In Psalm 113, the writer considers the greatness of God; “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord be praised.” There is not a single moment in the course of a single day or an entire year for which we are not dependent upon God. From January 1st to December 31st, “his glory is high above the heavens.”

And so it is on January 1, 2008.

As Christians, we know what it means to have a happy new year, because with each year we are one year closer to the day when, according to Malachi 1:11, “from the rising of the sun to its setting” God’s name “will be great among the nations.” We look forward to the new creation when God will “wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” In this hope we rejoice.

Praise God for sending his Son, without whom a “happy new year” would be an oxymoron.

For the maximization of your happiness in Christ, consider how you might read through the entire Bible in 2008. Crossway, the publisher of the ESV Bible, is offering several ways to get yourself in and through the Bible each year.

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Happy New Year!

Twas just weeks before Christmas
And all through the house
Every person was stirring
About with their spouse

Each couple provided
Their favorite dishes
And many discovered
Next year’s menu-wishes

The Wellums, as always
Hospitable hosts
To them we all offered
The most thankful of toasts

In weeks, they’ll be flying
On a plane they will be
Piloted by our very
Own Robert P.!

“Dirty Santa” was filthy
(According to Ryan)
The gifts were original
‘Cept returned Benny Hinn!

Surrounded by friends
God’s blessed us beyond sight
Merry Christmas to all
And to all, a good night!

~ Travis the Abraham

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Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

This week as we continue our study of Genesis 1 and 2, we pause to consider what it means to be created in the image of God. In our culture, image really can be everything to many people. A family name, the brands they buy, or the places they go are just some of the things that people use to project the image they desire. As we turn to Genesis 1:26-28, the light of God’s word dispels the shadowy images that we give ourselves and it reveals our true image. We are created in God’s image; we are created for the purpose of ruling over creation.

We see that we are created for the purpose of ruling in several ways. First, a correct understanding of what it means to be created in God’s image requires an understanding of who God is revealed to be in Genesis 1:1-2:3. God brings creation out of nothing and sustains it by the power of His word. He separates and wisely orders the elements of his creation exercising dominion over what He has made. When God makes man in His image, He sets him over creation to exercise dominion. Second, Genesis 1:26-28 says that God creates man for the purpose of ruling and subduing creation. God creates mankind as male and female, and through their union they are to fill the earth and subdue it. Third, in Genesis 2, God places man in the Garden. Man is to work in the garden and expand its borders. Also, he exercises dominion over creation by naming the creatures that God brings to him.

Though Adam was created in God’s image, we soon learn that this does not mean that he could not fall from the place God had given him. In Genesis 3, Adam fails to exercise dominion over creation, and the serpent, one of the creeping things that Adam should rule over, tempts Eve. When Adam and Eve sin against God, man’s true image is marred. The tragedy of the fall and the curse that it brings permeates everything from this point in scripture, but that is not all. There is also a blessing and a promise in the midst of the tragedy. There will be one who will restore order to creation, one who will be the true image of God.

As the genealogies of the Old Testament unfold, a hopeful thought remains in the background, “Is this the one who will crush the serpents head, and restore order to creation.” Thankfully, we live in a time when mankind’s hopes have been met, because in Matthew 1 the genealogy closes with these words, “of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” Jesus is the last Adam and the one who was promised. He came to restore order, setting man free from the bondage of sin in order to restore man to his place as the true image of God. In short, He makes us human again. Because humans were created to be God’s vice-regents on earth, they are to be enslaved by nothing. Yet apart from Christ, man is in bondage to sin. Jesus makes us truly human again in that he frees us from our bondage to sin and enables us to obey.

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, let us consider that he perfectly imaged God and set us free from sin and the shifting images that we desire to project for ourselves so that we can be who we really are meant to be. We are sons and daughters of God, created in His image to rule over creation for the glory of God.

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” ~ 1 John 3:2 ESV

Audio from this week’s lesson: Genesis - Created in the Image of God

- TWM

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Moses begins the first book of Scripture with an account of creation that stresses the awesome nature and creative activity of the covenant God who delivered Israel from the hand of Pharaoh. In the introduction of this “first creation account” (1:1-2:3), God is presented as the One who is “in the beginning” (v. 1a), who creates “the heavens and the earth” (v. 1b), and who brings order and form to a creation that is originally “formless and void” (v. 2). The remainder of the account, 1:3-2:3, stresses the same aspects of God – His awesome nature and creative work – by describing in detail the day by day activities in which the eternal and self-existent God fashioned and ordered a “good” universe.

The interpersonal dynamics of the awesome God who creates is hinted at in this passage. First of all, God is the one responsible for the creating. Second, God’s Spirit seems to be the active force by which the formless earth is ordered (v. 2). And third, the means by which this creative activity is carried out is the divine word; a point that may be seen in the tenfold repetition of the phrase, “And God said” (1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28, and 29). It is not until one comes to the New Testament, however, that one discovers the full significance of the role of the word in creation. Here we learn that the word by which heaven and earth were formed was no mere utterance with volume and pitch, but a person with DNA and a blood type. This is the Word who was “in the beginning … with God” (John 1:1), through whom “all things came into being” (v. 3). The second person of the Trinity is the creator, sustainer, and redeemer of the cosmos.

Moses and Israel were to derive hope from recognizing that the covenant God of Israel was not only the Redeemer who brings His people out of Egypt, but also the Creator who is responsible for the existence of the heavens, the earth, and all they contain. In the same way, we who are in Christ are to recognize Him as not only the Savior of our souls, but also as the One who was there in the beginning when all things were made, and who will be their in the end when all things are made new (Rev. 21:5). The Word made flesh is our only hope. He was responsible for the first creation, and He is and will be responsible for the New Creation.

Audio from this week’s lesson: Genesis 1:1-2:3

Text for this coming Sunday: Genesis 1:24-31

~DGG

Similar to the way in which each individual instrument in an orchestra contributes to the overall sound of a symphony, each book of the canon of Scripture has its role in orchestrating the biblical storyline. The book of Genesis plays an especially significant role, as it establishes the God of Israel as the creator of all that exists and the one who has set into motion history. This new series on the book of Genesis, introduced in class on Sunday, will expose us to some of the most foundational elements of the Christian Worldview and allow us to see the glorious beginnings of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.

As Moses begins his account of God’s dealing with Israel, he begins with creation, and in doing so, establishes the God who delivered them out of the hand of Pharaoh as God alone. The very one who redeemed them was none other than one who spoke into existence the heavens and the earth. This assertion would have been in total opposition to the worldview of the day, as it boldly affirmed that the God of Israel is God alone, and any tendency toward service of another god should be considered absurd. It is for this reason that the book of Genesis often finds itself on the receiving end of attack, for if creation can be proven a myth, so too may the audacity of believing that all human beings everywhere are accountable to a Creator. On the other hand, if indeed God has created, then he alone is creation’s rightful owner, ruler and judge, and all are accountable to him.

The debate surrounding Creation and Evolution is often framed as a debate against faith and reason. The assertion is that science is an unbiased, impartial interpreter of the data, while the bias of religion prevents such impartiality. However, as we consider the creation account in Genesis, it is essential that we remember that those who hold to a completely impersonal view of the origin of the universe do so from the vantage point of a worldview that denies the existence of God. The debate is not fundamentally a debate against reason and faith, but against opposing worldviews, essentially, opposing “religions.” Therefore, when we hold to the biblical creation account, we should do so without reservation, remembering that we are aligning ourselves with the worldview Moses was seeking to instill in Israel, that he who has delivered us is he who has spoken into being the cosmos.

Audio from this week’s lesson: Introduction to Genesis

Text for this coming Sunday: Genesis 1

~TDG

The Bible is a book about a Word.

When the Apostle John decided to begin his account of Jesus’ life and ministry, he started with these words; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Pointing us to Genesis chapter 1, where God spoke the world into existence with a word, John identified Jesus Christ as that Word who made the world. The author of Hebrews opened his letter in much the same way, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Not only is Jesus is the Word who made the world, he is also God’s final Word to the world - the subject and goal of everything else God says and does.

This past Sunday Dr. Wellum began a six month exposition of the book of Genesis. Toward the formation of a thoroughly Christian worldview, Dr. Wellum will lead us in seeing the meaning of this book to its original hearers and its significance in relationship to the rest of Scripture and God’s plan to unite all things in Christ. From Adam to Noah and from Abraham to Joseph, we will better understand the themes that compose the fabric of redemptive history: God’s people, God’s place and God’s promise.

In addition, each Wednesday one of our own members will post a mid-week exposition of the text from the previous Sunday based on Dr. Wellum’s exposition. In this mid-week post we will reexamine the treasures explored together at the beginning of the week. For our series through the book of Genesis, Tory Giddens, Grant Gaines and Wade Mathis are on board for the preparation of this weekly Wednesday feast which we will call, “The Wednesday Word,” in honor of the word its goal is to explain and the Word its aim is to exalt. In addition, they will link to audio from the past Sunday and provide the text for reading in preparation for next weeks lesson.

As we look back to the beginning of redemptive history, may our eyes be opened to comprehend the riches that are ours in Christ.

~TWH