Beginnings: A Walk Through Genesis

As the new year has arrived we are beginning a new Sunday School class on January 8, 2012. I am calling the class “Beginnings: A Walk Through Genesis.” I believe the name is significant because this is how our Bible actually starts, “In the beginning…” (Gen 1:1). Genesis is where the gospel begins so it is very important to understand this foundational book.

I will be teaching this class concurrently with a class on Genesis at Northland International University. Many of the same things I hope to accomplish in that class will bleed over into this series. It is unknown to me at this point how long this series will take since I have not taught it before, however, I do hope to accomplish the following with the time we have:

  1. be able to discern the literary themes and theological importance of Genesis and be able to apply its message to his or her own life and ministry.
  2. be able to explain how Genesis starts and propagates the hope and message of Christ.
  3. be able to discuss and evaluate various interpretative issues in Genesis: the length of the days of Genesis One, the extent of the Flood, the identity of the “sons of God” in Genesis Six, the reason Cain’s sacrifice was rejected, the Abrahamic covenant-promise, etc.
  4. be able to respond in an evangelical manner to the problems raised by source-criticism and historical-criticism regarding the authorship, integrity, origins, and historicity of the accounts in Genesis.

Resources

There seems to be a limitless amount of material available to help one understand Genesis. I have been slowly working through a lot of it and will regularly highlight some of the items that I believe would be helpful for you.

Books

How To Read Genesis
In How to Read Genesis Tremper Longman III provides a welcome guide to reading and studying, understanding and savoring this panorama of beginnings–of both the world and of Israel. And importantly for Christian readers, we gain insight into how Genesis points to Christ and can be read in light of the gospel.



Encountering the Book of Genesis
This accessible introduction to the Book of Genesis examines introductory issues, overarching themes, and the overall argument of the book. It is laid out well and is easy to understand.




Notes

These are the printed notes I hand out each week that I teach from. Feel free to download and distribute as necessary. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

  • Introduction (January 8, 2012) Download
  • Starting to Read Genesis (January 15, 2012) Download
  • Genesis & Historical Narrative (January 22, 2012) Download
  • Who Wrote Genesis? (January 28, 2012) Download
  • The Purpose of Genesis (February 5, 2012) Download

Articles

These articles are recommended for those looking to go a little deeper. They are a little more advanced, however, will serve you will if you digest them slowly.