In my last Bible post, I wrote about the death of Abel at his brother's hands. But Abel's death is not the only murder listed in Genesis 4. Lamech, Cain's great-great-great-grandson, also murdered a man; he claimed to have killed the unnamed man for wounding him.
Just as disturbing, Lamech took it upon himself to proclaim that anyone who avenged the murder would receive the Lord's vengeance seventy-sevenfold; in essence, he presumed to speak for the Lord Himself. (Earlier, the Lord proclaimed that anyone who avenged Abel's death and harmed Cain would receive vengeance sevenfold--in other words, the sin of murder would not be made right by another murder.) Lamech was also the first man in the Bible to take multiple wives, which had not been God's original intention.
So within just a few generations, man was already filled with sin and turning against God. However, the chapter does end on a positive note: Eve gives birth to another son, Seth, whose wife gives birth to a son named Enosh. The chapter ends with this line: "Then men began to call on the name of the Lord."
Genesis 5 isn't quite as exciting as Genesis 4. In fact, most people would say that it's quite boring and would probably skip over it altogether. After all, does it really matter who begot who?
If there's one thing I have learned about the Bible, it's the fact that every word, every chapter is important. Even the "boring" bits can be interesting and exciting if you take the time to look beyond the words on the page. In this case, the meaning behind each name listed in the genealogy is fascinating.
This is the genealogy of Adam (through his son, Seth), with the meanings of each name listed alongside:
Adam - man, a being created from material, dust or earth
Seth - appointed, with connotations of tumult
Enosh - mortal human being, or frail and miserable man
Cainan - variant of Kenan - to propogate, increase, possibly a growth of offspring or fortune; possession
Mahalalel - praise of God
Jared - decline or descent
Enoch - initiated or dedicated
Methuselah - man of the javelin or dart; or "When he is dead, it shall come"
Lamech - lowering, depression, humiliation
Noah - rest or comfort, with overtones of finality, victory or salvation
In and of itself, this list might not seem that interesting. However, in the next post I will show how these names and their meanings not only summarize the state of the world from earth's creation to the great flood of Noah's generation, but it is also a glimpse at God's plan for salvation, through His son, Jesus Christ.
Note--I used two websites to find the meanings of each name: Behind the Name and Abarim Publications.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
It's been a long while....
It's been ages since I last posted, and I intend to kick start this blog in the coming days. However, before I do, I would like to post the outline of a wonderful sermon I watched online this week. I urge all of you to watch the original YouTube post, which features pastor and evangelist Tony Miano.
A False Convert:
1) Believes he is inherently a good person, thus denying the doctrine of original sin. God’s standard is moral perfection in thought, word and deed—throughout one’s entire life.
Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"
Proverbs 28:9: “If anyone turns a deaf ear to [God’s] law, even his prayers are detestable.”
Matthew 5:48: “You must therefore be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”
2) Denies essential doctrines, such as judgment, hell, regeneration by the Holy Spirit, justification by faith, and replaces these truths with lies, such as sinless perfection and open theism.
Sinless perfection: the idea that after conversion, a Christian is capable of living a sinless life.
1 John 1:5-10: “…if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us… If we say we have not sinned, we have made [God] a liar…”
Open theism: the idea that God is vulnerable, and works in cooperation with man to achieve His purposes; the idea that God does not have exhaustive, definite foreknowledge of the future. He does not have complete control.
Isaiah 46:10—God has declared the “end from the beginning.”
3) Believes that a person can be a Christian while wantonly engaging in habitual sin.
Hebrews 10:26-31: Those who continue to sin wantonly are trampling the blood of Christ, counting it as "a common thing" and insulting the spirit of grace.
4) Does not bear the marks of a true Christian.
Romans 12:9-21: Christians abhor what is evil, cling to what is good, are kindly affectionate, fervent in spirit while serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continue steadfastly in prayer, distribute to the needs of the saints, are given to hospitality, bless and do not curse those who persecute them, associate with the humble, are not proud or wise in their own opinion, live peaceably with all men and turn from vengeance.
Galatians 5:22: the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
5) Believes he is saved because he said a prayer and asked Jesus “into his heart.” The so-called Sinner’s Prayer is not in the Bible. Jesus and his disciples called people to repent and believe.
Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Luke 13:3,5: “I tell you, no; unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
Acts 17:30-31: “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness…”
Only God causes someone to be “born again” – simply saying the Sinner’s Prayer will not make someone born again. No one is saved by or through a prayer alone.
6) Places their hope and assurance of salvation in the things they have done (or are doing) instead of what Jesus did on the cross.
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Romans 5:6,8: “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly…God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
7) Goes days, weeks or even months without reading the Bible, and has no desire to read it. They do not love the Word of God, nor do they believe the Word of God.
1 Corinthians 2:14: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them…”
A true follower of Jesus hungers and thirsts for righteousness, just as he hungers and thirsts for the sustenance of the milk and meat of God’s Word.
John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Mathew 4:4: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
8) Prays only when he/she wants something from God, and does not make time for true communication and fellowship.
Romans 12:12: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Ephesians 6:18: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Colossians 4:2: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”
9) Believes evangelism is a gift other people have and are not burdened by the fact that thousands die every day and are bound for hell.
Mathew 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 12:36: “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”
John 9:39: “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’”
Romans 2:5: “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”
A False Convert:
1) Believes he is inherently a good person, thus denying the doctrine of original sin. God’s standard is moral perfection in thought, word and deed—throughout one’s entire life.
Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"
Proverbs 28:9: “If anyone turns a deaf ear to [God’s] law, even his prayers are detestable.”
Matthew 5:48: “You must therefore be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”
2) Denies essential doctrines, such as judgment, hell, regeneration by the Holy Spirit, justification by faith, and replaces these truths with lies, such as sinless perfection and open theism.
Sinless perfection: the idea that after conversion, a Christian is capable of living a sinless life.
1 John 1:5-10: “…if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us… If we say we have not sinned, we have made [God] a liar…”
Open theism: the idea that God is vulnerable, and works in cooperation with man to achieve His purposes; the idea that God does not have exhaustive, definite foreknowledge of the future. He does not have complete control.
Isaiah 46:10—God has declared the “end from the beginning.”
3) Believes that a person can be a Christian while wantonly engaging in habitual sin.
Hebrews 10:26-31: Those who continue to sin wantonly are trampling the blood of Christ, counting it as "a common thing" and insulting the spirit of grace.
4) Does not bear the marks of a true Christian.
Romans 12:9-21: Christians abhor what is evil, cling to what is good, are kindly affectionate, fervent in spirit while serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continue steadfastly in prayer, distribute to the needs of the saints, are given to hospitality, bless and do not curse those who persecute them, associate with the humble, are not proud or wise in their own opinion, live peaceably with all men and turn from vengeance.
Galatians 5:22: the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
5) Believes he is saved because he said a prayer and asked Jesus “into his heart.” The so-called Sinner’s Prayer is not in the Bible. Jesus and his disciples called people to repent and believe.
Mark 1:15: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Luke 13:3,5: “I tell you, no; unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
Acts 17:30-31: “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness…”
Only God causes someone to be “born again” – simply saying the Sinner’s Prayer will not make someone born again. No one is saved by or through a prayer alone.
6) Places their hope and assurance of salvation in the things they have done (or are doing) instead of what Jesus did on the cross.
Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Romans 5:6,8: “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly…God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
7) Goes days, weeks or even months without reading the Bible, and has no desire to read it. They do not love the Word of God, nor do they believe the Word of God.
1 Corinthians 2:14: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them…”
A true follower of Jesus hungers and thirsts for righteousness, just as he hungers and thirsts for the sustenance of the milk and meat of God’s Word.
John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Mathew 4:4: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
8) Prays only when he/she wants something from God, and does not make time for true communication and fellowship.
Romans 12:12: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Ephesians 6:18: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Colossians 4:2: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”
9) Believes evangelism is a gift other people have and are not burdened by the fact that thousands die every day and are bound for hell.
Mathew 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 12:36: “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”
John 9:39: “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’”
Romans 2:5: “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”
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