Genesis 1-11 Worldview Essay
Bible 105
August 30, 2014
Intro
As many Christians believe, Genesis tells the true account about creation and the events
thereafter. Much can be learned just from the first eleven chapters. Tons of information can be
learned about the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and civilization from
Genesis chapter one through eleven.
The Natural World
The first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis teach us quite a bit about the Natural
World. For one, in the first chapter of Genesis, it clearly states that God created the heavens and
the earth. (Genesis 1:1) It does not say that creation happened by chance, that it was an accident,
or anything such as that. God created the earth, and he meant to do that. Another thing that we
could learn from Genesis 1 is that God created the world in six literal, 24 hour periods. We know
that by the word in the Hebrew text, yom. Yom literally means a 24 hour day, and this word is
used numerous times throughout the Hebrew bible. This disproves any theory that incorporates
evolution into the creation story, such as the day-age theory, as well as the gap theory and theistic
evolution. To many, believing the Genesis account of creation allows men and women a greater
appreciation for the world around them. It allows them to see the true beauty of the Natural
World. Genesis teaches us that God created everything, and it shows us how powerful our God
really is. It gives us a glimpse into what is in store for us if we choose to believe.
Human Identity
According to Genesis, “…God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,
so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all
the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created
mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them
;
male and female he created
them.” (Genesis 1:26-27) What we can infer from this passage in Genesis, we were made in the
image of God, and we are all perfect in God’s eyes. What Genesis 1 also teaches us, is that we
are more important than all other creatures on the earth, hence why God made us to rule over
them. We are all masterpieces of God, and not just other beings who have evolved into humans
overtime. However, according to Genesis 3, we are beings with sinful tendencies, and we are all
lost. We all deserve death, and we deserve to suffer because of our sin. It is only by the love of
God and the death of Jesus, that we can experience all of the wonderful things God has in store
for us.
Human Relationships
A lot can be learned from the first eleven chapters of Genesis regarding Human
Relationships. According to Genesis 2:24, man is to leave his father and his mother and be joined
to his wife, and they will become one flesh. This is where the idea of marriage comes from.
People throughout time have unfortunately distorted the concept, and have sprung forth ideas of
gay marriage, polygamy, etc. The way that God intended for it to be, however, is that one man
and one woman join together in marriage and are to be fruitful and multiply. Because we were
created in God’s image as it states in Genesis 1, we can infer that we are to serve one another for
the reason that serving one another would, in fact, be serving God. As stated later in the Bible,
we are to treat one another as we would want to be treated. This fact is clearly affirmed here in
Genesis chapter one. It is also affirmed a few chapters later in Genesis 9, when Ham had seen his
father’s nakedness and told his brothers. Treating one another badly will result in punishment by
God. These are just a few of things that we can learn about human relationships from the first
few chapters of Genesis.
Civilization
Many things can be taught to us about civilization from the first few chapters of Genesis. Human
beings want to be like God, and they would do many things for power, and for knowledge. Genesis 3
affirms this when both Adam and Eve directly disobeyed God’s law and ate of the Tree of the Knowledge
of Good and Evil. They were deceived into believing that eating the fruit on that tree would open their
eyes and allow them to know good and evil, like God. They wanted that knowledge, and disobeyed God
in their attempt to be like him. Humans as a whole want power and this is also affirmed in Genesis 11
when the people attempted to build a city that had a tower that would reach into Heaven. They wanted to
make a name for themselves as it says in verse 4. They wanted people to look at them and all they have
accomplished. Human civilization as a whole wants power and knowledge and would stop at nothing to
get it. That, simply is what we can conclude from the first couple of chapters of Genesis regarding Human
Civilization.
Conclusion/Worldview
The Bible teaches many truths regarding the world around us. Genesis one through eleven in
particular teaches us a lot about the natural world, as well as human identity, human relationships, and
civilization as a whole. It disproves evolution as well as the acceptance of gay marriage and polygamy.
These chapters have shaped my worldview, in that I know that everything around me was made by God,
including me. I know that I am a masterpiece of God, and I was made in His image. I do not have to have
a longing for knowledge about the creation of the world, because Genesis has already given me the
answers to any question about the origins of the world I might have. That is what we can learn from the
first eleven chapters of Genesis regarding the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and
civilization.
