A Gospel Snapshot Of Genesis: The Old Testament Seen Through New Testament Gospel Revelation

CREATION. God created everything good, and even 'very good.' Contrary to what is often taught, I do not believe God is going to abandon this earth and destroy it. This would be admitting defeat to Satan. There is adequate authority in the Bible to show that this world of ours is going to be part of God's eternal kingdom.


Man was also created in the image of God - to live in authority, success, prosperity, divine presence, health, and in unity and oneness - in 'one flesh' with both God and other people. In the gospel, we are declared to be ONE with Jesus, and to be an equal, joint part of his divine inheritance. We are told: "As Jesus is, so are we in this world" (I John 4:17).


THE FALL. Man turned to his own resourcefulness and self righteousness at The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Here, mankind became destined to live under a curse in everything in life, even his relationship with God. Our resolve became to struggle with, and defeat sin (Gen 4:6-7). For 4,000 years, man's focus was to do good, and refrain from doing bad, instituted by The Tree of Knowledge, and later defined by the law. 'Enmity' describes alienation and separation, and this existed until the cross of Jesus dissolved it (Eph 2:15).


THE GOSPEL. We engage unbelief today, just like Adam and Eve, when we don't repent from all other beliefs and believe and live the gospel (Mark 1:14-15). We resort to our own knowledge, and see everything as either good or bad. Jesus became sin for us, so that we could live freely in God and his Kingdom on earth, not having to be sin-conscious any longer (Heb 10:3).


But when we don't believe the gospel, we engage religious thinking that dominates us. We assess things as good or bad. We're still dominated by the forbidden tree. Everything is contingent on our ability to attract GOOD (pleasure, success, healing, etc.), and avoid BAD (pain, hurt, sorrow, sin, etc.). Attaining good, or a better life, becomes our constant goal. Theology says that only half of The Tree of Knowledge was 'bad,' and the rest was 'good.' God disagrees! The whole tree was forbidden, not just the bad part! Our focus on doing GOOD often causes us to miss GOD has done.


This Tree shows SATAN knew the power of unity and oneness: both divine and human, so he destroyed this. The Tower of Babel shows GOD knows the power of unity and oneness too. He had to destroy this because it was independent of him. The gospel lets 'all say the same thing' (I Cor 1:10), and not engage the differences of 10,000 disagreeing churches all claiming to be right. This can be called 'The Second Tower of Babel.'


Genesis tells of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc. who wrestled in their relationship with God, just like we do. We all mess up, but God wants us living his gospel process, and being part of his plan, not living in 'The kingdom of self.'


Our calling is to 'deny self' (Luke 9:23). Joseph modeled this. God wants our minds on HIM (on things above), not being self absorbed, loving the world, and assessing everything as good or bad (I John 2:15-16). He wants us living by The Tree of Life, in relationship with him.


If we do live by the forbidden Tree of Knowledge, our focus is US, not GOD. This is self worship (the creature), which is a modern form of idolatry (Rom 1:25).


The gospel lets us see GOD in everything because Jesus changed everything (II Cor 5:17). The finished work of his cross is our refuge, like the Ark was to Noah. Gospel truth is like 'The Constitution of God's Kingdom.' Jesus says repent of ALL other beliefs, and believe, receive and release the truth of the gospel of his kingdom - as an ambassador of God's Kingdom he came to bring.