The Connection of Christ from Garden to Cross
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The Bible begins with God. Genesis 1:1 states, “God created the heavens and the earth.” There is no attempt to prove His existence. God was and God is. If we desire to truly understand God’s message to us and His love for us, we must first accept that He is God and that He was there at the beginning. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Pr. 3:5-6). Trusting in God is the only way to know Him. We must accept the truth of Genesis 1:1 to be able to hear the message of the Bible.
From the first word, the Bible states that God did it! God spoke creation into being (Gen.1:3). Therefore, the heavens and the earth belong to Him! Not only does the heavens and the earth belong to Him, but we belong to Him because He created us (Gen. 1:27). Thankfully, He is a God of love (1 Jn. 4:8b). So, if we are His, we do not need to fear His wrath. Instead, we know that in all things He has our best interest in mind. God prepared a dwelling place for mankind. For six days, He spoke creation into existence. When a gardener decides to grow a crop, he does not go into an unprepared field and throw the seed. Instead, he chooses the land wisely and then begins the process of preparing the field where the seed can be sown in the best place the land has to offer for the best growth possible. After the field is properly prepared, the farmer then plants the seeds. We find the same careful preparation in God creating man. The first five days prepared an environment for His prize creation. Each day God added something new and exciting, but we find ourselves drawn to day six for the culmination of creation. On day six, the preparations were completed. The time had come. The Bible says, “God created man in His own image” and placed him in the Garden (Gen. 1:27). God gave him a part of Himself when He breathed His own breath of life into man (Gen. 2:7). Not only did God create man, but He formed him. His actions show a personal involvement. Beth Moore stated in her study Believing God, “I believe God wanted to do more than speak us into existence. I think He wanted to get His hands involved… God formed our bodies with His very own hands. You might even say that God was willing to get His hands dusty.” This sets man apart from all creation. To no other part of creation did God give so much of Himself. This emphasizes His desire to know us and to become personally involved in our lives.
As a loving Creator, God made sure that man had everything he needed. In the second chapter of Genesis, verse 18, He made woman. “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” From the very beginning, God’s perfect plan was for one man and one woman to marry. He knew this would be man’s perfect companion. Adam had a place to live, a companion to live with and a God who loved him. Adam had everything he needed.
At the end of the sixth day, we read, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Gen. 1:31a). Creation was complete. When the sun rose on the seventh day, God set it apart as a day of rest from all that He had done (Gen. 2:3). If God felt the need to rest from His work, then it must be surmised that we need our rest. We need a day to reflect on the work that we have done and remember whose we are. In the Old Testament, God chose the Sabbath, Saturday, as a day of rest. In the New Testament, the apostles seem to have been led to gather together on Sunday because it was the day on which the Lord rose from the grave, called the “Lord’s Day” (Rev. 1:10). What is important is that we set aside a day each week to rest our body and renew our heart and mind to God. If we put aside one day a week for renewal, then the rest of the week we will be more focused on Him for guidance, and we will want to praise Him for who He is.
Before we close the pages on creation, consider that the days of God might not be our own 24-hour days. Psalms 90:4 states, “For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.” We cannot be sure how long it took God to create the universe. God could have taken six 24-hour days, or His days could have been thousands of our days. The time is not important. What is important is that God did it. And it belongs to Him.
God made the universe perfect. He made man innocent, “without sin but untested.” He gave man all that he would need. At this point, He could have left man alone and worked on another project. But instead, after all that God had done, He sealed His love for man by fellowshipping with him. Life was perfect for Adam and Eve. God and man had a relationship. Nothing could separate them but man himself. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve did just that.
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About the Book
Have you ever heard the story of Joseph and the coat of many colors? How about the story of Noah building a boat for his family to survive a rainstorm? Then there is the story of Elijah, who rode up to heaven in a flaming chariot. These are familiar stories from the Bible. But do you understand their purpose and how these and others connect together to tell God’s message to you? Using the historical periods, Sandra Betz simply and clearly explains the chronological order of the Bible and its message. You will learn how God had a relationship with man at creation, how man’s choice broke the relationship, and how God instigated a plan of redemption for all people. This study will connect how the Old Testament shows the need for a Savior and the New Testament tells of this Savior.
Learn the structure of the Bible and the connection of its stories to make one powerful message of love from the garden to the cross and beyond.
About the Author
Sandra Betz makes her home in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Todd, and their two almost-grown children, Tejay and Matthew. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and a master’s degree in education from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. After spending six years teaching in the public school system, she chose to teach at home, spending the last fifteen years homeschooling her children. Sandra Betz has taught women’s Bible studies for the last ten years. After years of researching, writing, and teaching, Betz now shares her passion for God’s love and His desire to have a relationship with each one of us.