P2 - Defining and declaring God's marriage standard in an anti-marriage culture

Ephesians 5:31-33 For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

Review:
In yesterday's blog I made this statement regarding God's marriage standard: Every generation of God's people is called to define and declare once again God's standard of marriage from His Word. We considered yesterday the definition of Biblical marriage along three lines: biologically, practically and doctrinally. Biologically marriage is between one man and one woman. Period. Practically marriage is when a man and woman make a marital covenant between themselves a before God in accordance to the pattern set in Genesis 2:22-25.  Doctrinally or theologically, marriage pictures the relationship between God and His people and more specifically communicates the Gospel that explains how God went about in the sending of His Son to pay the purchase price for His bride - the church. 

We know that 1 Timothy 4:3 predicts the following about how marriage will be regarded prior to Christ's return: "men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth."1  In today's blog I want us to consider ways in which we can declare God's marriage standard in light of the increasing pressure by the secular world (and sadly, in increasing measure by the church world) to promote same-sex unions.  We will be working from the standpoint of the three-fold Biblical definition of marriage we explored in yesterday's post. 

Declaring God's Marriage Standard
Declaring God's marriage standard entails explain what marriage is and what marriage is not.  To explain what something is not is to explain it negatively and to explain what something is is to explain it positively.  The Bible's description of marriage is both described positively (husband and wife are one flesh = Matthew 19:5) and negatively (no longer two, but one flesh = Matthew 19:6). At issue specifically in our culture is the subject of what is called "same-sex marriage". We have seen in recent years Christian denominations soften their stances against same-sex unions and in some cases, heartily endorse such unions or even advocate people in leadership positions who are engaging in such activity. My question is - can one be biblical and at the same time endorse same-sex unions as a viable option for people? What do we tell people about what the Bible says? 

God's Marriage standard defined negatively - God's marriage standard has no room for same-sex unions 
If we take the Bible's three-fold way of defining marriage: biological, practical and doctrinal, we will discover that homosexual and lesbian unions do not fit in God's master plan of marriage.

1. Same-sex unions are not biologically viable options for people
Author and Pastor Timothy Keller makes this powerful point: "The Bible says sex is for a man and a woman inside marriage to nurture and maintain a long-term, permanent relationship of marriage, which means polygamy, which means sex outside marriage and homosexuality are considered violations of God's will and are violations and violations of our own design. So the Bible is saying that you are missing out when you do those things. The Bible's teaching on homosexuality would be then that you are going against your own design and are missing out on the best that God has for you."2 Same sex unions make no sense biologically because they offer no way in which to advance the human species and thus proof that homosexuality and lesbianism are choices people make rather than those people being "born" with such orientations. God has defined marriage biologically in passages such as Genesis 1:26-28; 2:22-25 and Jesus remarks in Matthew 19:5-7.

2. Same-sex unions are not Biblical practical options for people
Whenever you look at all of the practical instructions given about marriage in the Bible (from relating to parents, to in-laws and children), not one time do you see instructions that include same-sex unions. We use the term "unions" rather than marriage because Biblically speaking, same-sex marriage has no meaning and thus is not a practically useful concept. If anything, same-sex unions in the Bible are always viewed negatively, rather than positively in scripture. (compare Genesis 19:1-38; Leviticus 19:9-37; 20:10-21; Romans 1:18-31)

3. Same-sex unions are not Biblically theological options for people
As we have seen already, biologically and practically speaking, homosexuality and lebianism has no place in the Biblical concept of marriage.  What then it the realm of doctrine.  Can a same-sex union communicate the Gospel? No. Why? Ephesians 4:31-33 most clearly spells out what human relationship alone pictures Christ redeeming His church - namely one man, one woman in marriage.  Any other arrangement does not communicate the Gospel and thus the reason why Scripturally speaking, same-sex unions are immoral and in conflict with the central tenets of the Christian faith.

God's Marriage standard declare positively - God's Christian marriage standard endorses God's will for human relationships and proclaims the Gospel to all types of people
We have already spent some time explaining what marriage is by the three-fold biological, practical and doctrinal definitions.  What can we do to declare God's marriage standard positively in such a way that will tell same-sex advocates and non-same sex advocates alike that Jesus died for their sins and that they need to repent, believe and be saved from God's wrath to come?

1.  The same redemption to all sinners is available to homosexuals.
The SBC position statement on homosexuality is the best statement I have found that can guide us on this point: "We affirm God's plan for marriage and sexual intimacy – one man, and one woman, for life. Homosexuality is not a "valid alternative lifestyle." The Bible condemns it as sin. It is not, however, unforgivable sin. The same redemption available to all sinners is available to homosexuals. They, too, may become new creations in Christ." 3 Marriage, as we have labored to show, pictures Christ having come to provide redemption and coming again to rescue His bride - the church. The Gospel message ought to be central in our dealings with same-sex advocates - being that in affirming the Gospel, we are affirming marriage. 

2. Focus specifically on declaring what marriage is
A portion of Article 18 (XVIII) in The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 states the following about marriage: "Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race."4

3. Live the standard, promote your own Christian marriage as an example of why God's marriage standard is the only standard
The best and most effective way to drive home the point about God's marriage standard is to simply live out what the Bible teaches.  We must of course never cease in declaring what that standard is.  However if Christian married couples in our churches don't make an effort to prove to the world that the Gospel makes a difference in life and marriage, then what can we expect when people increase cynicism about marriage? If we can demonstrate marriage to be what God designed it to be, all other arrangements will be shown to be inadequate and sinful imitations of God's only and original design for life-long love, trust and nurture - namely marriage. 



Endnotes:
1. Quite literally in the original language, those who "forbid" marriage will try to "stand in the away or make it difficult" for those who want to get married or who advocate such.  In Paul's letter to Timothy, the church of which he was pastoring was located in a city where all sorts of practices and relationships were being promoted.  Temple prostitution was the norm and the Roman and Greek practices of polygamy or having mistresses would had been accepted in that culture.  What Paul is saying is that such opposition to God's marriage standard of one man/one woman in marital covenant will grow worse and more pronounced as the time for Christ's return approaches. 

2. Timothy Keller. The Reason for God - Conversations on Faith and Life. Zondervan. 2010. DVD series: session three - what gives God the right to tell me how to live my life?

3. http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/pssexuality.asp

4. http://sbc.net/bfm/bfm2000.asp#v

P1 Defining & Declaring God's Marriage Standard

Genesis 2:22-25 "The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed."

Introduction: Marriage - God's fire line and standard

This week I watched a short video of a farmer plowing a fire line around a 30 acre plot in his field that had caught on fire. As that farmer worked out that fire line, the flames at times shot higher and higher, threatening to swallow his rig. The farmer stayed firm to his task and with the help of fire fighters prevented the loss of his entire field. As we continue on into the 21st century, the church has been appointed by Christ to carry forth His gospel.  One of the ways we do that is by defining and declaring God's fire line of marriage.  Marriage is the fire-line that, in the realm of human relationships, can hold at bay the raging fires of increasing immorality and rabid anti-Christian rhetoric.

The Christian's responsibility is to define and declare once again God's marriage standard

Every generation of God's people is called to define and declare once again God's standard of marriage from His Word. Moses was moved by God to write Genesis to equip God's people about what constitutes a true redemptive identity in general and among other subjects, marriage in particular. In a world where practices such a polygamy and homosexuality were practice and encouraged, Genesis functioned and still operates as a Divinely inspired resource for God's marriage standard. Likewise roughly 30 places, incorporating roughly 100 verses throughout God's Word deal with subjects related to marriage. By the time of the New Testament, Jesus Himself had to both define and declare the marriage standard. The Apostle Paul did the same throughout his letters - with perhaps the most notable example being Ephesians 5:22-33. In considering both Genesis 1-2 and Ephesians 5, I would like to consider in today's post God's marriage standard, and how you and I as Christians must both define and declare this Divine fire-line that maintains a righteous standard in our culture and a powerful picture of the Gospel in both the culture and our churches. 

The relationship between marriage, government and God's people 

The God-given standard of marriage functions in concert with two other God-given institutions: government and God's people. In the scriptures three institutions are ordained by God in the following order: Marriage (or family), Government and God's people (Israel Old Testament and the Church New Testament). God's people in both parts of our Bibles function to proclaim the light of God's truth from His word and to be testimony of God's redemptive work. (Genesis 12:1-7; Matthew 28:18-20)

The Biblical teaching on the role of government is explained in the following quote from the Baptist Faith & Message 2000: "God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends."1 Government then serves the needs of people in general and should provide a level playing field for all institutions so that the church can freely practice and promote the Gospel.  

What makes marriage so vital to the service of the other two institutions is what we noted earlier: marriage maintains a righteous standard in our culture and a powerful picture of the Gospel in both the culture and our churches. How does the Bible (and thus how should we as 21st century Christians) define God's marriage standard and then secondly, what should we declare about this standard? 

Defining God's Marriage Standard. 

Whenever you look at scriptures that deal with all the issues surrounding Biblical marriage, God defines marriage in a three-fold manner: biologically, practically and theologically.

1. Defining marriage biologically. 

First of all, marriage is defined biologically as a covenant made before God between one man and one woman. (Genesis 1:26-28) The main point of marriage, at least in the biological sense, is to propagate the human species and to produce Godly offspring. (Malachi 2:15) The Southern Baptist Entity: "The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission" writes: "Beyond the clear scriptural statements regarding fornication, cohabitation presents another breach of biblical ethics. God established the sexual relationship between a man and a woman in Genesis 2 as a sign of the covenant of marriage."2  Not only does such a statement apply to the unbiblical practices of fornication (sex outside of marriage) and co-habitation, but also other un-biblical practices such as same-sex unions. The SBC position statement on contrasting God's marriage standard to that of same-sex unions states: "We affirm God's plan for marriage and sexual intimacy – one man, and one woman, for life. Homosexuality is not a "valid alternative lifestyle." The Bible condemns it as sin. It is not, however, unforgivable sin. The same redemption available to all sinners is available to homosexuals. They, too, may become new creations in Christ." 3 Thus biologically, the Bible's definition of true marriage has been and still remains exclusive: one man and one woman in covenant with one another and with God in a lifetime commitment to one another in holy matrimony.

2. Defining marriage practically

When we say practically, we are asking the question: how does God in His Word depict marriage in its daily, lived out reality? Genesis 2:22-25 records for us the first original wedding ceremony.  Practically speaking, God brought the woman he had fashioned out of the man's side to the man. (Genesis 2:22) Next we see Adam making statements concerning he and his wife being one flesh, the type of language that is used in covenants. (Genesis 2:22; 2 Samuel 5:1-5)  Thirdly we see the exclusivity of the marriage relationship over against the parent/child relationship of each spouse in Genesis 2:24. Then finally we see the fact that both the man and his wife were naked, indicating not only physical intimacy but in the meaning of the Hebrew word, unhindered communication. (Genesis 2:25) Included in this practical definition of marriage are the necessary foundations of communication, companionship and the clarity that makes for any good marriage.  Throughout this practical description of the marriage relationship, we see no reference to the two people being either the same sex or both people engaging in such intimacy beyond the covenant context of God, the husband and the wife. All other forms of human intimate relationships (polygamy, homosexuality, pre-marital sex, adultery) are human corruptions and lie outside the Biblical standard of marriage. 

3. Defining marriage theologically

Ephesians 5:31-33 gives us the clearest doctrinal meaning of marriage found in scripture: "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband."  The other two ways of describing marriage (biological and practical) are used in this text to point us to the ultimate meaning of marriage intended by God from the beginning - to picture His relationship with His people.  Marriage by its very nature carries much rich doctrinal truth: the Gospel message that Christ came to be the Savior of all men, especially believers. (1 Timothy 4:10) Jesus came to purchase His church, which is His bride ordained by His Father from before the foundation of the world. (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:22-33)  To uphold any other standard than God's marriage standard of one man, one woman in covenant marital union with Him is to proclaim another message which is alien to the Gospel.   

Having explored God's definition of marriage biologically, practically and theologically, we will consider further tomorrow the responsibility we have to truthfully and lovingly declare God's marriage standard in both the church and to the culture.

More tomorrow...........

Endnotes:

1. See the entire Baptist Faith & Message 2000 and its remarks on "Religious Liberty - Article 17 (XVII) at http://www.sbc.org/bfm/bfm2000.asp#xv

2.  - See more at: http://erlc.com/article/cohabitation-in-the-church

3. http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/pssexuality.asp

Preparing a Biblical sermon - illustrations and putting the sermon together

2 Timothy 4:1-2 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

Introduction and review

Over the past couple of days I have been introducing the reader to a few tips and methods that can be used in preparing a sermon.  Even if you are not a preacher, the tools and tips being shared in this blog can still be used for studying God's Word and applying it to your own life.  In yesterday's post we considered a step-by-step method for extracting the meaning out of scripture so as to prepare a message for preaching or a lesson for teaching to an audience.  Today we will be considering some further thoughts about sermon illustrations, introductions, sermon construction and finally, a listing of helpful resources that can help all of us who desire to improve in our teaching and preaching of the Word. 

Some thoughts on sermon illustrations

Whenever anyone communicates God's word, it is important to cloth the truth in the garments of illustration. Preachers can fall into two ditches: either illustrations can be over used or under used.  The best sermon illustrations come from scripture itself.  Why? Because scripture is perfect. Who can forget how Samson's loss of strength due to his disobedience, and not knowing that the Spirit left Him? That episode in his life can be used to highlight what it is like when we as Christians get in the flesh.  Or how about the slaying of Goliath by David as illustrating God's power in keeping His promises and enabling His people to overcome insurmountable odds?  Certainly modern-day illustrations are appropriate for clothing Biblical truth.  Whenever you are using any illustration, ask yourself: "how does this illustration highlight God's character, salvation?" Secondly ask: "does this illustration fit within the context of the scripture from whence I am preaching?"

Some thoughts on sermon introductions

A.What scripture will you read before You preach?

B. How will you plan on starting your Sermon? A story that fits your message?

Interestingly enough, the introduction of the sermon is one of the last things you do before concluding your sermon preparation.  Why? Because in sermon preparation, you begin with where you intend to end - namely your conclusion.  Just as you plan a trip with the destination among the first parts of the planning, sermon preparation is no different.  

Some thoughts on putting together your sermon, typical time frames involved for each part and identifying the main parts of a Biblical sermon

For this part I will simply list the parts of a Biblical sermon with a range of suggested times for each one:

A. Selected Preaching Text:

B. Suggested time for each part of your sermon- 

-Introduction: (5-10 minutes) 
-Propositional statement or one sentence summary of your sermon: (1 minute) 

-Point 1: (5-10 minutes) 
-Point 2: (5-10 minutes) 
-Point 3? (5-10 minutes) 
-Point 4? (5-10 minutes) 
-Point 5? (5-10 minutes) 

-Conclusion: 1 minute or less.

Suggested resources for Biblical Preaching

1. John L. Benson. “A “System of Homiletics” 

2. Bryan Chapell. Christ Centered Preaching.

3. Charles Ryrie. Ryrie’s Practical Guide to Communicating Bible Doctrine.

4. Mark Dever, Greg Gilbert Preach – Theology Meets Practice.

5. Steven J. Lawson. Famine In the Land.

6. John MacArthur. Preaching-How to Preach Biblically

Conclusion:

Today's blog and the past couple of posts have featured a suggested method for preparing Biblical sermons. My hope and prayer is that the readers of this post will find anything in these posts useful for expanding God's Kingdom work in both His church and in this world. Sometime in the near future we will look at another important aspect of Biblical preaching: namely the sermon's presentation.

Preparing a Biblical Sermon - A method for studying the Bible

Ezra 8:2- "Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month."

In yesterday's post we began considering some opening thoughts on preaching and the key ideas involved when beginning to think about what makes up a good, Biblical sermon. In today's post we will begin considering the sermon's preparation.

The main point of sermon preparation 

So what is the main point of sermon preparation? To put together sermons that can meaningfully link words from the scripture through the preacher to the audience for the glory of Christ.

A suggested step-by-step method in preparing a Biblical sermon

As I had mentioned yesterday, by God's grace I will be presenting a session at an annual Baptist association conference on this subject of sermon preparation, presentation and invitation. In that session we will be looking at a suggested step-by-step method of preparing a Biblical sermon. Each preacher is different and I am sure (and know) there are better methods out there than what I am presenting here. Nevertheless it's good to start somewhere. So what steps does one go through in preparing a sermon?

1. Key Words, ideas

Underline or circle the repeating words, ideas of phrases in whatever Biblical text you are preaching.  I always suggest starting with a well known chapter like John 3 or 1 Corinthians 15, since those chapters represent the heart of scripture's main work: the salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ. Perhaps if not a chapter, start with a portion of a chapter or even one verse, such as Romans 11:36 or John 3:16. 

2. Transition words

Whenever you see the following words in the Biblical text, circle or underline them, since they signify certain meanings, transitions and emphases in the text:
A. “so that”, “in order that” = purpose

B. “because”, for this reason”, since”, “for” = cause of something

C. “if” and “then” = condition, something expected of someone in order for promise or blessing to be fulfilled

D. “let” or “must” = command or imperative

E. “before” or “while” or “when” or “after” or “as” = time emphasis in the writer’s mind

F. “but” or “rather” or “however” or 
“nevertheless” = contrast with what was just said 

G. “now” = explanation

H. “really”, “certainly” “even”, “indeed” = Emphasis

3. Six questions
Whenever you have noted the key words and key transitional words, the next thing to do is to ask the Biblical text the following questions:

A. Who wrote it? Who is the Audience? Believer, unbeliever, or both?

B. Why was it written?

C. What promise is there to claim, command to keep, sin to avoid, blessing to claim, Christ to see?

D. When was it written?

E. Where was it written?

F. How do I apply it? How will this enable me to see more of Christ?

4. The Context of the passage

Note: These are levels of context follow when finding meaning of a given scripture

A.What is the verse saying?
B.What is paragraph or surrounding verses saying? 
C. What is chapter saying? 
D. What are surrounding chapters saying? 
E. What is section of the Bible book saying? 
F. What is the whole Bible book saying? 
G. What is the section of the Bible saying? 
H. What does whole Bible say on the subject? 

5. Cross references

The greatest tool I can think of in studying the scripture is comparing other portions of scripture that speak on that same subject.  That practice is what we call cross referencing. 

Having considered a basic method for approaching a given text of scripture and extracting the meaning, we can then begin to consider some tips for using illustrations to help the listener connect to the truth that is being proclaimed from God's word.  

More tomorrow.......... 

Introductory thoughts on preaching & sermon preparation

2 Timothy 4:1-2 "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction."

Introduction

This year our Baptist Association will be having its second annual Pastor's Conference. As one of the speakers in the event, I feel unworthy in comparison to the other pastors who will be speaking. I give all glory to God for any benefit derived from any sermons I preach or any piece that is written, since all things and affects come from Him. (Romans 11:36) I thought I would share both today and over the next couple of days the portions that I will be presenting in the realm of sermon preparation, presentation and invitation.
My prayer is that for any preachers out there who read this blog that perhaps you can glean something useful. Even if you are not a preacher, we all as Christians have a responsibility to know Jesus and make Him known to others. I know for myself, I'm always learning and read other's blogs to enrich my own understanding. So with those thoughts in mind, let us begin considering what typically goes into a sermon's preparation, presentation and Invitation.

Some important terms used in preaching

To begin, what is meant by the word "sermon?" According to Merriam Webster's Dictionary, a sermon is a: “speech or conversation that links together words, thoughts and ideas” and comes from a Latin word meaning ”to link together”. When I was learning how to preach in Bible College, one of the finest preaching professors, Dr. Lloyd Perry, taught me about both the science and the art of preaching.  The field of study that one enters into when learning how to preach is what is called "homiletics". Dr. Lloyd Perry taught the following definition of preaching throughout his many books and courses: “Homiletics is the science of sermon construction. Preaching is the art of sermon presentation. The sermon is the product of preparation for presentation.”

Preaching is all at once an art, a science and a Spirit driven event

As you preach a sermon or hear a sermon preached, a good sermon will engage the mind, the heart and bring about change.  In going off of Dr. Perry's above definition, we could say that as an art - preaching captivates the heart and the imagination.  As a preacher develops and grows, his "artistry" or "sermon delivery" should improve over time.  Certainly too a good preacher will also aim at the mind, which would cover more of the science or technical side of things. Whenever you hear a sermon, can you trace the preacher's conclusions and remarks from the logic of the text? Does the preacher's sermon make sense or does it at least have a discernible flow? Can you follow what is being preached? Has the preacher adequately unpacked what is in the Biblical text? Has the preacher explained what the Biblical author is communicating? Questions such as these are covered in the "science" part of sermon preparation or homiletics. 

With a good sermon being a combination of artistry in motion and the scientific part of homiletics, unless the Holy Spirit attends the preaching - all the best intentions in the world will be in vain.  The most polished and honed sermons can fall flat if the preacher relies more on himself than the Holy Spirit. The chiefest of all attitudes when approaching the pulpit is humility.  One old preaching rule of thumb applies well: "if you go into the pulpit with your head low, then you will come out with your head high.  However if you go behind the sacred desk of God with your head high, you will come out with your head hanging low". The preacher must ever be in a state of reliance on the Holy Spirit, since the Bible He is preaching from is the Spirit's words and the power that he utilizes to preach the sermon derives from the Spirit indwelling his converted human heart. 

Having looked then at some introductory thoughts on preaching, as well as what initially marks a good sermon or what characterizes some traits necessary to preach (trust me we could spend several blogs just on those traits and characteristics), we will consider tomorrow what to do when preparing a Biblical sermon. 

More tomorrow..........

The Rock of Escape - A word for those in distress

1 Samuel 23:20 - "So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to meet the Philistines; therefore they called that place the Rock of Escape."

Have you ever felt like you're on the run from life and the enemy of your souls? In 1 Samuel 22-24 that’s exactly what we see David doing in keeping one step ahead of King Saul. For months David and those who allied themselves to him hid in cities, caves and out of reach places. For those who are true believers in Jesus Christ, there are provisions of grace always available in times of distress - whether they be prayer, the scriptures or God's hand of protection, as we see in David's life (1 Samuel 22:4, 23:1-5, 10-12, 14). 

David was God called and God walled. In fact we see David and his men being pursued by Saul and his men around the base of a mountain. Saul and his army on one side and David and his troops on the other side. God's hand was on David again for we read in 1 Samuel 23:20 - "So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to meet the Philistines; therefore they called that place the Rock of Escape." 

Isn't that who Jesus Christ is? Your Rock of Escape? Like King David, we learn to wait upon the Lord and to base our decisions primarily not upon what is seen, but unseen, for that is how faith operates. (Hebrews 11:1) At one point Jesus spells out the principle that if you and I are faithful in the small things, He will give us opportunity to be faithful in much. 

Like David, we too must learn to be faithful in times of distress in order to be ready to live in times of comfort. If we look to Jesus as our Rock of escape when times are hard, we will be trained spiritually to not abandon him when times are easy. You can always look to Jesus and His Words to bring your comfort, protection and hope in your time of need. As He says in Luke 16:17 "It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the law to fail."

The Adversary, Adam & Almighty Salvation

Genesis 3:1 "Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

Introduction:
In a blog written on September 28, 2013 (http://pastormahlon.blogspot.com/2013/09/satans-disastrous-fall-christs-decisive.html) we had explored the disastrous fall of Satan as recorded in Ezekiel 28:11-19 and noted how despite his massive fall and morbid outcomes, Christ came to win a decisive victory on the cross.  Ezekiel 28, we could say, is a prequel to Genesis 3.  The fall and rebellion of Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12) took place in the white space that exists between Genesis 2-3. In today's blog we will be considering the continuation of Satan's activity following that initial and most dramatic fall in a post I'm entitling: "The Adversary, Adam and Almighty Salvation".

Meet the Adversary
Other than Genesis 1-2 and Revelation 21-22, the remaining 1185 chapters of God's Word occur in a setting where sin and rebellion are active, whether in the invisible or visible realm.  The morbid outcomes of Satan's disastrous fall led to the demonic realm and the fall of man recorded here in Genesis 3.  The villain in Genesis 3 is introduced quite simply as "the serpent" in 3:1.  Elsewhere he is known as "Satan" or "Adversary".  The Adversary's M.O was basically three-fold. 

1. Satan attacked God's character
Note what he says to Eve in Genesis 3:1: "Indeed has God said?" Satan the Adversary loves to take God's periods and turn them into question marks. He loves to plant doubts in people's minds concerning whether or not God has their best interest in mind. God's character is integrally linked to His word, the second step of Satan's attack.

2. Satan attacked God's Word. Genesis 3:1 
God's word has always been and always will be the main object of Satan's attack.  The word used to describe him in Genesis 3:1 as being "more crafty" is the same Hebrew word translated "naked" in Genesis 2:25. It describes the ability to have unhindered communication or having the ability to uncover mysteries and secrets.  Satan had indeed fallen, and undoubtedly had retained some of his angelic nature as a wise, cunning and powerful being.  His nature as an angelic being (albeit a fallen one) remained intact despite his fall from Heaven.  As the Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 11:14, Satan has the ability to still transform himself into an angel of light. Satan twisted (Genesis 3:1), then added (3:3) then replaced God's word with his own words (3:4). Eve's resulting confusion and twisting, adding and replacement of God's Word with her own conclusion to eat from the tree pinpoints the first signs of Satan's success. 

3. Satan attacked God's man. Genesis 3:2-7
As the woman gave into Satan's seduction, Adam her husband had to choose between her and God. Adam's great failure was in the fact he did not take dominion over Satan in the garden. The attack on the pinnacle of God's visible creation - man, was Satan's way of trying to exact vengeance on the God who had cast him out of heaven. Satan hated Adam and Eve due to the fact that they were God's co-king and co-queen of creation. (compare Psalm 8) Romans 5:12 describes the outcome: "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."

Meet Adam
With the Adversary's plan sprung, and the bait being taken, Adam's responses were the total opposite of what God had commanded him to do in Genesis 1:26-28 and Genesis 2:15-25. God had given man a "covenant of works" which was a probationary arrangement to test whether or not he would heed God's word. The covenant contained a few simple commands: "take dominion over creation" (Gen. 1:26-28); do eat from every tree (2:15-17); don't eat from one tree (2:18) and delight in your wife (2:19-25). God provided abundant grace to carry out the command (a garden, original righteousness, and His own presence with Adam). 

Satan's M.O was set to be sprung, for he know if Adam broke the Covenant of works, there would be no way Adam could redeem himself.  In twisted hatred, Satan wanted Adam to be in the same boat as he - incapable of redemption and thus putting (at least he thought) a severe monkey wrench in God's Sovereign purposes for creation. 

Even though Eve was Satan's immediate target, it was Adam who bore the direct blame for the fall. Why? First he did not take dominion over the serpent by declaring God's word as it had been given to Him. Secondly, when Satan kept focusing on the only negative prohibition in the covenant of works (thou shall not eat), Adam did not chime in and correct him.  Thirdly, Adam obviously chose to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thus ignoring the other tree which God had freely given Him. Then finally, Adam did not delight in his wife but idly stood by while Satan wove his lies.

The Adversary's attack on Adam worked. The fall he had begun in Heaven had spilled over onto earth.  God's covenant of works with Adam was broken.  There was nothing Adam and Eve could do.  Furthermore God was under no obligation to redeem.  Rather there was only one inevitable outcome: death! Had the Adversary won? Were Adam and his wife irretrievably lost for good? Was God Almighty's plans for creation jeopardized? Lets consider the final point in this narrative of Genesis 3, namely....

Meet Almighty Salvation
The Covenant of works laid broken.  Furthermore since a man had broken it, a man would have to come and fulfill it.  What God did next after pronouncing his curse on the Serpent (Genesis 3:14) was undoubtedly a shock to every angel, creation, Adam and his wife and Satan. Genesis 3:15 states - "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.” God issued forth a new Covenant  - a Covenant of grace, wherein He, rather than man, would fulfill the promises and obligations. 

Yes there was the awful curse of Genesis 3:9-24, however the blackened sky of that curse was outshone by that starry constellation of amazing grace in Genesis 3:21. What did God do in Genesis 3:21? He provided a substitute for Adam and Eve. He clothed them in the innocence of substitution (in their case two animals) through the shedding of blood. Based upon His grace that led to Adam confessing his wife as "the mother of all living" - i.e Eve, the pattern for the Covenant of grace was set: By grace alone, through faith alone in the shed blood of God's innocent substitute - alone. 

Now why do I have "alone" after each of those statements? Because the temptation for man to try to get to God by way of performance (covenant of works) is part of the fall-out from the fall of man.  God stationed an angel - a cherubim at the East entryway of the Garden to bar Adam and Eve's access to the tree of life. God knew that if they got to that tree - they would have lived forever in unredeemed separation from him. 

God's act of banishing our original parents was both an act of judgment and grace.  Judgment in the sense that they would lose their place and position of idyllic existence in the Garden.  However the grace God demonstrated was that Adam and Eve would still get to live due to grace, and that the way to eternal life was to be fulfilled by another Adam, the incarnation of God in the Person of the Son - Jesus Christ. 

The accomplished work of Christ that reaches forward into time to every person God sets His affection upon to redeem by His Spirit in saving grace through faith reached back to Adam, Eve and every saint of God in the Old Testament.   Jesus would come and live a perfect life and thus fulfill the otherwise broken covenant of works and by his death and resurrection pay the price to ensure God's covenant of grace. 

Conclusion
In today's post we have considered the Adversary - Satan.  We have also looked at Adam and we have then considered Almighty salvation.  My prayer is that you, dear reader, have by grace through faith received God's precious gift of salvation won by and paid for by Jesus Christ - the mighty victor over the Adversary and the Savior of those of Adam's race who by grace through faith believe on Him. (Romans 5:11-21)