Fluent Essays

This week, we examine Gods purpose for creating human beings and their role in the world. Taking what you learned this week, write a 300-350 word reflection on your own purpose. This reflection can focus on your family, your church, your workplace, your neighborhood, etc. Just be sure to connect your personal reflection to the material studied this week (this must be done using citations). For example, you could discuss your job in light of what you learned about human beings being created to be priests in Gods garden. Or you could discuss how to be a good neighbor in light of what you learned about the Fall. Or you could discuss your family in light of what you learned about Gods Kingdom. For details on grading, please review the rubric for this assignment. Submit this assignment as an attached file (Word or PDF). DO NOT write this submission into the text editor nor copy/paste the text of your paper into that box either. You must use a format style (of your choosing) as this is a formal academic submission. Points may be reduced for failure to follow this guideline.( SIDE NOTES DOWN BELOW) genesis_1_3.pdf the_arc_of_god_s_story_transcript.pdf the_fall_transcript.pdf the_kingdom_of_god_transcript.pdf Unformatted Attachment Preview Genesis 1 New International Version (NIV) The Beginning 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. 6 9 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. 11 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to governthe day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. 20 24 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animalsaccording to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 26 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 28 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be 29 yours for food.30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. 31 Footnotes: a. Genesis 1:26 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Syriac); Masoretic Text the earth Genesis 2 New International Version (NIV) 2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Adam and Eve This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. 4 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth[a] and no plant had yet sprung up,for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams[b] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the LORD God formed a man[c] from the 5 dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 8 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through 10 the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin[d] and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.[e] 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris;it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” 15 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 18 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would 19 name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam[f] no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib[h] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 24 25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Footnotes: a. Genesis 2:5 Or land; also in verse 6 b. Genesis 2:6 Or mist c. Genesis 2:7 The Hebrew for man (adam) sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for ground (adamah); it is also the name Adam (see verse 20). d. Genesis 2:12 Or good; pearls e. Genesis 2:13 Possibly southeast Mesopotamia f. Genesis 2:20 Or the man g. Genesis 2:21 Or took part of the man’s side h. Genesis 2:22 Or part Genesis 3 New International Version (NIV) The Fall 3 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’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the 2 middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 4 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they 6 were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” 8 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked;so I hid.” 10 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 12 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and hers; he will crush[b] your head, and you will strike his heel.” 16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ 17 “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Adam[c] named his wife Eve,[d] because she would become the mother of all the living. 20 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.22 And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of 21 us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[e] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Footnotes: a. b. c. d. e. Genesis 3:15 Or seed Genesis 3:15 Or strike Genesis 3:20 Or The man Genesis 3:20 Eve probably means living. Genesis 3:24 Or placed in front f. New International Version (NIV) g. Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Week 2: The Arc of God’s Story We spoke last week about God’s story—about His truth and character revealed to us in the Holy Bible. We began this class asking—what is human flourishing? How do I become a better person in all areas of my life? We spoke about the need for transformation. We pointed to the importance of God’s Word in this process. So, if you ask—well how do I become a better parent? How do I become a better employee? A better husband or wife…better friend. To help us answer these questions, we can turn to the Bible. But before we jump in and start asking about these specific questions—we have to step back and understand the overall story—the arc of the Bible. People often divide the story of the world into four parts: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. This image by Jeff Seevers helps capture those four stages. In his book Counterfeit Gospels, the managing editor of The Gospel Project, Trevin Wax, explains this storyline as follows: Creation: One Hebrew word sums up the picture of Genesis 1 and 2: shalom. Peace. Earth was full of Gods shalom, the kind of peace in which everything works according to Gods intention. The world was made for human flourishing, there we could live in joy in the presence of our Maker, worshiping God by loving Him and one another forever. Fall: Adam and Eve rejected Gods rule over them. We refer to their rebellious choice as the fall, and because they represented all of humanity, their action affects us too. We have-- through our attitudes and actions-- declared ourselves to be Gods enemies. This rebellion results in physical and spiritual death. Redemption: Thankfully the loving Creator who rightly shows Himself to be wrathful toward our sin is determined to turn evil and suffering we have caused into good that will be to His ultimate glory. So the next movement shows God implementing a master plan for redeeming His world and rescuing fallen sinners. In the Person of Jesus Christ, God Himself comes to renew the world and restore His people. The grand narrative of Scripture climaxes with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Restoration: The story doesnt end with redemption. God has promised to renew the whole world, and the Bible gives us a peak into this glorious future. The restoration of all things will take place in two ways. Christ will return to judge sin and evil, and He will usher in righteousness and peace. God will purge this world of evil once and for all. Week 2: The Fall We know that instead of bringing God’s will to the entire earth, Adam and Eve succumb to the temptation of Satan and rebel against their divine king. They decide that life would be better if they live independently from God. This is why R.C. Sproul calls sin, “cosmic treason”— rebellion against the King of the Cosmos. And the results that follow are disastrous. They turn from God, and He turns from them. Humans are no longer God’s people. They are rebels. They are no longer in God’s place. They are driven out of the garden. Driven out from the special presence of God on earth. They no longer live under God’s rule. They live as they see fit. They live as sinners. And since they are no longer under God’s rule, they are no longer experiencing God’s blessing. Instead, they are under his judgment. He is a Holy God. But He also loves. He is determined to restore his kingdom. To restore a people for himself—a people who will glorify him as a royal priesthood. To rescue them from sin and death bring them into His kingdom. And so much of the rest of the Bible is this story. This story of redemption. This story of God’s unfolding plan and making a people for himself. And so while Genesis 3 ends on a gloomy note—judgment on humans who have been driven out of God’s special place. But it also gives a promise. And much of the rest of the Old Testament is about God’s promise. The first hint of this long-term strategy was introduced immediately after Adam and Eve sinned, in Genesis 3:15. There God cursed the serpent, who had instigated Adam and Eve’s sin, saying these words: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel (Genesis 3:15). In essence, God promised that even though Satan and those human beings who followed him would continue to trouble Eve’s seed, eventually her true descendants, redeemed humanity, would crush the head of the serpent, conquering the one who had led them into cosmic treason. This is why Paul assured the Roman Christians in Romans 16:20: The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet (Romans 16:20). This is why Peter assures the believers that they have been restored: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, Gods special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9) Week 2: The Kingdom of God While we are able to look at the Big Story of the Bible in these four stages—Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration—one theme emerges in all stages—the Kingdom of God. From the very beginning of the Bible in Genesis where we see God as Creator to the very end of the Bible in Revelation when we see Jesus as Cosmic King, the Kingdom of God is the theme of the biblical story. Graeme Goldsworthy in his book, Gospel and Kingdom, defines the Kingdom of God this way: “God’s people, in God’s place, under God’s rule and God’s Blessing.” So, let’s just look at this pattern from the outset of the Bible: God’s people: God creates Adam and Eve. He creates them for relationship with Himself, and for relationship with each other. Look what God says of Adam: The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18). God gives Adam and Eve purpose. Genesis tells us: The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15). We might think that Adam and Eve were only gardeners but something much great is being stated here. There are really two role that we see Adam and Eve are given: 1. Priest: Adam and Eve functioned as priests. They were placed in the garden—God’s special specially designated place of his presence on earth—it was a scared and holy place. And Adam and Eve tended to it. In doing so, they worshipped God and maintained his holy sanctuary. 2. Vice-Regents: In addition to priests, human beings were called to be vice-regents. They were ordained as royalty. They were God’s most special creation. See what Genesis tells us: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground” (Genesis 1:26). We see here that God created human-beings in His image—what theologians have called the Imago Dei. This tells us that humans are vice-regents, created to rule over the earth on God’s behalf and make sure His will is done. So let’s remember our working definition of the Kingdom of God: “God’s people, in God’s place, under God’s rule and God’s Blessing.” We just spoke about God’s people. What about God’s place? God’s place: In one way, Genesis indicates that the whole world is God’s. In the beginning God created…and he brings purpose and order to this chaotic world. Genesis tell us: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). And Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2). But God takes this formless world and fashions it into something he calls “good.” So, the whole universe is God’s. But in a narrower sense, God’s place for Adam and Eve is the garden. The centerpiece of His creation—there to display his special presence with Adam and Eve. Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden... And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:8-9). God’s people…in God’s place� ... Purchase answer to see full attachment