Day 1: It All Starts Here

The Bible's sixty-six different books span from eternity past to eternity future, but all 31,173 verses point to one person and two events. That one person is Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The two events are the first coming of Jesus to deal with sin (to die on the cross to pay for the sins of the world) and the second coming of Jesus to reign over—and with—those who have been cleansed from sin.

And Genesis is the foundation. If we don't understand Genesis, we won't understand the Bible, because the beginning of everything is there: the beginning of creation; the beginning of sin entering the world; the beginning of God's remedy to take care of sin; the beginning of government, marriage, and family; and the beginning of the nation of Israel through whom the Messiah would come. It would not be an overstatement to say that in Genesis we find the very foundation of our Christian faith. 

Revelation in Genesis

There are two ways God reveals Himself: general revelation and special revelation. Through general revelation, God communicates to mankind through the created world around us. Through special revelation, God communicates to mankind by speaking. Along with Genesis, Psalm 19 divulges both types of revelation. 

In it, the psalmist David first celebrated general revelation: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth" (vv. 1-4). God reveals Himself through the created world.

But there is something much more secure, much more direct, and much more informative, and that is when God speaks—special revelation. That's the Bible. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.… More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold" (vv. 7, 10). God reveals Himself through His Word.

In these ten days we will take an in-depth look at the four most significant events and the four most significant individuals in Genesis, the first book of God's special revelation. Creation is just the beginning.

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