The Creation Account

Welcome to A Journey Through the Bible!

During the next seven weeks, we will be reading and studying the story of God's covenant relationship with his people as it has been recorded in the bible. The readings that have been selected are intended to provide a basic overview of the biblical narrative and timeline.

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This morning we begin at the beginning...literally! The Book of Genesis provides the basic framework in which we interpret and understand the whole of the bible. The themes and theological concepts that are presented in Genesis will be developed and interpreted by all of the subsequent biblical writers. In fact, one biblical scholar refers to the Book of Gensis as "the Old Testament in miniature." Therefore, a working knowledge of the content of Genesis is essential for understanding the rest of the biblical narrative.

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The first two chapters of the Book of Genesis describe God's creation of the world and humanity. These two chapters are part of a larger unit that is referred to by biblical scholars as the primordial history (chs. 1-11), which describes the creation of the world, the origin of sin, and the intitial stages of civilization. The account of creation found in chapters 1-2 of Genesis depicts God not only as Creator, but as the One who brings order and structure to the world. Prior to God's ordering of the universe, things were without form or structure; there was only darkness and chaos.

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The momentum of the creation account in Genesis moves us towards the creation of humanity in the image of God. The basic theological truth that we are created in the image of God provides the foundation for the Christian understanding of what it means to be human. As we will see tomorrow, the disobedience of Adam and Eve will also influence how we understand ourselves and our purpose in the world.

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