Genesis Chapter One

1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). The first statement of Scripture is a direct assertion of Divine Creation. No Bible-believing Christian with a literal hermeneutic can accept any form of evolution. Darwinism, and every other manifestation of Secular Humanism, will be rejected throughout this Bible survey in accordance with 2nd Cor. 10:5.
2. The creation of angelic beings is not dealt with in Genesis. Angels were on-hand to observe the creation of the Earth (Job 38:7), and it is therefore a natural conclusion to place their creation between the creation of the heavens (2nd heaven & 3rd heaven) and the creation of the earth. This conclusion places a logical/chronological gap within the text of Gen. 1:1.
3. The earth was formless and void (Gen. 1:2). It was not created this way (Isa. 45:18), but came about because of the angelic rebellion and war (Isa. 14:17; Jer. 4:23-26). It is therefore a natural conclusion to place a second logical/chronological gap between the text of Gen. 1:1 & Gen. 1:2.

Important note: “Gap theory” is largely derided in recent years. A careful and proper training in the logical/chronological synthesis of Genesis, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, & Ezekiel with a particular focus on the fall of Satan and the angelic conflict supports not only the traditional gap but even a double-gap placed within Gen. 1:1 and between Gen. 1:1 & 1:2.

Colossians 1:16 presents both the visible & invisible dimensional realms of Jesus Christ’s creative work, but Genesis only presents the visible dimensional realm.

4. בָּרָא bārā’ #1254: to create is used in vv.1&21, and 3 times in v.27. This is creation ex nihilo (out of nothing).
5. עָשָׂה ‘āsāh #6213: to make, fashion is used in vv.7,25,26,&31.
6. The work of God in Gen. 1:2ff. is the restoration of the Earth to habitable conditions, and the creation of man to occupy and have dominion within the physical realm.
7. Adam & Eve were literal people (Matt. 19:4), and the human race is descended from them (1st Cor. 15:22). This is a fundamental issue, and cannot be treated lightly. The Bible’s entire plan of redemption is grounded in the First and Second Adam (Rom. 5:12-21).

Genesis Chapter Two

1. Gen. 2 is not a contradictory account of creation, but a supplementary account. It goes back to the specific details of the creation of man.
2. The seventh day as a (sabbath) day of rest was established as a principle for the human race, long before the codification of the Sabbath day. The Law of the Sabbath, as incorporated into the Law of Moses does not apply to Church Age believers, but the principle of Sabbath rest certainly does, as it comes from the creation itself (Gen. 2:2,3).
3. Man’s body is a physical part of this physical creation (Gen. 2:7a).
4. Man’s soul and spirit is a spiritual part of God’s spiritual creation (Gen. 2:7b).
   1. The breath of “lives” is plural. God imparted physical life to the body, soul life to the soul, and spiritual life to the human spirit of Adam.
   2. Eve was taken out of Adam and fashioned with physical, soul, & spiritual life. There is no mention of a second “breathing” by God into Eve.
   3. There is also no Scripture which indicates a newborn baby receives God’s direct “breathing” of the breath of lives.
   4. Human babies receive bodies, souls, & (dead) human spirits from their parents. At salvation the spirit is made alive (Eph. 2:5; 1st Pet. 3:18).
5. The Lord planted a garden in Eden and assigned work responsibilities to the man (Gen. 2:8-15).
6. The Lord also established standards of righteous obedience, and tested the faith of man (Gen. 2:16,17).
   1. The One Commandment was to not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil.
   2. The penalty for sin was spiritual death (Gen. 2:17b cp. Rom. 6:23).
7. The Lord made provision for man’s help-mate, to assist man in carrying out his work-assignment (Gen. 2:20ff.).

Genesis Chapter Three

1. The Adversary, Satan, took the form of a serpent, and worked to deceive the woman, and bring about the volitional fall of man (Gen. 3:1-7; Rev. 12:9).
   1. He cast doubt upon the content of God’s revealed word (Gen. 3:1).
   2. He observed Eve’s lack of understanding of God’s revealed word (Gen. 3:2,3).
   3. He put forth a lie in contradiction of God’s revealed word (Gen. 3:4,5).
2. Adam’s personal sin (not Eve’s) opened his eyes and her eyes. This profound truth is understood to be far more than a personal judgment by God upon the person of Adam. It is a positional judgment by God upon all of Adamic human-kind.
   1. Spiritual death spread to all Adamic human-kind starting with Eve (Gen. 3:7; Rom. 5:12).
   2. Established the positional sphere of sin, which the Lamb of God took away (Jn. 1:29) and paid the wages for (Rom. 3:9,23; 5:12,19,21; 6:16,21,23).
   3. Adam’s sin was not the cause of physical death. Losing access to the tree of life eventuated 930 years later in Adam’s physical death (Gen. 3:22-24; 5:5).
3. Adam & Eve attempted to cover for their sin through human effort (fig leaves) (Gen. 3:7).
4. The Lord taught them that only through the shedding of blood, and the offering of a blood sacrifice could sin be covered (Gen. 3:21).
5. The first promise of a Redeemer is given in the promise within the curse (Gen. 3:15). The Seed of the Woman will crush the serpent’s head.
6. The curse upon the earth is man’s judgment for his volitional rebellion against the Lord (Gen. 3:17-19).
7. The Lord drove Adam & Eve out of the garden so that they might not achieve everlasting physical life apart from everlasting spiritual life (Gen. 3:22-24).