lessons from genesis 1

As you know, Genesis (especially the first eleven chapters) has come under severe attack from critics. G. Campbell Morgan has cleverly outlined the book as Generation (chap. But they attribute it to “Mother Nature” (= Chance), not to God. It is this matter of chance or purposeless natural processes versus intelligent design that is at the heart of Darwinism (see Phillip Johnson, Darwin on Trial [IVP, 2nd ed. But if a personal God created everything by His word, a God who is awesome in His holiness, then there are definite implications for us! Then he writes, “I won’t quote figures because exponential numbers are unreal to people who are not used to them, but a metaphor by Fred Hoyle has become famous because it vividly conveys the magnitude of the problem: that a living organism emerged by chance from a pre-biotic soup is about as likely as that ‘a tornado sweeping through a junkyard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the materials therein.’ Chance assembly is just a naturalistic way of saying ‘miracle’” (p. 106). Our text also reveals that ... “The heavens and the earth” refers to the whole universe. Book of Genesis Chapter 1 -- This study of Genesis is the first of eleven in a series of studies of the first 11 chapters of the Book of Genesis. God is the eternal Creator of the universe. You cannot be neutral; it is an authoritative declaration that demands a response: Because God is the eternal Creator of the universe, we all must submit to Him. So, Genesis 1 and 2 should be understood as literally true. (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). But because of sin, people don’t want to accept the truth of the sovereign Creator God who is presented here. Either you submit to Him or you must believe what Darwinist George Gaylord Simpson said: “Man is the result of a purposeless and natural process that did not have him in mind.” But believing that God doesn’t exist does not make Him cease to exist. The first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch) were written by Moses for that purpose. You fixed the earth upon its foundation and clothed the earth with mountains and oceans. When they stop believing in God, they believe in anything!”. To cross the entire known universe would take you about 20 billion light years! Between absolute zero (-460 F.) and boiling (212 F.) is 672 degrees. Ge 1:5 And the darkness He called night. Next, of all that is in the world, the universe and all things in it were created directly by God out of fiat, or out of nothing except His Word. This however is not so evident when we look at the actual word usage. Genesis reiterates that a human being is a soul – man does not have a separate soul residing inside of him. Queen Victoria ruled England from 1839-1901. Everything we know and relate to has a cause or a beginning. Human history from Abraham to Joseph: The chosen race (12-50). Surely Jesus did not think that way. God spoke and then it happened. THE PENTATEUCH PART I: GENESIS LESSON 2 THE CREATION OF HEAVENS AND EARTH • Lesson 1 • Genesis Lessons List • Lesson 3. This granting of man such authority should caution us to the power and influence of words. Learn how and why God created our world and what He considered good and blessed. 19:4-8; see also Mark 13:19 where Jesus refers to creation). I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” In Genesis 14, Abram went to a lot of work to save Lot from being carried off into captivity. "Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 12-50, through Abraham and his descendents). Never operate as a cog in a machine for we were designed to reflect, enjoy and worship. And, some of these patterns are built-upon and further developed in the narrative of Genesis 26. Let’s look at Genesis 1. Learn who helped God create our world, learn whether evolution is supported, and see how we fit into the picture. If you reject that, your only option is that matter has always been in existence in one form or another. The knowledge of her identity and destiny governed her life. G en. So He added salt, in just the right proportion to sustain marine life. By eating the forbidden food, Adam abandoned his headship over his wife and his dominion over the creation. Others, who hesitate to go that far, nonetheless view it as religious stories woven together from various sources by a later editor. Key Verse: “Our God is a God who saves; from the sovereign Lord comes escape from death.” Psalm 68:20; Teaching Passage: Genesis 18:22-33 & 19:1-3, 12-29 Supporting Texts: 1 Samuel 10:19, Psalm 6:4, Psalm 7:1, Psalm 7:10, Psalm 37:40, Psalm 56:16, Matthew 1:21 and Acts 2:21 Genesis 19:1-5 & 15-29 If eternal matter plus impersonal chance caused all that is, we don’t have to submit to it and repent of our sin. He is the Source of all else. He tests our faith and trust in him.Genesis 22:1, ” Some time later … Because God is the creator of everything in this universe, including human life (1:26), we cannot ignore Him. What a terrible thing, to believe that the material universe is all that is! Genesis 25-37: Influence of Sin | God and Man's Sin | Understanding Man's Sin Nature | Understanding Jacob's Sins Lastly we must note that God was perfectly satisfied at the whole of creation. Learn to appreciate this clear, refreshing, and authoritative declaration that the origin of the universe and of man is a personal, all-wise, almighty, and loving God. In Genesis 1:3 God said, “Let there be light,” and His Word was so powerful that there was light. We must, in all our thinking, begin with God. And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Ge 1:10 And the gathering of the waters He called seas. Genesis is rich in theology. There is the beginning of the universe, of life, man, the seven-day week, marriage, family life, sin, sacrifice, redemption, death, the nations, government, cities, music, literature, art, agriculture, and languages. There is sin in your life, and like Adam and Eve after they sinned, you’d rather hide from Him. Even evolutionists admit the delicate ecological balance on this planet. The basis of God’s program for world missions is found in Genesis. The first hint of the Trinity is in Genesis. *The gap theory-- This view says that Genesis 1:1 describes the original creation of the universe by God out of nothing. God existed before the universe. The first of those books, Genesis, is the book of origins. Genesis 18-19: Cultural Woes of Sodom | Appearing to Abraham | Visit to Sodom | Debate of Homosexuality and Sodom Create gives us the sense of 'out of nothing' while 'made' speaks more of form and shaping. My Lord and my God, We acknowledge, Lord, that You are the author of Creation. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. God however used the seventh day to rest. Torah: a word that few Christians have ever heard of, and fewer have any idea what it actually is. Immediately the reader of the Bible is brought face to face with the fact of God. This was pathetically illustrated some years ago when Francis Crick, co-discoverer of DNA, saw the difficulty of explaining how the complexity of life could have evolved by chance in the time available if the earth is about 5 billion years old. The earth’s waters would freeze to such a depth that all other forms of life would perish. ], p. 17). As G. K. Chesterton once said, “It is often supposed that when people stop believing in God, they believe in nothing. Alas, it is worse than that. Introduction. Today we start a journey that millions of Hebrews and Christians have taken over the last 3000 years. From what we see of heaven and earth, we learn the power of the great Creator. Genesis 3–11 contains promises that unfold throughout Scripture. To what ludicrous extremes otherwise intelligent men will go to escape the reality of God and the moral implications of His power as revealed in creation! If you accept the first verse of the Bible, it has some fundamental effects on your life! There is no argument to prove His existence. Why? No one seriously suggests that one should translate Elohim as gods because every time it takes a singular verb form. To list a few: God is revealed as the Sovereign, all-powerful Creator. Psalm 19 takes the same pattern dividing what God spoke with His works with the words He spoke to man. The shortened form 'el' is often seen on the end of names such as Joel. "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." GENESIS. Human history from Adam to Abraham: The human race (chap. If God is so gracious and kind, we ought to be the same way. We don’t have a category to fit Him into. Finally they were on the verge of entering the land. Genesis 1:1-13 New International Version (NIV) The Beginning 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. We only can conclude that the more 'creative' demanding works such as sea monsters and man was the word 'create' used. And so either matter always has been or God always has been. Genesis 12-22:   The Call: Genesis 12.1 |  The Promises: Genesis 12.2-3  |  The Means: Genesis 15 |  The Testing: Genesis 22 11:3; Rom. (2 Peter 3:9). Nothing awes us so much as God's ability to do what He says. 5:12-14). From Romans we find that this world lies under a curse. God knew everything was complete. Conclusions BSF Study Questions Genesis: Lesson 15, Day 2: Genesis 24:1-14. 2:13-14; 2 Cor. Creation is not mother-nature; it is God's goodness made manifest. Never rush about life so that we do not pause. Genesis 1:1 draws a line in the dirt and asks us to step over. But there are giants in the land who must be conquered. Evolutionists have an a priori commitment to the fact that even though the world and the incredibly complex creatures that inhabit it sure look like they were made by an intelligent Creator, it isn’t true, because random mutations and natural selection explain everything, even though these processes have never been scientifically observed as causing any kind of useful new organ in a species, let alone a whole brand new species. There are people who just don't get it (and never will): Laban. This is precisely what Paul observes of those who throw off the knowledge of God through His creation, and become futile in their speculations, worshiping the creature rather than the Creator (Rom. Hebrews 11:3 states, “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” A skeptic will chide, “See, it takes faith! The faith of humble Christians understands this better than the fancy of the most learned men. If it were farther from the sun, we would freeze. So even all the goodness that we find in the earth is still held back from revealing its fully glory. The pattern for us, then, is never to rush about completing singular projects while missing the beautiful completeness of what has been done. Think about the amazing balance God has put in creation! God is separate from nature. "For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. You created the cosmos. Consider just the enormity of the universe. So the choice is, either the eternal, intelligent, all-powerful God created the universe and everything in it, or it came about from senseless chance acting on matter that has eternally existed. We need to note, though, that in 2:19 and 2:23, God actually gave man the authority and privilege to 'call' the animals their own names. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, © The Lockman Foundation, Related Topics: Character of God, Creation, History, Introductions, Arguments, Outlines, Theology Proper (God), Steve served as the pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship from May, 1992 through his retirement in December, 2018. Genesis 1:1-2: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Scripture: Genesis 4:1-16, Genesis 4:4-16 Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ Summary: The lives of Cain and Abel teach us some important lessons about ourselves and … 3. We can’t grasp the concept of a Being with no beginning or end, who exists in and of Himself. Before anything was, God was. Moses’ purpose in writing Genesis was to show Israel their origins. But between verses 1 and 2, there is a gap of an indeterminable amount of time. Lessons: 1. You can’t accept creation unless you put your brains aside and take a leap of faith.” If you say such nonsense, God calls you a fool (Ps. Lesson 1: Genesis 1 Introduction Creation, Science and the Genesis Account Lesson 2: Genesis 1:1 The Creation of the Heavens and Earth Lesson 3: Genesis 1:2a The Earth in Darkness (the Ice Age) Lesson 4–5: Genesis 1:2a The Angelic Conflict Lesson 6: Genesis 1:2b Day One of the Restoration of the Earth 1-2, creation); Degeneration (chap. The first part of Genesis (1-11) tells about creation and the human race up to the time of Abraham. Since the God who had created the universe and had promised the land of Canaan to their ancestor, Abraham, was with them, they could trust Him to fulfill His promise, if they only would obey Him. 1:20-25). Ge 1:8 And God called the expanse heaven. With students being home and having extra time to study and learn, now is a great time to begin using Answers Bible Curriculum so students can really spend time discovering answers regarding the truth of God ’s Word, beginning in Genesis . He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M., 1976 in Bible exposition) and Califo... More. Man should also follow the direction of God's Words. Everything else He said came about as He directed. Biblical Foundations for Freedom. The theme of the book is God’s sovereignty in human history, especially in the history of Israel, His chosen people. Others suggest it is a plural of majesty. But if earth were a few miles larger in diameter, the air would become so dense that too much heat would be absorbed, resulting in the death of all living things. In Genesis, says A. W. Pink, “we have, in germ form, almost all of the great doctrines which are afterwards fully developed in the books of Scripture which follow” (Gleanings in Genesis [Moody Press], p. 5; the following summary is based on Pink, pp. Before anything was, God was. The creation did, however, come from God's Word. 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” First of all, and before any creature was, God made heaven and earth out of nothing. (Genesis 2:1-3). In all seriousness, he speculated that primitive life forms must have been sent here on spaceships from some advanced extraterrestrial civilization. If you ask the modern atheist what he believes in, he will most likely reply, “I believe in humankind,” or, with Carl Sagan, “The cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be.” Of course, Sagan is making a faith statement, not a scientific one. Genesis 1–11 is the most-attacked portion of Scripture, so every Christian needs to be equipped to know how to answer skeptical questions. 10 weeks, 10 lessons. In this case, however, God's power enables Him to be utterly patient and kind. The word 'God' is used 34 times alone in Genesis 1:1-2:3. This post is to make it easy for you to find the order of all the lessons available from Genesis. The world and His redemptive plan was set in motion. He has designed the seasons and the balance of food for all the animals. If what a person produces characterizes his inner self, then we can truly say that God is good. Ge 1:10 And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas. Genesis 10-11: Noah's Sons| Questions | History Genesis 10:6-11 | Tower of Babel Genesis 11:1-9 | Questions | Culture Genesis 11 Verse 2 records the results of a judgment of God upon the creation, probably due to Satan’s rebellion. When her teacher finally did let her discover that she would one day be Queen, Victoria’s response was, “Then I will be good!” No matter where she was or what she did, Victoria was governed by the fact that she would one day sit upon the throne of England. Go back with me to about 1500 B.C. The domain of man is cursed and will no longer yield its fruit easily. This does not mean that we should not fast. 3-11, the fall); and Regeneration (chap. Although nothing is directly said of God, we gain an immense understanding through what He did and said. LESSONS FROM THE SCHOOL OF GRACE. This is real authority and … Seven times the phrase, 'God saw that it was good' is used to describe what God thought of His work. Joseph has been working with his brothers. I love how Abraham takes iniative to ensure his son has a wife so that God’s promises can be met in terms or having a nation come from Abraham. Lesson 1: In The Beginning: God (Genesis 1:1, Introduction) 1. Where there are now vast fields of snow and ice, storing up water against the heat of summer, there would be winter floods and erosion. Science can take us back 15 billion years ago to the Big Bang, but it can’t tell us where the material which exploded came from or what caused the explosion. We are going to study the Torah, which is the first and oldest section of the original Hebrew Bible. 1:1. He is seen as the Covenant God. God alone always has been, is, and will be. What is described beginning with Genesis 1:3 is God's renewal of the earth and its creatures. Genesis 27-36: Genesis 27-36 Jacob's Life of Faith He is the first person in … It is inconceivable that matter came into being apart from God. God created it all by speaking the word. The universe was something He created. In Romans 1:20, Paul states, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” The fallen human race should be able to look at creation and deduce that there is a being with eternal power behind it all. God's thoughts become our thoughts. The title comes from a word in the Greek translation (the Septuagint) that is repeated 11 times throughout the book, translated “these are the generations of,” or “this is the account of” (cf. But not only is God eternal. But even a little child can figure out that it takes an eternal, powerful God to do it. Patterns. Lesson 1 God the Creator Genesis Chapters 1-11 The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) begin with the beginning: the creation. From 1977-1992 he was the pastor of Lake Gregory Community Church in Crestline, California. There’s not even time to duck. God was defining things for us. 3:20). Nothing was lacking. Downloadable children's Bible story and game software, at-home and online lessons for Sunday School, teacher training We are a non-profit online community of Sunday School teachers, pastors, and Christian educators sharing lesson plans, ideas and expertise. Genesis 37-50: Joseph’s Dillusonment | Genesis 42-47:12: The Big Picture | Conclusion | The Reason, BFF Homepage | Top | Back | Bible Topics | Genesis | Next One thing for sure, the Lord does not look lightly on asceticism. 's Power. Those are the only choices. That tells me that it is not primarily an intellectual matter. Genesis 2:4-17:    Preparation for Man (Genesis 2:4-6) |  Creation of Man (Gen. 2:7, 1:26-27) |  Purpose for Man (Genesis 2:8-17) Life Lessons from Genesis: Book of Beginnings - Kindle edition by Lucado, Max. He fully enjoyed all that God made. Thus they are quick to grab at supposed intellectual problems so that they have an excuse not to submit their lives to Him. Usually power stands for impatient. But the Bible begins with God as the One who was in the beginning, the One who made all that is. God made water to freeze and boil at just the right temperatures. As Moses put it so eloquently in Psalm 90:2, “Before the mountains were born, or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” That’s mind-boggling! Everything God created was good, but the first two human beings, Adam and Eve, disobeyed him and brought evil into the world. 14:1). Biblical sleaze par excellence, even the … Besides domestic struggle ( v. 16b ), Adam will now struggle to eat, and his labor will include toil. Though he had no land and no children, God promises to make him a mighty nation, to give him the land of Canaan, and through him to bless all nations. Problems so that we ’ ve talked about patterns quite a bit in this case, however, from. 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