Dear Family,
This week we come to the verses in Genesis 1 that describe God’s creation of living, breathing, life. We will look at the text and consider the importance of God’s blessing upon life and what it means for us to fill and multiply on the earth. It’s a precious subject and we will be considering the big foundational truths of the image of God and dominion and blessing over the next few weeks.
There is one consideration I am simply asking us to value this week - LIFE. Life is precious. Life is a blessing. And…life reflects the glory of God.
As we consider the value of physical life and particularly human life, I am going to ask us to consider that true life was lost in the Garden of Eden. I am going to uphold the dignity and value of life for the next three weeks. I am going to ask us to value marriage and family as God’s means of human fruitfulness in multiplication. I am going to ask us to acknowledge that physical life, every physical life, is precious. And …I am going to say, that in our Genesis 3 world, that simply is not enough.
As we look at life in Genesis 1, please don’t lose the important reality that we were never created in this world for a temporal existence. When sin entered the world, so did death, physical and spiritual. Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. Human beings need restoration of life, not just temporal physical life but eternal and abundant life. We need to live for that which is truly life.
As we consider the importance of life, please never lose the biggest truth in life we all must grasp. True life is only restored through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ. In every discussion we have about life, I pray that we never let it pass without saying that Jesus is our life. In so many ways, Christians have generally been consistently vocal in our world about the sanctity of life. I’m thankful for that. Let’s keep upholding the precious nature of life. What I am asking, however, is that we never lose importance of helping the world to understand that there is also a sense in which we all must die to know true life. Those who become dead to the world will find Christ as their life. Those who only seek life in this world, will only know eternal death.
Colossians 3:3-4 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.