Good evening and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Genesis.  Tonight is study #6 of Genesis, chapter 21.  We are reading Genesis 21:2-6:

For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me

We have been discussing this miraculous birth, as God blessed Sarah and her husband Abraham with a son Isaac.  In Hebrews 11, we saw that the Lord related Isaac’s birth to the foundation of the world.  We spent a good deal of time looking at this, and we have seen how God connects the “deadness” of Sarah’s womb and the birth of the only begotten son of Abraham to the “foundation” of the world.  That was the point in eternity past in which the Lord Jesus Christ became the Son of God, the firstborn from the dead.

It is simple, once you understand.  Of course, understanding this is the difficult part because it is impossible for the natural man to understand the things of God.  Understanding must be granted to us.  We must be given spiritual sight to see the deeper hidden things of the truths of the Word of God, the Bible.  But when God grants us understanding by opening our eyes, then we realize why Jesus was called the Son of God.  We did not know this before recently.  We knew there was the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but we did not know why Christ was the Son.

Many people attempt to find fault and they are critical of this as they try to apply what is true of earthly births to the idea that Christ was “born” and became the Son of God.  They say, “That means He had a beginning.”  But He has always been.  He is eternal God, the everlasting Almighty God of the Bible.  But God tells us very specifically how Christ came to be called the Son of God.  We have read this before, but I am going to read this again, because this is how we learn by going over these Biblical truths.  It says in Romans 1:4:

And declared to be the Son of God with power…

By the way, I am going to omit a few words for sake of clarity.  Again, it says in Romans 1:4:

And declared to be the Son of God with power…by the resurrection from the dead:

Here we have the Bible’s explanation regarding the reason Jesus was called the “Son of God.”  He was declared to be the Son “by the resurrection from the dead.”  To fill out this explanation, all we need to do is go to Colossians 1:15-18:

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead…

That is, by Him, the “firstborn” from the dead, were all things created.  Do you see how He is the beginning by the fact that He was the firstborn from the dead?  How could He create all things by being the firstborn from the dead?  That would require that He die and risen again before the world was created.  “Oh, I get it – He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  The Bible does say that.”  The Bible also says the works were finished before the foundation of the world.  Before the world was, He was the beginning, the firstborn of all creation, for by Him were all things were created.  Jesus is the first.  First, He bore the sins of those chosen by God before the foundation of the world.  First, He died for them and rose again and then He was declared to be the Son of God through the resurrection from the dead.  He is the firstborn from the dead.  And then He was situated to create all things – the heavens, the earth, the sun moon and stars, and all the creatures.  It goes on to say in Colossians 1:18:

… that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Who is the personal pronoun “he” referring to in this verse?  It is Jesus, “the firstborn from the dead,” as it says earlier in this verse.  The Greek word “preeminence” is derived from the Greek word “prote-yoo-o,” from which we get our English word “prototype.”  It is the “first.”  It is an incredible emphasis upon Jesus being “first” before all things.  In what manner was He first?  God explains it, does He not?  The explanation for being “first” is that He was the firstborn from the dead.  A very specific reason is given.  A very specific explanation is given.  The “firstborn from the dead” is the Creator: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”  The “firstborn from the dead” is the One who created; He is the One who spoke in Genesis 1:1 in 13,000 B.C. when time began.  He was already the “firstborn from the dead.” 

This is not my idea.  The Bible will not permit for the idea that Christ first died and atoned for sin in time in 33 A.D., which was over 11,000 years from creation.  It does not fit.  You cannot begin to lay out that doctrine, if you are honest regarding Colossians, chapter 1.  That idea is forbidden by the Bible because it contradicts Colossians 1. 

If you are someone that is stuck on this point, I hope it is not because God is removing truth from you and taking away that which you, seemingly, had.  Hopefully, you have just been confused and you have simply been unable to understand this, but let it not be that God is taking away your understanding of the timeline, the understanding of the church age, the understanding of hell and the understanding that Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  But if you are involved in that downward spiral, I am sorry, but it will continue, and God will take away even that which you (seemingly) knew, if you only knew it intellectually, but you did not know it because you are hearing the voice of Christ.   No – you never knew these things in that way if you are involved in the terrible process of God taking away what you once knew in the Day of Judgment. 

There are even some who have gone back to the churches or back to former doctrines.  Some even think that the “faith of Christ” is a false teaching, because they must reject that if they go back to the churches that mix works with grace.  Even the most Reformed churches find it necessary to inject a little of man’s works into salvation: “Oh, yes, it is all by election, but we have to believe; God works it out, but it requires our belief.”  They will twist things a thousand different ways on practically every point of doctrine.  But you see, you cannot hold to the “faith of Christ” and then sit in a congregation listening to a pastor that is encouraging people to believe in a “Reformed way.”  It may be a “Reformed way,” but it is not the way of the Bible.  After much confusion during the church age regarding how a dead sinner could become saved, the Lord finally clarified and purified our understanding by opening the Scriptures to reveal that we are not saved by our faith, but by the faith of Christ.  There is a marvellous and beautiful verse that is so refreshing to the hearts of God’s elect and, yet, so irksome and disturbing to those that feel the need to contribute their own work.  God says in Galatians 2:16:

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law…

What have we also learned during the time of the Great Tribulation about faith being a work?  I have not looked at this recently, but I think it is in 1Thessalonians 1:3:

Remembering without ceasing your work of faith…

Faith is a work, but the local Reformed pastor would encourage you to contribute “faith.”  They would say God is behind it all through election, but this is what we are commanded to do: “God would not command us to believe, if we could not obey.”   Nonsense!  Faith is a work and as soon as man thinks, “I am going to contribute faith, but all the rest is by the grace of God.”  They have polluted the grace of God.  They have polluted the Gospel of grace and it has become another gospel, one of grace plus man’s work.  Yes – the Bible commands us to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, but what is the definition of a work, according to the Bible?  It is whenever you attempt to obey a command of the Bible – that is a work.  So, when it says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” and you respond, “Yes, Lord, I believe,” then you are condemned because you must keep the whole Law.  If you think you are going to get right with God by keeping one or two Laws, it does not work that way.  If you try to keep one or two Laws, you must keep the whole Law of God perfectly.  That is what condemned the Jews of old.  They kept the Law of the Sabbath, the Law of circumcision and some ceremonial feast days (on a superficial level), but they were obligated to keep the whole Law of God.  No one has ever been able to keep the whole Law and no one will ever be able to keep the whole Law.  That is the reason no one has ever become saved by their own work of faith – it is not possible.

Some people that should know better because they had been under the hearing of the true Gospel and had accepted these things for a time are now going back.  The Lord God is removing the understanding that they seemed to have, as He is taking away these truths until they have nothing.  They will be in a worse state than they were to begin with, and they will be in a worse condition than the churches and congregations because they are now hostile to the true doctrines they had learned and now all these truths are being taken away from them.  When you are hostile to the true doctrines of the Bible, it is very unlikely that you will return to them.  No – they are not returning to true doctrine, but they are turning back to “Egypt,” spiritually.  It is a returning to the road behind, and that is where Satan lies: “Get thee behind me, Satan.”  The road before God’s elect is the one where we “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”   We go toward – it is a forward progression when the Lord directs His people.

So, I hope there is someone out there that will hear this study discussing Colossians 1.  Maybe this has been a troubling point for that person, but maybe they will go over this study carefully and realize, “What I thought about Jesus having died on the cross for sins in 33 A.D. and having resurrected only that one time cannot be true, according to the Bible.  If Jesus became the firstborn from the dead in 33 A.D., how could be have created the world as the firstborn from the dead?  How could He have been the first born of creation or of every creature?”  We know He was called the firstborn only because of His death and resurrection.  In what other way could Jesus be called the firstborn?  The Bible gives no other explanation for the reason Jesus was called “the Son of God,” except that it was through His resurrection from the dead, as it also says in Revelation 1:5:

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead…

This is further confirmation.  It is an absolute declaration of His being the firstborn from the dead. 

Then it also says in Hebrews 1:5-6:

For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

How was Jesus declared to be the Son?  It was by the resurrection from the dead. The word translated as “firstbegotten” is the word for “firstborn.”  Remember when Jesus was born into this world.  That was what God was referring to when He said, “when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world,” which sounds as if it refers to the time when He was born of the Virgin Mary.  It is true that Jesus was Mary’s firstborn son, but it is not talking about Mary’s firstborn – it is talking about the Father’s firstborn.  And Jesus was only considered to be the Father’s firstborn when He arose from the dead (at the foundation of the world).  It is the Father speaking of His firstborn when He brought in His firstborn (not Mary’s firstborn), who had already died and resurrected.  That was necessary for Him to be declared the Son: “Thou art my Son.” 

When the firstborn came into the world, were there angels present?  We read in Luke 2:10-15:

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Again, it said in Hebrews 1:6:

And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

The firstborn Son of the Father was brought into the world, born of the Virgin Mary, but He had already been declared the “firstborn” before His earthly birth.  To say it again, He was already the “firstborn” when He created the world.   If you read the earlier verses in Hebrews 1, this is pointed out.  The Son is the Creator, the firstborn Son of God.

We will stop at this point.  Lord willing, when we get together in our next Bible study we will look at one more aspect regarding this, before we continue in Genesis, chapter 21.