Adult Mentor: Adult Bible Study: Sin, Sacrifice, and Deliverance

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation

The Adult Mentor is a topical Christian quarterly study guide is for the adult learner and is designed to increase Christian faith and biblical understanding using a variety of learning methods. It is a practical resource for every day Christian living.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Dec 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781681679211

Book preview

Lesson 1

God Created Everything

LEARNING SESSION

The book of Genesis affirms that God created the heavens and the earth, plant and animal life, and also humanity. Astronomers and cosmologists, on the other hand, have attempted to explain how the world began using theories such as the Big Bang theory and, more recently, String theory. The Big Bang theory asserts that the world came about as the result of an explosion in the universe. It cannot, however, explain what happened before the explosion. Most such theories that attempt to explain how the world began do so without acknowledging God as its Creator. No theory is more compelling than the truth found in the Scriptures. It is important that we understand what the Scriptures teach about how the creation and our world began because those teachings provide a basis for our faith in God. Even so it is important for us to acknowledge science and its helpfulness to humanity. The theories of sciences are simply attempts to more fully understand the mysteries of God’s creation and the ways in which He has ordered all things.

LESSON SCRIPTURE:

Genesis 1:1–27

DISCUSSION POINTS:

I. All Things Exist Because of God’s Love

II. People Exist for God’s Purpose

III. People Were Made in God’s Image and Likeness

EXPOSITION:

I. All Things Exist Because of God’s Love

Genesis 1 begins with the familiar words, In the beginning (v. 1). These words mark the beginning of time, the beginning of life, the beginning of the earth, and all that is upon the earth. But before the beginning, there was God. Moses declares: Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (Ps. 90:2). Thus, the beginning does not refer to the time when God began to exist. God Himself—even though this is difficult to comprehend—lives outside of time. He existed before time began. Rather, the beginning marks a point where the earth and all living things therein came into being. Throughout the Bible, this is made clear. It is equally clear that all life sprang from His creative order or action. Nothing existed before God called it into being.

KEY VERSE:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:27, KJV)

Sometimes it may seem as though earth is all there is. In the modern world, we are taught to trust in only that which our eyes can see, our hands touch, and our ears hear. We are not taught to see God’s hand at work in all of creation or to see all of creation infused with the glory of God. Scientists, however, have discovered numerous galaxies, and even other planets, deep in the universe. The vastness of the universe testifies to the awe and grandeur of God Almighty. He ordered our solar system, and all the galaxies, stars, and planets in the universe. He created the sun at the center of the solar system and orchestrated the planets to revolve around it in perfect order. God upholds this entire arrangement. By His majestic power, the sun, stars, moon, and other planets are perfectly aligned and held together. The universe truly displays the absolute wonder and diversity of imagination present within God.

As one examines the creation story, it is clear that God carefully prepared a world that was suitable for humankind. When God created the world, it the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep (Gen. 1:2). God’s Spirit hovered over the waters. Then God spoke and light appeared. Day and night, evening, and morning, became the markers of time. God separated the waters to form the sky above and the oceans below. Then He gathered the waters into one place, and the dry land appeared. God commanded the land to produce all kinds of vegetation. He commanded the lights in the sky to appear, which mark[ed] seasons and days and years (Gen. 1:14, NIV). God set the sun, moon, and stars to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from darkness. Then God called forth living creatures to inhabit the waters, skies, and the earth and commanded them to multiply. All of this was done out of God’s overflowing love. He did not create for any other reason than that He is love. It was not for loneliness or inadequacy; it was for love.

THEOLOGICAL CONCEPTS:

• God created everything from nothing.

• All life comes from God.

• God called creation into being to act according to His purpose.

II. People Exist for God’s Purpose

We were chosen by God before He created the world, and we were created for His purpose to be holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4). The creation of the world was not an afterthought. God predestined our existence for His praise (see Eph. 1:3–14). In so doing, He has redeemed us through the blood of Jesus so that we may be one with Him.

Out of His great love for humanity, God not only prepared a place for us to live on earth, but He also prepared a place for us to live in glory. When God created the earth, He also made provision for our redemption through Christ, and He prepared a kingdom wherein we could live with Him forever (see John 14:1–6).

God made us for His glory on earth, and also to commune with Him forever. Those who receive Christ when they hear His Word are marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guarantees our inheritance of salvation (see Eph. 1:13–14). We are the handiwork of God Himself. We were created to do good works. God made us in order to show the incomparable riches of his grace (Eph. 2:7, NIV). God has prepared the work that He wants us to accomplish in the earth. For each person, there is a divine assignment (see Eph. 2:10). Each person has a holy and a divine task. We are equipped by the grace of God to fulfill this work. Our first work is to discover our purpose and the work that has been prepared by God for us to do. This is our call and design. Living into God’s purposes gives us access to living our best lives and becoming our best selves.

#Share Your Views! What does creation say about God? What does it say about you? Share your thoughts and tag us @rhboydco and use #rhboydco.

III. People