Sunday Make-Up: Sept. 18

The Book of Genesis

Genesis: Primeval Prologue (chapters 1-11)

Creation: Chapters 1-2
1. What is the pattern of creation? God created, it was good, evening passed and morning came, the next day.
2. The point of this section is to show God as creator and the importance of being a human.
a. Compare Genesis 1:25 and 1:31.
3. This is not meant to be scientific
4. God did not put anything evil on the earth (1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31)
5. By telling people to rule in 1:28, God gave us the capacity to:
a. Know the Creator
b. Worship the Creator
c. Enjoy the Creator
6. There are two creation stories in Genesis. (2:4-17)
a. The point of this second story is that man is the most important creation.
The fall: Chapter 3
1. This answers why things are no longer perfect.
2. Man and woman decide that they know better than God.
3. Because of sin, they lose open fellowship with God.
The Rest of Primeval History, chps. 4-11
1. Things get worse
a. Cain kills Abel (4)
b. The Human race is completely evil (6:5)
2. God decides to start over with Noah
a. However, Noah is not perfect either (9:20-23)
3. Man becomes so arrogant, he wants to be an equal to God (11:1-9)
a. God ends this arrogant gesture by confusing their languages.

Themes in the Prologue
1. Sin ruins God’s creation, therefore there must be a penalty for sin.
2. Despite punishment, God provides grace
a. Grace = getting what you don’t deserve
b. At the fall (3:21) – God made clothes for them
c. At the murder (4:15) – God protected Cain
d. After the flood (8:21-9:2) – God will not destroy the earth again

The End of the Prologue
1. There is no grace shown after the Tower of Babel.
2. This causes us to ask the question, “Has God given up?”