Introduction: Before my wife and I had children, I had many
misinformed ideas about the topic. For example, I thought some
couples had children to boost their own standing. That would never
happen to me! Instead, I thought that I had my own reputation and
they would make their own – whatever it might be. How wrong I was!
We don’t have enough space in this introduction for me to explain the
many ways my children have affected both my reputation and my
thinking! In our exploration of the big picture issues, how do we
reflect the nature of God, His thinking and His reputation? Let’s
dive into our study of the Bible and see what we can learn!
- The Logic Foundation
- Read Mark 10:2-9. We are about to plunge back into Genesis
to see what clues Adam and Eve give us about God. However,
there are two fundamental issues we have to first face. Is
the creation story real? Can we draw lessons from it for
our lives today? What is Jesus’ understanding of the truth
of the creation account? (He believed it. He treats it as
a literal story.) - What is Jesus doing in these verses? (He is basing
His theology, His understanding of marriage, on the
creation account.) - Read Mark 10:10-12. Later, we will look in more detail at
this story in Mark. Are we on solid ground when we
consider the creation account to formulate conclusions
about God’s will for us today? (Yes, Jesus did! We are
entitled to make the same sort of assumptions.) - God’s Royal Children
- Read Genesis 1:26-28. What two themes dominate these
verses? (That we were created to be like God and that we
were created to be rulers of God’s creation.) - Are those two ideas linked?(God is the Creator and
the Ruler of the universe. He has made us mini-rulers.) - Has God also made us creators? (Look again at verse
28. God created male and female copies of Him so that
we could create!) - What does this teach us about the nature of God? (He
is generous! He wants to share His power and His
role with us.) - What does God’s blessings on us and His task for us
teach us about the nature of God? (He desires what is
best for us. He is actively involved in our lives.) - Look again at Genesis 1:27. Does God have a feminine side?
- Compare Genesis 2:20 with Genesis 1:27. What does
this teach us about God’s view of women? (Eve was not
a second-class creation. She was not like one of the
animals. She was a “suitable helper.” Just like
Adam, she was created in the image of God.) - Let’s stay with Genesis 1:27. Have you noticed that
children often look, walk and talk like their parents or
even grandparents? - Despite the impact of sin, what does this teach us
about God? - Read Isaiah 55:8-9. What is the limitation on this
line of thinking? - Look again at Genesis 1:27-28. What does this say about
the logic of evolution? (Evolutionists cannot deny that
humans have the power of creation. We see it every day.
But, they illogically conclude that God did not create
us.) - If our observation is that children mirror their
parents (or grandparents), why should we conclude
that we can create but God cannot? (One of my
greatest prejudices against theistic evolution arises
from the fact that it is illogical. Given my
assumptions (about the existence and power of God),
creation is a lot more logical than evolution.
Evolution attributes more creative power to humans
than it does to God.) - Recall last week that Eve fell into sin because she
distrusted and disbelieved God ( Genesis 3:2-6). How does
this lesson apply to the theory of evolution? (The Bible
is very clear about our creation. Evolution flatly
contradicts God’s word on the subject. The continuing
issue for humans is whether we will distrust and
disbelieve God.) - Re-read Mark 10:5-9. When I was young, I would hear people
say, “If God wanted us to smoke He would have created us
with a chimney.” I thought that was silly. Is it? (Jesus
bases His theology of marriage on the factual details of
the creation account.) - What does this teach us about Jesus’ view of the
current debate in the United States over homosexual
marriage? (That the creation account properly informs
our opinion. God created the model for marriage as
between a man and a woman joined for life.) - God’s Risky Choice
- Read Genesis 2:19-20. In the prior section we saw that
God gave humans power and authority. How extensive is the
authority given? (God let Adam determine the names of the
animals.) - What about a mate? Did Adam have authority to choose
a mate? (It looks like God was in a joint venture
with Adam to find a mate for him. They jointly
agreed that no “suitable helper was found.”) - Does this suggest anything about how our children
should find a spouse? - Read Genesis 3:6. We might have thought that letting Adam
name the animals was in the same league as letting our
children name a pet. How serious is this choice? - What does giving Adam naming authority teach us about
God? (It shows a generous, kind and loving God.) - What does allowing us to choose sin teach us about
God? (God values freedom, even if it creates grave
risks.) - Let’s make this issue current. In many things in
life, there is a balance between freedom and
security. This is a current debate in the United
States when it comes to fighting terrorism. How would
God balance freedom and security? - God’s Reversal
- Read Colossians 2:9-12. The fact that God allowed us to
sin teaches us something about God and His attitude
towards us. What does Jesus teach us about God? (Jesus was
Deity in bodily form!) - How did Jesus restore Adam and Eve? How did He fix
their error? (By giving up His life.) - Why would the God who created the universe resort to
a battle tactic that looks like a loss? Why agree to
suffer and die? (This is mind boggling.) - What parallels do you see between the creation
account and the life and death of Jesus? (In both we
see God giving to us at His own great expense.) - Read Colossians 2:13-15. How did the cross disarm the
powers and authorities? (By dying in our place, God took
away the accusation of Satan and the law that we deserve
death.) - Read Colossians 2:20-23. What is the message of the cross
when it comes to dealing with sin in others? (God could
have prevented Adam and Eve from sinning. We try to
prevent our children from sinning. We use authority to
prevent fellow church members from sinning. This approach
“lacks any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”) - How do we deal with our children when it comes to
teaching them? (Just as Jesus “disarmed the powers
and authorities” ( Colossians 2:15) by the cross, so
we must triumph over the sin in the lives of our
children by love and self-sacrifice.) - Read Colossians 3:1-4. What is God teaching us, through
His relationship with us, about how to deal with sin? (We
need to set our minds on the nature of God. We need to set
our minds on what Jesus has done for us. Setting our minds
(or the minds of our charges) on the rules is a recipe for
disaster.) - Read Colossians 3:5. This is where the rubber meets the
road. How do we put to death sexual immorality, impurity,
lust and evil desires? (We would not do it by saying to
ourselves that an “affair” or sex outside marriage is
wrong. Instead, we would focus on what the creation
account teaches us about God’s perfect plan for a life of
joy. We would focus on how God defeated evil by giving up
Himself. An affair is selfishness, not selflessness. If
you focus on pleasing your spouse rather than yourself,
you are on the road to holiness.) - Friend, we see in the creation account and Jesus’ life on
earth, a God who gives us great power and authority, while
unselfishly giving away His power and authority. Will you
ask the Holy Spirit today to help you to begin a life in
which you consider the interests of others over your own
interests? - Next week: Salvation: The Only Solution.
