Genesis Genre
May 4, 2025
Gen 12:1-7
A Common Personal Pondering = “Why are “these things” happening to me?”—then, if we believe God is personal and engaged in His world, we ask— ?? - Why is God doing what he’s doing?
— To this we often develop a “Cause & Effect Theology” (little bit of “Karma-Theology”) …What did I do, or fail to do, that has brought my life to this place and this experience?
How’s THAT “Life-Practice” Map on to God’s Big Story?
• The Fall Chapter – Genesis 3—with color commentary extended to Gen. 11
o THEN… Genesis 12! …”The Doorway to Redemption” (the next Big Chapter of God)
Gen 12:1-3 “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
God zeroes in on one man, Abram, a worshipper of false gods (Josh 24:2, 3) in the land of Ur, and says, with unbelievably far-reaching implications, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse, and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Gen 12:1–3). In completely sovereign grace God comes to this undeserving idolater and says, with life-creating authority, “I am going to bless you, and through you bring blessing to the whole world.” And with that begins the history of the people of Israel.”. …”contrary to all human expectations, for his own wise purposes, God set his favor on a single man, Abram, and commenced an amazing 2,000 year history that would, in the fullness of time, bring forth Jesus Christ the Redeemer for all the world. …The main thing that I want to show this morning is that God’s 4,000 year old relation to Abraham is of immense importance for your life as a believer today. Everything written about Abraham “was written for your instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures you might have hope” (Rom 15:4). —John Piper, “The Covenant of Abraham”
…Remember Our 2025 Bible Project!! …some things have been “Strategically written for our instruction!” …they are tucked in the Scriptures—and as we READ & UNDERSTAND the Scriptures, they deliver HOPE to Our Experience!
From this moment will flow all the other promises, all the other covenants, and all the other prophecies that will finally culminate in the salvation of humanity through the work of Jesus Christ.” …”God’s cutting of the covenant with Abraham is one of the highest mountain peaks in the entire story of the Bible. From here you can see all the way back to Eden, and you can look far ahead…to the coming of the offspring himself, the Messiah who will bring blessing to the world. —Greg Gilbert, “The Epic Story of the Bible”, p. 94, 98
…Did you know that the Covenant with Abraham is a Big Deal—TODAY? …Do You See Your “Moment” in This Passage? … “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed”
SEEING THEOLOGY & ANTHROPOLOGY IN THE BIBLE
…In the ‘Anthropology Dept.’—Quick “Humanity” Note on “this guy named Abram” and his encounter with God! …This man is going to be “called INTO” something—a Covenant Relationship with God!—Purposes, Promises, & Places that God is going to spell out for him!! …This man is going to be “called OUT OF” something
Notice: Coming into a relationship with God—accepting and embracing HIS purpose in your life—will often involve significant changes to the People & Places of Your Life! …This is a “Significant OPENING LINE”!! …God is messing with his “comfort”, his “security”, his “identity”, his “fun”, his “peeps”, his “career”, his “provision”, etc!!
…In the Theology Department… There are some “concepts” to be understood–some future Biblical Vocabulary—if we’re going to follow the rest of the Biblical Storyline!
• The Concept “Calling”
• The Concept of “Promises”
• The Concept of “Covenant” (Gen 15)
• The Concept of “the PURPOSE of God” (Rom 9)
THE CONCEPT OF CALLING
“Calling” = God assigning to a person (or creature) a particular role to play in His Purpose. … “Calling” is God inserting his “providential hand” in the unfolding events of earth. It is God “bringing about” His will—in spite of the active presence of “Sin, Rebellion, Corruption, Demonic Disobedience, and Human Depravity”!
(1) Calling Involves God Doing some “very UN-DEISTIC” Things!
Abraham’s Special Arrangement
God is Going to be ACTIVELY INTERFERRING in Abraham’s Life—AND His Descendants!
(2) Calling is a God-Centered Activity! …It comes from Reasons & Motives IN GOD
God’s Calling is filled with Grace and Dipped in Mystery!!
…Why did God call Abraham?
Josh 24:2-3 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac.
…God intervenes and injects His Purpose—NOT Because Man has Achieved Righteousness, but because of His Own Motivational Mercy and His Perfect Purpose in Creation!!
…Why did God call Israel?
Deut 7:6-8 6 “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
…NOT because of something in “you” …but because of God’s Own LOVE and Covenant Purpose!!
…Why did God call you or me?
1 Cor 1:26-31 26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
…What was true of Abraham, Israel …is true of us! …God’s Calling is filled with Grace and Dipped in Mystery!!
ROMANS 9!!!
…Is Romans 9 Controversial—or the Centerpiece of Theology?
Rom 8 = a series of questions that arise from our “Anthropology” in a Fallen World!
…v. 18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” [Life has suffering! Static!! That’s significant and hard to interpret!!]
…v. 28-29 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose, 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…”
…v. 31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? …33 “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? …34 “Who is to condemn?” …35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”
—Why all these questions? …Because our “Anthropology” generates hard questions!! …pain, suffering, sin, causes us to wonder if God’s in control and we can trust him!!
…v. 38-39 “For I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor power, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
…Oh, yea? …then explain what happened to the Jews? They were God’s special people and Now they have rejected the Messiah!!
…Then Romans 9!! …Take Comfort—God’s Purpose is Going Exactly as He Planned—You’ve just Misunderstood How to Interpret it…
Rom 9:1-11
…There IS a “Chosen People of God” on earth—they have traveled through history—Abraham is their Father!
?? – What Made Abraham Special in God’s Plan? …God’s CHOICE and Abraham’s Receiving God’s Purpose BY FAITH!
Rom 4:1-5
Rom 4:9-12
Rom 4:13-16
…v. 16 …a covenant that rests on GRACE (a God-Centered Inner-Motive… Something God gets from within Himself, not from Abraham or from us!!)
Gen 15 …Insights on a Covenant of Grace!!
…v. 1-18
v. 6 …Righteousness by faith!
Rom 4:3-4 “For what does the scriptures say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.”
v. 9ff …a Covenant Ceremony
v. 12, 17 …a sleeping Abraham and a Promising God!
Rom 4:16 “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring”
THIS is what makes God’s Covenant with us FAIL-PROOF …it is God “covenanting with Himself based on Himself” …it doesn’t depend on MAN’s Contribution!!
Rom 9:11
Rom 9:15-16
…Before you “mock” or “toss” election & predestination into the file of “UNFAIR”!! and then refuse to look at it—because it doesn’t Feature Man Enough …Make sure you notice—it is THESE Doctrines of Grace that Make God’s Plan Actually WORK and FAILPROOF!!!
…and All This Got Started with ABRAHAM!