Introduction – Basic Study Principles

Introduction

This study explores what the Bible teaches concerning Creation, Adam and Eve, and the Flood.

It is intended to complement the film Is Genesis History? by looking at six key doctrines introduced in the first chapters of Genesis. These doctrines are related to the gospel and are important to understanding the nature of our salvation.

After all, Genesis records the foundational events in the history of the world. Jesus Himself was there at the beginning, forming everything according to His purpose. As the Apostle John tells us, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3)

Genesis is therefore central to the work of Jesus Christ. Our hope is that by the end of this study you will better understand how the first chapters of Genesis are related to His plan of salvation.

Basic Study Principles

Throughout this study, we apply a series of basic study principles for understanding the Bible. Some may be familiar to you and others may be new. Please review these individually or as a class before starting the study.

1. The Bible presents itself as an accurate, coherent book of history from beginning to end. Although there may be different types of Biblical literature, they are all based on the bedrock of real events in actual time. For instance, both the book of Exodus and the Psalms refer to the actual crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites, but they do so using different types of language in order to accomplish different things.
2. Scripture should be used to interpret Scripture. We can use one part of the Bible to understand another part. For example, Jesus, Stephen, and Paul all talk about Abraham at various times and ways. Their comments help us understand more about Abraham’s history as recorded in Genesis. This principle of “Scripture interpreting Scripture” assists us in accurately interpreting the Bible.
3. A doctrine is a statement summarizing the teaching of Biblical authors on a particular topic. Since the Bible is the inspired word of God, even though there are many authors, it is possible to summarize what they jointly teach in a few statements. For example, all the different verses in the Bible about Jesus can be brought together to form a “doctrine of Christ,” which includes statements such as “Jesus was fully God and fully man” and “Jesus atones for our sins.” These exact doctrinal statements are not found in the Bible, but are useful summaries of what the Bible teaches.
4. Doctrines are directly connected to specific events in history. Just as branches grow out of the trunk of a tree, doctrines grow out of real events. Because Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead at a certain point in time, the “doctrine of salvation” teaches that “Jesus died for our sins on the cross and will one day raise us from the dead.” If the first event did not happen, then the doctrine cannot be true.
5. The Bible records events that are beyond our current experience. Our finite understanding and knowledge should not be used to judge the historical accuracy of the Bible. For instance, had we been in Egypt to see the crossing of the Red Sea, we would have a better understanding of how the water acted under God’s control. In the same way, if we were standing next to the tomb when Lazarus walked out, even if we could not understand how he was doing it, we could be sure he was doing it.