Genesis 1-11 Worldview Essay
William Preston Guy IV
24769527
Bible 105
September 1, 2014
The Natural World
In Genesis 1-11, there is a lot concerning the Natural world. First off, it is clear that God
did create the world in six literal days. This is shown in the wording of these verses, that some
commentary in the ESV bible shows. Moses, who is assumed to be the author of Genesis, uses
“Yom” as the word for “day”. This is significant because throughout the Bible, the word “Yom”
is used to mean a literal 24-hour period. So this shows that God actually did create the world in a
literal six days. Secondly, God intended for the seventh literal day to be holy and revered. This is
shown in Genesis 2:2-3 when it says, “And on the seventh day God finished His work that He
had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed
the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that He had done in
creation.” It is also shown that there was and forever will be corruption in the natural world. This
is shown when the fall of Adam and Eve occurred, and also right before the flood in chapter 6 of
Genesis. These are just a few examples of what is shown regarding the natural world in Genesis
1-11.
Human Identity
In Genesis 1-11, there is a lot of information relevant to Human Identity and who we are
as human beings. First, God created human beings in His own image and in the likeness of
Himself. This is revealed in Genesis 1:26 when God Himself says, “…Let us make man in Our
image, after our likeness.” This is beautiful because we as human beings have something that no
other creature on earth has, which is being created in God’s image. Secondly, because of being
made in God’s image, humans have dominion over all the other creatures on this earth. This is
also shown in Genesis 1:26 when it says, “And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every
creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” We are also commanded to be fruitful and multiply the
earth, which is a main part of the human identity. Finally, one of the most important identities
that humans has is that humans are NOT God and are corrupted and have a sin nature. This is
shown in the fall of man, when Adam and Eve first disobeyed God. These are just a couple
examples of what Genesis says about Human Identity.
Human Relationships
The book of Genesis is full of information regarding human relationship and what the
dynamics of those relationships should look like. First, God saw that when He created Adam,
that Adam was lonely and in need of a companion. God then created Eve, out of a rib of Adam,
and that was who became Adam’s companion. So from the very beginning of time, it is shown
that humans are supposed to need companionship and need real relationships. This is also an
example of what marriage should be like. One man and One Woman, who can fulfill God’s
commandment of multiplying the earth. Another situation concerning the human relationships is
the story of Cain and Abel. This story represents the first instance and human jealousy and pride,
which is shown in Genesis 4:8 when it says, “Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they
were in the field, Cain rose up and killed him.” Humans are not perfect and have the ability to
hurt one another for selfish desires. One last thought on Genesis regarding Human Relationships
is that it is also shown that Adam and Eve had a deceitful nature when they tried to hide from
God when they knew they had done wrong, this is a current theme across Genesis, and the entire
Old Testament. These examples show what Genesis says regarding to Human Relationships.
Civilization
Genesis 11 is a crucial chapter when it comes to civilization and how it affects the way
humans live today. First of all, at this point God created men and from there they were all
speaking the same language and basically all related. Through the fall and the flood it remained
the same, so all the people that were on the earth were basically of the same lineage therefore
spoke and could communicate with all people. In Genesis 11, it shows us that the people were
getting to prideful so they decided to build the tower of Babel to reach heaven. As a result of this
sinful attempt, God made all the people speak different languages so they were very confused.
This impacted civilization because now, to do this day, there are all different kinds of languages
and nationalities. Genesis teaches us that even through the fall of man, the flood that destroyed
the earth, and through the changes of languages, that all civilizations are going to disobey God.
This is shown throughout Genesis and the Old Testament of the cycle that a culture will disobey
God, get punished, repent, then the same thing happens all over again. These are a few things
that Genesis teaches about civilization.
Conclusion/Worldview (200-400 words)
There are many ways in which the teachings of Genesis 1-11 have affected my own
worldview. First is the way that the creation story affected the way I live. When it is expressed
that God rested on the Seventh day and made it a holy day for rest, that is something that I use
because I personally use Sunday as a day to relax and get away from the struggles that happen
throughout the previous week and the week that is ahead. Another way these teachings have
affected my worldview is the way that I live as a human being created in the image of God. No
matter what life throws my way, I know that I can rest in the faith and knowledge that I have
been created in the image of our One, True God. This passage of scripture also affects me
because I see how I am supposed to live my life in all types of relationships. I am created to be
the head of the household and to lead a woman the way that is holy. This passage is very good
for a believer to see how they are supposed to live according to the Scriptures. Whether it be
through the creation to the tower of Babel, Genesis is packed full of guidelines on how we are
supposed to the live Christian life.
