THE BOOK INSPIRED BY GOD
LESSON ONE – THE BOOK OF GENESIS

          We must accept the Bible as exactly what it claims to be, the verbally inspired and infallible word of God. When we say that the Bible is inspired, we are referring to the fact that God divinely influenced the human authors of the Scriptures in such a way that what they wrote was the very word of God. They did not write their opinions or their words; instead they wrote the word of God! Inspiration means the Bible truly is the word of God. This truth makes the Bible unique among all other books. The Bible is God’s inspired book. It is made up of 66 smaller books. The first book in our Bible is the Book of Genesis. The book of Genesis contains 50 chapters.

          God used Moses to write the first five books of the Bible, called the Pentateuch. Genesis is the first book of Moses. The word Genesis means “beginning.” Truly the book of Genesis is a book of beginnings. Some of the beginnings recorded in the book of Genesis are, the beginning of earthly life, the beginning of family life, the beginning of government, the beginning of sins and its horrible consequences, and the beginning of the nation that would be used by God to bring the Messiah to earth. The book of Genesis introduces us to two of the five greatest Bible characters, Adam and Abraham. The design and purpose of the Book of Genesis and of the entire Bible is to reveal God’s Divine plan of redemption in and through Jesus Christ. The book of Genesis is filled with truths and principles that can change our life forever. Please focus on these three:

          Genesis teaches us that God is Creator and that He desires our salvation. Man was created by God and made in His likeness. (Genesis 1:26-27) Sadly, man sinned; but God did not give up on him. God promised to send a Savior. (Genesis 3:15) To Abraham, a descendent of Noah, God promised, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:3) Jesus Christ, was the one God promised to send to die for our sins, once for all time (1 Peter 3:18) Jesus loves you and I know this because the Bible tells me so!

          Genesis teaches us that human life is precious. We should love people. We must not murder others. God said, “Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.” (Genesis 9:6) Life Is Precious. It should never be made legal for patients to commit suicide, assisted by some doctor, or mercy-killing as it is sometimes called. Innocent unborn children must not be aborted or murdered. Life is precious, do not destroy it. Life is a gift from God, fight for it!

          Genesis teaches us that God made the rainbow.  The rainbow provides a promise of God's grace. After the flood, God placed His bow in the sky with a great promise. "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth." (Genesis 9:13-17) The earth will be destroyed, but it will be with fire and not with water. Rainbows are beautiful and they remind us of the beauty of the promises of God. God has given great and precious promises about salvation to His children. (2 Peter 1:4)

 “But there is a God in heaven…” (Daniel 2:28) He created us, provides for us and redeems us through Jesus. Let us love God and serve Him faithfully. Are you a Christian? Do you have the promise of eternal life? Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Have you repented of your sins? Have you confessed your faith in Christ to others? Have you been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins? (Acts 8:26-40, Acts 22:16) Our great Creator is all-powerful, and He deserves our faithful, loving service. “The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them.” (Psalm 89:11)

By Charles Box, Walnut Street Church of Christ, 306 Walnut Street, Greenville, Alabama 36037 USA