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Genesis means “beginning.” It reveals the beginning of everything except God. Unless one understands and believes the message of Genesis, his understanding of and belief in the rest of the Bible will be faulted. Liberal theologians rank it, along with the four other books of the Law, as a collection of anonymous writings, many of which are mythical and/or allegorical, rather than historical. Believers view Genesis as the literal, inspired historical account that it claims to be, and as a book which must be believed in and understood.
Why was Genesis written? Its purpose is not formally stated, but it is inferred from its content. It introduces God to man; God is not argued but assumed. It explains man’s true origin; we are utterly devoid of knowing apart from Genesis. It reveals the fall of man into sin and the horrible consequences of sin. It reveals the roots of God’s dealings with men from the creation until the Hebrews were transplanted to Egypt. Obviously, these basic principles are necessary to an understanding of the remainder of the Bible.
Who wrote Genesis? Infidel scholars refuse the Mosaic authorship, although it is supported both by Scripture and ancient tradition. Such is part of their vicious effort to destroy the authenticity and historical validity of the book. The following evidence argues that Moses wrote it: The Jews have so held from very ancient times. It is clearly stated that Moses wrote Exodus (Exo. 17:14) and said book is but a continuation of Genesis. Jesus attributed Genesis to Moses (John 7:19; Luke 24:44, etc.). Further, there is no basis for disallowing Moses’ authorship, nothing that would have prevented his writing it, nor is there any evidence that anyone else wrote it. With good reason did Martin Luther title Genesis in his German Bible, “The First Book of Moses.”
What about the time of Genesis? How much time does it cover? There is no way to determine the precise time of creation. However, there is no way the account of creation can be harmonized with theories that the earth is billions of years old. All such attempts, including “theistic evolution,” end up renouncing the first two chapters of Genesis. No one would ever have questioned that the days of creation are actual 24-hour days rather than long geologic eras, had it not been for the attempts of men to make the Bible fit evolutionary speculations. The number of scientists is growing who believe that the age of our earth must be measured in thousands of years instead of billions or even millions. Likely, Moses wrote Genesis during the wilderness wanderings between Egypt and Canaan, about 1,500 BC. the book takes us from the time of creation to about 1,800 BC.
Is Genesis a history or an allegory? The style of the whole book is strictly historical and bears no traces of allegory or figurative description. Jesus endorsed numerous events in Genesis as literal and accurate history, including the creation of Adam and Eve, the destruction of Sodom, the flood, God’s promise to Abraham, etc. To contend that Genesis is other than actual history is to reflect upon Jesus’ knowledge or His integrity or both.
[Note: I wrote this article for, and it was published in the “Bible Thoughts” Column for the Hood County News, Granbury, Texas, September 16, 1979.]
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
