From my perspective, the Book of Genesis is, as the name implies, the book of beginnings. It is a spiritual text dealing with the heart, the soul, and the mind of man. The book teaches about right and wrong, cause and effect, obedience and disobedience, and, most importantly, God and anti-God. It is not a science, geography, or history book, although it contains a wealth of information on these subjects used to convey the underlying message to humanity.
In verse 1, “In the beginning, God,” the book delves into the six days of creation during which God completed all the work. Our lesson today focuses on a three-day segment of this journey, and since it takes only three minutes to read the context of that period, it’s no wonder that some people interpret it as taking only three literal days. Since God is an eternal and infinitely complex being beyond human comprehension, it’s more valuable to concentrate on what God has revealed rather than debating the “how.”
The Bible is accepted by faith, and to understand its entirety, we must find the common link between its fragments. This common link cannot be found in time, as the first part of creation occurred in eternity, making time irrelevant. Even when time became a factor, there is no verifiable evidence of when this happened, aside from Moses, who wrote the book many years later. Thus, our acceptance of the story remains an act of faith.
The common link can’t be things, as everything God created is subject to decay and death. However, death can’t be the link either because God is all about life. The Bible is filled with resurrection stories, salvation, and redemption, but there is always an end or a separation from things.
The common link must be the relationship between created beings and their sovereign Creator, the interplay of two absolutes: mortality and immortality and the constant struggle between them. It’s the story of an entity that can never lose versus an entity that can never win, ultimately leading the entity that can never sin to bow to the higher and greater power. This theme pervades the Bible from beginning to end.
One key principle from our lesson is that there is a God, and He has given us His Word and His Spirit. Every religious class worldwide acknowledges God and His Name, whether as a friend or opponent. Christian countries celebrate Christian holidays where His name is mentioned, and even His enemies invoke His name in cursing, though they bring condemnation upon themselves. Every good and perfect thing originates from Him.
The discussion about God and the beginning is significant because without a beginning, nothing could happen. But, for beings with a will, there will be an ending. Endings can be rewarding and extended by grace, but they can also be final. Another lesson we can learn from our study is that if God is Sovereign and Eternal and was present at our beginning, He remains Sovereign and Eternal after our end. According to the same book that begins with “In the beginning: God,” the soul can choose to be related to this Eternal God through the provisions He has provided.
As I stated at the beginning of our lesson, this is a spiritual book addressing the heart, the soul, and the mind of man. These are the three aspects of man that Jesus referred to when He emphasized the greatest commandment: “Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” The book of beginnings introduced humanity to the start of a long journey that culminated on the day of Pentecost. On this day, mankind encountered the agent of change, marking a new beginning for the soul’s transformation from a mortal to an immortal entity. This was the day of fulfillment and the reason for creation.
So, I cannot tell you “how” God created the heavens and the earth, but I can share “why.” God created not merely because He could but because He was compelled by His love for the things He held within Himself, yet unrevealed. The last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation or the Book of Revealing, brings the story that began in Genesis 1:1 to its climax.
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