The lessons of Genesis: God was the creator. Accept his word to live with purpose

You may not realize how the first nine chapters of Genesis might affect your well-being. It is quite popular to scoff at the simple belief that the first chapters of the first book of the Bible contain an accurate account of how life began, as well as the record of our earliest ancestors.

In fact, Simon Peter predicted the popularity of scoffers, in what he called “the last days” (2 Peter 3:3-4). While their scoffing seemed to be intellectually superior, the old disciple said it was fundamentally flawed. While they claimed the world has functioned uninterrupted since the beginning of time, they deliberately ignored the evidence of a worldwide flood.

When we look at the natural world around us, there is evidence that there was intelligence in the formation of life. If we examine the marvel of human life, we are beckoned to consider something beyond, even a Creator. The single eyewitness of a beginning could have only been the one who was responsible to bring life into existence.

If the source was able to create life, then he would also be able to reveal the details of that origin to someone who could make a record of how life began. Faith in that record could have long-lasting and practical implications for all of us. Rejecting that record could lead to wondering and wandering. If we do not know the purpose for our being, then we have no idea whether we ever achieve it.

Rather than assigning human beings to a high form of evolutionary animal, Genesis (1:27; 2:7) said God created man in his own image and breathed life into him to give humans a dominant role in the stewardship of Earth. Therefore, humans cannot claim they belong to no one but themselves. Every person was created by God (Psalm 139:13-16) to reflect his character and attributes. We are stewards of life, for which we will someday give an account.

While the purpose of marriage might be murky in our world, Genesis 2:18-25 planted the seeds on the foundational principle of marriage that would be taught in more detail in the rest of the Bible. While we might wonder what is wrong with our world, Genesis 3 clearly stated that man’s problem is rooted in selfishness, disobedience and rebellion. Heaven has to help because man made use of God’s gift of volition to sell out his privileges to the tempter.

Laugh at the idea if you will, but your spiritual wallet is still empty! The story of Noah in Genesis 6-8 reminds us that God has the right to bring judgment upon the world. If he made it, he can destroy it — if it no longer achieves the purpose for which it was created.

The dramatic story of Abraham offering his son, Isaac, on the altar of Moriah in Genesis 22 was a glimpse into the future when God would offer his own son in the place of sinful men in order to save them (John 3:16; 8:56). God spared Abraham’s son, but not his own (Romans 8:31-32). The stories contained in the rest of Genesis were like seeds planted in the history of mankind that bloomed in the lives of subsequent generations.

You cannot read the book of Genesis sincerely without receiving God’s message that every human life is special, and that you have a future because God has a plan.

God has given you the freedom to accept or reject his own record. Reject it, and try to find your own way in a hostile world. Accept his record of Genesis and live with the purpose your creator had in mind from the beginning.