Types in Genesis - Lesson Four - By Rod Porteous
Double type of Christ.
I. The Bible is a Book of Pictures from Genesis through Revelation. The interpretation of the pictures, and sometimes sermons preached by God, may be faint at first, but becomes more clear as we go through the Bible.
A. God does it many times with "figures" or "types". Today we'll illustrate the double type.
B. In the study of Hermeneutics, (Bible interpretation), we find the rules for a person, event, or item to be a type.
1. Must be an item, historical event, or person that points forward to another person, item, or event.
2. Must be demonstrated by Biblical proof that it is a type.
3. There must be something greater or nobler in the antitype.
II. We have found in previous lessons that Adam is a "Type of Christ":
A. Adam gained his bride with shed blood from his side as God put him to sleep, and so did Jesus purchase His Bride with shed blood from His side, and at the expense of His life, on the cross. - But Christ did die and also resurrected from the dead.
B. Adam was not deceived, like Eve was. (I Timothy 2:14) Adam sinned out of love for his bride, because her only salvation could come from her own seed, and Adam, being separated from his sinful bride, had to join her in order to be the father of the seed.
C. Adam's sin was different that most other's sin. He sinned out of love for his bride, and Biblically is called a "figure of Him to come". (Romans 5:14)
D. The big difference is that Christ did not become a sinner, but became sin for His Bride, so that His Bride might know righteousness. (II Corinthians 5:21)
E. This is the mystery that Paul speaks about in Ephesians 5:31-32 as he almost word-for-word quotes Genesis 2:24. The mystery is revealed that the spotless Christ would be willing to leave His Father's house, to save His filthy, fallen, and unfaithful Bride, by dying on the cross for her, so that He could present her as spotless. (Ephesians 5:25-27)
III. First Clear Gospel Message Preached by God Himself.
Explains how the Redeemer will accomplish His purpose.
A. The Message:
3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
This verse is the first totally clear revelation of Calvary.
B. Setting: - Man had disobeyed God and was under sentence of death. Adam and Eve were conscious of their predicament, but sin had so blinded their eyes, that instead of fleeing to God for help, they frantically tried to effect their own salvation.
1. They imagined that they could do something to make them more presentable to God. Before man fell, he was clothed in the garments of innocence, but no sooner had he sinned, than he had lost this covering and discovered that he was shamefully naked.
3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
2. The fig leaf aprons, however, were wholly inadequate, and might as well been poison oak. Now Adam and Eve knew deep down in their hearts that their aprons were wholly inadequate, because if they had believed that they were adequate, they would not have continued to hide from God.
C. The Lord to the rescue. - While they were hiding, God was looking for them with a demonstration of grace. The Lord rejected their vain attempts to cover their guilt, and we read of His marvelous message of redemption and grace:
3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
D. Double type. The moment that God killed the animal in the garden, Adam stopped being the type of Christ, and became the sinner that needed atonement. The innocent lamb, that God killed to produce the coats of skins then became the type of Christ dying on the cross for His people.
E. Pattern for all salvation. - As God took a sacrificial animal, (probably a lamb) and slew it before Adam's eyes - and wrapped the bloody skins around his naked body, God laid down an eternal, divine principal, from which there is no deviation. With this action, God laid down the tree eternal rules acceptable for atonement for sin.
1. It must be God's gift and His work alone. The animal was God's gift and not the work of man. A beautiful type of Christ - the Perfect Lamb of God. It was the Lord alone who furnished the skins to cover Adam and Eve. They did nothing. The only sacrifice God would accept must be God's work and God's free gift. Our first parents didn't even have to put the coats of skins on themselves. Even this was done by God.
2. It must be by the death of an innocent substitute. The animal that God slew to provide the skins had no part in Adam's sin. It was an innocent victim. Man could not atone for his own sin, because it's penalty had been declared in the book of Genesis:
2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
a. If one single day had passed without this provision of a substitute, they would have died on the very day that they fell. So before that first day was ended, God came to them with the message of redemption. On the evening of the very day Adam sinned, God came with His substitutionary lamb.
b. The record clearly suggests this, because we can read that after Adam and his wife had hid themselves, and were busy making the flimsy aprons, God came in the evening of the same day to deliver them. It was at the end of the day - or "cool of the day". (Genesis 3:8)
3. It must be by the shedding of blood. While blood is not mentioned in the record, it is clearly implied. God could not procure the skins without shedding the blood of the animal. Also notice the difference in God's covering for nakedness and sin are called "coats of skins"
KHAGORE (aprons) sometimes translated "a belt".
KETHONETH (robe) signifies a complete covering from head to foot. The same word is used for the high priest's robe - which covered the entire body.
F. Illustration of the sermon - Cain and Able.
1.These boys must have received their instruction about the coats of skins from their parents. (were else?) This told them of God's requirements of sacrifice.
2. Both of these boys were very religious, and believed in God. Cain seems to be the most religious of the two, because he was the first to come up with the idea of bringing an offering unto the Lord.
3. The religion of Cain is briefly stated in the book of Genesis:
4:3 ...... Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4. Cain was very sincere, as well as very religious, and thought that he must do something to atone for his sin. Remember Cain brought an offering unto the Lord. But God would have nothing to do with it, and we read:
4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Why did God reject Cain's offering?
Because he ignored God's rules, taught by God himself with the coats of skins.
5. Cain's first mistake was that he brought of the fruit of the ground, the result of his own labors, and the works of his own hands. - instead of a gift from God.
6. Cain's second mistake, was that his offering did not involve the death of an innocent substitute.
7. Cain's third mistake was that it did not involve the shedding of blood, and in the book of Hebrews we read:
9:22 .... and without shedding of blood is no remission.
God rejected Cain's sincere, earnest religion of works.
8. God accepted Abel's offering however.
4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
9. Why did God respect Abel's offering?
A. He brought a lamb. (a firstling of the flock)
B. He put it to death on the altar.
C. It was by the shedding of blood.
These conditions were laid down in the Garden of Eden.
Wherever these conditions are met, God accepts the sacrifice; were they are violated, God rejects them.
G. The shadows disappear - The One to whom all this is pointed appears on the scene. In the fullness of time, God sent His Son, and He was proclaimed as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. He met all the requirements:
1. He was a free gift - The "fig leafs of the works of the law would not work" The Gospel message is so plainly spoken in the Gospel of John:
3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
2. He must die as a substitute for sinners, and He did. Paul says in I Peter:
1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers;
3. It must be by the shedding of blood. Continuing in I Peter:
1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
All of this was foreshadowed and promised in the first acceptable sacrifice recorded in the book of Genesis way back in the dawn of history:
3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
There is truly blindness in unbelief! How can anyone fail to see in this act of God the whole story of redemption? In the light of the New Testament, this picture of Christ in Genesis 3:21 leaves no one with any excuse.
God has echoed the face of Christ on every page of His Word.
If only we will allow the Holy Spirit to open our blind eyes to the glorious revelation of Jesus Christ.