SOURCE FOR QUESTIONS
Genesis 1:1 through 2:25

‍KEY VERSE FOR MEMORIZATION
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

BACKGROUND

The Word of God begins with the statement, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The Biblical explanation of origins, described in the first chapters of Genesis, is foundational to a correct understanding of all Scripture. If one undermines or challenges the Creation account, the rest of the Bible is also undermined and challenged. This passage opens by describing God’s creation of the universe, and closes by describing the creation of Eve and her relationship with Adam.

The first of the great themes in Genesis is God’s creative power. The Genesis description of Creation is simple and specific, establishing a definitive beginning of the universe and all it contains, and recording that God the Creator accomplished this in a six-day period. There is no reference to a world that is evolving, or to creatures that are becoming more complex.

Some have theorized that the twenty-four-hour day portrayed in Genesis 1 actually represents an eon of time. However, if “the evening and the morning” referred to were each an eon long, all plant life on the earth’s dark side would die during the earth’s rotation. Also, the theory that the days of Creation were actually geologic ages fundamentally undermines the Gospel, because that would mean that death, disease, and decay occurred before the Fall of mankind.

A further validation of the twenty-four-hour time periods of Creation is found in a study of the Hebrew word yom, translated day in Genesis 1. The word day can have a variety of meanings, both in Hebrew and in the English language. However, in this chapter, both a number and the phrase “evening and morning” are used to describe each day of Creation. The same usage (yom with a number) occurs in Scripture 359 times — and in every instance, it means an ordinary, twenty-four-hour day. There is no reason to assume that the yom in Genesis 1 would be an exception.

Another theme we find in these chapters is that of God’s wonderful love. His provision of a perfect environment which provided all the necessities for man’s existence, His design for marriage and human companionship, and His desire to have a close and personal relationship with man all show that we serve a God who loves us and wants the best for us.

The account given in this text is true, literal, and perfect. In order to preserve the foundations of Christianity, the followers of Christ must protect the truths expounded in these key chapters of the Bible, and be willing to stand against the forces in current society which promote an explanation of the beginning of the world that is contrary to what is taught in God’s Word.

QUESTIONS

1. In the first chapter of Genesis, it is stated ten times that the living entities God created would produce after their own kind. The phrase “after his kind” indicates that God put boundaries in place with regard to the ability to reproduce. What evidence do we see of those boundaries in the natural world around us?
   
2. What are some foundational truths that are established in these opening chapters of Genesis?
   
3. What is unique about man when compared to the rest of God’s creation? Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7
   
4. What does Adam’s ability to name all the animals reveal about his intelligence from the day he was created? Genesis 2:19-20
   
5. Although God pronounced that everything He had made was “very good,” He proceeded to identify a condition that was not good: He said that it was not good that man should be alone. To address man’s need for a suitable companion, God created woman. How did God go about creating Eve? Why do you think He used this method? Genesis 2:18, 21-22
   
6. After God brought Eve to Adam, He instituted the bond of marriage. What guidelines and principles can we see in Genesis 2:22-25 regarding marriage?  
   
7. In Genesis 2:16-17, God gave a single prohibition to Adam — the command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Why do you think God gave Adam and Eve a choice regarding obedience, instead of simply physically preventing them from eating the fruit?

CONCLUSION

These first two chapters of God’s Word are not only informative and inspiring, but they provide a foundation for many of the theological truths presented in the remainder of the Bible.