Genesis “In the beginning, when God created the universe...” (Genesis 1:1 – GN)

“In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God and the Word was God..” (John 1:1 – GN) “In the beginning…God was with God…” “…before the beginning of time.” (Titus 1:2 – GN) “I am the first and the last," says the Lord God Almighty, who is, who was, and who is to come.” (Revelation 1:8)

“Were you there when I made the world? If you know so much, tell me about it. Who decided how large it would be? Who stretched the measuring line over it? Do you know all the answers? What holds up the pillars that support the earth? Who laid the cornerstone of the world? In the dawn of that day the stars sang together, and the heavenly beings shouted for joy.” (Job 38:4-7 – GN)

Plate 37

God’s hand in evolution? “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13 – NLT) “Instead, let love make you serve one another. For the whole Law is summed up in one commandment: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’” (Galatians 5:13-14 – GN)

“…be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves. And look out for one another's interests, not just for your own.” (Philippians 2:3 – GN) “In brotherly love let your feelings of deep affection for one another come to expression and regard others as more important than yourself.” (Romans 12:10 – NJB)

“He told him, ‘You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.’” (Genesis 2:16,17 – GN)

“Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. The huge dragon was thrown out, that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him. (Revelation 12:7-9, GN)

“Son of man, give the prince of Tyre this message from the Sovereign LORD: In your great pride you claim, ‘I am a god! I sit on a divine throne in the heart of the sea.’ But you are only a man and not a god, though you boast that you are like a god…Son of man, weep for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD:

You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone – red carnelian, chrysolite, white moonstone, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald – all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created.

“I and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. Your great wealth filled you with violence, and you sinned. So I banished you from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings” (Ezekiel 28:2, NLT).

“ How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘ I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’” (Isaiah 14: NKJV)

“All this I will give you,’ the Devil said, ‘if you kneel down and worship me.’ Then Jesus answered, ‘Go away, Satan! The scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’ Then the Devil left Jesus; and angels came and helped him.” (Matthew 4:9-11 – GN)

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’ “You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, except…” (Genesis 2:16 – GN)

“We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden,’ the woman answered, ‘except the tree in the middle of it. God told us not to eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it; if we do, we will die.’ The snake replied, ‘That’s not true; you will not die.’”

“God said that because he knows that when you eat it, you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad.” (Genesis 3:1-5 – GN) “God spoke: ‘Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature’…God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God's nature.” (Genesis 1:26,27 – The Message)

“The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it.” (Genesis 3:6 – GN)

“That evening they heard the LORD God walking in the garden, and they hid from him among the trees. But the LORD God called out to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden; I was afraid and hid from you, because I was naked.’” (Genesis 3:8,9 – GN)

What is sin? Lies believed about the character of God Broken love and trust Rebellion/lawlessness

“…anything that is not based on faith [trust] is sin” (Romans 14:23).

“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4 – NKJV) Anomia: “Nomia” is law, and so “anomia” is literally lawlessness.

What is sin? Lies believed about the character of God Broken love and trust Rebellion/lawlessness

Symptom –Headache and fever Etiology –Meningitis Treatment –Antibiotics

Symptom –Eating the fruit (“breaking the rules”; fear) Etiology –Believed lies about God; broken love and trust Treatment –Truth about God

“In the middle of the garden stood the tree that gives life and the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad” (Genesis 2:9).

This earth is a “spectacle for the whole world of angels…” (1 Corinthians 4:9 - GN) “God revealed to these prophets that their work was not for their own benefit, but for yours, as they spoke about those things which you have now heard from the messengers who announced the Good News by the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things which even the angels would like to understand” (1 Peter 1:12 – GN). “Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son’s blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven…” (Colossians 1: GN)

“For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.” (Ephesians 6:12 – GN)