Genesis 1
'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. , Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” There was an evening, and there was a morning: one day. '
Genesis 1:1-5
Genesis 1:1-5
Required Reading
Devotional
No matter what you believe about God or the Bible, we can all agree that mankind came along after the creation of the universe. Therefore, it makes sense that we have always wondered, "How did it all begin?"
Genesis 1, composed by Moses around the 15th Century BC, gives a summation of the answer to this age old question. It tells of a God who spoke all that we see into existence over the course of six days and all of it was very good.
And as the very first chapter in a library of writings putting forth the evidence of a God worth devoting our life to, it's important as Christians that we answer the question, "How do I know these words are true?"
To unpack this question, I think there are two questions worth considering today. The first is truly critical to every word we will read in the Bible this year. The second, will give you an opportunity to decide for yourself what you believe about the Bible.
Let's start with the first question which is What is the author's intended genre?
Genres are not unique to the Bible. In fact, we have been familiar with the idea of genres since our early childhood education. We learned early the difference between fiction and nonfiction and that even within those genres, there are sub genres like fantasy, science fiction, poetry, history, biography and more.
Similarly, the Bible is comprised of multiple genres. Most commonly, the books of the Bible are said to contain six genres: Law, History, Poetry & Wisdom, Prophecy, Gospels, and Letters and some books contain multiple genres in one writing.
So when it comes to Genesis 1, this question is crucial to our understanding. Should we read Genesis 1 as a literal historical and scientific account for how the universe was created? Or should we consider its words allegorical and metaphorical in nature? Does the word day refer to 24 hour periods as the earth spins on its axis? Or is "day" a reference to a period of time that could span anything from days, to months or years?
How we answer this question probably determines where we stand on the second question worth discussing today which is, How old is the universe?
There are two primary theories involving the age of the universe that most Christians ascribe to, Young Earth Creationism (YEC) and Old Earth Creationism (OEC). There are others as it relates to evolution, but broadly most Christians believe in one of these two ideas.
Dr. Damon S. Perez, Associate Professor of Biology for the School of Nursing and Health Professions at Colorado Christian University explains them this way.
As you can see, even Christians are divided on the interpretation of Genesis 1. But what you believe about the first question will likely inform which theory you ascribe to. While we could continue to discuss other theories on things like evolution, dinosaurs intelligent design, I think what is most important today is to lay the foundation for how you will read the Bible going forward. Do you intend to accept every word on its surface as a literal truth? Or do you believe there is depth and layers to our understanding of scripture?
Today, take time to reflect on what you believe about Genesis 1 and why you believe it. Ask God to reveal to you His truth and equip you with the evidence to support it for both yourself, and for others you know.
Genesis 1, composed by Moses around the 15th Century BC, gives a summation of the answer to this age old question. It tells of a God who spoke all that we see into existence over the course of six days and all of it was very good.
And as the very first chapter in a library of writings putting forth the evidence of a God worth devoting our life to, it's important as Christians that we answer the question, "How do I know these words are true?"
To unpack this question, I think there are two questions worth considering today. The first is truly critical to every word we will read in the Bible this year. The second, will give you an opportunity to decide for yourself what you believe about the Bible.
Let's start with the first question which is What is the author's intended genre?
Genres are not unique to the Bible. In fact, we have been familiar with the idea of genres since our early childhood education. We learned early the difference between fiction and nonfiction and that even within those genres, there are sub genres like fantasy, science fiction, poetry, history, biography and more.
Similarly, the Bible is comprised of multiple genres. Most commonly, the books of the Bible are said to contain six genres: Law, History, Poetry & Wisdom, Prophecy, Gospels, and Letters and some books contain multiple genres in one writing.
So when it comes to Genesis 1, this question is crucial to our understanding. Should we read Genesis 1 as a literal historical and scientific account for how the universe was created? Or should we consider its words allegorical and metaphorical in nature? Does the word day refer to 24 hour periods as the earth spins on its axis? Or is "day" a reference to a period of time that could span anything from days, to months or years?
How we answer this question probably determines where we stand on the second question worth discussing today which is, How old is the universe?
There are two primary theories involving the age of the universe that most Christians ascribe to, Young Earth Creationism (YEC) and Old Earth Creationism (OEC). There are others as it relates to evolution, but broadly most Christians believe in one of these two ideas.
Dr. Damon S. Perez, Associate Professor of Biology for the School of Nursing and Health Professions at Colorado Christian University explains them this way.
Young Earth Creationism (YEC)
Some Christians adhere to the belief that the Earth and all living things were created by God in a literal six-day period, as described in the book of Genesis. Creation science begins with the literal understanding of the Genesis account and tries to reconcile that to scientific data and observation.
YECs generally reject the secular scientific view on the age of the Earth. Instead, they interpret the genealogies and timelines in the Bible to calculate a young age for the Earth, typically around 6,000 to 10,000 years. YECs also reject the theory of evolution and believe that all species or "kinds" were more or less created in their present form.
Old Earth Creationism (OEC)
Other Christians attempt to take scientific data and observation and conform it to their figurative or metaphorical interpretation of the early chapters of Genesis.
OECs accept the mainstream scientific estimates of the age of the universe (~13.8 billion years), humanity (~200,000 years), and Earth (~4.5 billion years). They interpret the "days" of God's creation in Genesis as longer periods or epochs rather than literal 24-hour days. They believe God created different kinds of species supernaturally in a progression throughout the long time span of the Earth's history rather than over a six-day period. Thus, OECs reject the claims of modern evolutionary theorists with respect to biological evolution.
As you can see, even Christians are divided on the interpretation of Genesis 1. But what you believe about the first question will likely inform which theory you ascribe to. While we could continue to discuss other theories on things like evolution, dinosaurs intelligent design, I think what is most important today is to lay the foundation for how you will read the Bible going forward. Do you intend to accept every word on its surface as a literal truth? Or do you believe there is depth and layers to our understanding of scripture?
Today, take time to reflect on what you believe about Genesis 1 and why you believe it. Ask God to reveal to you His truth and equip you with the evidence to support it for both yourself, and for others you know.
Reflection Questions
- What was your initial understanding of Genesis 1 before today? Has it changed, and if so, how?
- Why do you think it's important to consider the genre when reading scripture?
- How do you personally interpret the "days" mentioned in Genesis 1? What led you to this interpretation?
- Consider the differences between Young Earth Creationism and Old Earth Creationism. What are the strengths and challenges of each view?
- How might our interpretation of Genesis 1 affect our overall approach to reading and understanding the Bible?
- In what ways can differing interpretations of Genesis 1 impact our faith and our witness to others?
- How can we maintain unity in the church despite differing views on the creation account?
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