Genesis: Back to the Begining

Intro: Genesis is the most important book in the Bible. So it makes sense for this to be the first book the Christian strives to understand. Its pages are the answers to the most important questions he will ever ponder: questions of origins, purpose, life, death, and eternity. The book of Genesis provides the answers by giving an account of what was, explaining what is, and foreshadowing what will be. This means that as a Christian, understanding Genesis should be of great importance.

Authorship and Date: Written by Moses (circa 1445-1405).

Writing Style: Hebrew Narrative. No characteristics of Hebrew Poetry.

Scripture: Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Question: “what are the first two things you notice (broadly) about this verse?”

Answers: God is not introduced with His origin. God created all things.

I. Does God Exist?

A. Genesis tells us that God exists.

The existence of God is often a hotly debated topic both in recent years and in centuries past. And if you have read widely on the subject it seems that either side tries to one-up each other using ostentatious language. Atheists attempt the foolhardy task of explaining how nothing came about from nothing. While conversely, theist get caught in the trap of rationalizing a supernatural phenomena i.e. God’s existence. The Bible does neither. In 4 words it asserts that God is.

Both the aforementioned camps, athiests and theists, as well as the many other offshoots are dispelled by this singular statement: “In the beginning God.” John Phillips in his commentary on Genesis points out that Genesis 1:1 not only dispels Atheism, but also dispels polytheism and pantheism as well. God is the sole figure in this verse.