Do children ever wonder or ask where they come from? Were Adam and Eve ever children? Do you suppose that they ever wondered or asked where they came from? Who would they have asked? If left to themselves, do you think that they could have correctly guessed about their origins?
Who is generally described as the pen-man of the Book of Genesis. Where did he get his information about the very early history of humanity? Is it possible that he got some of his information indirectly from Adam? Is fallen humanity capable of correctly surmising about divine creation? Was it important that the first man know about the creation? Why? (Authority, dominion, etc.) Is it important that current fallen men know about the creation? Why?
I know that we have dealt with this subject not too long ago, but I’d like to take a different tack. I’d like us to take a quick survey showing that the entire Bible is filled with the doctrine of the Creation. A corollary to that is the idea that since it is so pervasive in the Scripture, it must be important. This is not an ancient idea that grew out Jewish fables. The facts of creation are a part of the warp and woof of the entire scriptures – an all-important truth.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
How does this verse refer to the beginning – the creation – of time? How does it refer to the creation of matter? How might it refer to the beginning of space?
It has been said, and I have no way of refuting it, that every human tradition of creation begins with the pre-existence of matter. That is certainly true of all the different theories of evolution. Only through divine revelation do we learn that once there was nothing but God. Could the Lord have spoken to Adam about the Creation? Was Adam smart enough to be able to write it down if he was told to?
What is the Hebrew word translated “God”? (Elohim.) What is special about that Name? (Plural.) The plurality of God was not a result of creation – the plural God was the cause of creation. What does the word “create” mean?
“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
What do the words “without form” mean? (Without shape.) There was only a watery matrix (beginning). What does “void” mean? (Empty.) Why was the creation dark?
Did God indicate to Adam that something happened which caused the earth to become without form and void? What does the word “moved” mean? (Fluttered like wings – vibrated.) So God either spoke or willed into existence a shapeless mass of water or “waters.” And then the Holy Spirit began to work upon those waters.
The six days of creation.
How many verses are there in this chapter? How many of those verses begin with the word “and”? (All but the first verse.) What does that tell you?
By the time that God told Adam about the creation, did the man know what constituted a “day?” If there had been any doubt about the nature of a day, what was said to eliminate it? (Evening & morning.)
The Hebrew word “bara” is found five times in three contexts in this chapter. Verse 1 – “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Verse 21 – “And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” Verse 27 – “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” What is special about this word “bara”? (It is only said of God in the context of original creation.) Why might someone say that in these three acts God created matter, life and the spiritual nature? From these three basic building-blocks God then “made” and “formed” everything else.
What was created on the first day? How many times does God speak in this chapter? (16 times.) God spoke to create, He spoke to identify, and He spoke to bless and instruct. Scientifically speaking, what is light? (A form of energy.) Might we assume that the Lord energized creation on that first day? What was done on the second day? What was done on the third day? What was done on the fourth day? What was done on the fifth day? What was done on the sixth day? What was done on the seventh day?
At the culmination of the creating, God gave man some responsibilities over the creation.
Adam would have noticed that God gave each species the responsibility to reproduce after its own kind. He would also have noticed the complexity and intricacy of the creation. What would it take for man to have dominion and subdue the creation? (Numbers and wisdom.) Is science a relatively new field of study? What is the likelihood that when those animals were brought before Adam for naming, he was informed or that he already knew about their various traits and characteristics? Do you suppose that God told Adam about the dietary habits of all the animals? Do you suppose that from the earliest days of humanity, man was giving glory to God for the beauties of creation? Could Adam and Eve have possessed the skills of various arts in order to glorify the Lord?
What word did the Lord use to describe His creation at that point? Was there any disease in the Lord’s creation? Deterioration? Conflict between species? Competition? Lack of harmony? What is the meaning of the word “creature”? (Something created.) Generally speaking do we ever apply the word “creature” to rocks or lakes? What is the adjective which is used in Genesis 1 every time that we read the word “creature”? (Living.) Was there any other kind of creature besides the living creatures at that time? Did the plants die because they were being used as food by the rest of creation? Has the Lord been busy creating things since Genesis 1? Has the Lord been busy making things since the original creation? This being true, what is man’s responsibility toward the Lord’s creation? How important is that responsibility? How closely related to the act of Creation, is man’s relationship to that creation?
The Book of Adam.
There are a lot of Bible students who believe that the first section of Genesis ends with 2:4a. Then the second section deals primarily with Adam and his immediate family, ending in Genesis 5:2. Notice 5:1 – What is a book? Do you suppose that Adam knew how to write? Isn’t it possible that God told Adam about the creation, and then he wrote it down? Is it possible that record was given to Noah? How old was Adam when he died? (930) Was Adam alive when Enoch was born? Was it possible that Adam helped Enoch to know the Lord? Was Adam alive when Methuselah was born? Noah was just one generation removed from personally knowing the father of our race. Could it be possible that Adam passed to Enoch and Enoch passed to Noah, the very first book? Could it be possible that book eventually made it to Moses? Is it necessary to our faith to know that this eventually made it into the hands of Moses?
Some people think that Genesis 1, the very first book, was written by God’s own hand. Then Adam wrote the second book, under the direction and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Is the Name “Jehovah” to be found in chapter 1? Chapter 2? How important are these chapters to the study of creation? What does Genesis 2:5 tell us about the original creation? What does Genesis 2:7 tell us? If there was no rain, what was the source of the river of Eden (2:10)? Does Genesis 2:19 demand that Adam named every species and every variety of the animals? How did Adam know about the origin of his wife? How did he know about fathers and mothers (2:24)?
What is the likelihood that Adam had been told about evil spirits and about the Devil? How did Adam know about the conversation between the serpent and his wife? Is it important to know whether or not serpents could ordinarily speak? Could it be that this was a demonic voice coming from an inarticulate animal? How do you picture the heart and soul of Eve prior to the temptation? Evil? Stupid? What was the penalty for disobeying God? Did Adam and Eve die or did they just begin to die? (Both.)
How closely connected to creation is the subject of man’s sinful condition? If we reject the revelation that we have about creation, what would happen to the doctrine of sin? Without the Biblical doctrine of sin, what happens to the Biblical doctrine of salvation?
The Book of the Generations of Adam also discusses Cain and Abel. How many children did Adam and Eve have? (Genesis 5:4.) Josephus repeats Jewish traditions saying that Adam had 30 sons. How long, generally speaking, did those sons and their families live? What is the meaning of Eve’s name? (Life giver.) What special thing was Adam confident that she would do? Was Cain the Messiah? What terrible thing did Cain do? What was the context of that event? (Sacrifice.) Did the family of Cain ever contribute to mankind (Genesis 4:16-22)? From where did Cain get his wife?
Who became the heir to Adam? Where did he get his wife? How many people were there in the world by the time of Noah? Is there a solid connection between the creation and the time of the flood? If someone rejects what the Bible says about the creation, what does he usually do with the flood? If someone rejects what the Bible says about the flood, what does he usually do with creation?
These doctrines are fundamental to our faith, and they are linked to just about every other important doctrine.