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July 7, 2020

The Family Tree of Mankind

Have you ever tried to write out your family tree? It is a noble exercise to learn the roots of your family’s history. Over the years, we have received many phone calls in the church office from people asking if we have records of their family members in our church records, as they seek to accurately recount their family tree. One person shared that she had traced her family tree all the way back to the 1600s!

There is a key truth found in the Bible that involves every human being’s family tree. This truth is vitally important today, as our country wrestles with racism. No matter the color of your skin (mine tends to be a shade of brown); no matter the color of your eyes (mine are blue); no matter the color or amount of your hair (mine is dirty-blond and receding); we, as human beings, all have the same starting point for our family tree. This truth declares, therefore, that all human beings are really one race. So what is this truth? Genesis 3:20 states, “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” In other words, if every human being was able to trace their family tree back not just to the 1600s, but all the way to their original parents, every human being would have Adam and Eve at the start of their family tree. We all have the same original parents: Adam and Eve!

If Adam and Eve were the original parents and every human being descended from them, then where did Adam and Eve come from? The Bible declares that God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. But when He created Adam and Eve, we read that they were not only created by God but they also were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Therefore, since Eve is the mother of all living, all human beings are created in the image of God! Being created in the image of God is the distinguishing characteristic of mankind. All mankind was created in the image of God. The gene pool which determines our skin color, eye color, and hair color all come from Adam and Eve! It is, at best, arbitrary to classify people by skin color. One could classify people by eye color or hair color, but again that would be at best arbitrary. God’s Word classifies one race that was created in the image of God.

Sadly, the Biblical view of mankind is often rejected and our true family tree is replaced with what is called an evolutionary tree. Charles Darwin wrote a book that popularized the evolutionary model of the origins of mankind. The book is commonly called, “On the Origins of Species.” This book has been a major influence on our education system in America. Public schools and colleges now proclaim that mankind has evolved by time and chance over billions of years from lesser life forms. They say that mankind is not made in the image of God, but rather man is an ever evolving being that has been fit enough to survive. Sadly, beliefs affect behavior. And this false view of the origin of man, which does not recognize that all humans are created equal and in the holy image of God, has led to all forms of racism and the devaluing of human life. Charles Darwin did have something right about his evolutionary view: he correctly observed the consequences of adopting an evolutionary tree of mankind! The full title of his book is “On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life.” The family tree rooted in God’s Word doesn’t allow for “favored races,” rather for one race created in the holy image of God!

June 5, 2018

How Great A Salvation

Hebrews 2:3 speaks of the danger that one incurs if he “neglects so great a salvation.” Imagine a person standing in a burning building and neglecting the call of firefighters who have come to rescue him. Or imagine a person drowning in the water making light of the life guard that is attempting to rescue him. We all would see the folly of those individuals who neglect so great a salvation. Further, imagine a person who was pulled from a burning building or rescued from drowning in the water who afterwards made light of their salvation, for-got about it, or acted as if it never happened. In both cases, it would be foolish to neglect so a great of salvation.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we should never neglect our great salvation. Rather we should exercise great care in knowing, understanding, and living in light of our great salvation.  As believers, our salvation is so great that the core of our identity has been changed.  A saved person is not the same person that they use to be. 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.” We have been saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 provides a list of a variety of types of sinners and then we read these powerful words: “and such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” What a great salvation, so that our identity as a person has been completely changed. A child of God who has been saved by the blood of Christ is not who he once was. It would be foolish for us as believers to neglect so great a salvation.

This summer our Life Link Ministry will embark on a study entitled, “So Great a Salvation: Understanding Your Identity in Christ.” I would like to encourage everyone to participate. If you need to be saved or if you know someone who needs to be saved, this study will describe the great salvation that Christ offers to you. But if you are already saved, this study will be of great encouragement and benefit to you by helping you not to neglect this great salvation. You see, it is vital that I understand my identity in Christ. If I’m ignorant or confused about who I am as a believer, then I will struggle to live for Christ as I ought. Identity confusion always leads to lifestyle confusion.

Life Link ministry is a small group ministry of First Baptist Church of Hamburg for all ages that is designed to connect you with others for a time of Bible study, building relationships, and praying together. This year there will be groups that meet on Tuesday nights and Wednesday nights. Most groups will meet in various homes, however one of the Wednesday night groups will meet at church. You are invited to join any group that still has space availa-ble! In order to ensure that each group has the appropriate space, we ask that you register for the group in which you would like to participate by signing up on the sign-up sheet in the church foyer.

So make plans now to attend and invite others to attend as we give careful attention to the great salvation that we have in Christ. The study will be beneficial and the fellowship you share with your group will be an encouragement as well!

From Our Pastor’s Desk

Welcome to Pastor Leary’s Blog! Here you will find encouraging articles to equip you with biblical principles for the practical issues of life.  Read along, be encouraged, and stay updated with the ministries of FBC as we continue to be changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

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