The Apostles and Genesis #2

Are we to think that the writers of scripture wrote with no purpose? That they were just aimlessly saying things, citing fables in order to try to give imaginary comfort to people with real problems? Is that how God deals with his people? Does he comfort us with falsehood? Does he comfort us with fables? Thanks for joining us on the Truth Pulpit with Don Green, founding pastor of Truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Hi, I'm Bill Wright. Today Don wraps up our series, You Can Trust Genesis, with part two of a message titled, The Apostles in Genesis. Last time Don began a survey of the writings of the Apostles in the New Testament. His intent, of course, was to underscore the consistency of authority passed from Jesus to the men he chose to represent him after his departure from this earth. Today Don will complete that survey, so have your Bible open and ready as we join our teacher now in the Truth Pulpit. Cain killed Abel in Genesis chapter 4. The Apostle John says, we're to love one another and to distinguish ourselves from what Adam's son did to his other son. And so there is this affirmation, there is this presupposed historical accuracy of what he's saying, and it's obvious that he's assuming this passage to be true, otherwise he would not ground his ethical instruction to the church on something that had no basis in reality. If the ground of appeal had no basis in reality, the moral force of the command is evacuated.

It is undermined completely. We're talking about the authority of the Apostles verifying for us the authority of Genesis. What else do the Apostles do? Well, turn back to the left to 2 Peter, just a couple of pages, 2 Peter chapter 2, you find the apostolic circle affirming the account of Noah and the flood found in Genesis chapter 6 through chapter 9. In 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 4, it says, 2 Peter 2 verse 4, for if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness reserved for judgment, and did not spare the ancient world but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly. What Peter is doing here is establishing to comfort the church the fact that God knows exactly how to protect his own. If you go on to verse 9, you'll see he gives a couple of other examples in between.

We'll come back to one of them in a moment. But in 2 Peter 2 verse 9, you see what his point is. He says, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation. And so the flow of his argument is God saved Noah and seven others during the time of the worldwide flood and brought judgment on the rest of the ancient world.

And he's assuming that you understand that you're familiar with that and that you know that to be true. He's assuming the factual accuracy of what he just cited as a basis upon which to provide comfort to a suffering church that while you may be suffering for a time, while the world may be collapsing around you into seemingly greater degrees of chaos, understand and take comfort from the fact that God knows how to protect and preserve his own. He did it in the days of Noah under dramatic circumstances. And if he knew how to do it, then his power is unchanged, his knowledge is unchanged, his love for his own is unchanged. Beloved, look back at Noah and realize that God has the power, the ability and the willingness to protect you as you go through times of temptation and trial as well.

Don't you see that the comfort is real because the historical example he uses to enforce it is real? If Noah and the worldwide flood was just some silly fable and everybody knew that and that's what we believe, then all of a sudden we are robbed of the comfort, the power of what Peter said to us in chapter 2. Now, are we to think that the writers of Scripture wrote with no purpose?

That they were just aimlessly saying things, citing fables in order to try to give imaginary comfort to people with real problems? Is that how God deals with his people? Is that how God loves his own? Does he comfort us with falsehood? Does he comfort us with fables? Or does he comfort us by reminding us of the truth of his past actions in history that show that he's willing to do this, able to do it, and he will do it for us as well? You know, I can read this passage, so can you as believers in Christ. I can read 2 Peter 2, see what his purpose is, and find great power, overwhelming, conquering confidence for my life here in this difficult world because I know that he's citing a true example. The ones who cut Noah out of the Bible, cut Genesis 1-11 out of the Bible, have kicked the slats out from under the comfort of the people of God. The edifice collapses as a result. You can't even uphold the authority of the apostles if you do that.

Out on the suggestion. What else do the writers of Scripture do? The apostles do. What do the apostles do? They affirm the history of Abraham, which begins in Genesis 11.

Now, get this. I'm not going to turn to a scripture right away because I want to quote something for you first. We're talking about the authority of the apostles verifying for us the authority of Genesis. And I just said that the apostles affirm the history of Abraham, which begins in Genesis 11. One source, one scholarly source says this, that there are 83 references to Abraham in 11 different books of the New Testament. 83 references to Abraham, which is in Genesis, spread through 11 of the 27 books of the New Testament.

Now, beloved, this is powerful. Of course Genesis is reliable. Because Genesis itself came through the revelation of God through his servant Moses. The authority of Genesis is real on its own. But what we are addressing here and what we're showing and helping to try to clarify is that we understand that there are a lot of attacks on the authority of Genesis from voices purporting to be speaking from within the Christian church. Now, that's a real problem for them, not for us. It's a real problem for them to want to have their cake and eat it too. They want to deny Genesis but somehow still keep the New Testament.

You can't. The two are joined together. They are conjoined twins that cannot be separated without killing them both, right? Because Genesis is woven like a golden thread throughout the entire New Testament. In fact, Genesis is found at the very beginning of the New Testament in Matthew chapter 1, verse 1, the record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. It starts with the cornerstone of Genesis. And as my former pastor John MacArthur liked to say when he was teaching on these issues, addressing rhetorically these critics of Genesis, where do you kick in?

Where does it start if you deny six days, 24-hour creation? Where do you kick in? Do you kick in at chapter 3 with the fall? Do you kick in at Noah in chapters 6 through 9?

Is that too much for you? Do you kick in at chapter 12 with Abraham and the call of Abraham? The point being that there is no consistent hermeneutic, there is no consistent rule of interpretation that would govern somebody to do this, to govern when they kick in, when they start to say, okay, you can believe this now. And beloved, as a pastor responsible for the protection of your souls, I want you to see what's going on there.

What they are doing is they are telling you in their writings, they are telling you in your teachings, they are telling you, you can't trust God's word on its own face, but trust me instead. I'll tell you where you can believe, trust me and you can follow me, and I'll show you where the truth is to which your believing heart should be righteously indignant and say no, no, no thank you. I kick in at Genesis 1-1, and so does Jesus, and so do the apostles. I'm glad to align myself with them rather than you.

You can go now, you're not needed here. So, in Romans chapter 4, just to pick one of the 83 references as an example, Romans chapter 4, you see Abraham used by the apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as an illustration of saving faith. Romans chapter 4 verses 1-3. What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, according to the flesh has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

For what does scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Genesis 15. And so, we've seen the account of creation, 1-2. We've actually seen Genesis 3 also, haven't we, when Eve was deceived and they fell into sin. Genesis 4, Genesis 6-9 with Noah.

We see Abraham now being represented in this. Look at 2 Peter again, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah from Genesis 18 and 19. 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 6. In that same line of argument that I was explaining earlier in verse 6, said, and if he, meaning and if God, condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter, and if he rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men, you see it?

He's referring to these stories as literal historical events, accurately described in the narrative accounts of Genesis as being what really happened. Now, the apostolic circle affirms the rest of Genesis as well. Go to the book of Hebrews chapter 11. The book of Hebrews chapter 11. And had I wanted to, I won't do this, but you could preach this kind of sermon entirely from Hebrews 11, because Hebrews 11 starts with creation and goes through all of Genesis itself. It's tempting to read verses 1 through 22 right now, but I won't do that.

We've gone through Abraham. Look at verse 20. It says, by faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau even regarding things to come, referring to Genesis 27. Verse 21, by faith Jacob as he was dying blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped leaning on the top of his staff, referring to Genesis 48. Verse 22, by faith Joseph when he was dying made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave orders concerning his bones, the end of Genesis 50. Don't you see it, beloved?

In fact, I won't sleep good tonight if I don't do this, so let me do this so you can participate in my good night's sleep here tonight. Just to let you see the bracketing nature of this in the book of Hebrews, look at what we said. We quoted from Hebrews 11, verse 3. Hebrews 11, verse 3, the account of creation, Genesis 1.

By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the Word of God. And then you just walk through this passage in Hebrews. Verse 4, Abel. Verse 5, Enoch. Verse 7, Noah. Verse 8, Abraham. Verse 11, Sarah. Verse 17, Isaac. Verse 20, Jacob, Esau.

Verse 22, Joseph. Do you see that he walks us through the entirety of the book of Genesis, quotes it as part of his greater illustration of the nature of faith. Now look, if the writer of Hebrews is writing to the people of God, intending to give them a plain explanation of the nature of faith so that we could follow in its footsteps, isn't it obvious that he's telling us the truth? How could he possibly give us a true illustration of faith from the book of Genesis if it was not completely reliable? Otherwise, he's telling us to pattern our faith after a falsehood which would be false faith, which would condemn us to hell. That's not what the biblical writers did.

There's not that kind of duplicity in their mind. It's clear, it's plain, it's straightforward, it's reliable, it's accurate, it's from Genesis. Beginning to end, covered in the apostolic writings. Now, I am leaving out a ton, as I like to say, that's italicized in my notes, a ton of references in the apostolic writings for the sake of time. I have 18 other passages in my notes, footnoted here, documenting other places where the apostles quote from Genesis.

I have left out more than I have said and beloved. These references to which I refer that I've given you, that I've actually spoken, the ones that I've footnoted that I'm not going to, beloved, that's just from Genesis. The apostles have a whole lot to say about the rest of the Old Testament as well.

Here's the point that I trust is established to the point of settled conviction in your mind. The apostles consistently reasoned from the history of Genesis to preach Christ and to teach doctrine and ethics to the church. They did so clothed in the Holy Spirit. They did so under order of Jesus.

And so there is just this overwhelming tsunami of reliability and authenticity and authority which we receive in the church from the apostles who were authorized by Christ, grounded on the teaching of the book of Genesis. Beloved, as we said last time, Jesus was not mistaken. Jesus did not accommodate his hearers and pretend to agree with them about the reliability of Genesis when he really didn't. He wasn't a hypocrite.

He wasn't a coward. He spoke the word of God in truth. That's what Jesus did in the four gospels. And beloved, in exactly like manner, the apostles were not mistaken and the apostles did not accommodate to the mistaken beliefs of their readers either. The great man of God from the 19th century, J.C. Ryle, said this. He said, Let us remember this if we hear men professing to believe the writers of the New Testament and yet sneering at the things recorded in the Old Testament as if they were fables. Such men forget that in so doing they pour contempt on Christ himself. The authority of the Old Testament and the authority of the New stand or fall together.

Here's the reality of it. Men or women cannot speak about Genesis without first answering the preeminent question of the ages about the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, who's the authority here? Look at Matthew chapter 16 and this will be the last passage that we look to. Matthew 16 beginning in verse 13. Now, when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he was asking his disciples, Who do people say that the Son of Man is? And they said, Some say John the Baptist and others Elijah, but still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. He said to them, But who do you say that I am? And Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Now look, beloved, this wraps it all up and puts a nice bow on the whole package. If Jesus Christ is Lord, if he in fact is the Son of the living God, then his attitude toward Genesis settles the matter. The attitude of Christ determines what is true. And so you go to the ultimate final authority, who is Christ as we have shown, and he has mediated his authority through his apostles.

You go to the authority and say, What do they say? And you interpret everything else in light of that. Christ and the apostles have spoken on the reliability of Genesis with utter clarity, with utter comprehensiveness, and with utter finality, so that we can say this. Ultimately, ultimately a skeptical attitude toward the book of Genesis reveals either an uninformed attitude toward Christ himself, or displays a skeptical attitude toward Christ himself, or in the case of some, simply displays their utter unbelief. Because you cannot deny Genesis without denying Christ and the apostles. And when you deny Christ and the apostles, you throw salvation out with it, and we're still all miserably lost in our sins and headed for judgment if we can't believe what's said there. And so, for those who are uninformed, we call them to search out the word of God and let's see whether these things are so. To the skeptics, to the unbelieving, whose unbelief and skepticism is expressed in their attitude toward the book of Genesis, we call them to repent and we call them to reconsider and to answer this question, Who do you say that the Christ is? Is he the eternal Son of God in whom all truth and authority resides or not? Has he spoken with clarity and finality in the pages of the New Testament or not?

Answer that question and then we can have a discussion. But do not clothe your skepticism as though you are representing Christ when you do. For those of us who trust Christ as Lord and Savior, who submit and follow him as teacher and master, we find this. Those of us who know him as the Son of the living God, just like Peter said, just like Christ affirmed, we find this as we conclude this four-part series on the book of Genesis.

We find this. Our confidence in the first book of the Bible is well placed because our confidence in Christ and in his apostles is well placed. And therefore, we stand on a solid foundation upon which we confidently proclaim to the world, Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Salvation is found in him and in him alone. And with authority that is rooted in his word, we proclaim this Christ and everything that he affirmed as we teach the whole counsel of God.

Having seen how both Jesus and his apostles treated all aspects of Genesis as historical and real, we hope you've had your confidence in the Bible's authority reinforced in our series, You Can Trust Genesis. Pastor Don Green will have more important teaching to impart next time on The Truth Pulpit, and we hope you'll join us then. Before we go, though, here again is Don with a little more regarding our Just Completed series. You know, my friend, I realize that what we've said in this series contradicts the prevailing thought in modern society that's in love with the idea of evolution and millions of years. You know what?

That's okay. Wouldn't you rather agree with the God of truth rather than agree with fallen and finite men who are simply destined to die and go to the grave? You know, if you struggle with this, just think through who or what is your final authority. What is the final word on truth? We believe it's found in God's word.

And you know, my friend, there's one other thing I would say. Help others find this critical resource on CD or download. Bill is here to help you know where. Thanks, Don. And friend, you'll find details at thetruthpulpit.com, where you can also learn more about our ministry and other great resources. That's thetruthpulpit.com. Now for Don Green, I'm Bill Wright, inviting you back next time for more from The Truth Pulpit.