BIB-101A - Paper 1 - Exploring Genesis
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Apr 3, 2024
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Exploring Genesis Carolyn Eubanks
The College of Adult & Graduate Studies, Colorado Christian University
BIB – 101A: Old Testament Introduction
Instructor Joe Mikkelsen
February 25, 2024
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Exploring Genesis Chapters 1-3 (Part 1)
Genesis chapters one, two, and three talk about the creation of the world and humans, how it happened, and the temptation and rebellion of humanity. With that said, this part of my paper will examine God, Humans, how humans interact, the world, how creation reacts with the Creator, the problem of sin, and the solution for sin. God took an earth that was formless, empty, and dark, creating order, beauty, and goodness. This resulted in a world where life could flourish, and creatures could inhabit the earth.
First, God is the creator; Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the
earth” (
Holy Bible, New International Version
, 2011). But before he created, Genesis 1:2 says, “The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (
Holy Bible, New International Version
, 2011).
God shows Himself to be mighty by speaking, and things that were not there from the beginning,
such as the universe itself, begin to form. God used his word to create everything; Genesis 1:3-
24 says, “And God Said” (
Holy Bible, New International Version
, 2011). God started each of the
six days of creation, resulting from the creation of light, sky, dry land, vegetation, the sun and moon, sea creatures, birds, land creatures, and human beings. In the first three verses, you can see that God reveals that he is a creative being. A positive being, God reveals Himself so that we can identify with Him. Just looking at the creativity of God should show us that He is intentional
about creating life and not destroying it, building rather than casting things and people down. God is our Father!
God is the one who gave life to human beings,
and he meant for us to share a family likeness with Him also. God designed humans to be in a relationship with Him, which means God made humans in his image so we can have a close connection with Him. God told us to rule over his creation responsibly. Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in
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Exploring Genesis Chapters 1-3
our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground” (
Holy Bible, New International Version
, 2011). So, we were meant to experience dominion on the earth. Whether you are a man or a woman, we have the same status; we are made in God’s image. Genesis 1:27 affirms that we all have the same dignity and status: "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (
Holy et al. Version
, 2011); Also, God meant or humans to reproduce, Genesis1:28 God said, “Be fruitful and increase in numbers; fill the earth and subdue it” (
Holy et al. Version
, 2011). All that God made was “very good”!
God put humans responsible for his creation. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it” (
Holy et al. Version,
2011). Everyone recognizes that God created all things, and everything belongs to Him, and we are stewards of His creation and held accountable to Him. Genesis 2:7 says, “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (
Holy et al. Version,
2011). God put Adam in the Garden of Eden to care for and work the land, and by doing so, God is showing that He wants humans to have a role in improving our environment. Adam names all the wild animals on the ground, birds in the sky, and livestock. Genesis 2:18 says, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (
Holy et al. Version, 2011). God wants humans to live in a relationship with one another, So God created Eve and brought her to Adam, and by doing so, God promoted marriage between man and woman. Adam and Eve lived without shame and fear towards God and themselves.
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Exploring Genesis Chapters 1-3
There are several things to learn about the world from reading Genesis chapters one through three. First, we know why sin, death, disease, and suffering exist. Second, we understand why we live in a world that is not perfect, although a good God created it. Third, we know why man is unique because we were made in God’s image, and he chose us to be stewards of all creation, but we fell!
Creation reacts with the Creator because we know God is God by Himself, and we know the Creator and creation are the same throughout eternity. God’s word in Isaiah 45:5 says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me, there is no God” (
Holy et al. Version
, 2011). Looking
back at the creation, God shows his lordship in his control over everything, his authority over the
universe, and God’s presence in every part of creation.
The problem of sin was that man (Adam) and woman (Eve) rejected God. They gave in to temptation and were deceived. Eve let the serpent persuade her; what he said to her was the opposite of God’s word, and Adam followed Eve. They gave in to temptation because of greed. Genesis 3:6 says, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing
to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (
Holy et al. Version
, 2011). The sin that Eve and Adam committed led to an increase in pain, shame, separation from God, and, indeed, death. God still cared for Adam and Eve after they sinned.
The solution for sin is simple; John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (
Holy.
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Exploring Genesis Chapters 1-3
Bible, New International Version
, 2011). So, Jesus is the answer to the solution. If you believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, repent your sin(s) by accepting Jesus as your Lord and personal savior; you shall be saved and then live a new life with Jesus. Exploring Genesis Chapter 12: 1-3 (Part 2)
From the reading of our textbook, Wright mentions the three promises of God to Abram, and they are firstly, “
A nation
, God tells Abraham that he will become a great nation by multiplying his and Sarah’s offspring; secondly, A blessing
, God promised Abraham he will bless Abraham, that Abraham is to be a blessing, that God will bless those who bless Abraham and that all families on earth will count themselves blessed through him and thirdly, Land
, God tells Abraham to go to a land he will show him, which turns out to be the land of Canaan, the land God promised” (Wright, 2019, p. 36,37,39).
The three promises were significant because God chose Abraham to be a mediator for God’s blessings to all the families on the earth. Therefore, a covenant is made with Abraham by God. In other words, Abraham is the covenant of grace, which brings about a redemptive purpose.
Why the land, offspring (people)
, and blessing are essential because, for the land
, this land is
not just geographical; it represents a portrayal of covenant faithfulness. God’s people often try but fail to live out their divine calling for their lives. For the offspring
, God chose the descendants of Abraham because God wanted to exemplify His kind of people and display the character of promise-keeping to the world. Also, for God to bless all the world's families, and when it came down to blessing all the nations, God kept every promise to Abraham. God chose
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Exploring Genesis Chapter 12: 1-3 (Part 2)
Abraham’s family to show who He was to the rest of the world. For blessing
, the blessing over Abraham protected and provided for Abraham's descendants while they journeyed through the generations to carry out a redemptive mission. Exploring Genesis (Part 3)
Exploring Genesis (Part 4)
The Old Testament tracks God’s relationship with mankind, but mainly with Israel's people, from creation to the rise of the Persian Empire. Also, one of the most important goals of the Old Testament narrative is to show that the God of Israel is an actual God moving and existing in history (
I Kings 18; Isaiah 40:18-24; 46:1-11). Also, the narrative is not just stories alone; it is historical accounts told to show God’s faithfulness for the promises he made and His sovereignty
for human history. Therefore, the main point in the Old Testament narrative is its meaning, and the proper understanding of a given narrative would depend on the understanding of what God is working through. For example, Blessing
- “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” Genesis 1:28. Covenant – the Law of Moses (Exodus 20) and the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31) and Promises – is the statement of God’s intent and God’s promise to Abraham and David.
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Reference(s)
Holy Bible, New International Version
, (2011), Zondervan. (Original work published 1973)
Wright, C. J H. (2019). The Old Testament: In Seven Sentences. InterVarsity Press.