Backgound of Genesis 11

Genesis 11:1-9 reveals mankind’s struggle after the Flood and their plan to settle.  Mankind’s desire was to be unified and making their name great despite God’s command to multiple the earth.

The dispersion of the descendants of Noah was another creation story; the second beginning of mankind. It shows God’s favor and grace upon man and will reveal the heart of man and the heart of God. The first sign of unity that is seen in the text is that of language. The phrases of “same” and “whole world” reveal the oneness of the text and its focus upon unity. In verse the phrase, “Whole world” renders the Hebrew “all the earth,” meaning the inhabitants of the earth collectively.”[1] The focal point of the people of the earth is they desired community with each other. The one difference that came about than a harmonious relationship with one another is their decision to focus upon themselves and not upon God.

Language was common among all the people and lessens the struggle in communication. What a different world than which we live in today? The one puzzling piece of this text is that in Chapter 10:5, 20, and 31 it states the descendants of Noah having their own languages? There are different views upon the reason behind this being stated in Genesis 11:1, “At one time the whole earth had the same language and vocabulary.”[2] We must first look at the phrase, “the whole earth”, does this mean the earth as a whole or a figure of speech that is limiting it to the area of Mesopotamia?

It is explained clearer this way, “the phrase may be used in Genesis and Old Testament both to designate a limited region and also the whole earth.”[3] It either denotes that Chapter 10 was written after Chapter 11 or that author was writing about his understanding the “world” being in Babylonia. In Strong’s Concordance is defines the word “language” by stating, “lips (of the mouth); by extension: speech, language.”[4]

Understanding the world as being unified under one language and same words shows that whether the author meant in chapter 10 about Shem, Ham, and Japheth’s descendants having their own languages is not focused upon the whole of mankind, but all the people’s of Babylonia. Babylonia was a central place, “in the ancient Near East, Babel claimed to be the center of the world in the same way as Rome was widely regarded as the religious center of the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages.”[5]

To its founders the definition of, “gate of the gods” being the central meaning of Babel, it signifies the pluralistic society that were descended from Noah. The Hebrew form of the word means “confused” or “a babel of voices”[6] This definition of confusion is found to be true in this story of God’s redemption with man. The focus of this study so far has been the image of the world being unified in language.

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[1] Matthew, Kenneth A. Genesis 1:11-26, The New American Commentary, vol. 1A, 477.

[2] Holy Bible. Holman Christian Standard Bible. Genesis 11:1.

[3] Matthew, Kenneth A. Genesis 1:11-26, The New American Commentary, vol. 1A, 478.

[4] Waltke, Bruce K. Genesis: A Commentary. 2001. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.) 178. 179

Recap Thoughts on 1 & 2 Corinthians

Paul’s message to the Corinthians was that salvation through Christ alone for salvation is the foundation. Paul wrote this letter to correct what he saw as erroneous views in the Corinthian church. Basically, divisions within the church at Corinth seem to be an issue, and Paul makes it a point to mention these conflicts in the beginning. Specifically, pagan roots still hold sway within their community. Paul wants to bring them back to his doctrines, stating that God has given him the opportunity to be a “skilled master builder” to lay the foundation and let others build upon it (1 Cor 3:10). Paul always pointed to having a clear and firm foundation built upon faith in Christ and not upon man or the law. This book is the beginning of Paul chastising and reminding the Corinthian believers that they are to be examples of Christ.

Paul continually reminds them of their immorality and sets an example of teaching accountability in the church. The immoral ways of the world were seeping into the church and many people were adapting to their surroundings instead of being changed by Christ. Paul states that this letter is not meant to make them feel ashamed but to “admonish” them as beloved children. They are expected to become imitators of Jesus and follow the ways in Christ as he, Paul, teaches in all his churches (1 Cor. 4:14-16). Paul always preached Jesus and through his letters to the Corinthians, he focused upon being a follower of Christ in word and deed.

In the second letter to the Corinthians Paul reminds them once again to living for God’s glory and to not seek the world’s pleasures. Paul balances the correction of their unwise actions with his undying love for the people through the power of God. It must have been hard to put up with this church, they were easily swayed by worldly philosophies and ideas. Paul is the spiritual father that helps focus the people upon Christ and Him alone.

Paul had to defend himself with some of his important teachings on being forgiving and clear on following Christ. He states the importance of forgiving others, and God’s new agreement that comes from the Spirit of the living God (2 Cor. 3:3), and the importance of being a person of Christ.

The “harsh words” that Paul spoke in 2 Corinthians were in defense of their lack of being under his authority. Paul is simply responding to the heartache of dealing with their selfishness and points them to focus on sharing the gospel, Jesus crucifixion, death and resurrection. Paul is a great example of sharing the truth but in a way that people can be restored through repentance.

Thoughts on Apologetics

The need for truth is revealed in this postmodern culture that is floundering in the sea of relativity. The church needs to be equipped and passionate about meeting the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ in new and fresh ways. Christianity is about a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and our mission is to " make disciples." Understanding other worldviews is vital for the church to be messengers of the gospel.

The world is in need of understanding that God is loving, personal, holy, and eternal. Apologetics is much more than having an ability to spout out facts about other religions, but it is exegeting the culture with the truth of Christ in a way they can understand. Exegeting the culture is to inspect the claims and mindset of people of other religions/cultures in order to, "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).

Apologetics strengthens the church but if it remains only within the four walls of the church, it has lost its usefulness. What good is a church that is filled with knowledge but does not let the truth of God consume their lives where they speak of it to the lost? The need for apologetics in the local church is much needed due to the lack of biblical knowledge that is found in many congregations. The church must become equipped through training, teaching and encouragement to not only know God's Word, but understand other religions. Training must happen first in the local church but it should not be to create spiritual "eggheads" but to develop passionate people that reach skeptics with the truth of Christ.

In order for the church to continue to be relevant, apologetics must be a verb. People need Christ and the church must continue to train believers to be active in understanding and applying the gospel to people's situations. Apologetics must be more than a class taught and more into a lifestyle of pointing skeptics and those of different religions to the only way to peace with God and that is the person, Jesus Christ. Simply, the church is the launch pad for using apologetics to evangelize the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Apologetics must be a verb and not just a noun we describe a class that is taught at a local church. It is vital to be "doers" of the word and not "hearers" only. This is what is most important about being amidst the world's struggles, questions, and skepticism. It is key that people come to know the Lord from all walks of life and it is the churches chief duty to be vigilant to explain to the world the truth of Christ.

Building relationships with people can be a struggle but it is simply following Christ's call to become, "fishers of men" (Mark 1:16:18). A successful fishermen know what type of bait to use to lure the fish, in turn we are to study ways to display and explain the gospel to a hurting and lost world. It is important to view discipleship and evangelism as the same. In order to be a disciple you must follow what Chris did, and He came to "seek and save the lost." Evangelism must go hand in hand with growth in a person's life. If a person never shares the reason for the hope they have in Christ, their faith will continue to be stagnant.

To display God's redemptive plan in today's culture, the church must understand other religions in order to clearly communicate the gospel. The goal is to not just win an argument, but to reveal God's grace through effectively asking the right questions and helping a person see their need for Jesus.  It is important for the church to become focused upon understanding rather than just being "puffed" up with knowledge. It is the key for people to not just have the answers, but to let it change the way they see people and interact with them on a daily basis.