Key to understanding the Bible

An old cliché often credited with being in the Bible says, “God helps those who help themselves.”

Unfortunately, there are two issues at fault with this statement. The first is this statement is not in the Bible. The second is the theology of this supposed truism is also not in the Bible. The fact is, the Bible teaches the very opposite. Actually, God helps those who cannot help themselves. If we could help ourselves, then we would not need God’s help. To the contrary, we are helpless and weak, in need of grace.

What is the key to understanding the Bible? The key to understanding the Bible is its first 11 chapters. Genesis 1-11 is a prologue, or an introduction, to the Scriptures. The word “genesis” means “beginnings.” The word “prologue” means “before word.” These 11 chapters set the stage for the rest of the Bible. Genesis 1-11 contains four great events that unlock the meaning for the entire Bible.

The first great event is creation in Genesis 1-2. In six literal 24-hour days, God spoke the universe into existence. The voice of God thundered, “Let there be light,” and there was light (Genesis 1:3). In rapid-fire succession God created the land, the seas, the plants, the animals, the sun and the moon. On the sixth day, the apex of his creation, was man. “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. …” (Genesis 1:26). God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone, therefore he created Eve. God placed them in a perfect environment — the Garden of Eden.

In all this we see the goodness of God. God is infinitely good. This is a truth of foundational importance to every person’s understanding of God. Everything good in your life has come down from God above, who is perfectly good. One person said, “If I could write as I would about the goodness of God to me, the ink would boil in my pen!”

The second great event is the fall in Genesis 3. Adam was allowed to do whatever he wanted in the garden. The only exception was to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God promised that eating from the tree would bring death. Adam was the representative head of the human race. He was our champion. If Adam passed the test, we passed. If Adam failed, we failed. The devil always lies. Satan said to Adam and Eve, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). 1 Timothy 2:14 is very clear. Eve was deceived by the devil. Adam knew exactly what he was doing. Eve ate first. Adam chose his wife over God.

Sin is a failure to meet the mark. God’s standard was to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Their failure brought spiritual death or separation from God. The process of physical death began. Mankind has a sin problem. Sin spread from the individual to the family. In Genesis 4, Cain murdered his brother Abel. Genesis 5 is a long genealogy. Generations came and generations went. Our sin problem became worse and worse.

The third great event is the flood in Genesis 6. Sin spread from the individual to the family to the entire human race. Genesis 6:5-7 reads, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I made them.’” God told Noah to build an ark. God was very patient. He waited 120 years for people to repent. He offered a way of escape — the ark. Only Noah and his family responded to God’s generous offer.

The fourth great event is the tower of Babel in Genesis 11. In Genesis 10, more generations came and went. Sin grew worse and worse. After the flood, God said, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). At the tower of Babel people rebelled against God once again. They desired to stay in one place. They wished to worship the gods. It was the first organized false religion. It was man’s first attempt at world government. Babel eventually became Babylon. The Lord responded, “Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Genesis 11:7).

These four great events — creation, the fall, the flood and Babel — all form the introduction to the Bible. The human race has a monumental problem. We cannot solve this on our own. The problem is sin. Sin moved from the individual to the family to the race. It grew worse and worse. Generations came and generations went.

Finally, in Genesis 12 God himself stepped into history. He found a man named Abram. God said, “Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you … and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1, 3). God promised to build a great nation through Abram. Eventually, the Messiah (Jesus) would come through this nation. How is all the earth blessed through Abraham? There is only one path to Heaven. There is only one way for our sins to be forgiven. Hundreds of years later the Apostle Peter said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus Christ lived a perfect life. On the cross he paid for your sins. As God Jesus offered an infinite sacrifice. As man he was able to die. Instead of you and me suffering for our sins for all eternity, Jesus paid for our sins on the cross.

Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones said, “The key to the history of the world is the kingdom of God.” World history cannot be understood apart from God’s invisible hand. Does God help those who help themselves? No. God helps those who realize they cannot help themselves. Put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ today. He is the Messiah who offers eternal life.

Ethan Hansen is pastor at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake. Contact him at ethanchansen@gci.net.