Christ in Noah (2)

In our previous post we mentioned that Noah means "rest", and we considered the rest that can be found in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this post we contemplate Noah and his Righteousness, and we see in this a faint preview of the perfect moral righteousness of Christ.

Noah and Righteousness

That Noah's life was in stark contrast with the world in which he lived is evident in a cursory reading of Genesis 6. Having stated that "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (6.5), the description given of Noah is a welcome relief: "Noah was a just man" (6.9). 

The word "just" means righteous, honest, and upright. Of course, when applied to Noah, it is either used in a relative sense (that is in contrast to others upon earth), or it is used in a reckoning sense (that is, God has accounted him so on the basis of faith, see Gen 15.6), for the sad condition of the human race is that, in an absolute moral sense, "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom 3.10). 

However, there can be found one exception to this rule. The Lord Jesus was not merely righteous in a relative sense, as compared with other men; nor was He merely righteous as being reckoned so by God - He was absolutely, inherently, perfectly, and personally righteous. 

Of the Lord it is said, by the very Centurion responsible to oversee His crucifixion, "Certainly this was a righteous man" (Luke 23.47). Now the Lord had been crucified. He was hanging between thieves enduring the death-sentence of a criminal - yet the Centurion could not fail to see that He was "righteous". 

It is a marvellous truth to mull over. Upon earth there was a Man who was perfectly upright, honest, and sincere. His life was transparent. No matter how far back into His past a person may look, and no matter how deep down into His heart a person might probe - there was nothing shady to be discovered! He was trustworthy. No mis-step ever needed retraced, and no half-truth ever needed to be repented of. He always spoke the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. As a boy growing up He did not cheat, and He did not lie to defend Himself. As a young man He was never dishonest - there was no dodgy dealing in that carpenter's shop! No pressure would cause Him to relax His principles, for He "loved righteousness and hated iniquity" (Heb 1.9) and every choice He ever made was for good. At every stage of His life, in every circumstance of life, He walked in perfect obedience to every moral duty enshrined in the Scriptures. In doing so, He pleased the Father.

It is well that this was so! Peter emphasised just how important when he declared, "Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3.18). It was essential that He who would stand as a substitute for the sinner be perfectly sinless Himself.  Christ suffered as the righteous for the unrighteous, the holy for the unholy, the perfect for the imperfect, the sinless Son of God for sinful men. Thank God, He suffered for my sins.

"Wounded for me, wounded for me, 
There on the Cross He was wounded for me.
Gone my transgressions, and now I am free,
All because Jesus was wounded for me"

Christ and the Wages of Sin

Reading Genesis 5 is like walking through a graveyard looking at the headstones. The chapter gives very little narrative about the persons it names, but the repeated refrain of the chapter (recorded 8 times) is "and he died" (5.5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31).

In contrast to this common experience is the record of Enoch who "walked with God: and he was not, for God took him" (5.24). The name Enoch means "dedicated".

From Genesis 5, we want to view Christ in the following ways:

1. Christ in His Death
2. Christ in His Dedication

This post will concentrate on:

Christ in His Death

In the early chapters of Genesis, death is considered from a variety of standpoints. In Ch 2 it is the certain result of sin; in Ch 3 it is God's method to provide a covering for the sinner; in Ch 4 it is both the acceptable means of approach to God, and the measure of the depravity of man; in Ch 5 (as we shall see) it is the (almost) universal experience of humanity.

Death takes on various emphases in Scripture, depending upon the context. There is spiritual death "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph 2.1), there is physical death "It is appointed unto men once to die" (Heb 9.27), and there is eternal death "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death" (Rev 20.14). The core meaning of "death" is separation. In spiritual death, the person is separated from the life of God in time; in physical death the person is separated from the present sphere of life in this world; in eternal death the person is separated from God eternally and irrecoverably. 

In Genesis 2, the prohibition given by God to Adam was "of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (2.17). The death in view here was first spiritual death, Adam upon sinning, was immediately "alienated from the life of God" (Eph 4.18), and this in turn would lead to his physical death.

The certainty of death as a result of sin is stressed, "thou shalt surely die" (2.17). However, in Ch 3, in the temptation of Eve, the serpent responded by denying this fact "Ye shall not surely die" (3.4). The devil's deception was that disobedience is not dangerous, that sin has no consequences.

Ch 5 is the confirmation that it is God who was truthful! While Adam died spiritually in the very act of disobedience, he also died physically some time later, and this fact cannot be denied. The New Testament states that "by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom 5.12). This is a universal reality. "It is appointed unto men once to die" (Heb 9.27), "in Adam all die" (1 Cor 15.27).

Physical death is the universal experience of humanity and is the direct result of sin. While not original to the human condition as created by God, the disobedience of Adam has brought physical death upon all his posterity. There is an unbreakable link between sin and death.

There was however One Person who was born into this world without the inherited sin of the human family. He was not linked with Adam, being virgin-born "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God" (Luke 1.35 ESV). Neither did He commit any sin in His life. The eyes of the apostle Peter saw many actions of the Lord Jesus, and his ears heard many words, yet he confirms that He "did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth" (1 Peter 2.22). 

Here was a sinless Man. Free from a sinful nature, pure from all sinful practice, positively holy and good: the perfect, impeccable Son of God! Yet He died. 

Why did Christ die? If sin and death are so inseparably linked, then the reason for the death of Christ must be sin also! However, He "did no sin" (1 Peter 2.22), and "in Him is no sin" (1 John 3.5). The reason that Christ died is the very core of the marvellous message of the Gospel! Summarised by the apostle Paul, the Gospel message is that "Christ died for our sins" (1 Cor 15.3). 

In Genesis 5 all the men listed were linked with Adam. Some experienced death, and one escaped death. However, the Lord Jesus Christ was not linked with Adam, death therefore had no claim upon Him. His was the voluntary death of:

1. The Divine Son: "No man taketh [my life] from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again" (John 10.18)
2. The Obedient Servant: "Who, being in the form of God ... took upon him the form of a servant ... humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippian 2.6-8).
3. The Dependant Man: "I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly ... and thou hast brought me into the dust of death" (Psalm 22.10, 15).
4. The Loving Saviour: "Christ died for our sins ... was buried ... rose again the third day ... was seen" (1 Corinthians 15.3-5).

So, relating the death of Christ to the early chapters of Genesis, we learn that Christ died: (a) To deal with the results of sin. (b) To provide a covering for the sinner. (c) To become the one means of approach to God. (d) To witness to the guilt and depravity of man. (e) To provide salvation for the human family.

"He died that we might be forgiven;
He died to do us good;
That we might go at last to heaven,
Cleansed by His precious blood!"

Christ in Abel (2)

In our last post we considered Abel's shepherding and reminded ourselves of the "good shepherd", our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today I would like to consider Abel's sacrifice, and see how it is a preview of the sacrifice of Christ.

The Sacrifice

Abel "brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering" (Gen 4.4)

Abel brought an offering to God which was acceptable to Him, and accepted by Him. On the other hand, "unto Cain and to his offering, [God] had not respect" (Gen 4.5). What made the difference? Why was Abel's offering acceptable, and Cain's unacceptable? Consider two facts:

1. Abel offered what God Demanded

The writer to the Hebrews confirms that it was "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain ..." (Heb 11.4).

Faith in scripture is a believing response to a God's self-revelation. It is trust in God's word. Thus Abel, in his offering, acted in response to a prior revelation of God.

It seems evident that Adam and Eve would have rehearsed in the ears of their family the events of Eden. They would have instructed Cain and Abel that disobedience is punishable by death (Gen 2.17) and that the sinner requires a substitutionary sacrifice (Gen 3.21). Abel responded to these truths trustingly - he believed God, and his offering manifested the faith that he had.

Abel sacrificed his little lamb, acknowledging God's demand that his sin be punished, and appreciating that an innocent substitute could, and would (in symbol) bear that punishment for him!

Is this not the faith that brings acceptance with God still? A person who acknowledges that they are sinful and worthy only of divine judgment, and accepts the sacrifice of Christ as sufficient payment for their sins, is accepted with God. Upon trusting Christ as their Saviour, they take Christ as their Substitute, and are thereby safe from judgment.

On the other hand, Cain ignored God's word. He did not accept that his sin was punishable by death, and he therefore did not see the need for a substitutionary sacrifice! He reasoned that what he produced would be sufficient for God to accept him. Sadly there are many who think the same today, and they will suffer the same dreadful disappointment as Cain.

It would be healthy for all of us to ask ourselves the question "Why should God allow me into heaven?". If my answer to that question is "Because of what I have done", then I am like Cain, and God will not accept me. If, however my answer is "Because of what Christ has done for me", then I am like Abel and God will accept me because my faith rests in Christ and His sacrifice alone.

2. Abel offered what God Deserved

It is also worthy of note that Abel offered "the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof". This describes the best of the animals at Abel's disposal. Abel came as a worshipper, and he offered the best to God.

In bringing the best, Abel was bringing (in symbol) what God deserves from His creatures, but never gets. Here was recognition on Abel's part, not only of God's righteous requirements in respect of sin, but also of God's glorious person.

Praise God, in the death of His Son at Calvary, God received what He demanded for man - a sufficient substitutionary sacrifice, full payment in respect of sin. However, he also received what He desired from man - complete whole-hearted devotion to Himself.

Ultimately there was only One sacrifice acceptable to God. Every Old Testament sacrifice looked forward to the "offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all" (Hebrews 10.10). And every Christian looks back with joy to the fact that "this man ... offered one sacrifice for sins forever" (Heb 10.12). This once-for-all sacrifice has been offered and accepted!

May we rejoice that the one who is the "good Shepherd" (John 10.11) is also the "Lamb of God" (John 1.29)! And for all those who trust Him alone, there is security: both in His shepherd care, and in His substitutionary sacrifice.

Christ in the Fall (2)

In our previous post we noted that Genesis 3 presents the Lord to our view in at least four aspects. He is:

1. The Contrast

2. The Caller

3. The Conqueror

4. The Covering

Having already considered Him as the great Contrast with Adam and Eve, we now see Him as:

The Caller 

After the temptation and fall of Adam and Eve, "they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the Garden in the cool of the day ... And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, "Where art thou?"." (v8-9)

Undoubtedly the "LORD God walking" is a pre-incarnate appearance of the Son of God. He made man for fellowship, and now He comes down to Eden. Between His Creation of Man in Ch 2, and His Call to Man in Ch 3, sin has "entered into the world" (Rom 5.12). 

He calls "Where are you?" (v9 ESV). It was not, of course, that He was unaware of Adam's sin. It was not that He was ignorant which tree Adam and Eve were cowering behind. His call to Adam was to expose Adam to Himself. It was a call of grace. Adam must face the fact that he was not where he was before, he was separated from God, shamed before God, and under sentence from God. Yet now, in wonderful grace, he was sought out by God.  

The Caller was the Son of God. He had stooped to the garden, He was seeking the guilty, He was showing grace! How this reminds us of His incarnation. He who was the Son of God stooped to become the Son of Mary. He who was Holy, and the object of angelic praise, "came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1.15). He who was the Lord of glory showed unfathomable grace: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8.9 ESV). He had come to "seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19.10), and this required His sacrificial death upon the Cross. 

May we who were guilty, condemned, separated, and hiding from God, never forget His grace in seeking for us:

"O the love that sought me,

O the blood that bought me,

O the grace that brought me to the fold!

Wondrous grace that brought me to the fold." 

Christ in the Fall (1)

Genesis 3 is known as the chapter of the Fall. Eve was deceived, Adam was disobedient, and "by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin" (Rom 5.12). It is a chapter of calamity, of shame, suffering and separation. 

And yet, even in this chapter of rebellion and judgment, the Lord can easily be traced. He is seen here in a variety of ways:

1. As the Contrast

2. As the Caller

3. As the Conqueror

4. As the Covering 

Over the next couple of blog posts we will consider different views of Christ in Genesis 3. Notice first, He is:

The Contrast

Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, surrounded with every blessing from God, with plenty of food to satisy their hunger, and with every evidence of God's goodness to them hanging from the branches of every tree. By way of contrast, the temptation of the Lord Jesus occured in the wilderness, during a time of severe hunger, while He was surrounded by wild beasts. 

"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterwards an hungred" (Matt 4.1-2).  

However, Eve was decieved and Adam was disobedient. God's command was clear, but they did not rest upon it and obey it. Thus both failed! How different was the Lord Jesus! He rested in God's Word, saying after each of the tempter's darts was hurled at Him "It is written ...". He was perfectly attuned to God's Will, perfectly obedient to God's Word, and thus He was the victor in the trial. His victory in the trial was accomplished in such a way that ot could be an example for all believers to follow. 

"There was, of men, but One who never failed,

In every circumstance He faced, prevailed;

Our blessed, glorious Lord.

How was it then He won the day in trial?

How did He so defeat a raging devil?

By resting in God's Word"

What is my attitude to God's Word? Do I rest upon it's clear statements and promises? Do I obey it's commands? The safest place for the Christian is the place of obedience to God's Word. May we cultivate this character of obedience and submission, following the example of Christ.