Genesis: Let There Be Sound Doctrine

By Steven L. Rogers and Courtney L. Johnson

As a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, my sworn duty was to guide, teach, and protect those who served in subordinate positions. In this role, it was critical to provide clear and concise information so that those who trusted my leadership would not be ignorant of the mission or threats. The Apostle Paul gives an explicit command to believers to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

The reader should be forewarned this written work takes an unwavering confrontational approach with the sword of doctrine to pierce and cut away the customs, traditions, political correctness, spiritualism, and ignorance that has infiltrated and infected the body of Christ that is yielding illiterate believers that are unable to prove and defend the faith.

Lastly, not all doctrine is sound. Sound doctrine is truth that has been established in Genesis and echoes throughout eternity without changing with the seasons of moral relativism, humanism, and ecumenicalism. Genesis: Let There Be Sound Doctrine is a book written to fulfill Paul's command to educate and encourage the Christian believer in the undeniable truths of God's creation, His identity, and plan of salvation. In this pursuit, physical evidence is accompanied by Holy Ghost revelation expressed in a palatable way so the reader can harmonize their beliefs with the sound spoken from heaven.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098089016

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GENESIS

Let There Be Sound Doctrine

Steven L. Rogers II & Courtney L. Johnson

ISBN 978-1-0980-8900-9 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-0980-8901-6 (digital)

Copyright © 2021 by Steven L. Rogers II & Courtney L. Johnson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

All scripture is taken from the King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Genesis Chapter One

Genesis 1:1

Genesis 1:2

Genesis 1:3–5

Genesis 1:6–8

Genesis 1:9–13

Genesis 1:14–18

Genesis 1:20–23

Genesis 1:24–27

Genesis 1:27–30

Genesis 1:31

Genesis 2:1–2

Creation Scriptures

About the Author

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

—Psalm 33:6–8

Foreword

On September 11, 2001, nineteen militants associated with the Islamic extremist group, Al-Qaeda, hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington DC, and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Almost three thousand people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which triggered major US initiatives to combat terrorism.

At that time, I was on active duty as a staff sergeant in the United States Marine Corps stationed at Picatinny Arsenal located in Dover, New Jersey, as a part of the Inspector and Instructor Staff working with Golf Company 2nd Battalion 25th Marines. Many Marines in Golf Company personally felt the pain of this horrific attack firsthand as they mourned the loss of loved ones that died when the towers fell.

Consequently, when Golf Company—a reserve unit—was active with order for deployment to Iraq in 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Steven L. Rogers II, a lance corporal with G. Company enthusiastically packed his gear. Unbeknownst to both of us, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had marching orders and a mission of His own to be carried out, an unlikely friendship would be forged, and Promised Land Pentecostal Church would be born.

In a war-torn country, while accomplishing our daily tasks, I was asked to teach a Bible study one evening, and a Bible fellowship was formed, serving the Marines of our infantry company three times a week. On the date of our country’s independence, July 4, eighteen Marines were baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Euphrates River. Lance Corporal Rogers was one of those Marines. The deployment in Iraq came to an end, and both of us returned to our homes being separated by location but not by spirit. Three years later, we became burdened by the Lord to continue the work which began in Iraq to establish a church that would serve those in and out of uniform.

Our worship includes the preaching and teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ concerning His death, burial, and resurrection so as to enlighten the conscience to the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, and to open the heart to receive the infinite grace of God. It is essential that the church encourages, nourishes, cultivates, and equips the believer to live a fulfilled life in Jesus Christ. To achieve this endeavor, the Holy Ghost inspired now Elder Steven L Rogers II to write his first book, The Gifts of the Spirit and the Characteristics of Those Who Have Them, and now his second book, Genesis: Let There Be Sound Doctrine.

Determination and the attention to detail do not leave a Marine when he leaves the military. He approaches tasks in the civilian world with the same self-discipline that he acquired years back as a nervous young recruit. Elder Rogers had done his due diligence and reveals the unbiased truth while keeping it simple so that all those who read can sufficiently understand God’s creative work.

It was an honor to serve with Elder Rogers on the battlefield and a continuing gift from God to serve with him in our church as we press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

God bless you,

Bishop Courtney L. Johnson (GySgt. USMC Ret.)

Senior Pastor

Promised Land Pentecostal Church

Introduction

The essential belief that God created the heavens and the earth is an undisputed doctrinal standard shared by Christians worldwide. Howbeit, there are many Christian theologies, denominations, and organizations that do not share similar beliefs with regard to the timeframe and manner of creation. Unfortunately, there were no witnesses to the inception of creation to settle these disputes. In fact, God challenged Job’s answer, Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched the line upon it? (Job 38:4). Without witnesses to give an account of the events before time, believers are reliant upon faith to accept and submit to the Holy Ghost inspired written records of Moses, the prophets, and the apostles that all things were created by Him (John 1:3; Col. 1:16).

In times past, the belief in a deity was commonly used to explain the mysteries of the universe and make sense of tragic events such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and thunder. The Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all ascribed to a divine being(s) as the creator of the universe as well as the one(s) who directed destiny toward a purpose. However, upon the advent of science, the reliance on religion to explain the inexplicable diminished. Science became the weapon of atheists to attack and express disdain for the simplicity of the Christian doctrine. The propaganda of the atheist asserts that faith without evidence is foolish. Nevertheless, atheists have erroneously assumed that Christian belief is without evidence. In reality, atheists refuse to acknowledge the evidence of God’s existence because the truth does not fit their ideological thinking; Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools (Rom. 1:22).

Ironically, the atheists label Christians as being foolish yet fail to observe that their own disposition is flawed. Norman L. Geisler & Frank Turek (2004) have written extensively on the subject matter of atheists needing more faith in their system of beliefs than that of Christians due to the lack of logical and scientific evidence to support their ideas. Presently, there are no empirically based scientific models that have reproduced a micro-universe to assert that God was not a factor in creation. In point of fact, those who profess that the universe came into existence by chance without the input of a designer must accept this belief by faith.

The universe is vastly complex and filled with intricacies that would be impossible if there were not a designer to initiate and be the architectural hand to guide it. William Paley (1802) famously argued this very point using the image of the watchmaker. Paley explained that a watch is comprised of many complex parts which are put together for a specific purpose by a maker. The inference Paley was making was that if a watchmaker can manufacture a watch with complexities and purpose, how much more so must the universe be in need of a designer as well?

For argument’s sake, naturalists say there is no designer. Without a designer, there would be no designation of purpose, and the lack of purpose would then result in the absence of innate value. Thus, if God is nonexistent in the equation of the creation, then the purpose is also removed which would thereby eliminate universal value. Devoid of purpose and value, the inalienable rights that all people are endowed with by the Creator referred to in the United States Declaration of Independence (1776) would be eliminated. Additionally, universal human rights that so many attest to around the globe would also be subjective rather than absolute without a divine Creator.

The reason that universal human rights are recognized in the first place is because of the accepted belief that the Creator formed man in His own image. The image of God gave mankind purpose, value, and the right to prosper; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). By God’s plan, human value was not to be measured by titles and profits but rather found in the intangible values of love and compassion. If evolutionists are correct that God does not exist, then the value of life is regulated by governments that are biased. Furthermore, the nonexistence of God would eliminate the divine purpose of life that seeks to blossom. Thus, the physiological evidence of survival in the fight or flight response would not be instinctive to protect life.

The effects of atheism extend far beyond the attempt to erase God and render religion impotent. By removing the Creator from the creation, the mind of an individual will lead to nihilism, which is the belief that life is meaningless. Disrespect, intolerance, racism, abortion, murder, rape, depression, bullying, and suicide are the results of a system that devalues human life because there is no belief in God. Studies have consistently observed the suicide rate among religious people is lower than that of nonreligious people. The belief in God gives a person the sense of meaning, purpose, and identity that leads to a better state of mental health that a nihilist viewpoint does not.

The first physical attempt to remove God from society was expressed in the first recorded homicide. Cain’s rejection of God’s Word and correction led him to commit murder of his brother, Abel. Psychologically, for Cain to kill his sibling, he had to dissociate himself from God, resulting in the devaluing of Abel’s life, thereby allowing him to fulfill his lust. Regrettably, Abel was a victim of Cain’s rage toward God in a surrogate murder. Because Cain could not actually kill God, he killed His image (which was represented by Abel) instead.

The intent to kill God continues to exist in the lineage of Cain. The atheist thinker, Nietzsche, declared, God is dead. Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets of God were persecuted and martyred culminating in the life of Jesus Christ who is the very image of God. Although Cain was incapable of eliminating God in Genesis, his followers were successful in murdering Jesus at Calvary. Even though they pierced, bruised, and killed the body of Jesus Christ, the Lord thwarted their plans and rose up in glory. The testimony of Jesus Christ now lives on in His followers who are the light and salt of the world. However, the sons and daughters of Cain still have not surrendered but have become more emboldened in these last days. They are now attempting to kill the influence of Jesus Christ with deceitful intellectual philosophies, erasing or rewriting Holy Scripture, or by using a more forceful approach that involves ruining the reputations, influences, businesses, lives, and finances of God’s representatives.

The elimination of God became a sociological dilemma for Nietzsche that he could not resolve because he knew that humanity was incapable of producing objective moral value. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jer. 17:9). Without God, the value of human life becomes totally subjective to those who hold power in a flawed system. Regardless of whether that system is capitalism or socialism, any system that humanity creates is innately susceptible to corruption because the heart of humanity is tainted.

Similarly, the Christian and non-Christian are in the same ideological position as it pertains to the origin of the universe. For both systems of belief to be accepted without any eyewitness accounts and empirical based scientific models, faith must be applied. So where does this leave us? In spite of the absence of an eyewitness to account for creation believers and nonbelievers are not left impotent. Paul writes to the philosophers, doctors, and skeptics in Rome, stating:

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

The Apostle Paul clearly indicates that God created the natural world, and His design and development can be seen by the naked eye, microscope, or telescope, allowing all people to know that there is a Creator. Paul made the statement that God’s handiwork can be observed; He did not veil it in mystery or ask us to accept it by blind faith. Such an assertion by one of the most profound theologians and apostles opens the door for scientific testing because all scientific hypothesis and models