The book of Genesis is under attack! In fact, it has probably been under attack in one way or another since it was written. Not only is Genesis the seed plot of the Bible where every other account of Scripture begins, but also it tells the story of Satan’s deception and ultimate failure. Because it is foundational to everything else in the Bible, Satan knows if he can get us to doubt Genesis, we will throw the Bible out all together, and nothing would make him happier.
The biblical account of creation is under attack
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1 (ESV)
Currently, the attack on creation is through the faulty theory of darwinian evolution. While much of the scientific community has rejected evolution as a plausible explanation for how we came to be, it has been taught for so long that it is ingrained in our culture, accepted by most of our society. It has infiltrated cartoons, movies, even some “Christian” literature. We could spend time discussing all of the ways the theory of evolution falls short of a scientific fact, the differences between micro and macro evolution, or the unreliability of carbon dating, but the truth is if it wasn’t evolution, it would be a different theory.
The theory of evolution and the Big Bang Theory are not believable in the least, yet mankind would choose to believe we came from stardust or primordial sludge rather than believe the biblical account of creation because to accept God as creator means to accept Him as judge. If He created the universe, then He gets to say what happens, what is good and what is bad, and what brings Him glory. Satan himself rebelled against God’s authority, so he rejoices in our deception in this area.
Biological sex is under attack
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27 (ESV)
While it may seem that the transgender movement is fairly new, it has been around for a long time. It is actually simply the logical conclusion of the feminist movement. God’s ultimate creation was mankind, created in the image of God, and created as two distinct creatures made to complement one another.
When we question our identity based on how we feel, we are questioning God’s goodness in creating us for the purpose of glorifying Him. When we dig into the Bible and discover our identity through Him, we allow our knowledge to override our feelings. Satan would love for us to get lost in emotionalism, questioning who we are and why we’re here, and finding our answers in our feelings rather than God’s Word.
The family is under attack.
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24 (ESV)
Because the family is the foundation of society, dismantling it is a great tactic to destroy God’s intended plan. We were created for community, and the first community we have is our family. Parents are tasked with raising their children in the knowledge of God. Deuteronomy 6:7 tells us exactly how to do that, “You shall teach them [the words He commanded them] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” The goal of parenting is to create in our children a biblical worldview.
What God created as a perfect union—because it is a picture of His relationship with His people—was marred by sin. Children are not supposed to be fatherless, abused, neglected, or murdered in the womb. Wives are not supposed to be ignored, abused, or controlling. Husbands are not supposed to be emasculated, ridiculed, abusive, or weak. Because society has followed the ways of the world rather than the ways of God, we have drifted away from God’s purpose for the family.
(A couple of blog posts that touch on this topic include: The Role of Women in Ministry: Why the Rebellion? and Is Submission a Result of the Fall?)
Humanness is under attack
This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.
Genesis 5:1 (ESV)
The book of Genesis teaches us that there is only one race. We are all descended from Adam and then from Noah. God did not create different races to be different in value. He created one race: the human race. In fact, when we read the account of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9, we find that ethnic lines were created by language differences, not skin color.
But if Satan can get us to hate one another or try to control one another based on the color of our skin, then he gets us to dishonor God’s creation of humanity. Every human being, no matter his culture, color, language, or country is an image bearer of God because he is descended from Adam, the original image bearer.
The earth is under attack
While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.
Genesis 8:22 (ESV)
Not only does the climate “crisis” take our attention off of the things we should be focused on, it also gives us a false sense of control over God’s creation. It is a way for us to think we know better than God and act accordingly. When we interfere with God’s creation and how it works, at best, it is a futile waste of energy, and at worst, we actually cause more harm.
What God created, He sustains. I’m not advocating for setting out to destroy the earth, but the earth was created for us to subdue, not the other way around. God’s creation is a testament to God’s creativity, pleasure in beauty, and even sense of humor. If the polar ice caps melt, that is God’s plan. If a species goes extinct, that is also God’s plan.
But Satan longs to distract us with causes that waste our time and energy. We can trust God to sustain His creation because He promised He would. While we honor His creation, we cannot do His job.
God’s promises are under attack
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
Genesis 9:12-13 (ESV)
God created the rainbow as a sign of His promise to us that He would never again destroy the whole earth with water. By taking the symbol of God’s promise and perverting it to be a symbol of a lifestyle that is a direct affront to God’s commands, we attack His promises. Furthermore, the climate “crisis” is a manifestation of our unbelief in this specific promise.
It seems that everywhere we turn, the book of Genesis is under attack. In every case listed, Satan has taken something God created and called “good” and twisted it into a counterfeit of truth. Much like he did with Eve in the Garden of Eden, he asks us on a daily basis, “Did God actually say…?”
Genesis fights back!
But take heart, my friend, because Genesis fights back!
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
Genesis 3:15 (ESV)
This is the first promise of a coming Messiah. While Satan set out to destroy God’s creation, God had already set in place a plan of redemption and the ultimate defeat of the enemy. No matter how much Satan questions God, hates His Word, or deceives us, God is still in control!
Let me leave you with some words of comfort from Psalm 2:
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
Psalm 2:1-6 (ESV)
This post only goes through Genesis 11, and there are 50 chapters in the book. In what other ways is the book of Genesis under attack? I would love to hear your thoughts.
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