Taught by Grace

Those who have only lived after the fall of Genesis three know very well what life is like after the fall. We understand the division of human beings, the grueling nature of work, and the pain a mother endures in delivering a child. We know very well what it is like to experience pain, sorrow, and anxiety. However, Genesis 2 reveals to us what life was like before any of this happened.

Before there was grueling labor, God gave Adam work to do.

Before there was strife, Adam enjoyed perfect communion with Eve.

Before there was sin, Adam knew what God intended for life to be.

Genesis 2 points us to what was God’s intention to be normal in the world. What is normal to us, was not God’s normal for the world. Normal to us is sin and death, but to God is righteousness and life! However, because of the fall in Genesis 3, sin and death remains normal thus departing from God’s original design in Genesis 2.

Even greater than pointing us back to life before the fall, Genesis two reminds us that one day, this will be restored to the millionth degree! Because of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, He will recreate this world to an even greater state than it was at the beginning.

What was normal in Genesis 2 is not normal for us now and what is normal for us now will not be normal for us then. As Revelation 21:6 declares, He will make all things new! Through Jesus Christ, this messed up state will be renewed to His original design and then some.

(Re-Published because of an error in post)

Legalism is one of the most hot-button topics of recent times. I think there are two ditches people fall into regarding what Legalism is and what it isn’t. Some people say, “Everything is legalism!” and others say, “Nothing is legalism!”

In light of these two ditches, what then is Legalism? My succinct definition for Legalism is this: 

We all understand Legalism in the first matter of salvation. Legalism is when anyone says, “you must do this to be saved.” However, we also see that Legalism can be manifested in sanctification. We examine both of these realities to answer this question, in this week's episode. 

We’ve been looking in the early chapters of Genesis over the last few weeks. Before we travel on, I wanted to take flight from the ground level and look at these recent chapters from a 20,000-foot view. Instead of looking at a specific passage in Genesis this week, I want to show you how Genesis 1-3 relates to the whole of Scripture.

Here’s an important truth for you and me, as we study our Bibles. Every single word, verse, sentence, paragraph, chapter, and book are written within a greater Biblical context. It’s important not to look at any verse, paragraph, or book without considering the overarching narrative of God’s Word. As it has been well pointed out before, you cannot miss the forest by staring at the trees.

This is especially true in Genesis 1-3 because events happen in these chapters that have earth-shattering ramifications upon the rest of Biblical and human history. There are truths revealed in these chapters that set a precedent about who God is and how God works. There are implications that remain true through history because of what happened in Eden.

How does Genesis 1-3 connect to the rest of Scripture?

Throughout all of Christian history, there has been a struggle regarding how to reconcile the law and grace. It was acknowledged in the early church at the Jerusalem council in Acts 16, Paul in Galatians, and the apostle in Hebrews. It has also been dealt with throughout church history and is still very prevalent in our time as well. It is a struggle between law and grace regarding how it applies to the Christian's life. 

Two false systems arise from misconceptions of grace: Legalism and Antinomianism. We will examine these in the next two installments of Taught by Grace's theology episodes, but this week, we take a general look at this apparent struggle between law and grace to see what Scripture teaches. 

In Genesis 3:1-7, Adam and Eve bought the lie of the serpent that God wasn't really good and he didn't really know what was best for them. They ate of the tree expecting it to be far better than their current state, but they found it to be far worse. 

For the first time in Genesis 3:8-24, God enters the scene as more than a mere byword. He is not accused by the serpent or doubted by Eve now, but He takes over. There are three ways in which God works throughout this chapter. 1) He enters the garden interrogating, 2) he responds to their sin by declaring, and 3) he ultimately responds to it by doing. We see God interrogating in 8-13, declaring in 14-20, and doing in 21-24.

Eating of the tree wasn’t worth it. Adam and Eve bought the lie, but it wasn’t worth it. They knew good and evil, but they didn’t become gods. Their eyes were opened, but they now knew the shame of being naked. We have been examining the glory in creation, but this is not glorious. This is absolutely tragic.

By the way, this is not some distant even in the past that doesn’t really matter today. This is the very reason we are in the mess we are in today. This is why people die because, as Romans 5 teaches, in Adam all men die. It is because of this original sin and you and I coming from Adam and Eve that we die. We will die physically and we are dead spiritually. There is death, decay, famine, war, shame, suffering, and so much more, all because of sin.

If you ever ask, “Why is there so much bad in the world?” you must simply remember Genesis 3. It is because of sin. The ramifications of this event were not just personal, they were universal. They didn’t just affect Adam and Eve, but every person born thereafter.

But this is not the end of the story. God could have wiped the slate clean, but He didn’t. He is not a God who restarts, He is a God who redeems. And He promised to redeem and He has redeemed. It is because of this event that sin entered into the world and it is also for that very reason, that a Savior was needed and God came as Jesus Christ to do that.

In nearly every novel, film, and story, there is a climactic point that transforms the narrative. The basketball team is undefeated, the hero only knows triumph, and the family enjoys happiness. However, something happens. The team is beaten, the hero is defeated, and the family experiences tragedy. Then, instead of ascending the mountain of victory, life, and peace, they begin descending into the depths of frustration, anger, and sorrow. The climactic loss or tragedy transforms the entire narrative.

But all of these only pale in comparison to the tragedy that occurred in Genesis three. There has never been a more drastic shift from peace to hostility, joy to sadness, and life to death. Genesis 3 is this event in God’s Word.

The serpent enters the garden with his ploy to destroy Adam and Eve. He causes the woman to question the word of God and character of God while promising to give her what God refuses to give her. 

In this week’s everyday theology episode, we’re going to take a brief look into the subject of assurance of salvation. This is one of those subjects concerning salvation that many believers struggle with, but are afraid to admit that they struggle with it. It seems like there should be a point in your Christian life when you just know that you know that you know for good. However, we, especially those of us who struggle with doubt, understand that there will be times when doubt arises in our hearts.

The reason so many struggles with knowing that they are saved is because the grounds for their assurance is rooted in their faith instead of the object of their faith

You don’t question whether or not Jesus saves, but you question whether or not you really believed in Jesus. You question whether or not you did the right thing, said the right words, or had strong enough faith. This is why we doubt! We are looking for assurance in us, rather than looking for assurance in Christ.

In last week’s episode, we examined verses 4-17 of Genesis 2 to see what life was like before sin. One of the key takeaways from Genesis 2 is this. Some things that were before the fall, remain after the fall. However, now they have been distorted from God’s original design for them. Last week, we saw how that work before the fall was satisfying. Now, this week, we’re going to see how God originally designed for relationships to be as a whole and the marriage covenant specifically.

Almost everything we see about relationships following Genesis 2 is a distortion of God’s original design. Do you think that murder, deception, adultery, and the like were in God’s original design? Of course not! God’s original design for human beings was not that they would be at odds with one another, but in communion with one another.

There is really one primary passage in the New Testament on the importance of gathering together.

Hebrews 10:25 - Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

I find it interesting that this is really the only command in the New Testament, as far as I have seen, that commands believers to come together. However, there are a myriad of exhortations about how believers are to interact when they are together. Don’t miss this. Believers gathering together did not have to be commanded repeatedly because it was assumed that that is what believers do.

God’s people are a gathering people. They have to come together. They long to come together. It is not the normal state of the Christian to live in isolation from other believers, but in community with other believers. However, we live in a time that isolation Christianity has become the norm. Many believers are content to watch their favorite preacher from home or join in on the livestream of the church, instead of having meaningful interactions with their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Link to episode on Christian Fellowship:

https://anchor.fm/taughtbygrace/episodes/Christian-Fellowship-The-Commonality-Believers-Share-in-Christ-e1bh7d6