It is our privilege and joy to study God’s Word together. God reveals himself to us through his Word so that we can know, love, worship and obey him! Genesis is the first of five books we call the Pentateuch or the Books of Moses or the Law. These five books, all written by Moses, are God’s introduction of himself to his people, Israel. The first of the books, Genesis, is where God reveals who he is as the Creator of the entire universe, including the world in which we live (Genesis 1-11) and the Creator of Israel (Genesis 12-50). God shows us that he is a God who wants to live with his people. This is what he is celebrating in Genesis 2:1-3 when he rests on the seventh day, showing that he is pleased to dwell in the temple he has created, the earth, with his people. Because of sin and the death and separation it brings, God instructs his people to build a tabernacle where he could dwell with them (we see this in Exodus). God wants to live with his sons and daughters, his family, who will exercise his rule and care over his creation. Genesis is a beautiful introduction to who God is and to how he created his people. The book is structured with twelve different “These are the generations of...” statements showing how God has created families, people, to be his worshippers.
As always, we pray that our study of Genesis together will result in all of us knowing Christ and
being conformed to his image. We were created in the image of God, and only through the salvation,
sanctification and glorification that Christ accomplishes by his Spirit are we able to truly image God now.
As you work through this growth guide, our prayer is that you will be prepared to hear the sermon on
Sunday and then discuss the passage together during the week in your growth group with the goal of
understanding and applying all that we are reading together. In this context of hearing and studying
God’s Word, may we live as a loving community making disciples of Jesus Christ!
Lessons:
“In the Beginning God” Presupposition: God is
Genesis 1:1-3a – Trinity: God Spoke, Word, Spirit
Genesis 1:3-25 – Form: Days 1-3a, Fill: Days 3b-6a
Genesis 1:26-31 – Creation of Man, Image of God
Genesis 2:1-3 – Seventh day: Rest
Genesis 2:4-9 – Man and the Garden
Genesis 2:10-17 – Work and God’s rule
Genesis 2:18-25 – Woman and Marriage
Excursus on Gender, Marriage, and Roles
A loving community making disciples of Jesus Christ.
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Nathan Thiry is the Growth Groups & Outreach Pastor at Faith Bible Church. He enjoys biking and outdoor activities, and has a passion to see the gospel spread throughout our community and the whole world!
View Resources by Nathan Thiry
Trees are a reminder that God’s creation is living and powerful. We have a tree in our backyard that has grown substantially since we bought the house eight years ago. The reader will certainly notice how little I know about trees, as I...