Whether it is believed, liked or accepted, the simple fact is that life is dependent on God who was, is and ever shall be.  One can doubt all that he or she desires, but no proof to the contrary have been found and never will be for that matter. Peter wrote in II Peter 1:1-4 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.  Verse 3 says that God’s divine power has given all things to humans through Jesus Christ; all that is necessary to live acceptably before God, all of which comes through Jesus himself who has called them to his glory and virtue. Then verse 4 tells them they have great promises so that they can become partakers of the divine nature to escape the corruption in the world through lust.

 Of course, the message was to the people of that day, who believed along with the apostles, that Jesus was and is the Son of God. The apostles and the people to whom they spoke were partakers alike in the divine nature of Christ through whom the promises came, but it is true for all who have obeyed the gospel since the day of Pentecost and it is true for all who, upon hearing the gospel, will obey now and in the future.

Life and godliness was given in the beginning. He created life and then introduced Adam and Eve to godliness in the Garden. They refused to become partakers of the divine nature due to lust, becoming corrupted through desire to be like God. Had they followed God’s instructions they would not have lost their relationship with him. Yet, God has made it possible to regain that relationship through Jesus Christ just as Peter wrote in the verses quoted above.

From Genesis 1:1 through chapter 6:22 the accounting of the creation and the destruction by the flood is the topic of that section. It must be noted in Genesis 6:5 that the flood came because of the wickedness of man, And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Since God was and is holy and righteous, he had to rectify the situation. To be true to himself and remain the holy one above all, he could not treat those people any differently than he did Adam, Eve, and Cain. Therefore, he made remedy for the sinful condition of the people. It must be noted that Genesis 6:6 is misunderstood in a mistaken belief that God was sorry he created humans. The truth is that He was grieved because his creation had not appreciated his love and goodness: they had created terrible conditions on earth and he had to deal with it. Thus, the flood came showing his judgment on sinful man and out of that flood eight were saved. All else was destroyed from the face of the earth.

Two facts should be remembered at this point. One, God’s wrath and righteous judgment were shown when he brought the flood. Two, water destroyed or washed away sin, and at the same time saved Noah and his family when they did as commanded and entered the ark. Those two facts will be important in understanding later lessons dealing with those and other subjects.

© 04-17-2011DEC

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