“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” (Genesis 6:1-2) Thus the Biblical narrative leaves the genealogy of chapter 5 and sets the stage for God’s dramatic judgment of the earth in the next few chapters. “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” (Genesis 6:3)

The fifth chapter of Genesis is, perhaps, not quite so full of exciting and dramatic events as the four before it. In this chapter we read of the slow passing of centuries with no recorded major event until the life of Enoch. Then again the narrative continues to tell us the genealogy. But apparently man was not being quiet and still; the previous chapter briefly describes some of the events that occurred with Cain’s family line, and the next chapter tells of the great wickedness of mankind. But we really know very little of the earth before the flood. And while this chapter may hint at the impending judgment, it seems that God was waiting. Waiting for the iniquity to come to its fullness, giving man a chance to repent, raising up a righteous leader for the generation to come.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Paul exhorts us, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” (II Corinthians 13:5) After we’re saved, studying the issue of salvation may not always be the top thing on our minds. But if we don’t think back to it occasionally, and know what the Bible says about salvation, how will we be able to examine ourselves? How will we be able to know whether we are indeed in the faith? How will we be able to bring others to the faith? Thus it is good for us—even if we are saved—to study the Scripture and know what it says about salvation.

The word faith occurs in thirty-four verses in Romans, more than twice as many as gospel and fourteen more than grace, perhaps an important note at a time when the “Doctrines of Grace” are being promulgated in a way that almost seems to assume that they are Paul's focus and the most important of all doctrines. In fact, in Paul's New Testament writings (not including Hebrews because I doubt that Paul wrote it), faith occurs in 129 verses, while grace only appears in eighty-five, a significant forty-four verse difference.

The fall of man was a catastrophic event. A peaceful, beautiful world was plunged into despair and misery. A bountiful, helpful earth was turned into a bed of thorns and thistles. Even the animals and humans which populated the earth and heretofore had lived in peaceful coexistence, would soon be turned one against another, creating violence and strife which would not cease for thousands of years. After their sin, Adam and Eve heard God walking in the garden, and, now knowing their sinfulness, vainly strove to conceal themselves.

The first verse of the Scripture declares God’s creation of the earth, a manifestation of God’s great power. Many times, studying or reading the Scriptures, we tend to focus on our responsibility and position in the world; however, the Scripture gives an abundance of information about God, and we need to understand God and His character if we desire to fully grasp our responsibility toward Him.

Scripture uses the division between light and darkness, which literally, physically happened in the Creation, to bring out what may be the most important division in the world today. This is brought out clearly in the first chapter of John. “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:5) Here we have the contrast between light and darkness. The light, which is life in Jesus according to verse 4, is separate from the darkness, but the darkness does not recognize the light.

Forgiveness is essential to the Christian. “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:26) When we forgive someone, we give up our bitterness and our desire to get even. In our heart, we release the person who hurt us. “To forgive is to grant pardon without harboring resentment.” (American Heritage Dictionary) When we consider the entire scope of the Bible, we can realize that when we don’t forgive other people, we are the ones who are being “unfair.” This is because, due to our own sins, we owe a debt to God that all the offenses in the world will not be sufficient punishment for—we deserve every offense that people give to us, and it’s not “fair” at all for us to be upset about something that we truly deserved.

It’s interesting to me to see how, for some false doctrines, “evidences” which have already been proven false are still being widely taught as proof of the doctrine. And people believe them, even though true data would not be hard to find. An example of this is what could be labeled the “doctrine of crowns,” which states that ungodly people can reach heaven (provided they believe a few necessary facts); however, they will receive fewer “crowns,” which are given to the saints to cast at the feet of Jesus.