This is Part 2 of a 3 part series. To best understand this post, I recommend you read Part 1 first.
Besides the fact that the Bible is not contradicted by either science or archaeology, it is also the foundation of the Gospel.
What is the Gospel (the good news)?
Romans 5:12-14
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
If we share this verse with someone who has zero knowledge of the Bible, it won’t make much sense. If we know Genesis, but assume it is just analogy, then who is the one man through whom sin entered the world? If there is no real Adam, then is there a real person when the Bible says “in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”? Does this make Jesus just an analogy? Of course He is not, but if Adam is an analogy and the miracle of creation didn’t happen, then why should unbelievers believe in a real Jesus and in His miracles? A literal Genesis is the firm foundation for all that follows, especially the Gospel.
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
What is sin and why should we care about the glory of God? Genesis 1 tells of the omnipotent, creator God speaking all of time and space, matter and energy, things seen and unseen into existence. Genesis 2 tells of His personal, caring creation and molding of man and woman. This act of creation gives Him the authority to say what is right and what is wrong and to define what sin is. The fall, described in Genesis 3 tells of God’s one rule (at that time) and how Adam and Even chose to disobey that one rule and put themselves above God, the same underlying sin of which man has been guilty since creation. If the God of the Bible is not the creator, then He just has another opinion and there isn’t a good reason that His opinion matters more than yours or mine.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Genesis 3 describes God’s first command, the pre-warned, personal consequence of breaking His command (death), and the general worldwide consequences of that sin. It even introduces Jesus, not by name, but with the words from Genesis 3:15,
“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
Satan bruised Jesus’s heel when Jesus was crucified and killed on the cross, but it was only a bruise, since Jesus was able to rise from the dead three days later. On the other hand, Jesus shall bruise Satan’s head, a death blow, by conquering sin and death on the cross and Revelation predicts the ultimate punishment of Satan.
Romans 10:9
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
When we tell an unbeliever that they need to be saved, they need to know what they are being saved from. Ultimately we need saving from the punishment (death) for committing sins (disobedience, idolatry, and self-aggrandizement) against our creator God. The foundation for understanding sin and death is Genesis. In addition to being saved from death, Genesis shows God’s wrath through the flood in Genesis 7-8 and His ability to enforce His will through the confusion of the languages in Genesis 11. We do not want to be under His judgement. We want to be at peace with God.
Romans 5:1
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Genesis 2-3 gives us a picture of the perfect creation and a perfect relationship with our creator God. It gives us hope and a reason to desire peace with our loving God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is hard to explain the Gospel and even harder to defend the Gospel if we don’t have the firm foundation found in Genesis
Continue reading in Part 3, to learn more about using Genesis to defend our beliefs about marriage, gender, abortion, and more.
Trust Jesus.
your sister in Christ,
Christy
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