Before we can start talking about the book of Genesis, we must understand the Bible itself. After all, Genesis is the beginning of the world’s most important and influential book.
The Bible
How can we trust that the Bible is true? It is based on God’s character and authority. Because of who He is, we can trust the Bible. It is God’s words, and He cannot lie.
- The Bible is made up of 66 separate books.
- These books were written over the span of 1,500 to 2,000 years.
- The books were written by 40 different human authors on four continents.
- The Bible was written in three languages (Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic).
- There is one consistent theme throughout the 66 books: God will send a Messiah to save His people from sin and provide eternal life with Him in heaven.
Yet the Bible is without error. It has a 100 percent accuracy record. It is humanly impossible to create such accurate writings in these circumstances. But God did it. He is the Bible’s ultimate writer. The Holy Spirit influenced the human authors so they could preserve exactly what God wanted in His Word.
My favorite characteristic of the Bible is that it is eternal. Man has tried to destroy it as well as the people who speak and teach it. But God has assured us that the Bible never will be destroyed.
Genesis
The book of Genesis is divided into two parts. Chapters 1 to 11 begin the universal history of mankind, spanning a minimum of 1,000 years. Chapters 12 to 50 focus on God choosing one family to whom He reveals His message of forgiveness and repentance.
In between the beginning of the Bible (Genesis) and the end (Revelation), God reveals Himself and describes how to have a personal relationship with Him through Jesus. God has revealed Himself in the pages of the Bible. Reading His written Word is the best place to begin a relationship with Him.
I mentioned yesterday that this year I plan to focus on understanding God’s character and improving my prayer life. What do you want to gain from studying Genesis this year?