God's Story From Beginning to End: Origins

Introduction 
Beginnings…. The central theme of Genesis is beginnings.  In fact, the word Genesis means “beginning”.  Everything about this first book of the Bible points to the beginning of all things. The beginning of creation, of humanity, of family, of sin/evil, faith, of religion (both true and false), of culture, of agriculture, of industry, of civilizations, and of a nation.  
 
Read Genesis 1:1
The only beginning the Bible does not discus is the beginning of God himself.  Why?  Because God has no beginning, and he has no end.  The only thing we are told about God is, “In the beginning God…”  That’s it!  There was nothing before him.  There is nothing after him.  He is eternal.  He has always been.  Some people have a problem with this and many more have difficulty grasping this truth.  I admit freely, the idea that God is eternal… That he has no beginning, and he has no end is beyond my grasp, comprehension, and intellect.  Since I can’t fully grasp and comprehend the eternal nature and essence of God does this mean that God is not eternal or that he does not exist?  Absolutely not!  Just because my small finite mind can’t grasp this idea does not change the reality that God is God, and he is eternal.  Unfortunately, this “logic” of “If I can’t grasp it then it must not be” is a “logic” that many people hold today.  This “logic” says, “If it can’t be explained by science, reason or intellect then it must not be true.”  The idea of the eternal existence of God is so far from their understanding, intellect, and belief that the only conclusion they can come to is God is a myth, a made-up character, or a concept that humanity created.
 
The eternal truth of God is where the origin of faith comes in.  Question, “were you present at the beginning of all things?”  I was not.  Was anyone?  Are there any documents that show someone other than God (or the Trinity for that matter) was present at the beginning of creation?  No.  We simply cannot go to YouTube, social media, or museums to see original, genuine, and authentic footage of the creation account. So, the only reasonable conclusion Christians can come to is  “In the beginning God…”  We can either believe God was or was not present in the beginning and he did or did not create it all.  
This is what is attractive to me about Genesis.  It doesn’t need to go into the process of explaining or proving the existence of God; it just declares from the get-go that God was, is, and always has been.  I believe, in faith, the Bible is God’s inspired Word.  I believe, in faith, that the words contained in this book are true and given for the glory of God and for the benefit of all humanity.  This does not mean that I blindly believe what I believe.  I have done the research and reading about the topics of science, origins and faith and I will continue to read about them, but the only conclusion I can come to is God is eternal and He is who He is.  
 
The Genesis
It is important to establish first, Genesis is not a science book, but this does not imply that science and faith cannot intermix, because they can, and they do.  Second, Genesis is not intended to prove or disprove scientific theories, no more than science is intended to prove, or disprove the Bible.  Genesis is intended to teach or inform us about the origin or beginning of all things and it point us to the originator and creator of all things, God.  This is important for us because Genesis documents the origins of humanity as created individuals in the image of God. 

The central theme of Genesis is origins, so the central figure of Genesis is God.  He is the God of origins.  In Genesis we see God’s involvement in creation, in humanity and in the nation of Israel.  When we read Genesis, we should see the fingerprint of God on every page.  According to the New Bible Commentary: 21st Edition, “Genesis is primarily theological, i.e. it is concerned with describing who God is, how and why he acts and how he deals with mankind. Often the activity of God in human affairs is not obvious, either in our everyday life or even in some parts of the Bible (e.g. the book of Esther). But in Genesis, especially in the early chapters, God is the central actor.”[1]
 
In Genesis we also see the attributes or characteristics about God.  We see the heart of God revealed in his care for creation and involvement with humanity from the beginning to end.  My heart and purpose for this year long series of the Bible is for you and me to see the glory (magnificence) of God revealed throughout the book of Genesis and the rest of God’s Word; to see his fingerprint on every page.  My hope, and prayer is for us is to draw closer to the originator of all things; the One True God of all.
 
Background
We do not have a specific date for the origins of the writings of Genesis.  Traditionally, it is commonly believed that Moses is the author.  There are differing views of authorship, but we are better off if we do not focus so much on the human author and instead focus on the content of what the divine author reveals.
 
Genesis is split into two parts…

1. Chapters 1 – 11 (Document the origins of humanity)
2. Chapters 12 – 50 (The Patriarchs – The origins of Israel)

 
As a way of introduction, I want to spend the remainder of our time looking at the overall scope of Genesis as we see God throughout this account.
In Genesis we see…

1. God’s love, concern, and care for humanity – (Let us make man in our image).  God created humanity with love and affection, and he remains involved and present in our lives today.  This same God who created humanity, who spoke to the prophets, the patriarchs, the priests and people of God is the same God we worship today, and he is present and involved in our lives today.  
2. God’s promises – Integrity (God does what he says he will do).  In Genesis God makes many promises (Redemption, A Savior, a covenant, a flood, etc.) and he remains true to his promises.  God is still in the promise making and keeping business today.
3. God’s power/sovereignty – (He is the creator of all things… God spoke, and everything came into existence).  Genesis reveals the power of God’s Word in creation.  We see the power of God evidenced in the flood, in battle and in the life of the Patriarch’s Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
4. God’s eternal existence – In the Beginning God…  There is nothing before Him and there will be nothing after Him.
5. God’s divine judgment – (The curse and fall of humanity, the flood, the dispersion).  Throughout Genesis and the rest of the Bible for that matter we see God will not let sin go unpunished.  He banishes Adam and Eve from the garden for their disobedience.  He destroyed the known earth at the time with the flood because they had become rebellious.  He dispersed the nations when they tried to build a tower to heaven.
6. God’s uniqueness - (there are no other gods beside me) – Over and over again God makes this clear.  He is the one and only true God. Ancient cultures believed in many gods with limited power, knowledge & morality.  The God of Israel is one who is all powerful, all knowing, and all holy. 
7. God’s justification by faith (grace) – (Abraham believed in faith and it was credited to him).  Grace is not a new topic.  We see the grace of God throughout Genesis.
8. God’s mercy – (He spares, Noah and his family and Lot and his family).  Even when the world rebelled, God had mercy as he spared the lives of the righteous.
9. God’s plan of redemption – (I will put enmity between the woman and the serpent… He will crush the serpents head and you will strike his heel).  Early in the Genesis account God promises a savior will come to save humanity from their sinful ways.  He makes the promise of one who will come to save humanity and He will to it through Abraham and his offspring to bless the nations and redeem humanity.

            
Throughout Genesis we see so many events where God is present. It is not interested in events for their own sake but for what they disclose about the nature of God and his purposes.[2]  These stories are not told willy nilly, they serve a purpose, and that purpose is to show us God, his nature, and his glory.   Most of these stories (chapters 1 – 11) deal with periods long before writing was invented, so they cannot be ‘history’ in the strict sense of the term or be verified by evidence from outside the Bible. However, Genesis does try to arrange the stories chronologically and explain things in terms of cause and effect. [3] 
 
Conclusion
As we conclude there is a lot to think on and let sink in for the next week or so.  I would encourage you to read over the first two chapters of Genesis this week and reflect on what they mean to you.  We will be spending a little bit of time in this first chapter in the weeks to come.  I challenge you to allow this to be a time of allowing God to search your heart and make himself known to you.  Reflect on God, his word, his acts of creation, and his glory.

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[1]  New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 1994 (D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer & G. J. Wenham, Ed.) (4th ed.). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.
 
[2]  New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 1994 (D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer & G. J. Wenham, Ed.) (4th ed.). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.
 
[3]  New Bible commentary: 21st century edition. 1994 (D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer & G. J. Wenham, Ed.) (4th ed.). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.

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