I am privileged to be the Homiletical Author for the Genesis volume in Kregel’s Kerux Commentary series. My writing colleague, Dr. John Soden, did the lion’s share of the work. Together we aimed to move from accurate exegesis all the way to faithful application. As always, readers will ultimately decide on how effective we were.
However, one thing I wished Kregel would have wanted was a consistent, what I call, Christo-graphic, reading of the book of Genesis. So, I thought I might post what I would have written. These posts represent the kind of readings I consistently do in OT texts.
So, for Genesis 1, which records God creating the “good,” even “very good” world.
The question I ask goes something like this: What is it about the Christ-event (Christ living a perfect life, dying a substitutionary death for sin/sinners, rising from the dead, ascending to the Father’s right hand, and dispatching His Spirit on all who believe) that allows a Christian to be and/or do what Genesis 1 is saying?
God intends for Genesis 1 to function for the church by showing that all who have trusted Christ are new creations (you probably recognize the NT wording). Whereas God is credited with creation in Genesis 1 by His Word (“God said…”), Jesus, “the Word,” is credited with creation in John 1:3 “All things were made through him…” and in v. 4 “In him was life…”
All this is necessary because of what happened to God’s good creation in Genesis 3.
To use other language from Genesis 1, notice that the image of God, which was badly marred by the rebellion in Genesis 3, can now be gradually restored through the new creation in Christ.
There’s lots more we cold do with this, but this is a way to show how Genesis 1 contains things written about Jesus (Luke 24:44).
May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as we continue to preach Christ.
Randal
