Read the Passage: Genesis 1

Listen to the Redeemed Mind Podcast: Genesis 1

Authorship and Date – The term “Genesis” means “origins” or “beginnings.” This title is derived from a word in the first verse of the book, as it is rendered in the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Genesis is the first book of the Bible and is also the beginning of the Pentateuch, which consists of the first five books of the Old Testament. While Genesis is technically anonymous, Moses is identified as the author of the Pentateuch, either directly or indirectly, many times in Scripture (cf. Exod. 17:14; Num. 33:2; Josh. 23:6; Mark 12:26; Luke 16:29; Rom. 10:5; Heb. 9:19). Indeed, that Moses wrote the Pentateuch—including Genesis—has been the view of most Jews and Christians throughout history. Moreover, Mosaic authorship is very reasonable, as Moses is the most prominent person in the Pentateuch, and he was well-qualified to write this book (cf. Acts 7:22). Genesis was likely written during the forty years of wilderness wanderings, perhaps just prior to Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land. If one assumes a traditional date for the beginning of the exodus event, the book of Genesis would have been written after 1445 BC and before Moses’ death in 1405 BC. Note that Genesis is quoted at least 35 times in the New Testament and the events recorded in this book are alluded to hundreds of times throughout Scripture.

Theme and Purpose – While there are many themes in the book of Genesis, two emphases stand out above the rest: creation and election. In regard to creation, in Genesis we read about the very beginning of all that exists, from broad concepts like time, space, matter, sin, evil, and salvation, to the creation of mankind and the beginning of important human institutions such as marriage, family, and even the nations. In regard to election, we read of God’s choice of Abel over Cain, Enoch over other men, Noah over all men, Abraham over Lot, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, and Joseph over his brothers. While the doctrine of election can be troubling to some, it is an important theme, as it introduces readers to the idea that God has a definitive plan—indeed, a rescue plan—that He is slowly unfolding throughout history. Note that the physical setting of the book of Genesis is Mesopotamia (chs. 1–11), the Promised Land (chs. 12–36), and Egypt (chs. 37–50).

Structure and Outline – The book of Genesis can be thematically outlined as follows:

• Creation of the World (1:1–2:25)
• Fall of Man (3:1–24)
• Family of Adam (4:1–6:8)
• Family of Noah (6:9–11:32)
• Family of Abraham (12:1–50:26)

Beginning of Time (1:1–5)

It has been said that if one can accept the first four words of Scripture, then the rest of the Bible is easy to believe. While this may be an oversimplification, it makes the point that one must commit to either a materialistic or theistic view of the origin of everything (cf. Heb. 11:3). Note the fact that God is the creator of the material world is appealed to elsewhere as a precedent for God being the source of all spiritual life (cf. John 1:1; 2 Cor. 4:6). In Genesis God does not attempt to prove His existence or to justify His position. Rather, God simply exists, and He created the world out of nothing, merely by speaking, for the purpose of it being inhabited (cf. Isa. 45:18). Here we read that on the first day God created light, but this light was not the sun or the moon or the stars, for these would all be created on day four (cf. Gen. 1:14–19). Indeed, this light may simply have been a reflection of God’s glory, as it is at the end of the Bible (cf. Rev. 21:23, “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light”).

Formation of the World (1:6–23)

Readers of the creation account have observed that the first three days of creation parallel the second three days, in three couplets. Indeed, on days one through three God forms the earth, while on days four through six God fills the earth. The three couplets are (1) day one: God forms light and darkness; day four: God fills the earth with the sun and moon; (2) day two: God forms the sky and waters; day five: God fills the earth with birds and fish; (3) and day three: God forms the land and vegetation; day six: God fills the earth with animals and mankind. Observe that the phrase “according to its kind” (Gen. 1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25) is repeated ten times in Genesis 1, all in a fourteen verse span. This phrase communicates the idea that plants and animals were divinely created with the capacity to reproduce, which includes a diverse, fixed variety of characteristics, all within their own species or taxonomic groups.

Creation of Mankind (1:24–31)

On the sixth day, after creating various land animals, God declared, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). The creation of man in God’s image is mentioned three times between Gen. 1:26–27, which signifies its importance. That man is an image-bearer of God is also cited later at Gen. 9:6; 1 Cor. 11:7; and Jas. 3:9. While the image of God is a debated and complex theological topic, in Genesis 1 the focus of man being made in the image of God is clearly on mankind functioning like God. To elaborate, the focus of this chapter is upon God as a creator. Therefore, after God makes man in His own image, God commands man to procreate (cf. Gen. 1:28). Said differently, just as God is a creator, so is man to be a creator. While man will never be God, since man is made in God’s image, so is man to mimic God’s actions and to function, within his limited abilities, as God does.

Application Questions:

1. What do you know about the book of Genesis? What verses, passages, or general topics from this book come to mind?
2. Why does God not offer proof for His own existence? Is having faith in a divine creation a reasonable belief?
3. Why is the theory of evolution oftentimes treated as a fact rather than as a theory? What proof is there for evolution?
4. If the world came into being by evolution, how can we explain what is wrong with the world and how to fix the world?
5. What does it mean to be made in God’s image? How can man bear God’s image in a functional sense?