Why Genesis?

It is easy to forget how important the account of creation is to the believer. Many professing Christians hold to wildly divergent views of the interpretation of Genesis, primarily because of “scientific findings” and the cultural incredulity of our day. In light of the confusion, it becomes important to revisit the first book of the Bible and to do so realizing the weight greater scripture itself places on the creation account. Through the ages, cultures have been shaped by the origin stories they tell themselves. Our conception of a material beginning is an essentially religious idea. If we trace back through history, the cause for our existence as human beings, sooner or later you meet a physical dead end proving the ultimate answer to: “why are we here” is a metaphysical or supernatural cause. The answer to this inescapable question supplies a cultural identity for a people, uniting them by common memory, shaping their collective world-view. Will any pagan or secular origin story serve this purpose equally? Will any old myth suffice? No. The Word of God itself is far from neutral on the subject of origins and the book of Genesis serves to proclaim the truth of beginnings for all mankind while greater scripture itself demonstrates time and again the necessity of getting Genesis right. In preparation to study this book, we turn to several of these passages today.