin. In his case he uses fig leaves to hide his nakedness, the perceived sign of his sin.
EXCUSES:
God always confronts sin. Human nature from the beginning has sought ways to distance themselves from their own sinfulness. This was invented by Adam and Eve. Each found a way to blame another for their personal failures. God accepts no excuses and held them accountable for their sin.
REDEMPTION:
Genesis 1-3 offers a tremendous account of redemption. Adam, as does all humans, makes a valiant attempt to cover his sin. One great lesson here is that a sinful person cannot atone for his or her own sinful act. A sinless redeemer must make atonement. The fig leaves chosen by Adam and Even were flaccid against human sinfulness. The many covers attempted by sinful humanity today are no more efficacious against sin than were the fig leaves. The great news is that God stood at the ready to provide, through the shedding of innocent blood, the atonement that was required to redeem the broken relationship between God and man. Notice that He also provided the covering of skins to remedy the shame of sinfulness.
These basic points found in Genesis 1-3 can be offered through preaching as well as made available for class work and small groups. These three chapters flow so easily into sharing the gospel message from Romans 3:23; 6:23; 10:9-10, 13. It is as if Paul used Genesis 1-3 to tell the story of sin and redemption. If I could no longer have a complete Bible and had to choose a few pages to keep, for me it would be Genesis 1-3.
*Catherine Marshall (1914-1983), Beyond Our Selves, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961, p. 26
thechurchbreakingout 