Overview Of Genesis

ÐŽ§GenesisЎЁ means ÐŽ§beginning, so Genesis is the book of beginnings. It is the record of the beginning of the universe, human history, civilization, sin, salvation, sacrifice, marriage, and the family.

Some only like to study the New Testament, but it is necessary to understand the Old Testament in order to correctly interpret the N.T. It is important to remember that the OT is the only Bible that Christ, the apostles, and early church possessed. When Paul referred to ÐŽ§ScriptureЎЁ, he was speaking of the OT. Practically every book in the OT is quoted or referred to in the NT writings.

The OT reveals GodÐŽ¦s preparation for the coming of His Son into the world. In Genesis we see the need for a Savior, and the promise that He will come through the seed of woman, through the Jewish nation, and through the tribe of Judah. The rest of the OT amplifies these basic facts and shows how Satan tried to destroy the Jewish nation to prevent the birth of Christ.

The OT is a book of unfulfilled prophecies unexplained ceremonies, and unsatisfied longings. In the NT we have the fulfillment of these prophecies, the explanation of the ceremonies, and the satisfying of the longings of the people. All of this, of course, was accomplished through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ is the key to the Bible, and it is impossible to understand the OT apart from Him.

The beginnings that are recorded in Genesis have their fulfillment in Revelation. Understanding Genesis is vital to understanding the eternal purposes of God.

Who wrote Genesis ? The same person who wrote the rest of the BibleÐŽKthe Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:20-21

ÐŽK no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God.

Also it says in 2 Timothy 3:16, (NLT)

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.

All Scripture is inspired by God.

So Scripture tells us that God Himself is the author of the Bible, but He used people to write it . In the case of Genesis, it is believed that Moses wrote it as well as the

other 4 books of the Pentatuch. (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). There are those who debate whether Moses was the author of Genesis, but apparently Jesus thought so : In Luke 24, He referred to the Pentatuch as ÐŽ§The Law of MosesЎЁ.

Assuming that Moses was the writer of Genesis, there still remains the question as to the method by which he received this inspiration from God. No one knows, but there are several possibilities :

>Direct revelation from God: audible words, visions.

>Oral traditions passed down through

generations, which Moses collected and wrote down guided by the Holy Spirit.

>collections of written records of the past brought together, again, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Once man was created, he may have recorded the events that took place during his lifetime on tablets of stone and these were handed down from one generation to the next and preserved until they came into the possession of Moses.

„« Probably a combination of these methods:

Creation took place with only 1 eyewitness: God. So He likely revealed to Moses the account of creation through visions and/or audible voice,

Some commentators believe that the book of Genesis is not to be taken literally, particularly the first 11 chapters. They believe that Adam was not a real person, but rather symbolic of mankind. And that the fall of Adam was symbolic of the common experience of man. The danger of this approach is: Where do you draw the line?

How can we determine what is to be taken literally and what is not? Was Jesus a real person or just symbolic? If Genesis is not historically trustworthy, then one might conclude that neither is the rest of the Bible, including its testimony about Christ.

ItÐŽ¦s okay to have questions; God wants to answer them for you. SoÐŽKIf you are not sure where you stand on this issue, just ask God to reveal the Truth to you as you study Genesis. He teaches us just what we need to know, one week at a time.

I will tell you that BSF teaches the literal interpretation of the Bible. We believe that the Book of Genesis is not a collection of myths and legends, but that it is the factual record of real events and real people at the beginning of history. It is an intimate diary of some of the greatest and most fascinating men and women who ever walked this earth.

No other book of the Bible is quoted as frequently in other books of the Bible as is Genesis. There are at least 200 passages in Genesis that are either directly quoted or clearly referred to in the NT. Every one of the NT authors refers to the writings of Genesis somewhere in their writings. Jesus Himself quoted and referred to Genesis showing that He accepted Genesis as literal history. Therefore, who are we to correct Christ and the apostles on this vital matter? How can we call Jesus ÐŽ§LordЎЁ and yet