What is the significance of Genesis 1:1



OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY

LECTURE 2

GENESIS: CREATION

The Book of Genesis is the seed book of the Bible. It is a book of ‘beginnings’ (Genesis means beginning). In it is contained the germ of the important doctrines of the entire Bible. Here God is revealed as the Creator-God, the Covenant-God, and the Almighty God. Here is taught the truth of the Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Here is found the entrance of sin, the penalty of sin, and the sacrifice made for sin by the shedding of blood. Here we see the Devil at work to destroy God's plan for mankind. Here we are taught the truth of salvation and justification by faith. Here the separated life and the power of prayer are clearly set forth. Here is portrayed the saint's rapture to Heaven. Here is taught the deity of Christ as well as His death and resurrection. Here we learn the truth concerning the Holy Land and the future of Israel. Here is revealed God's judgment for sin. What an important book Genesis is! No wonder the Devil attacks it and modernistic Sunday school lessons and pulpits deny it.

Moses is believed to have been the author (1450 – 1410 B.C.); though ‘higher critics’ try and bring doubt to this.

Ancient Jewish writers state Moses was the author.

Moses is said to have written the remaining books of the Penteteuch.

O.T. authors attribute it to Moses.

Jesus attributes quotes from the Torah to Moses

Other NT authors quote from the Torah and ascribe Moses as the author.

Most early ‘church fathers’ ascribe Moses as the author.

The book easily falls into two major sections: Four Events and Four People

I. Four Events (Gen. 1-11).

A. The creation of the world and man (1-2)

B. The corruption of man, the fall (3-5)

C. The destruction of man, the flood (6-9)

D. The dispersion of man, the nations (10-11)

II. Four People: the election of a nation and the preparation for the redeemer (Gen. 12-50)

A. Abraham (the father of faith and of the nation Israel) (12-23)

B. Isaac (the beloved son of promise) (24-26)

C. Jacob (scheming and chastening) (27-36)

D. Joseph (suffering and glory) (37-50)

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What is the significance of Genesis 1:1?

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth.

The ‘beginning’ of what? Time; existance of man and the universe; not the beginning of God.

This verse is the most controversial statement in all of the Bible. A person can be ‘offended’ from the Bible in its very first sentence. A whole host of Evolution-believing Atheists can’t even get passed the first few words of the Bible!

What did God actually create? the Heaven and the Earth

The Earth is then described in v. 2, and onward.

The Heaven is the Earth’s atmosphere and also all of space (the universe); but does not include the 3rd Heaven

(God’s abode) as some theologues try and assert.

What is the ‘light’ of v. 3? Compare with v. 14-18

This initial light doesn’t seem to be the sun, moon, and stars.

Though it does seem to follow the standard 24 hour day/night cycle that God established in this chapter.

It is most likely ‘light’ in its generic basic essence; but not specifically as found in the Sun or Moon.

Thus, in this ‘creation’, there was no initial light until it was created.

What was created on each day of the first ‘week’? (I will be truthful with the Scriptures here)

1. Heaven (incomplete form) and Earth (incomplete form), and Light

2. Firmament (= heaven)

3. Movement of the waters to bring about dry land (Earth) and large bodies of water (Seas), and Vegetation

4. Sun, Moon, and Stars

5. Fish and Birds

6. Mammals and Man

Archbishop Ussher (AD 1581 - 1656) worked out a series of dates from the genealogies in the Bible and concluded that the world was created in 4004 BC.

Earth is the only planet (world) out of all the host that God created where He has placed mankind; those created in the image of God. I firmly do not believe that there is life on other planets. There is no evidence of it at all in Scripture.

The only reference to what a day is in Scripture is ‘the evening and the morning’ (the Hebrews follow a day beginning at 6 pm and ending at 6 pm, whereas we have chosen to use midnight); there is no hint that these ‘days of creation’ involved anything other than what we know today, and what is stated throughout scripture, that of a 24 hour day. Thus, I do not believe in any of these days of creation being any longer than 24 hours.

The so-called “Gap Theory” has intrigued Bible denyers and critics for years. Simply stated, the theory involves there being a long gap in time between verse one and verse two. They state that the verb “was” in vs 2 should have been translated “became”. This is a feeble attempt to support Evolutionary idealogy and deny the literalness of the Bible.

In what image was man made? What is the significance of that?

Man was made in the image of God (1:26) (note: God is ‘plural’ here, i.e. “our”).

Mankind (male and female) bear the resemblance, or image, of God Himself.

Mammals, fish, and fowl don’t bear the image of God.

The word ‘Adam’ is thought to come from the root word ‘red’; maybe that he was made from red clay.

In Lk 3:38 Adam is said to be ‘the son of God’; he was not born, but rather created directly by God.

Man’s original diet was to be vegetarian (1:30).

Did God make any mistakes with the 6 days of creation?

He saw it to all be ‘very good’; not one mistake; perfect (1:31)

How many stars are in the universe?

There is a whole host of them (2:1)

Some have estimated it to be a ‘billion trillion’ (1 x 1023) ! God has named all the stars

Are we to ‘rest on the seventh day’ (2:2)?

“Sabbattarians” (7th Dayers, etc.) follow this.

The Sabbath was set up for those in this dispensation, and all the other dispensations of the Old Testament.

Jesus Christ did away with this keeping of the Sabbath, the dietary laws, circumcision, and a whole host of other ‘Law’ related issues. There is no ‘Christian Sabbath’. Keep every day holy unto the Lord….especially ‘the Lord’s Day’.

What is different between mankind and animals?

One key ingredient is a ‘living soul’ (2:7). What exactly is a soul?

Many describe it as the ‘seat of one’s emotions’; the heart; the mind; the ‘real you’.

What was God’s original design for man?

Apparently to be a ‘gardener’ (2:8,15).

What were the two ‘incredible’ trees that were in the Garden?

Tree of life: caused the person who ate of it to stay in their current state for eternity (apparently).

Tree of the knowledge of good and evil: caused the person who ate of it to understand between good and evil.

Adam named all the animals, fish, and fowl. Some estimate the number of species to have been about 16,000.

What do we learn about ‘woman’ here?

She would be a help, meet for him (2:18).

She is superior to an animal (2:20).

Made from man (2:21-23).

She is to leave her parents and marry a man (2:24).

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