From the Desk of Paul Chapman

"THE GENEALOGY OF CHRIST - Part One"

When we open God's word to the very first chapter of the first book, we read the account of the beginning of time. We read of God's marvelous creation of the heavens and the earth. Even before this great foundation was formed, God had a purpose in mind. A purpose that He would patiently take two thousand years to bring to fulfillment.

Continuing in the book of Genesis we read that God created man and woman in His own image (Genesis 1:26,27). Being tempted by Satan, man and woman disobeyed God by eating from the tree of knowledge, bringing sin into the world (Genesis 3:6,7). This sin separated man from God, and in such a condition, man was doomed to an earthly life of hardship and an eternal life of torment. God's plan was not for man to sin, but through His omniscience (all knowing), he knew man would sin. Therefore, due to His grace and love for man, God planned to provide man with an opportunity to be redeemed.

We are first introduced to this plan of redemption in Genesis 3:15, when God tells the serpent, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." A Seed of woman, a person born of earthly flesh, would be necessary as the propitiation and reconciliation on behalf of man. Who would be worthy enough to appease the wrath of God? Who could bring man back into a right relationship with God? God Himself, by way of His Son coming to earth in the flesh and living a sinless life, is what God has purposed from the beginning of time.

From the time a Savior was promised, Satan has worked very hard to destroy that Seed. Jesus was that redemptive Seed and in Luke's gospel account we can follow how that Seed was carefully preserved down through time, from Adam and Eve to Mary, mother of Jesus (Luke 3:23-38). As we follow the Seed line, many different characters, in many different situations, and at many different stations in life are represented.

Beginning with Adam, we make our way up the lineage of Christ, making our first stop along the trail at Noah and his son, Shem. At that time, the world was filled with men who were unrighteous. "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" (Genesis 6:5). God decided to destroy man by flooding the earth. Noah and his family were the only people found to be righteous in God's sight. This included Shem, who carried the Seed line of Christ. God instructed Noah to build an ark that would save he and his family from the deadly flood. In so doing, we see God's preservation of the Seed of Christ.

Our second stop along the lineage trail is at Abraham and Isaac. From Adam to Noah is what we call the Universal Seed line of Christ. Beginning with Abraham is what is called the National Seed line of Christ. We will continue our study of the genealogy of Christ next time.

~ PJ Chapman