5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Genesis 6:5-6 NKJV
Summary
People often speak of the Church as though it started in the New Testament, but God had people from the very beginning. When was sin defined and was sin the same back then? Were there laws? Was everyone supposed to follow those laws on only a chosen few? In this episode, we’re looking at what following God looked like in the beginning, but after the fall.
Notes
What did worship look like in the beginning?
- Between The Fall and The Flood, we get a limited amount of information about what was actually happening worship-wise
- No formal instructions seem to be given
- There had to be some sort of law however, because sin existed
Examples of "law" before it was written
- Sabbath (Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:8-11) → The Sabbath was made Holy at creation and the Israelites are commanded to remember the Sabbath
- Murder (Genesis 4; 9:6) → Cain is warned that sin is at the door when he is angry at Abel and God punishes him for the murder. Murder as a sin is explicitly stated after the flood
- Food Choice (Genesis 2:16-17; 7:2; Leviticus 11) → the first law ever given
- Sacrifices (Genesis 8:2; 22:9; 26:25; 33:20
People who are descended from Abraham but not Israelites follow the Most High God. There are also people not descended from Abraham that follow God.
- Ishmael, Abraham's first son, is thought to be the progenitor of Islam. Though different than the Biblical definition, they also have clean and unclean meats and a dietary law they follow (Halal).
- Moses' father-in-law is a priest and a descendant of Midian, one of Abraham's son's from Keturah after the death of Sarah.
- Melchizedek
Remember, people raised in the same house can take different beliefs into their adult lives. Our personal experiences shape our perception along with what we are taught. This is why there are similarities (and differences) in the religions of the world. All of these people can trace their origins back to Noah, and thus Adam.
References and Footnotes
