How To Preach Christ (the Gospel) from Genesis

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•  Imperatives - Indicatives = Impossibilities
  

D. A. Carson (NT scholar) quotes his pastor dad who says, “A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text.” Go figure out the meaning of this delightful sentence! OK, it means to teach the Bible out of context, thus distorting the intended meaning of the Bible passage.

What does Jesus say the Scriptures (OT) are about?

• The Scriptures (OT) speak about Jesus (John 5:39).
• Moses, who wrote Genesis and the Pentateuch, wrote about Jesus (John 5:46; Luke 24:27,44).
• The Scriptures (OT) concern Jesus (Luke 24:27).
• The Law of Moses, Prophets and the Psalms (OT) wrote about Jesus and must be fulfilled by him (Luke 24:44).

Jesus is saying that the OT, including Genesis, is about Jesus. When I taught Genesis, did I show how it pointed to Jesus? Though I believe in Jesus with all my heart for who he is and for what he has done for me on the cross, my answer is “No, not really.”

How have I taught Genesis? Since 1982 I taught Genesis to 100s of people primarily as examples to be followed or avoided. I taught it imperatively, as moral stories, ethics and principles to be emulated or shunned. Such teachings are not unbiblical. But they are not the intent of the author, nor the author's intended “teaching point."

What did I teach when I taught Genesis? I repeatedly emphasized the following over the years (which I suspect many of us also do):

• God created man for mission (Gen 1:28, 2:15). Repent of selfishness and live for God’s mission.
• Cain rejected God’s sovereignty (Gen 4:7). Repent, don’t be jealous, and accept God’s “painful” sovereignty in your life.
• Abel made his offering by faith (Heb 11:4). Make your offering by faith.
• Noah built an ark of salvation (Gen 6:1ff). You build your "ark of salvation" by living a life of mission, by fishing and by feeding sheep.
• Abraham left his past and obeyed God by faith (Gen 12:1-4). You leave your past life of sin and follow Jesus. (Though this is not unbiblical, it commits 3 errors of exegesis: 1) generalizing, 2) universalizing, and 3) making the character the exemplary hero.)
• Abraham believed God’s impossible promise (Gen 15:5,6). You believe God's promise by faith and live by faith.
• Abraham offered Isaac to God (Gen 22:1ff). Identify you Isaac, your heart’s utmost desire, and offer it to God.
• Isaac married by faith (Gen 24:1ff). You must “marry by faith.”
• Abraham’s servant was exemplary (Gen 24:1ff). Be a servant like that.
• Rebekah had “by any means faith” to help Jacob to get the blessing from his blind father (Gen 27:1ff). Therefore, the ends justify the means. Just don't lie and deceive others while doing so!
• Jacob struggled with God as a matter of life and death (Gen 32:22-32). You do likewise.
• Joseph forgave his wicked brothers (Gen 45:1-15; 50:15-21). You forgive those who hurt you.

Such teachings are not biblically incorrect (except Rebekah instructing Jacob to deceive). Yet, this may not be the way to teach Genesis, even if “it worked.” (Some who studied Genesis with me became Christians by the work of the Holy Spirit. This is obviously in spite of me!)

How do we teach Christ or preach the gospel from Genesis? By exegesis, not eisegesis. Exegesis is to let the text in its context interpret the meaning to you (from the author's perspective and with the one message of the Bible in view). Eisegesis is to read what you want into the text, which is usually some moral or spiritual instruction. Stay tuned...

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