4. Key Concepts
1. We need a supernatural mindset
when we read the Bible.
2. We use the Bible to interpret the
Bible.
4
5. AAA
The author of Genesis is Moses
The audience is the Children of Israel in
the wilderness
The agenda is to educate the Israelites
about God and His special relationship
with His chosen people
5
6. The Bible is inspired
God chose the writer. Gave him the subject
Used the writer’s intellect and abilities.
Every word is intentional
Written so the people would understand
Not a science book. Not written to 21st century
people
6
7. Creation for Christians
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.
Hebrews 11:3 7
9. GOD’S WORK SCHEDULE
1. Create light
2. Create space &
water
3. Create plants
4. Create sun, moon,
& stars
5. Create fish & fowl
6. Create land animals
& people
9
10. Not a workday
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.
Genesis 2:2 10
11. Day 1
The earth was formless and void, and
darkness was over the surface of the deep,
and the Spirit of God was moving over the
surface of the waters.
11
12. Easy breakdown
Heavens and Earth- Everything seen and unseen
Chaos and emptiness
Darkness
Water- symbol of disorder
12
13. The Word of God
In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was
God. He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through Him,
and apart from Him nothing came into
being that has come into being.
John 1:1–3 13
20. All Christians are Creationists
Young Earth Creationists
Old Earth Creationists
20
21. What about Christians?
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.
Hebrews 11:3 21
22. Not a condition of salvation
…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus
as Lord, and believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
for with the heart a person believes, resulting
in righteousness, and with the mouth he
confesses, resulting in salvation.
Romans 10:9–10 22
24. Day 2
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the
midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters
from the waters.” God made the expanse, and
separated the waters which were below the
expanse from the waters which were above the
expanse; and it was so.
Genesis 1:6–7 24
25. God brings order to everything
Separates the waters
Establishes atmosphere
Language of metaphor
Isaiah 40:22 It is He who sits above the circle of the
earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who
stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads
them out like a tent to dwell in
25
26. And it was so
God called the expanse heaven.
And there was evening and there
was morning, a second day.
Genesis 1:8 26
27. Day 3
Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens
be gathered into one place, and let the dry land
appear”; and it was so. God called the dry land
earth, and the gathering of the waters He called
seas; and God saw that it was good. Then God
said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants
yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing
Genesis 1:9–12 27
28. Day 3
fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it
was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants
yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing
fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God
saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:9–12 28
29. God describes this to Job
Where were you when I laid the
foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if
you have understanding, Who set
its measurements? Since you
know. Or who stretched the line
on it? On what were its bases
sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone,
When the morning stars sang
together And all the sons of God
shouted for joy?
Job 38:4–7
30. Getting ready for its purpose
Grasses, grains and fruit
Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the LORD, who created
the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth
and made it, He established it and did not create
it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), “I
am the LORD, and there is none else.
30
31. Called it good
There was evening and
there was morning, a
third day.
Genesis 1:13 31
32. First three day
God is bringing order
1. Light. He establishes time itself (Still Chaos)
2. Establish atmosphere (orders the chaos)
3. Establishes land (Something for the rest of
creation to be sustained on)
32
33. Day 4
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse
of the heavens to separate the day from the
night, and let them be for signs and for seasons
and for days and years; and let them be for lights
in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the
earth”; and it was so.
Genesis 1:14–15 33
34. And it was so
God is the source of life not the sun
John 1:1–5In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being
through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into
being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in
the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Nehemiah 9:6 (ESV)
6 “You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens,
with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them;
and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.
34
35. All the lights in the skies
God made the two great lights, the greater light
to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern
the night; He made the stars also. God placed
them in the expanse of the heavens to give light
on the earth, and to govern the day and the night,
and to separate the light from the darkness;
Genesis 1:16–18 35
36. and God saw that it was good.
There was evening and there was morning, a
fourth day.
Genesis 1:19 36
37. Day 5
Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms
of living creatures, and let birds fly above the
earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” God
created the great sea monsters and every living
creature that moves, with which the waters
swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird
after its kind;
Genesis 1:20–21 37
38. The purpose of life
God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and
multiply, and fill the waters in the seas,
and let birds multiply on the earth.”
Genesis 1:22 38
39. God saw that it was good.
There was evening and there was morning, a fifth
day.
Genesis 1:23 39
40. Day 6
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living
creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping
things and beasts of the earth after their kind”;
and it was so. God made the beasts of the earth
after their kind, and the cattle after their kind,
and everything that creeps on the ground after its
kind; and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:24–25 40
41. Animals
Creates the terrestrial eco system
Created fish for the water, Birds for the air and
now land animals
Brings order and balance to creation
41
42. Someone to represent God
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our
image, according to Our likeness; and let
them rule over the fish of the sea and over
the birds of the sky and over the cattle and
over all the earth, and over every creeping
thing that creeps on the earth.”
Genesis 1:26 42
43. Who is
“Us?”
Sons of God
Angels
Archangels
Watchers
Cherub
Seraphim
Captain of the Host
Horsemen
Chariot of fire
Twenty-four Elders
Host of heaven
43
44. On Earth as in Heaven
Divine family
Sons of God created
God is the Eternal Father
Jesus is the Eternal Son
We become Children of God
44
45. Meant enough to mention twice
God created man in His own image, in
the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them.
Genesis 1:27 45
46. What is “in the image of God”
Intelligence or reasoning ability
Emotions
The ability to commune with God
Self-awareness (sentience)
The presence of a soul or spirit (or both)
The conscience
Free will
46
47. Different from the rest of creation
Humankind was created as God’s image. If we
think of imaging as a verb or function, that
translation makes sense. We are created to image
God, to be his imagers. It is what we are by
definition. The image is not an ability we have,
but a status. We are God’s representatives on
earth. It is bestowed on us according to the way
he created us. To be human is to image God.
47
48. The Dominion Mandate
God blessed them; and God said to them,
“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the
earth, and subdue it; and rule over the
fish of the sea and over the birds of the
sky and over every living thing that
moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:28 48
49. The first thing that was “Very Good”
God saw all that He had made, and
behold, it was very good. And there
was evening and there was morning,
the sixth day.
Genesis 1:31 49
50. Work is done
Thus the heavens and the earth
were completed, and all their hosts.
Genesis 2:1 50
51. Our Example
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.
Genesis 2:2 51
52. This is the pinnacle of all creation
Resting
Hebrews 4:1…Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise
remains of entering His rest, any one of you may
seem to have come short of it.
Hebrews 4:10…For the one who has entered His rest
has himself also rested from his works, as God did
from His.
52
53. Begin at rest
Take my yoke upon you and learn
from me, for I am gentle and humble
in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST
FOR YOUR SOULS. For my yoke is
easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:29–30 53
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The beginning line that summarizes the narrative that is going to explained
Genesis is a supernatural book. We need a supernatural world view.
We need a supernatural mindset when we read the Bible.
We use the Bible to interpret the Bible.
The author of Genesis is Moses
The audience is the Children of Israel in the wilderness
The agenda is to educate the Israelites about God and His special relationship with His chosen people
God chose the writer. Gave him the subject
Used the writer’s intellect and abilities.
Written so the people would understand
Not a science book. Not written to 21st century people
Hebrews 11:3 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.
Worlds?
Colossians 1:16…For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
Half of these listed are supernatural
Seen and unseen
Creation of light
Creation of space and water
Creation of plant life
Creation of sun, moon, and stars
Creation of fish and fowl
Creation of land animals and people
Genesis 2:2 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.
Genesis 1:1–2…In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
Father revealed
The Holy Spirit revealed
Heavens and Earth- Everything seen and unseen
Chaos and emptiness
Darkness
Water- symbol of disorder
John 1:1–3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
Christ is revealed in the full creation story
God speaking
The Holy Spirit preparing brooding the idea is incubation
The Son bringing about the will of the Father
Genesis 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
This is the Big Bang
God Brings Order to Chaos
The Universe had a beginning
Everything is here by the active will of God
Genesis 1:4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
Genesis 1:5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
How long was the day?
24 hours? Sunup until Sundown? Sundown to Sunup? 1,000 years? Unspecified amount of time?
Three uses of the word day in Gen 1-2
Day is what light is called, The creation time for each event. Day is used to describe the whole process in Gen 2. In the day that you eat it you will die
Poetic
Prologue
Symbolic
Literal
Polemic
Young Earth Creationists
Old Earth Creationists
Hebrews 11:3 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.
Romans 10:9–10 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Love
Genesis 1:6–7 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
Separates the waters
Establishes atmosphere
Language of metaphor
Isaiah 40:22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in
Genesis 1:8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
Genesis 1:9–12 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing
fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
Job 38:4–7 Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Grasses, grains and fruit
Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), “I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Genesis 1:13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
“fits its purpose” or “intrinsically without flaw
God is bringing order
Light. He establishes time itself (Still Chaos)
Establish atmosphere (orders the chaos)
Establishes land (Something for the rest of creation to be sustained on)
Genesis 1:14–15 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.
Signs-seasons-calendar
God is the source of life not the sun. The moon and sun and stars are not deities.
John 1:1–5In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Nehemiah 9:6 (ESV)
6 “You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.
Genesis 1:16–18 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
Genesis 1:20–21 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
God’s design is for life to flourish
First blessing
Genesis 1:23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
Genesis 1:24–25 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
Creates the terrestrial eco system
Created fish for the water, Birds for the air and now land animals
Brings order and balance to creation
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Sons of God 5x
Angels numerous
Archangels twice in the NT
Watchers 3x Dan
Cherub
Seraphim 2x
Captain of Host of God
Horsemen
Chariot of fire
Twenty-four Elders in Revelation
Divine counsel or Host of heaven
Divine family
Sons of God created
God is the Eternal Father
Jesus is the Eternal Son
We become Children of God
God has always been relational he did not develop into a relational being
Genesis 1:27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Intelligence or reasoning ability Emotions-The ability to commune with God-Self-awareness (sentience)
The presence of a soul or spirit (or both)-The conscience- Free will
1. Both men and women are equally included.
2. Divine image bearing is what makes humankind distinct from the rest of earthly creation. The text of Genesis 1:26 does not inform us that divine image bearing makes us distinct from heavenly beings, those sons of God who were already in existence at the time of creation. The plurals in Genesis 1:26 mean that, in some way, we share something with them when it comes to bearing God’s image.
3. There is something about the image that makes humankind “like” God in some way.
4. There is nothing in the text to suggest that the image has been or can be bestowed incrementally or partially. You’re either created as God’s image bearer or you aren’t. One cannot speak of being partly or potentially bearing God’s image.
Humankind was created as God’s image. If we think of imaging as a verb or function, that translation makes sense. We are created to image God, to be his imagers. It is what we are by definition. The image is not an ability we have, but a status. We are God’s representatives on earth. It is bestowed on us according to the way he created us. To be human is to image God.
Adam called “the son of God”
Genesis 1:28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
The verse informs us that God intends us to be his representative on this planet. Your kingdom come your will be done on earth as in heaven. We are to create more imagers (“be fruitful and multiply … fill”) in order to oversee the earth by stewarding its resources and harnessing them for the benefit of all human imagers
Genesis 1:31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.
Genesis 2:2 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.
The work of creation.
Resting
Hebrews 4:1…Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.
Hebrews 4:10…For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.
Matthew 11:29–30…Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”