Theology from 30,000 Feet: Lesson #2

Revelation in the Beginning

The basic approach to Biblical Theology is to see the whole Bible as a progressive, unfolding revelation of God that is structured like a narrative or story. We can understand the entire Bible as God’s revelation of Himself. This revelation did not come all at one time or just to one person. Rather, there was a gradual unfolding of God’s revelation taking place at various times and in various ways (Hebrews 1.1-2). We can trace some of the epochal periods of God’s revelation of Himself within human history. There are several critical periods of revelation in which God was opening His will and His plan for the world. Not all periods of revelation were the same. God does not change, but how He speaks and what He reveals to mankind is somewhat different during each epoch of revelation history.

The first stage of God’s revelation is found in the first eleven chapters of Genesis. The human condition is described in vivid detail in these chapters. By understanding how the world began, we begin to understand the world today because the principles are universal. “The question of where we come from and where we are going is one of the elementary challenges of life. Perhaps it is THE question of life. Only when we get an answer to it do we learn who we are” (Helmut Thielicke). The first eleven chapters of the Bible contain the account of creation, the account of what happened in the Garden of Eden, and then the aftermath.

Creation and the Creator

The first two chapters of the Bible are the account of creation. The main feature of this account is the glory and goodness of God. God speaks the world into existence out of nothing. God creates the raw materials and then He begins to build a world. He brings light where there was only darkness. He sets the cycles of day and night. He fills the earth with plants and animals.

He then pronounces it good. Creation is rich and beautiful. At the center of that world is the very presence of God Himself. The Bible teaches that everything begins with God and life has meaning only with God Himself as the central consideration. This picture of God in Genesis directly contradicts the mythologies of the ancient pagans whose deities cared little for mankind. The ancient pagans also worshiped creation instead of the Creator. The creation account in Genesis is a case against idolatry in all its forms, both ancient and modern. The central claim of the Bible is that there is one God who created everything and who is the only proper object of our worship and devotion. Creation is the foundation of all Biblical revelation.

Genesis contradicts the secular materialism and atheism of the modern world. The secularists understand the implications of the creation account in Genesis and have done much to try to discredit and dismiss it, often in the name of science. Christians need to understand that behind all the talk about science and the theory of evolution is an agenda to remove God. Modern secularism does not need or want a God to exist. The materialists reject any supernatural explanation for the world. God has been removed from the secular worldview so other explanations for the world must be found, such as evolution. Secularists see their worldview as a rather liberating thing. If there is no God, then there can be no overarching meaning to life that everyone is bound to accept. This means that we are free to create our own meaning. The idea of creating one’s own life and finding meaning for yourself, apart from any outside influence, is a major theme in modern life. The freedom to choose one’s own destiny is the most precious idea to modern people and anything that threatens this autonomy and freedom is considered dangerous.

The first two humans are placed in a beautiful garden. Everything they need is provided for them abundantly. Man is made in the image of God. This means that he is God’s steward who is to rule the earth for God and under the authority of God. The image of God means that man is on the earth to represent God’s rule on earth just as God rules in Heaven. And mankind is blessed with all the mental and creative capacity to govern the creation. But the Creator is never far away, and He even walks with the man and the woman in Eden in some anthropological form. Man was not created to be a slave of God, as in the pagan myths, but sort of like a partner. Man was to care for the creation and develop it or cultivate it. The resources are abundant. The natural world is like a beautiful gift that is ready to be opened and explored. The creation was meant to be used but not abused by mankind. The very first job was tending the Garden of Eden. Work was not a curse but was a part of God’s original design for human life on earth. Just as God had exerted His will in creating the world, mankind was free to take what God had made and form new things out of it. God provided the raw materials for creating human culture and civilization. There is no indication in Scripture that life in Eden was meant to be the final state of the world. God clearly expected mankind to develop the world. The creation is filled with potential. Human history is to be the development of creation’s possibilities with mankind taking the initiative. The world is like a stage that is now ready for a story to be told and a drama to begin.

The Garden of Eden

The account of the Garden of Eden follows creation (Genesis 2.4-3.24). Geerhardus Vos summarizes the revelation of God in the Garden of Eden in four principles: 1. The Principle of Life, 2. The Principle of Probation, 3. The Principle of Temptation, 4. The Principle of Death.

1. The Principle of Life. Although mankind already had a biological kind of life by virtue of his creation, there was a higher quality of life experienced in Eden. This higher life was fellowship with God. The Tree of Life was a real tree. But it pointed beyond itself to a higher reality. Having access to this Tree was a sign of their access to God. They walked with God. The Garden of Eden was a Temple for Divine fellowship. This Divine fellowship is eternal life. Eternal life meant more than just never dying. Having eternal life meant being in fellowship with God. A person who has fellowship with God cannot die.

2. The Principle of Temptation. At this point in history God did not reveal anything about the nature or origins of the Serpent. But we know the Serpent’s nature and intent and that is enough. He is there to tempt the man and the woman away from God. The Tempter is right there to encourage them to throw off the fetters of God. He is crafty, subtle, deceptive. He just wants to have a discussion. But as soon as he starts to speak, he begins to lie. The serpent lies about God. His strategy is to drive a wedge between man and God, creating alienation and even hostility. To accomplish this the serpent makes Eve doubt the goodness of God. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Eve begins to doubt the goodness of God. Why would a good God withhold something good from them? The forbidden fruit certainly looked good. It promised wisdom. And it would make them like God. Was God a cosmic killjoy who just wanted to dangle these good things in front of their eyes while denying them the full experience? At some point she begins to believe that their lives would be better without God interfering with His selfish and pointless commands. The original temptation was for man to become as God rather than accepting his place as a creature.

3. The Principle of Probation. Man’s probation, or a period of testing and evaluation, had to do with the choice he was given either to remain in fellowship with God or take his own path away from God. This choice is symbolized in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Tree of Life is fellowship with God. But there is another way that mankind can choose to go. We should notice that God’s command not to eat from that other tree was completely arbitrary. In other words, God had to give them a command that had no other reason behind it other than God Himself. They were to obey God’s command just because it was God. God defines the meaning of life. One of the great errors of the modern world is thinking that we get to define what life is all about. We think we get to decide for ourselves what good and evil means. But it is not so. God was using that tree to create a moral arena. The forbidden fruit was something other than God and His will which created a crisis of choice. Every time they saw that tree, they would have to make a choice between God and something else. The tree was an objectification of a moral decision. What was at stake was their fellowship with God. They could choose uninterrupted fellowship with the Creator or go their own way. Life is like a road which suddenly diverges, making us choose a path. Somehow people manage to convince themselves that every road is good and eventually leads to the same place in the end. That there is a real choice between good and evil is a rather unpopular notion.

4. The Principle of Death. When mankind chose his own path, there was an immediate alienation from God which resulted in his spiritual and eventual physical death as well as expulsion from Eden. Oddly enough, the Serpent seemed to be right. They did not immediately fall over dead. But the process of death had entered the world. Even the creation itself was affected by mankind’s sin. Death is a separation of man from God. There is no option where we can enjoy all the blessings of God without God Himself, though this has perennially been what fallen man has sought. We can be free from obeying God, but there is a price for this freedom. Death should not be viewed as a punishment, but as the inevitable result of being separated from God. We are creatures. We depend on God. Breaking that relationship is a matter of life and death.

After they ate from the forbidden tree, they experienced shame and alienation from God. There is nothing in the account that states they were ashamed in each other’s presence. Their nakedness does not seem to just be sexual embarrassment. They are ashamed to be seen by God. Their nakedness is a new awareness of themselves in the presence of God. They do not feel adequate to stand before God. The relationship with God was instantly changed. They were now afraid of God. They tried to cover themselves. They no longer wanted to be in fellowship with God. There are any number of ways we can try to avoid God. Some people reject the existence of God. The real reason for atheism is moral, not intellectual. If God is not there, then we can have no moral responsibility to obey Him. Philosophy is an escape from God. In every Age there is an attempt to philosophically redefine the meaning of life. Behind it all is just the desire to go our own way rather than having to submit to God. Materialism is an attempt to escape from God. If we are just biological machines living in a world formed by chance, then we can do as we please without any accountability.

God would not leave them alone, which is what they wanted. He made them come out and face the facts concerning what they had done. This shows that God’s desire is to be gracious while also making us face the truth about our condition. Unfortunately, the man and woman are not willing to face the truth. The man blames his wife, and indirectly blames God for what happened. The woman blames the serpent. When we look back at what happened in Eden, we see ourselves. We see all the wrong choices we have made. We too have been rebellious. We wanted to be the Master. We have tried to cover for ourselves, to hide from God, and maybe even blamed someone else for our evil actions.

God uses this confrontation for some extremely important revelations about His plan and the future of the world. To the Serpent, the first words concerning redemption are given. The Serpent’s head will be bruised by someone coming out of humanity (Gen. 3.15). The work of redemption will be God’s, but it will come through the seed of the woman. The Serpent’s work will be undone. The Serpent had successfully turned the man and the woman against God. Redemption will consist of people being brought back to God and reconciled to Him. Rather than seeing God as the enemy, the Serpent will be opposed by those who are being redeemed. Those who were overcome by the Serpent will become participants in his defeat. The world will become a cosmic battlefield where a decisive war will be fought. God has already announced the outcome of the conflict and the Serpent will not have the last word. In some sense the rest of the Biblical story will be about how God is fulfilling His promise in Eden to bruise the Serpent’s head.

There are serious consequences for the disobedience in Eden. The woman will suffer pain in childbirth and will also suffer under her husband’s domineering authority. Sin does not just drive a wedge between God and man, but also between human relationships. Mankind’s original place of ruling over creation is also interrupted by sin. The creation was under man’s dominion and so the creation must also suffer the consequences of man’s sin. A curse of corruption and death is placed on the creation itself. The earth will no longer submit to mankind’s rule. The man will have to work the ground for food, but the earth will now be cursed and will not cooperate with him. The man will literally work the earth until he returns to the earth. All his efforts will be ultimately frustrated. Man will spend his days in toil, only to die and lose all that he had worked for during his lifetime. The specter of death will haunt all human life, dashing his hopes and separating him from everything he loves in the world.

The man and the woman are then removed from Eden and access to the Tree of Life is blocked. This was a merciful thing. We do not have to endure life in a fallen world forever. The Tree of Life disappears and is not found again in this world. Human history now goes in a very different direction. The future is outside of Eden, away from the presence of God. Sin results in banishment, alienation, and homelessness. The human family must now make its way in a world that is hostile and difficult. That fellowship with God that was once possible in Eden is gone. God is there, but His presence is much more mysterious and remote. Outside of Eden it will become possible for mankind to forget about God completely and act as if He does not exist. Before escorting them out of Paradise, God provides for their nakedness. Mankind is not completely alone in the world and without help. God is still there, and He is still providing for man’s needs.

East of Eden

After Adam and Eve are expelled from Eden, we immediately begin to see the effects of sin on the human family. “Hence, before the work of redemption is further carried out, the downward tendency of sin is clearly illustrated in order that subsequently in the light of this downgrade movement the true divine cause of the upward course of redemption might be appreciated” (Vos). Adam and Eve’s offspring display a tendency toward wickedness. This is illustrated in three incidents: in Cain’s murder of his brother Abel, in the wickedness of the world leading up to the Flood, and in the building of the Tower of Babel.

Not only do these accounts illustrate the spread of sin in the world, but also the care of God for the world. God is there during each of these evil events to both bring judgement and show mercy. God is not distant and uninvolved in human history. He is always there to make sure the world does not descend into utter chaos and darkness. Despite human sin and rebellion, God never deserts the world or completely leaves humanity to its own devices. The absentee God of modern thought is not the God of Scripture. God did not leave the world to run on its own according to natural laws. God is sustaining creation and guiding human development. The sovereign hand of God is working in the world. God has a purpose for human history and is guiding things in the direction He desires. Most people in the world do not see God’s hand at work. But these chapters of Genesis prove that God is always there, albeit behind the scenes at times. The main actor in human history is God. God’s works against the dark backdrop of human depravity. These three accounts are not just isolated occurrences but teach us about a pattern throughout the history of the world.

Cain and Abel

Cain and Abel bring their offerings to God. The Lord is pleased with Abel’s offering, but he rejects Cain. We are not told why the offering of Cain was particularly objectionable to God, but it no doubt had something to do with the heart of Cain and his attitude toward God. God warned Cain directly about his behavior. Rather than repenting of his wickedness, Cain seeks to do away with his competition in Abel. The first murder in human history was over religion. Abel becomes the first righteous man to suffer persecution and death. He will not be the last. The murder of Abel is a sign of things to come.

When confronted by God Himself, Cain refuses to take responsibility for his murderous actions. God does not kill Cain but sends him away in yet another act of banishment and alienation. The pattern of sin is repeating itself. Cain is acting like his parents in Eden and receiving the same penalty for his sin. This is a graphic illustration of how sin has caused alienation between people and other people, not just between people and God.

Cain and Abel represent two kinds of people in the world. Cain is a child of the Devil and reveals the murderous nature of his spiritual progenitor. Abel is a righteous man who worships God acceptably yet suffers unjustly as a result of his faith and devotion. This division of humanity becomes a major theme in the Bible. God has always had His people and there have always been people who live in opposition to God and His will. The history of the world is the story of these two societies. There are two cities living side by side in the world: the city of man and the city of God. “I classify The Human Race into two branches: the one consists of those who live by human standards, the other of those who live according to God’s will. I also call these two classes the two cities, speaking allegorically. By two cities I mean two societies of human beings, one of which is predestined to reign with God for all eternity, the other doomed to undergo eternal punishment with the Devil” (Augustine). It is important to notice that God is not only working with the righteous people like Abel but is also involved with the wicked men like Cain. No person is outside of the care and the judgement of God, even if they do not acknowledge Him or submit to His will. God will continue to use wicked men and nations for His own purposes.

The Flood

Cain’s violent murder is not an isolated event. The world becomes so filled with violence that God is sorry he created mankind and is grieved at the wickedness of the world. God’s tolerance comes to an end and He destroys that early world by a great flood. But a full end will not be made. God saves a man named Noah and his family from the Flood and starts the human family over through Noah’s three sons. “For even though the subject is that of catastrophe and downfall, God can never be a God of the end of things. He always bestows beginnings. God is positive. His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3.23). One must only learn to see. And ultimately, faith is nothing else but seeing that this is so” (Helmut Thielicke). God makes a covenant never to destroy the earth again with water. Until God’s purpose is fulfilled, the earth will remain. The rainbow was chosen by God as a sign of His covenant promise.

The Flood is a graphic illustration of God’s involvement in the world, both with acts of mercy and salvation and acts of judgement. The account of the Flood is also a microcosm of the entire plan of redemption and the story of the Bible. Just as Noah stood out among the wicked people of his generation, the people of God will always be different in a wicked world. God cares for Noah and his family, helping them through every stage of the ordeal, and bringing them through the catastrophe to see a new world. Noah’s relationship with God and the salvation God worked for Noah is an example for all times of how God works with His people. Salvation comes from God. His people must trust, patiently wait, and obey God’s word. When it finally started raining, Noah was glad that he had trusted God!

The Tower of Babel

When the earth is beginning to be populated again after the Flood, it becomes obvious that the sinful nature is still at work in mankind. The people come together and in a great show of solidarity decide to build a city with a tall tower. Their agenda is to make themselves powerful and secure, but God is not a factor in their plans. “Unity was to afford the possibility for founding a gigantic empire, glorifying man in his independence of God” (Vos). The Tower of Babel is a manifestation of mankind’s desire to ascend to the place of God. God comes down to see this project and cannot allow it to continue. There is a bit of Divine sarcasm here. The thing that seems so great to the builders of Babel is so unimpressive to God, He must leave His heavenly throne just to be able to see it properly! What seems high and strong to men is nothing to God.

The world makes its plans without considering God and what God wants for the world that He made. Mankind wants to usurp God and rule the world for its own ends. This is something that God will simply not allow. All of mankind’s plans will fail. Only the Divine purpose will succeed. What men do or seek to do is not the theme of human history. God’s plan for the world is the real theme of history. A secular historian’s account of Babel would read very different from the Biblical account. What might have looked like a great failure to men was really a successful judgement of God. What looked like a good thing to men was not the will of God for the world.

The judgement of God is confusion which results in disunity and the builders of Babel are scattered. But the spirit of Babel will endure in the world when men come together to fulfill their own desires without God in their thoughts. “Always the trend is the same: wherever God has been deposed, some substitute point has to be created to bind men together in some fashion or other” (Helmut Thielicke). The world seeks redemption through its own work and ingenuity. Unfortunately, the plans of men do not include the living God. Human civilization will always try to find a way to recapture the blessings Eden, but it will always do so without God and so it will always fail. The book of Genesis shows us that mankind wanted to have this autonomy and independence from God from the very beginning of human history. By understanding the first section of Genesis we come to understand the modern world. While the unity of mankind might seem like a good goal, and a unified world is often held up as an ideal of the Modernist agenda, if this unity is in opposition to the will of God then no good thing can come from it. History is strewn with the wrecks of other towers like Babel.

The Biblical account gives us revelation about the principles that will govern the unfolding of human history. History will take a dark path that is only redeemed by the ongoing plan and presence of God. We get the idea that if God had let the world go, mankind would have self-destructed. But God did not let the world go. He has a plan for redeeming His creation. The first stage in that plan of redemption will begin with the calling of a man named Abram.