Bible Text: Genesis 1:26 | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: Genesis, God’s Design for Marriage

Recap of 5/12/13 (Genesis 1:26):
1.  Ethics offers two choices, Objective truth (seen in absolutes) or Subjectivism (seen in Cultural Relativism, Situation Ethics and Behaviorism).  One says that God is sovereign over life, death, and sexuality.  The other says that man is sovereign over life (abortion), death (euthanasia), and sexuality (gender).  Cultural relativism centers on culture, believes that culture has the power to decide what is right and what is wrong, thus culture (man) is sovereign, there are no absolutes to guide individuals, there are no universal moral standards, and cultural relativism leads to individual relativism, thus ultimately truth is determined by the individual.  As Christians we believe in ethical absolutes as found in the Word of God.  Ethical absolutes insure order and civility in civilization and bring joy, freedom from sin, and personal fulfillment.  Ethical relativism insures moral anarchy and is self-destructive personally and societally.  Christians need to be ready to give an answer in the area of Ethics because:  of the lack of absolutes in our society coupled with the desperate need for ethical standards to guide our abilities and technologies; of the ‘slippery slope’ nature of so many ethical questions (e.g. abortion leads to devaluing children at all stages of life); Christians must learn to think Biblically and Christianly about ethical issues; and Christians often know where they stand on ethical issues but cannot defend their position. (Source: Christian Ethics in a Postmodern World by Dr. James P. Eckman, Ph.D.)
2.  Any discussion about marriage, its’ definition, its’ participants, and how it works best, starts with a simple premise: society doesn’t define marriage…God does.  So we start a study of marriage with creation, Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18-25.
3.  Some diminish the Genesis account of creation by making it simply an allegory, but that doesn’t square with the teaching of the rest of the Bible.  Adam is listed in extensive genealogies in Genesis 5, 1 Chronicles 1, and Luke 3:23-28 where Luke begins with Jesus and goes all the way back to Adam.  If one is historical, the other is historical.  Jesus treats the Genesis account as historical in Matthew 19 and Mark 10.  Paul treats the Genesis account of creation as historical with references to Adam, Eve, the Fall, etc. in Romans 5; 1 Corinthians 11:8,9; 1 Corinthians 15:22,45; 2 Corinthians 11:3; and 1 Timothy 2:13,14. Jude and John do as well in Jude 14 and 1 John 3:12.  Hebrew treats the early chapters of Genesis the same way in chapter 11, citing it with other historical people and events.