Genesis: Retracing Our Spiritual Roots

In the mid-1970s, a black author shook the social conscience of this country with a novel that became an instant best­seller and later the highest-rated television mini-series of all time. Alex Hailey’s Roots was based on the author’s search for his own heritage, which he traced from his African ancestors through their days of slavery in the Old South.

By the end of its seven-night run on television, Roots had commanded an audience of about 130 million people and became the most-watched television program ever. As a result of that week of broadcasts in January of 1977, thousands of Americans hurried into libraries to search out their own family history. The National Archives in Washington found itself flooded with requests for ancestral information.

Why the popularity of Roots? According to James Boice, some people think it had to do with Hailey’s discussion of the race issue. But Hailey did not agree with that analysis. He said that the popularity of Roots was because it discovered a sense of present dignity and meaning for one black family by tracing its link to the past and thus also providing a direction for the future.

In other words, an understanding of your origin provides you with both a meaning to your present situation and direction for your future.

We live in an age that is characterized by an emphasis on the present. When we talk about the secularization of society, that is what we are talking about. The word “secular” comes from a word that means “living within the bounds of this age.” The truth is, most people don’t care about their past, nor do they have a clue about their future. No wonder they feel such emptiness about the present.

Today, we are beginning a study in the book of Genesis—a book of prime importance not only because it happens to be the first book in the Bible but because it is a book that tells us about our origin. You will never understand who you really are, why you are here, or where you are going until you understand the book of Genesis.

Now, today as we begin this study together, I want to do several things. First, I want us to look at some of the background information regarding the book of Genesis. Secondly, I want to give you an overview of this book, and thirdly, I want to share with you several reasons that this book is worthy of our study. 

1. Introductory Material About Genesis

•  Title

The title of this book in the Hebrew Bible comes from its first word, translated “in the beginning.” However, in our Bible, we have taken the title “Genesis” directly from the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “toledot,” which means “origin” and is found in 2:4a. As we will see in a minute, this word “toledot” or origin is the key word in this book and gives us the best outline of the book.

• Author

Christians and Jews alike have traditionally believed that Moses was the author of the Pentateuch—the first five books of the Old Testament, which, of course, include Genesis. The Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch is supported through both internal and external evidence for Genesis. 

2. Why Study Genesis?

• Genesis is the Key to Understanding the Rest of the Bible.

There are 200 allusions or direct quotations from Genesis in the New Testament—100 of those come from the first eleven chapters of Genesis giving strong credibility to the trustworthiness of those chapters.

Genesis is the key to understanding the Revelation. Even though the book of Daniel is alluded to many times in Revelation, there are even more allusions to the book of Genesis.

• Genesis is the Key to Understanding our Culture.

Our culture is not neutral toward the Bible; it is hostile toward the Bible and the things of God. According to a 2024 Gallup poll 71% of Americans believe that God played a role in human creation while only 22% believing God played no role.

Some people will try to draw a distinction between the world of science and the world of faith—let the church teach religion and the classroom teach science. But as we will see next week, evolution is not a theory that is neutral toward God; it is hostile toward God. Evolution is a religion. 

• Genesis is the Key to Understanding the Purpose of God. 

One reason I love this book is because it contains what one commentator called “theology mingled with life.” The book of Hebrews, which we spent a year studying, was pure theology, which I attempted to apply to life, but in Genesis, we see the purpose and plan of God interfacing with individual lives. The great Old Testament scholar and preacher James Boice points out some of the great doctrines that have their origin in the book of Genesis.

• The doctrine of God.
• The doctrine of man.
• The doctrine of sin.
• The doctrine of divine judgment.
• The doctrine of justification through faith.

These are just some of the great themes that have their origin in the book of Genesis.

I close with this word from Martin Luther to anyone who attempts to study the book of Genesis:

“I beg and faithfully warn every pious Christian not to stumble at the simplicity of the language and stories that will often meet him there. He should not doubt that, however simple they may seem, these are the very words, works, judgments, and deeds of the high majesty, power, and wisdom of God.”