The Beginning Of It All

Introduction

All superhero stories have an origin story. The beginning of how they came into being as a person with powers. Spiderman gained his ability by being bitten by a radioactive spider. His purpose to fight crime stemmed from the murder of his uncle Ben.

We too, as human beings have an origin story. There are many stories written in history and across cultures that give some explanation to our origin, but none hold a candle to Genesis.

Context of Genesis

Genesis present the beginning of all that we know exists today. It explains the world, humanity, our brokenness, the growth of the that brokenness, and ultimately our redemption too.

The narrative of Genesis 1-3 would have been passed down through an oral tradition that began with first man and woman. We know that Genesis is attributed to Moses as the author who would have heard the oral traditions passed down as well communed with God on the mountain receiving the law and I believe information pertaining to Genesis.

Why do we need Genesis?

Genesis answers the question that all humanity wrestles with. Why do I exist and why is the world, including us, so broken? These existential questions are essential to our formation and understanding of life. In fact, I would argue that when these questions are not answered properly it leads to much of the chaos we see in our world today related to identity issues, death, destruction, and harm done to this world and each other. It also provides a foundation to our purpose in life. Without a proper focus of purpose we find our life lacking.

Genesis also sets the stage and weaves a thread of hope of redemption into its narrative. From the moment of the fall to God’s issuance of consequences to the continued work of God to bring forth redemption in humanity and creation. Genesis is the beginning of the gospel, perhaps the first gospel.

Our purpose of Genesis

We will be looking at the book of Genesis is 2 primary ways.

Immediate Context

First will be to look at the text for it’s immediate context. What is the narrative expressing and teaching us about God, humanity, spiritual issues, etc.

The Christ Connection

The second way will be to examine what I will call the Christ Connection. The Christ Connection is about seeing Christ in Genesis. The NT testifies to this:

1 Peter 1:10–12 CSB

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that would come to you, searched and carefully investigated. 11 They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified in advance to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.

Luke 24:27 “27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures.”

Luke 24:44–45 “44 He told them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”

Acts 3:18 “18 In this way God fulfilled what he had predicted through all the prophets—that his Messiah would suffer.”

This means that we will spend time interpreting Genesis through Christ and for Christ.

Professor Jason Derouchie explains it this way,

Salvation history is the progressive unfolding of God’s redemptive purposes disclosed from Genesis to Revelation, all of which grow out of and culminate in God’s commitment to glorify himself in Christ…The flow of God’s saving purposes in history demands that Christian Old Testament interpretation starts and ends with Christ.

Genesis 1 Themes

As we examine chapter 1, I understand we could spend weeks just in this chapter alone. We will simply look at broader brush strokes of this chapter. I could get into issues of evolution verses creation, literal 6 days verses extended time, or any other issues related to this narrative and science. These are important to our cultural context today, but understand that Genesis wasn’t written initially with those issues to be covered. It assumes the existence of God and creation as truth.

God is the main focus of Genesis and the Bible

We are immediately met with “in the beginning God…” Throughout chapter 1 we read God said, God called, God made, God saw. Why? Because God is the centrality to all of creation. Not science, not human explanations to life. We can better understand God through the explanations of science we discover.

I once had a math teacher in college who was teaching us about the Fibonacci sequence. The sequence works that in a series of numbers each number is the sum of the two preceeding numbers. What blew my mind was when she said this sequence is found in nature through the spiral.

I’ll never forget her words, many refer to this sequence as the thumbprint of God. His signature of His work in creation. It testifies to an intelligent designer.

Even more we learn that God has always existed. The beginning means that time itself was a creation of God. He is the originator of time and existence.

Application Point

Genesis assumes this truth without having to justify it. It means that God has been and will always be the focus of life, the center of all of creation and humanity. It is His proper place, a place that we often remove Him from.

Just as God is the main focus of Genesis, the Scripture, and of creation; He is to be the main focus of our lives.

God is a God of order and fullness

Verse 2 presents an idea that chaos was present amongst the heavens and earth. Chaos doesn’t mean a lack of control on His part, but that God creates order and fullness to His creation.

We see that in Days 1-3 God established order:

Light with darkness, sea with sky, and fertile earth.

These contrast the formlessness described in verse 2. No longer is there a formless order to life, but God brings it forth.

Days 4-6 God establishes fullness that contrasts the emptiness.

Lights for day and night, creatures for water and air, creatures for the fertile earth. He tells man and woman to be fruitful and multiply.

Life isn’t meant to be simply just living, but enjoying it. God was always about life abundant for His creation.

What about Day 7 with the creation of rest? Does God need to rest? Of course not. But God is establishing an order and fullness that is necessary and important for His creation.

We are designed for it. But even more, God blesses it and make it holy. He sets this day apart from all the others. This day is a day not of inactivity as God sustains what He creates, but that God enjoys what was accomplished and celebrates its completion.

Eventually rest will be used in a reference to salvation, but here we see an establishment to enjoy and celebrate the Lord’s work. This rest was established for our sake to stop and enjoy and celebrate what the Lord has accomplished and completed in us. This is what provides foundation to our Sunday Sabbath.

Application

God being a God of order and fullness means our lives are not meant to be lived in chaos and lacking. We are called to live life abundant in Him through Jesus. We are called to trust in the provision and sustaining power of the God of creation. God even establishes a day to breakaway from the chaos of life to rest in Him, to celebrate Him, to enjoy Him free of distraction.

Much of the disorder and lack of fulfillment we have in life is due to improper balance of God’s way of life in our own. When we breakaway from His established purposes of who we are and what we called to do and be we find chaos and lack rising up.

I don’t care how high functioning you may be, you were not made to burn the candle as both ends and live in more dependence upon yourself than God. We are created as finite and dependent. Rest was created to seek the Lord in our finiteness and dependence.

God is the only Sovereign God

Note that in this chapter God is the only God listed. His Triune nature is hinted at with the presence of Yahweh, God’s Spirit, and the voice of God. In addition we see that God speaks of Himself as “us” indicating a nature of persons. The NT will reveal the fuller truth of God’s nature as Triune.

More so, God as Creator is the sovereign God. He is the Supreme power and authority over creation. He simply speaks it into being. I can’t speak child and have one. I can’t speak steak and have a beautiful Tbone on my plate.

God grants some element of authority to mankind, but their authority only comes from one higher in God Himself.

Application

There is no other higher supreme authority on this earth than God Almighty. There is no human agent- president, king, queen, prime minister, or ruling government who can even come close.

In this world, in our families, in our jobs, in our classrooms, in our community, there should be only One who is our authority and focus-God. By His very nature and ability this is granted to Him. He doesn’t have to earn our respect or trust.

The question that should be at the forefront of our hearts- Is God sovereign over my life in all things?

You exist because He wills it. You have your job, your family, your breath, your health, your wealth, your personality, your skills, and your ability- whatever they may be because the Sovereign God Creator allows it so.

Humanity is created for a special relationship and purpose with God.

Note in verse 26 that no other part of creation is made in God’s image. This of course begs the question of what it means to be made in the image of God.

Scholar Wayne Grudem says it means that man is like God and represents God. Both image and likeness “refer to something that is similar but not identical to the thing it represents.” Here are ways in which this image and likeness bear similarity to God:

Morality- We are made as moral creatures who are accountable to God who is supremely moral. He is the definition of good, right. We are given an ability to be moral.

Spiritual- We have physical bodies and a spiritual body. We have spiritual life that animates us and allows us to have proper connection to God.

Mental- We have an ability to think logically, reason, and learn which sets us apart from the rest of creation.

Relational- Just as God is Triune and in perfect relationship to Himself in all persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; so to we are made for relationship. Relationship with God and with one another.

Physical- While God is Spirit, we carry abilities with our physical body as God has- hear, see, speak, touch, etc. In addition, Christ incarnate presents a physical nature to the Godhead as well.

Some may say, well some animals have some of these same abilities. I would say it is true up to a point. None are moral. None are spiritual. Their relational and mental ability is not the same as ours.

Note in verse 28 that no other part of creation is set to rule over itself.

The word rule means to caretake or to cultivate. First man and woman were called to caretake God’s creation. This hasn’t changed, though the Fall certainly changes how this comes about.

The greater insight is that God grants to us a greater purpose than to simply exist. We are called to multiply, to create. We carry an ability to create a living soul and body by God’s wonderful ability and plan.

We can create new things based on our ability to reason and think. We can create art that glorifies God and speaks of Him. God can paint the sky, we can paint a canvass. God created angels who worship Him in Heaven and we can create songs of praise unto Him. We are called to care for, tend to creation for the glory of God what He has given unto us.

To borrow from a author and pastor- Greatness in anything we do cannot escape humanity. “Being human does not mar greatness, it informs it and sets its noble boundaries.” (Eswine, Imperfect Pastor)

The greatest things we can create pale in comparison to the God and what He can do because we are limited.

Application

There is great implication here, some of which we will cover next week in chapter 2. If we accept that the Lord has made human beings differently than the rest of creation and for a purpose greater than the rest of creation, it stands to reason that the value of human life is extremely high to God and should be to us.

It is heartbreaking seeing the brokenness of someone in whatever capacity it might be because they cannot see the wonder of being created in God’s image or others being made in God’s image.

I knew and worked with a guy who lived for the weekend where he would buy a 24 pack of beer and he would go home and drink all weekend.

The abuser, the user, the wanderer, the liar, the father or mother who fail to see their purpose as parents, those who seek validation from their relationships, racist people, etc. All these aspects of brokenness stem from misunderstanding of God’s image in humanity.

It is heartbreaking to see people so confused about identity because they misunderstand how God created us and why God created us.

It is heartbreaking to hear of how quickly we can seek to destroy human life at any level, but particularly with babies because they are an inconvenience. It is amazing how people are willing to harm another with words and in action so easily.

Just recently we had 2 young men in Curry County who plotted to kill one these guy’s parents in order to receive what they thought was an inheritance. How easily their brokenness and sin led to devaluing life.

Gen 1 elevates our our understanding and treatment of one another.

We are not here by chance or to aimlessly walk this life. Gen. 1 teaches us that we have great value through our Creator and when we are in right relationship with our Creator.

Remember, even in the special nature of our place in creation with God, we are still just created beings.

The Christ Connection

How is Christ present in Genesis chapter 1?

Christ was present at creation

John 1 calls Jesus the Word and alludes to Jesus’ presence in Gen 1 by stating,

John 1:1–3 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.”

Hebrews 1:2 “2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him.”

Colossians 1:15–17 “15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.”

These all communicate Jesus’ presence and activity in creation. I believe that Jesus was the very “mouthpiece” of God when He spoke the universe into existence.

This tells us that Triune God is always working together to bring forth the will and plan of God. It is not as if there is a season of just the Father, then the Son, and then the Holy Spirit.

This also tells us that Jesus isn’t just our Savior, but our Creator and Lord. He is the Alpha because He is the beginning of it all in this world.

This also foreshadows what is to come. Christ will also bring forth the new creation of man in their sin. Christ created this world and us, and Christ will recreate it in His salvation and glory.

Christ fulfills our failure of rulership of God’s creation

We know from Gen. 3 that mankind cannot fulfill their role perfectly as they fail and fall in their sin. Christ came as the the redeemer of God’s creation and reclaimed it under Himself.

1 Corinthians 15:27–28 “27 For God has put everything under his feet. Now when it says “everything” is put under him, it is obvious that he who puts everything under him is the exception. 28 When everything is subject to Christ, then the Son himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.”

Hebrews 2:6–10 “6 But someone somewhere has testified: What is man that you remember him, or the son of man that you care for him? 7 You made him lower than the angels for a short time; you crowned him with glory and honor 8 and subjected everything under his feet. For in subjecting everything to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him. 9 But we do see Jesus—made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone—crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death. 10 For in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—for whom and through whom all things exist—should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

In Christ, Genesis 1 is reclaimed and fulfilled.

Application

The reality is we need reclamation in Jesus for the “rulership” we are still granted. For our families, in our churches, over our communities. None of us can caretake properly without the regeneration of salvation in Jesus Christ.

We as fathers and mothers are subject to Christ to lead our families to Jesus.

We as under shepherds, ministers, and deacons are subject unto Christ to lead the Church to Jesus.

You as employers are subject unto Christ to lead your people well an in the likeness of Christ.

You as workers, community leaders, athletes, students, and saved individuals under Christ are subject to Christ to proclaim Christ in whatever platform or manner He has granted to you.

In our failure, rejoice that Jesus by His death and resurrection makes forgiveness, grace and mercy possible. Rejoice that we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

Conclusion

Living under my parents roof I heard a lot of classic rock songs growing up. I love many of them. I’ll never forget the haunting song by Kansas, Dust In the Wind.

I close my eyes Only for a moment and the moment's gone All my dreams Pass before my eyes with curiosity

Dust in the wind All they are is dust in the wind

Same old song Just a drop of water in an endless sea All we do Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see

Dust in the wind All we are is dust in the wind Oh, oh

Now don't hang on Nothin' lasts forever but the earth and sky It slips away And all your money won't another minute buy

A few of the members of Kanas would later go on to become Christians and discover the meaning of their life. But this song presents a reality for many people today. There is biblical truth hidden in these lyrics, but without the foundation of Genesis 1 and the reclamation of Christ over our lives, this can be one’s outlook.

If God doesn’t exist, if we simply are accidents of the universe, if we evolved from some primate, or we devalue the essence of creation and humanity; nothing matters. It is all dust in the wind.

The truths of Genesis 1 set forth the reality of who we are, why we are, and Who life is truly about. The remainder of Genesis will reveal our current state and lead us to see the thread of redemption leading us back to the perfection, the good of Genesis 1.

The driving question: Is this biblical framework foundational to your life?