The Bible opens with Genesis, the Book of Beginnings. Chapters 1-11 lay the foundation for the entire Story of Scripture.

First, we see the beginnings of the universe: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen 1:1, NIV).

"Earth" here refers to the visible, material realities of what we call the "natural" world. It includes, for example, the stars, planets, oceans, rocks, plants, and animals.

"Heavens" refers not only to the sky, but to the invisible, immaterial, supernatural (beyond natural) realities we cannot perceive through our senses. It includes the angelic or "heavenly" beings.

The opening line of the Bible declares that God brought into being everything -- both the natural, physical realities and the supernatural, spiritual realities. Apart from Him, nothing exists. Furthermore, Scripture declares that God created everything good: "God saw all that He had made, and it was very good " (Gen 1:31). Everything in Creation conformed to the Creator's good and perfect will.

Second, Genesis describes the beginnings of the human race. God created both male and female in His own image, with the God-like ability to rule, to exercise dominion, to shape the world freely according to our will (see Gen 1:26-28 and Bare Roots 4.1). God brought the man and woman together, creating marriage and the family as the foundation of civilization (Gen 2:19-24).

Third, Genesis 1-11 describes the beginnings of nations and human cultures. It shows, for example, that Jubal invented music, Jabal developed animal husbandry, and Tubal-Cain mastered metallurgy (Gen 4:20-22). From Noah's three sons were descended the Egyptians (Mizraim), the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and all the peoples of the earth (Gen 10).

Fourth, we find in Genesis the beginnings of sin and evil.

Because God is Creator, He is also Lord. He alone has the right to determine what His Creation should be. However, Genesis implies that some of the heavenly, supernatural, angelic beings rebelled against God. In the form of a talking serpent (which is certainly not a "natural" snake), one of those fallen angels (later identified as Satan -- Rev 12:9) succeeded in spreading that rebellion to the earthly sphere.

Prompted by the serpent, Adam and Eve decided not to conform their wills to God's will by obeying His commands. Instead, they tried to "be like God" by deciding "good and evil" for themselves (Gen 3:5; Bare Roots 5.1 and 5.4). They abused and distorted the image of God by shaping the world in ways contrary to the Lord's original intent.

Finally, in response to human sin, we see the beginnings of God's judgment and grace. The Lord pronounced judgment against Adam and Eve and their descendants by condemning them to a life of labor, struggle, pain, and ultimately death (Gen 3:16-24; Bare Roots 5.6 and 16.5). At the same time, God showed mercy and grace to His fallen creatures by giving them clothing, children, and the first gospel promise: One of Eve's "offspring" would "crush" the serpent's head, destroying Satan and his evil works (Gen 3:15, 21; 4:1-2, 25; Bare Roots 6.3).

From the very beginning, then, the Story of Scripture points us to Christ.

Reflect...

1. What is Satan? Was he created good or evil? What else do we learn about him from Scripture? (See, for example, Job 1-2; John 8:44; Eph 6:10-12).
   
   
2. According to Genesis, are human beings "naturally" good or evil? Are we sinful by nature or sinful by choice?
   
   
3. Genesis 4-11 describes humanity's downward spiral into sin. Where do you see both God's judgment and His grace in the stories of Cain (Gen 4:1-16), Noah (Gen 6-9), and the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9)?

Christopher A. Davis, Ph.D.
Professor of New Testament
Hope International University
Fullerton, California

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