Alasdaire Paine, vicar of St. Andrew Cambridge, England,
makes clear in his little book The First Chapters of Everything that the
opening chapters of Genesis were written to answer questions as: Who are we,
and why are we here? Why is life both beautiful and tragic? What is real hope?
Questions about the relation between the account in
the Genesis and findings of science must not divert our attention from the key
teaching of the opening part of the Bible. This does not mean that Paine
considers the first chapters of Genesis less than history; certainly not. He is
convinced that it is real history.
He highlights that is of special importance to uphold
that the whole mankind is the offspring of Adam and Eve and that the Fall of
Adam was a historical fact. The death of man does not belong to God’s original
creation. Het rejects the view of C.S. Lewis and others that although Genesis
2-3 is history, it tells us history in a non-historical way. The fact that what is told has a deep symbolical meaning does not preclude its literal and real historical character.
The first book of the Bible is structured by the
phrase: ‘These are the generations of’. Gen. 1:1-2:3 must be considered as a
prologue to the whole book. Gen. 2:4-4:26 is the first section introduced by
the phrase ‘These are the generations of’.
Genesis 1 shows us that God is the God is the Creator
of all things. He created out of nothing. The question ‘who made God?’ betrays
a misunderstanding about the nature of God. Out Him, through and to Him are all
things. Man is made in God’s image. He is made to glorify God. The task of man
given him by God is to subdue the earth. Paine pointedly remarks that to subdue
is different from to exploit.
Genesis 1 and 2 explain the origin of marriage between
one man and one woman as God’s creation institution. Adam names Eve and not the
other way around. This fact points to the headship of Adam over Eve and the
headship of a husband over his wife. In marriage and family the ultimate
responsibility rests with the husband.
At the same time the fact Eve is called the helper of Adam
is an indication of the honorable position of the husband. The name helper is
given in the Bible quite frequently to God himself. The fact that the husband
is the head of the family does not mean that he has the right to use his
headship in a wrong way. The New Testament teaches us that husbands ought to
reflect Jesus and the wives out to reflect his church.
The first creation account closes with the Sabbath. The
Sabbath as weekly day of rest is founded on the fact the God’s creation week ended
with the Sabbath. Under the new dispensation the first day of the week, called
the Lord’s Day in Rev. 1:10 became the day on which Christians met for
corporate worship. Must the first day of the week seen as a Christian Sabbath?
Paine does not think so, because it is not explicitly stated
in the New Testament. He thinks that the fourth commandment being fulfilled by
Christ has only a spiritual meaning under the New Testament dispensation. Here
I disagree with Paine. The Bible shows us that there is a close relationship between
the day of rest and the day of corporate worship. This relationship, I am sure,
is not abrogated under the New Testament dispensation.
In Genesis 3 we read that the serpent questions God’s
goodness. He gives a false impression of God. This is the tactic of the devil
until now. The essence of the Fall is that he wanted to be his own master
judging himself what is right and wrong. The result of the Fall was that Adam
and Eve were banished from the Paradise. We are not exactly told in Genesis 3
how the connection between the Fall, human death and suffering works. We are
simply told that it is a reality.
Genesis 3 tells us not only about the Fall, but also
has a message of hope. God wanted rebels back. Already the fact that God asks
Adam ‘Where are you?’ points in that direction. In the curse on the serpent
comes a remarkable promise. All Old Testament’s hopes of a Great Rescuer and
Redeemer start here.
Genesis 4 shows us God’s persistent grace. Here we
also see the beginning of a spiritual division in mankind. Abel is the first
martyr. He was murdered by his brother Kain. The final reason was that Abel
served God while Kain did not. God provides for Adam and Eve in his place
another son who is named Seth. From Seth comes Enosh and the beginning of
another line besides that of Kain. It is the line of them who want to live for
God.
It was that this time that people began to call on the
name of the LORD. It is not without significance that the second literary unit of
Genesis ends in this way. The meaning of the name LORD was only much later
revealed to Moses. Gen. 4:26 points to the fact that is was to this God, the
God of Eden, to whom they called.
The New Testament makes us abundantly clear that the
living God is the triune God. Not only God the Father is LORD, but also God the
Son. There is only salvation is his name. We invited and urged to call upon him
as Lord to be saved.
The First Chapters of Everything is a good introduction to the first chapters of
Genesis. It focuses on the message of the chapters and its meaning of us. In
postscript the author point to the relationship between the opening chapters
and the closing chapters of the Bible. The New Jerusalem seen by the apostle
John on Patmos is more than a restored Eden.
The final glory of the new creation far surpasses the
initial glory of the old creation. The only way of entrance to the New
Jerusalem is Jesus Christ and faith in him. Besides eternal bliss Scripture
speaks about eternal woe. So let is call on the Lord Jesus Christ and put our
trust in Him.
Alasdaire Paine, The First Chapters of Everything: How
Genesis 1-4 Explains Our World, Christian Focus Publications, Fearn,
Ross-shire 2014; ISBN 978-1-78191-323-9; paperback 189 pp., price £7,99.