The meaning of anything depends on its origin. And did you know that the book of Genesis gives us an account of the origin of all the basic entities of life and the universe? Let’s start listing them:
Genesis is a very important book as it provides the foundation for the rest of the Bible, for our Christian worldview, for all doctrine, and, in fact, for everything.
Yes, Genesis explains the origin of everything! Genesis is a very important book as it provides the foundation for the rest of the Bible, for our Christian worldview, for all doctrine, and, in fact, for everything.
Let’s consider marriage. God created marriage when he created the first man and woman.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:24–25)
Marriage was not invented by judges or government leaders.
When Jesus as the God-man was asked about marriage, he responded this way:
Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. (Matthew 19:4–6)
Jesus actually quoted the text of Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24 in giving the foundation for marriage. Marriage is between one man (male) and one woman (female). (Yes, there are only two genders.)
And Paul goes back to Genesis in discussing the doctrine of marriage and the church.
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5:31–33)
Many don’t really understand Christianity as they should and can’t explain what Christians really believe and how to defend the Christian faith.
To understand the meaning of marriage, we need to understand its origin. Sadly, many Christian leaders who compromised Genesis with evolution and millions of years haven’t taught this foundational history to coming generations. Even many conservative Christian leaders have been so intimidated by secular scientists and compromising Christian academics that they have not taught Genesis as literal history. But if people don’t have the foundation in Genesis concerning the origin of marriage, one can understand how they might be easily influenced by the LGBTQ worldview. This, sadly, is happening to many young people even from the church. Many don’t really understand Christianity as they should and can’t explain what Christians really believe and how to defend the Christian faith.
Let’s also consider the gospel. How can a Christian explain the gospel without explaining where man came from, why we are accountable to God, what sin is, why we die, why we needed a Savior, and why Christ died and rose again, without the foundational history in Genesis?
Paul quotes or refers to Genesis many times when explaining the gospel message.
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. (Romans 5:12)
Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:45–49)
The above is just a tiny glimpse of why Genesis is so important and why it is vital that Christians take it as written—as literal history. No wonder Jesus said,
Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? (John 5:45–47)
Satan knows if he can cause people to reject the literal history of Genesis, then the foundation of the whole Bible, of all doctrine, of the Christian worldview—of everything—is undermined. That’s why Genesis has been so attacked in our day.
And that’s why Answers in Genesis exists—to provide resources to equip the church with answers to stand boldly on the authority of the Word of God from the very first verse. Two books that deal with all this are Divided Nation and Creation to Babel. I encourage you to get them and use them as a family.
Oh, and of course, even though Genesis 1–11 is the most attacked part of the Bible, much of the rest of Scripture is also under attack in our day and age. For example, many people doubt the account of the exodus and the subsequent wandering the wilderness. I’m excited that our friends at Patterns of Evidence are producing wonderful documentaries to combat doubt regarding Exodus and beyond, including a brand-new documentary coming to US theaters May 15 and 17, 2023. Don’t miss Journey to Mt. Sinai Part II (and read our full review on our website).
And Genesis also explains the origin of family (Genesis 1:28) and even motherhood, what we’re celebrating today on Mother’s Day. Genesis tells us,
The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. (Genesis 3:20)
Yes, family, including the good gift of mothers, is God’s design.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken
This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.