Notes for our Journey Through Genesis
As Christians, we often spend the majority of our time studying the later chapters of the story of God. They are good and we should immerse ourselves in them, but we'll miss incredible amounts of details if we don’t continually keep in mind the beginning of the story as we do so. The more we saturate ourselves in the beginning of the story, the more the rest of the Bible comes alive, and the better we understand our place in the story of God as well.
In this new sermon series, we're going back to the very beginning and working through the book of Genesis. It is perhaps best known for how it opens with an account of the creation of the world. But it is about much more than just how the world got here. It's about God's design for his creation, God's revelation of himself, God calling and forming his people, and the plans that God has for our world today.
We'll deal with the controversial topics, the confusing details, the familiar stories and the more obscure ones as well - digging in and peeling back the layers to see what the book of Genesis is actually about and what it has to say to us today. It's a theologically rich book, and it will be impossible for us to cover everything that the book of Genesis has to say or answer every question that might come up. Therefore, we want to encourage you to:
#1 | Read through the text on your own.
Try reading through all 50 chapters of the book of Genesis at least once. Altogether it would take the average reader 3.5 hours to get through, and could easily be read in smaller sections over the course of a month. This will help make the individuals sections come alive and fit together more cohesively into the bigger picture.
#2 | Get connected and faithfully attend a Community Group.
Much of the depth of this series will be unpacked within the context of our mid-week groups and the discussion that takes place in them. Find a group HERE!
#3 | Study it on your own.
If you are looking for resources for further study of the book of Genesis, we have compiled a list of books to help you get even more out of the text. The books and resources listed below, although not exhaustive, are helpful and insightful but that doesn’t mean that every view in them is shared and agreed upon.
Books Providing an Overview of Genesis
Genesis in Space and Time by Francis Schaeffer
Encountering the Book of Genesis by Bill T. Arnold
Old Testament Theology by Paul R. House
Detailed Studies of Genesis 1-2
In the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis by Henri Blocher
Genesis Unbound by John Sailhammer
Creation and Change by Douglas F. Kelly
Commentaries on Genesis
Genesis by Bruce Waltke
Genesis by John Sailhammer
Genesis by Walter Brueggemann
Genesis by John H. Walton
Creation and Blessing by Allen P. Ross
Books Debating Views of Creation
The Ultimate Proof of Creation by Dr. Jason Lisle
Three Views of Creation and Evolution edited by Stanley Gundry
The Genesis Debate edited by David Hagopian
Articles
Noah in Our DNA [video]