God's Fullness
GOD'S CONTEXT FOR US

Part I – The Father As God
Introduction
If God is small enough for us to understand Him, He is not big enough for us to worship.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and void, . . . and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters" (Genesis 1:1-2).

"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets . . . has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world" (Hebrews 1:1-2).

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, . . . In Him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:1-4).

If we are going to make sense out of the big picture we call reality, we must give thought to why everything is as it is. We may begin where we left off in the previous chapter. There we explored the significance of God, Who is ever-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful. These are fundamental elements within God's very essence, which is spirit.

We spoke briefly about some of the consequences that arise out of the nature of God. We will pick up on this theme now and develop it more fully. This needs to be done; otherwise, we tend to think of God as some sort of benevolent, distant, abstract "Force." Of course, an all-wise God was aware of this problem and took action that would orient us more specifically in regard to Him. This action He took is encompassed in the title of this chapter, "God's Context for Us."

When we speak of God's context for us, we are not struggling with how He came to be. His existence is a given. Rather, we are struggling with how and why everything else came to be, including us. Why are we the way we are? Why is our world the way it is?

How do the answers to these questions help us? Why should we be concerned about anything beyond today? What is God's "interest" in all of this? The challenge before us is daunting. However, if we refuse to be concerned about such matters, we relegate ourselves to lives of ambivalence – uncertain as to which path to follow and where it all "ends."

Our God Is Creative
Introduction
We can hardly think of power, especially unlimited power, without considering its expression in some way, We recognize power primarily in its effects. Power exerted is power expressed. Humans, although limited in power, have been able to harness latent power and use it in various ways. The power found in the lightning bolt is utilized to light homes and cities. The power contained in the atom is being channeled into an enormous source of energy. The power of petroleum, as put to use in the internal combustion engine, has transformed travel. These examples are impressive. We are all influenced by these uses of power in our world.

These examples of power are actually examples of using power that is already present. People discover, adapt, control, and utilize power that is already latent in our world. This indicates something about the nature and source of our world. It is clothed with incredible power restrained in an orderly way. The atoms that make up our physical world are literally swirling with energy. If they are set in disarray by certain fission or fusion processes, chaos breaks out in the form of almost unimaginable force.

What has all of this to do with God? In the last chapter, "God's Limitlessness," we discussed the omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence of God. Because God is all-powerful, He is creative. Power is expressed in action. Because God is all-knowing, His creation is "as He envisioned it." It is according to His will. Because God is ever-present, He is immanent. He expressed Himself in His creation of the world. Thus in creation we see something of the very nature of God. This is the stance of Scripture: "In [the] beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).¹ This is why the psalmist cried out, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Thy name in all the earth . . .!" (Psalm 8:1; see also v. 9). The earth is a grand exhibit of God's creative handiwork. Why? Creation itself is the cosmic expression of God's creative nature and power. We briefly suggested the extensiveness of His creative work in the last chapter. Here, we emphasize the place and role of the Earth and man in God's cosmos.

Made of the Earth
We are told that "God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). Our "form," our physical constituent, is of the Earth, so we and the Earth have much in common. As physical entities, we are of a common source and are made up of common elements. As physical beings, we come from the Earth, are sustained by the Earth, and return to the Earth (Genesis 1:29; 2:9,16; 3:17-19). Therefore, it can be said that God, in His creative genius, has linked His physical human creature with His physical creation, earth.² Therefore, the earth became the context in which we live.

This life on Earth was enhanced in at least four specific ways. First, God knew that it was not good for man to be alone. He made a helper suitable for him, and intimate fellowship was established between the man and the woman. Second, God knew that it was not good for them to be idle. He gave them work to do. Third, God enriched their lives by giving them dominion over other life-forms. Fourth, and most significant, God allowed them to have fellowship with Him.³

What a privilege! What a joy! What a concept! How was this possible? Why did it happen? This subject will be taken up in more detail in chapter 4, "God's Relationship with Us." However, we have more than enough to challenge us now.

Made in His Image
The biblical record is careful to state that "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27). God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life [nishmath chayyim]; and man became a living being [nephesh]" (Genesis 2:7b). Nephesh is a Hebrew word with a wide range of nuances. Since God's creation of man is the context here, the meaning is more than likely “being, complete person”⁴

Therefore, we find that we are not merely "earthly:" We are "complete beings," made in God's image. The essence of God is spirit, so our likeness to God is certainly not our physical form. Our likeness to God rests in spirit, not flesh. When God breathed into man the breath of life (nishmath chayyim), he was endowed with something of God's own essence – that is, His spirit.

Of course, all beasts, birds, etc., have what is called the "breath of life" in Genesis 1:30. The difference could be said to be in comprehensiveness or quality. The Bible says: "The spirit of man [nishmath 'adam] is the lamp of the Lord" (Proverbs 20:27). Human beings are capable of enlightenment, openness, and consciousness. Adam and Eve became rational, thoughtful, and aware of themselves, their surroundings, and God. Although made of earthly elements, they were enhanced, by the gracious gift of spirit from God, with more than material existence.⁵ This made it possible for them to have a meaningful relationship with God.

This communion between the Creator and the human creatures was truly idyllic. The Garden of Eden was a place well prepared for this ongoing, blissful, uninhibited camaraderie (Genesis 2:7-8). This relationship had full potential for unending happiness. We say "potential" for eternal happiness because every child who has regularly attended Bible school knows that something terrible happened. Adam and Eve were driven from the garden. They had the sentence of death placed upon them. They were cursed with labor and pain. They could no longer immediately experience the glory of God's presence.

Why? In the garden were "the tree of life . . . and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:9b). God said, ". . . from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17). Why did God put that tree in the garden? Why not simply provide "the tree of life" (Genesis 2:9) for man and woman and continue to have a mutually satisfying relationship with them?

These questions may seem perplexing. However, a careful analysis provides us with satisfactory answers. We have looked at the universe in its cosmic expanse. It is significant that it is said of only one creature: "God created man in His own image." The lovely context God provided for humans, their likeness to God, and God's willingness to communicate with them indicate that their creation held special meaning for God. Here were creatures capable of participating in a self-conscious, responsive communication with the Creator! Imagine unhindered, direct fellowship with God!

Made to Choose
Only one element was essential for this relationship to have ultimate and enduring significance. The relationship must be entered into by man and God as an act of free choice. It must be a free-will decision. For free will to have full expression, there must be the ability and opportunity to accept or reject. God provided Adam and Eve with the ability (intellect) and the opportunity (the tree). God gave them the free will to choose to obey His will or violate it. It could not have been otherwise if there was to be reciprocity between God and His human creation.

When Adam and Eve made the wrong choice, God's creation became marred by sin, separation, curses, pain, thorns, ugliness, and death. Did God's magnificently creative work fail? No. God's work continues. He cursed the serpent (Satan), the one who instigated the fall, and promised restoration to fallen humanity through the coming of a Victor:

"And the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life; and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel" (Genesis 3:14-15).

Our God Is Historical
Introduction
As Creator, God provided the context in which we live. We are of the Earth. God arranged for us to have an ideal place in which we could live in harmony with Him, each other, and nature. This "heaven on Earth" vanished when sin entered into the world. That first human pair was separated from God by sin. The Earth began to exhibit some hostile features that made life difficult for them. Satan ran rampant. The gigantic battle between God and Satan raged.

God had provided a way for humans to choose the path of full fellowship with Him. The risk was real. It was the only way the relationship could be authentic; otherwise, their ability to choose would have been null and void. The relationship would have been mechanical, robot-like, servile. Adam and Eve made a horrible mistake. They made the wrong choice, freely. The consequences were staggering, and many were immediate. The life-giving spirit that God had given to them was thwarted. They were separated from Him the day they sinned. Death means separation. Adam and Eve were cut off from the tree of life; therefore, they were destined to die physically.

"This is terrible!" we say. How we sympathize with them! However, we must realize that this is not the end of the story. The results of their sin were not merely personal. They had a widening effect. As ripples on a calm lake spread out and reach the shore when a stone is dropped in the water, so the consequences of their sin reach our lives. Sin, condemnation, and death have spread to all: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12). "So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men" (Romans 5:18a). We, too, as accountable beings, stand "outside the garden." Their fall led to our fall. Their separation from God led to our separation from God. We stand before God and cry out with Isaiah of old, "Woe is me, for I am ruined!" (Isaiah 6:5a).

Are we hopeless? Are we doomed to become Satan's exhibit pieces in his infamous museum of horrors? Are we to be eternity's proof of God's failure in His attempt to create beings able to have everlasting fellowship with Him? While these are sobering questions, we can give an emphatic answer in chorus: "No!" We need not lose hope, because God has not given up on us. We can actually establish God's victory – and dismiss any thought of failure. These are encouraging words, but do they have substance? Is there any basis for them? What assurance do we have that this is not just wishful thinking? The answer requires a shift in focus. The answer must come from God, not us.

In the previous lesson we looked at God's creative work. We saw His genius, presence, and power displayed. We also saw His intention to have humans always in full fellowship with Him. We saw all of this in His creative work. In addition, we saw the context for this fellowship as a sort of "heaven on Earth." To conclude that everything ended in failure would be a tragic mistake. We would be overlooking a crucial fact: God is not only creative but also historical. His work in history is as significant for us as His work in creation. Both are indispensable for our eternal life with Him. First, if He had not created us, we would not exist. Second, if He were not active in the history of His creation, we would be doomed.

How do we know that God is working in history? We know the same way we know of His work in creation. Creation reveals His handiwork; history reveals His involvement. We have both God's creative work and His historical work described in His Word, the Bible.

God outside of History
Nothing is more basic to the Bible than its historical view of God. God dwells in eternity as well as time. Let us envision time as a submarine in an eternal sea. We live in the submarine. We are presently confined to the space within the vessel. History is being acted out within the submarine. God, however, is not only in the submarine (time); He is also in the sea (eternity). His actions in the submarine are taken from His perspective in the sea. This has great implications for us.

First, since we do not have His perspective, we cannot always understand, or even see, His actions. Second, His presence in history may be seen by the way He steers the vessel, just as His work in creation may be seen in the finished product (Psalm 19:1). Third, just as we see God's creative work in both general revelation (nature) and specific revelation (the Bible), we also see His historical work. It may be difficult for us to recognize His work in general history, but it is shown specifically in biblical accounts of His dealings with His chosen people. Therefore, we turn to the Bible to consider God as historically active.

God within History
In the Bible we discover something marvelous. We find that history is more than a record of sequential events. There is a sense of purpose. God's context for us was first a creation context. Now it is a historical context. God has not given up on us, even though the first context was marred by sin. The second context gives us the opportunity to escape from sin. Therefore, history is often called salvation history.⁶ This does not mean that everything in history saves, but that God has a saving purpose within history.

This saving purpose in history is sometimes observed in the way God directs people to the accomplishment of His grand design. God directed Noah to build an ark to save himself, his family' and the species of all living things. This was certainly good news for Noah and his family, but it was even better news for certainly good human race. Evil was purged, and life was spared (Genesis 6:1-9:17). God saved Noah, but He had even greater plans in store.

God directed Abram to leave his home and his clan and journey to a country he did not know. Why did God direct this man to do the extraordinary? It was God's plan that Abram, whose name meant "exalted ancestor," become Abraham, "ancestor of a multitude," and that through him all nations of the Earth would be blessed. Abraham became the Hebrew, the father of the Hebrew people (Genesis 12:1-4; 14:13; Isaiah 41:8), and eventually every person who surrendered to Jesus the Messiah (Iesous Christos) would be the offspring of Abraham (Galatians 3:26-29). The course of history was in God's hands.

Joseph, Abraham's great-grandson, led an eventful and unpredictable life. Who would have thought that the son of a nomadic chieftain in Canaan would become a slave in the house of Pharaoh's army commander? Who could have foreseen that this Hebrew slave would be disgraced and imprisoned but eventually exalted to the most authoritative position in all Egypt, Pharaoh excepted? Finally, could anyone have predicted that Joseph would come to the rescue of God's people, the Hebrews?

God's working in history is usually impossible to see. However, just because we do not see His providence does not mean it is not working. God's direction of Joseph's life was for a greater purpose than saving Joseph (Genesis 45:4-15). It was for the preservation and perpetuation of His people!

The mighty power of Egypt was brought to naught by an incredible series of events. The Hebrew infant Moses was under sentence of death at his birth, as were all newborn Hebrew male children. He escaped death by the unlikely occurrence of being found by Pharaoh's daughter in the Nile River. This son of Hebrew slaves was reared in the palace of the king. Both the Jewish historian Josephus and the Christian writer Tertullian⁷ wrote of Moses. They asserted that Moses was a great general in the Egyptian army and described his military victory over the Ethiopians.⁸ Moses later fled into exile in the Sinai Peninsula and remained isolated from world affairs until the age of eighty.

In the desert, Moses received a directive from God to bring His people out of Egypt to freedom. Imagine a shepherd telling an Egyptian pharaoh what he must do! Pharaoh stubbornly refused to allow his host of slaves to leave. However, after much hardship and chaos in the land – and grief in every Egyptian household – he relented. The Hebrews left Egypt as slaves and became a nation of free people at Mount Sinai. The course of history was altered. Once again, a historical God had displayed His power and providence (Exodus 3-20).

Great are the works of the Lord;
They are studied by all who delight in them.
Splendid and majestic is His work;
And His righteousness endures forever.
He has made His wonders to be remembered;
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He has given food to those who fear Him;
He will remember His covenant forever.
He has made known to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.
The works of His hands are truth and justice;
All His precepts are sure. . . .
He has sent redemption to His people;
He has ordained His covenant forever;
Holy and awesome is His name. (Psalm 111:2-9)

Our God Is Moral
Introduction
In our study of God so far, we have found Him to be omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, creative, and historical. We have discovered that each of these qualities has a bearing and influence on our lives. In fact, we would not exist if the God we have been studying did not exist: "In Him we live and move and exist . . ." (Acts 17:28). Our God is near, strong, and understanding. He has provided for us and guided us. For all of this, and more, we are indeed thankful.

We have not yet considered one attribute of God that is crucial for our well-being. All of the qualities of God we have examined could have led us to a grotesque, miserable state if God were not a moral Being. It is not too much to say that our well-being in life here, as well as our eternal destiny, hangs upon God's morality. Therefore, let us study carefully this supreme attribute.

The Truth Affirmed
To be absolutely moral is to be absolutely holy. Absolute holiness is a state of moral and spiritual perfection. Of course, this can only be said of God. The Bible has many affirmations of God's holiness on Earth and in heaven. Consider the following:

"Mary burst forth in song as she anticipated the birth of her son: ". . . the Mighty One has done great things for me; . . . holy is His name" (Luke 1:49).

As a heavenly scene unfolded before the apostle John, he saw God's throne surrounded by men and angels. The "living creatures" sang unceasingly, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come" (Revelation 4:8b). The "living creatures" ascribed glory and honor to Him on the throne. They were joined by the twenty-four elders who worshiped the eternal One, singing, "Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created" (Revelation 4:9-11). We see from their "heavenly perspective" that God was holy even before the creation of the world. It is His nature to be holy, just as it is His nature to be all-knowing and all-powerful.

Again, the "heavenly perspective" came to the forefront as the prophet Isaiah saw God sitting on a high and lofty throne attended by seraphs who called out, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:1-3).

These scenes emphasizing God's holiness on Earth and in heaven are expressly related to His creation: "The whole earth is full of His glory" He is worthy to receive glory and honor because He created everything. Therefore, it may be said that His creation is crowned with a halo of holiness. We find a moral quality in creation just as we find energy, beauty, and order.

The Truth Imposed
Having discussed God's context for us in creation and in history, we now want to become aware of God's moral context for us. God is the Originator (in creation) and Perpetuator (in history) of our lives. Since He is supremely holy, it is to be expected that humans are moral beings. That expectation is correct. We were created moral. This was the state of man and woman before the fall. They had direct fellowship with God because they, like God, were holy. However, after they sinned, they were afraid and ashamed. Their pristine state turned ugly. Their moral purity was gone. It is an age-old truism that we all sense: ". . . yet I know, where'er I go, that there hath passed away a glory from the earth."⁹ What once was pure is now scarred.

God's people were called upon to turn to God and once again share in His holiness: "I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy" (Leviticus 11:44a). This desire of God for them to come back to Him, and by His help lead a holy life, accounts for a great number of biblical teachings about morality: God's holiness is the basis for our moral obligation. He has mandated the way we are to live. Therefore, there is an "oughtness" about our lives. Our morality must conform to His teachings if we are to be accepted by Him.

This "oughtness" of what we should be and do cannot be settled upon the basis of conscience. The appeal to conscience is often a noble appeal. However, we must realize that our consciences have fallen under the presence of sin just as all other aspects of our beings have. Our consciences are, therefore, defective. On one hand, we must never violate our consciences; on the other hand, we must never let them be our ultimate guide. God's commandments must be our guide, informing our minds and our consciences. This means that our morality will be objectively based on God's Word, not on our subjective inclinations.

Our moral standards cannot legitimately be found elsewhere. For example, we cannot claim power as a basis for morality. We know that might does not make right among nations or individuals.

We also know that something is not moral simply because it works to accomplish a desired end. If this were true, the taking of millions of lives in genocidal slaughter by the Nazis during World War II would have been moral. The Holocaust was directed toward a desired end, but it was not moral. If the use of any means to justify a desired end makes that end result moral, the taking of multiplied millions of lives by abortion on demand (over 1,500,000 each year) would be moral.¹⁰ Is it?

Neither is something moral simply because "that is the way things are." Doing what comes naturally would be perfect if we were living in a perfect world. Since humans became imperfect, sinful, our natural inclination is not a basis for true morality. If it were, how would one explain the burglar alarms, security guards, and locked doors in homes across the land – or the prisons filled with both civil offenders and criminal felons? We all sense that might does not make right and that utilitarianism is not the basis for morality. The fallen world does not provide the arena in which true morality "comes naturally." We must look elsewhere.

The nature of God is supremely manifested by His holiness. His holiness becomes both the foundation and the guide for our moral lives. His statement in the Hebrew Bible is clear and unmistakable: "Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (Leviticus 19:2b). This also rings out in the New Testament: "Like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior" (1 Peter 1:15). We look to God, Whose moral perfection is the basis for our morality In the Bible we find God, Who tells us how to be right and do right because He is right.

How "ought" we to be? God not only tells us specifically how we "ought" to be; He shows us how we may become what we "ought" to be. Jesus Christ, God's Son, said, "I do not seek my own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 5:30b). In His conformity to the will of His Father we see the moral excellence of God in Him. Therefore, in our conformity to Christ we cast aside our immorality and let the purity of His life be seen in us. When we, in faith and repentance, "clothe ourselves with Christ" in baptism, we are buried with Him, cleansed, and raised to walk in newness of life (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-27). We become, by His grace through our faith, what God wants us to be (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The Truth Implemented
Although the new life in Christ has many facets, the one we are concerned about in this lesson is moral life. How shall we live, morally? The answer seems simple: On a day-by-day basis, we avoid immoral thought and conduct and practice moral behavior. What is moral, and what is immoral? Earlier, we looked at some principles; now, we will look at specifics. However, in doing so we will not exhaust the subject. We will merely point in the "right" direction.

Our God is moral. His holiness is the basis for all moral obligation, which is often expressed specifically in the Scriptures. Note the following litany of negative instructions: Do not kill, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness, maim, rape, disrespect or injure parents, lie, be dishonest, engage in prostitution or fornication, commit incest, engage in homosexual conduct, or practice perversion.¹¹ Now note the following litany of positive instructions: Be merciful, peaceable, generous, loving, straightforward, considerate, wise, pure, patient, gentle, kind, humble, and honorable.¹² These lists are incomplete, but they do point us in the right direction.

Our God is moral. He created us in His image. He desires for us to be moral. He is specific about what morality means. In this lesson we have learned:

1. What it means to have a God Who is absolutely holy

2. How He has given His fallen beings an opportunity to shed our immorality and other sins, and

3. That we are challenged to live moral lives.

The psalmist has said:

I shall remember the deeds of the Lord;
Surely I will remember Thy wonders of old.
I will meditate on all Thy work,
And muse on Thy deeds.
Thy way, O God, is holy;
What god is great like our God? (Psalm 77:11-13)

Footnotes:
¹ Almost all annotated Bibles note the "problem" of the first article in this verse, e.g., Oxford Annotated Bible, RSV; Westminster Study Bible, RSV, Harper Study Bible, NRSV. For a full discussion that concludes that the most obvious interpretation is "in a beginning," see John Peter Lange, "Genesis," in Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Critical, Doctrinal, and Homelectical, trans. and ed. Philip Schaff (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, n.d.), 162.
² This is indicated in the Hebrew word for man, 'adam, and the word for ground, 'damah. Cf. Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1958), 9.
³ Volumes have been written on the creation account as found in Genesis 1-2. For a careful analysis, including the two-source theory, see John T. Willis, Genesis: The Living Word Commentary (Austin, TX: Sweet, 1979), 78-115. It is obvious from what has been written about Genesis 1-3 that many believe these chapters to be essentially a mythological story of a very low order. "Proof" for this is offered by pointing out its similarities to other creation stories such as the Akkadian Enuma Elish, which tends to devalue the Genesis account (James B. Pritchard, ed., "Akkadian Myths and Epics," in Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, trans. E.A. Speiser, 2d ed. [Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1955], 60-62). Early on, children sometimes draw on the chalkboards of their classrooms pictures showing God driving Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden by chauffeuring them out in a stretch limousine. This caricature may reflect a tongue-in-cheek attitude toward these chapters that comes from parents as much as children. One reason for this spoof of sacred Scripture lies in the scientific mindset of our age. We tend to think that truth must be scientific, literal, and objective; otherwise, it is not true. It would be helpful if all scholars, as well as daily Bible readers, would remember that if God told us everything about Himself, the universe, and His relationship with us in scientific, literal, and objective language, we would understand very little of it. Profound truths are often stated in simple terms. Facts that would otherwise boggle the mind come to light in the Genesis account of the creation and the fall of humanity. Let us accept those facts for our own enlightenment and well-being and then proceed.
⁴ For an extensive analysis, see Brown, Driver, and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon, 659-61.
⁵ "Nshmh (from nsbm), breath, spirit, breath of the spirit, breath of man, life of the spirit, is more specific than ruh, more universal than nphsh, but may be interchanged with both, as something that stands between them; yet only in relation to man. Here it evidently denotes something which is common both to God and man, something which goes forth from God and enters into man – God's `breath of life,' that is, the spirit of God in its active self-motion, as in man it calls out the spiritual principle, the spirit of his life, but nonetheless as the spirit in its actual personality" (Lange, "Genesis," 204).
⁶ Heinz Zahrnt, The Question of God (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1969), 287.
⁷ Tertullian was one of the first major Christian authors who wrote in Latin. He lived in the late second and early third centuries a.d.
⁸ Josephus, Antiquities 2.10 and footnotes.
⁹ William Wordsworth, "Recollections of Early Childhood," in Ode on the Intimations of Immortality, lines 17-18. Arms, George, Gibson, William M., Locke, Louis G., eds. Introduction to Literature. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., (1962), p. 84.
¹⁰ E. LaGard Smith, When Choice Becomes God (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1990),82-86.
¹¹ Exodus 21:15; Leviticus 18:6-8, 23, 19:11, 29, 35, 20:13, 24:19-20; Deuteronomy 5:17-20, 29:3a, 22:25; 1 Corinthians 6:18.
¹² Matthew 5:7-9, 22, 28, 31, 39, 42-47, 6:1-4, 22, 23, 7:12, 24-27; 1 Corinthians 7:10-16; Galatians 5:14, 22; Ephesians 5:3-5, 32; 1 Peter 2:1, 11-12, 3:16, 4:3-4, 5:5-6; 2 Peter 1:7.