For the past couple of months we ave been learning about the Bible, the concept of God and how we can use the Bible to have a healthy relationship with God. Now this week we put it into practice. In part IV of Multiply, by Francis Chan, we head to the beginning. Genesis Chapter 1, with the Creation.
In the story of the Bible, it is unique that it is not over, the ending is not finished. The fact is we are in the story, we have our part, a role to play. We are not merely observers of the story, but we actually are involved in the story. We won’t be able to play our part until we buy into the story so deeply that it shapes everything about our lives.
Ultimately, this is a story about God, the world He created, and teh incredible plan of redemption that unfolds as He creates a people for His own glory. As we walk through key points in the biblical story over the weeks ahead, we need to make sure that we place ourselves within this story. how do actions, events, and truths presented in the story touch our lives? How should we live now in light of this amazing story?
We are going to read through Genesis 1 and 2, as we do we need to look for elements that will help orient us to the biblical story. Who are we introduced to in this section? What is being emphasized? What seems to be the point?
Read Genesis 1
The opening of the story is different than we are typically used to. The opening does not provide any theologically or philosophical overview of who God is. There are many questions we could ask at that point; where did God come from? What was He doing before He created? Why is He creating in the first place?
But a different approach is taken in the writing, The author teaches us about God by simply telling us what He did.
What do God’s actions in this passage reveal about who He is?
This is God’s World
How should God’s eternality and power in the creation account affect the way we view and relate to Him?
Any attempt to claim power for ourselves independent of God is like a clay pot challenging the authority of the potter who formed it. This type of foolishness of challenging God is found in a variety of passages (Isaiah 29:15-16, Isaiah 45:9-10 and Romans 9:19-24)
How should God’s power, authority, and ownership affect the way we view our place in this world?
In the Image of God
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” – Genesis 1:26 ESV
God created us like Him in some respect and then set us in the midst of this world to represent Him.
Describe why it is significant that God created us “in His image”. How should this affect the way we view ourselves and the people around us?
Read Genesis 2
This is a much more intimate form of creation than we saw in chapter 1, where God simply spoke the world into existence.Notice also that God speke directly with the man in chapter 2. He told Adam about the garden, in particular, He told Adam what he could and could not eat. Right away we see that humanity was made to communicate with God.
Even in his perfect state at this point, Adam was dependent on revelation from God in order to live in the world that God made.
What can we learn about human beings and their relationship with God and each other by reading chapter 2 of Genesis?
Life in the Garden
God created the garden and then placed people in this perfect garden and gave them a task to work the garden and take care of it. (Genesis 2:15). Many times we can think that work is the product of the fall of man, a punishment for sin. When humanity sinned, God cursed the ground, and labor became frustrating and painful (Genesis 3:17-19). But God’s original intention for people was that they would be actively involved in caring for the creation. One thing to keep in mind is that a garden is unlike the wilderness or a jungle. It is organized, tended and managed. It was Adam’s job to tend the garden and keep it from becoming a wilderness.
Let’s consider the picture of the world presented in Genesis 1-2. Why is this picture so appealing? Which aspects of life in the garden of Eden should we long to see restored in our world?
Supportive videos
It has been pointed out that we have been providing the link to the overview of the material after the session and that it might benefit to have the next section available as a lead in to the coming session, so this week, we provide the first video to support Genesis chapters 1 and 2. Then we provide the next video for introduction to the coming session on “The Fall”
Reading plan for the week…
Continue in the book of Genesis, chapters 12-22 this week. Use the time to grow in your relationship with your creator.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.