In the Beginning

1. In the Beginning Genesis tells us “God created the heavens and the earth”

2. Days 1-3: Creating Form • Day 1: Time • God said “Let there be Light” • God created day and night • Day 2: Space • God created the sky and the sea • Day 3: Life • God created the land and the vegetation • God created a world fit to live in.

3. Days 4-6:Creation of the rulers of the environments • Day 4: God created the sun to rule the day, and the moon and stars to shine at night. • Day 5: God created the birds and the fish to fill up the sky and the sea. • Day 6: God created beasts of the field, and human beings to live on land with its vegetation.

4. The Seventh Day God Rested • The Hebrew word that means “to swear a covenant” is based on the Hebrew word for seven. • Someone who said “I swear a covenant” in Hebrew was literally saying “l seven myself”. • So in creating the world in seven days, God was swearing a covenant with the universe

5. Seventh Day (cont.) • If God stopped on Day 6 we would only be slaves and private property of God. • However, God blessed the seventh day and made it holy and rested from work. • God invited us into that rest because the rest represents the covenant relationship that God established with his creation.

6. All of creation is a great temple for the worship of God the Creator. • The revelation of creation is inseparable from the revelation and forging of the covenant between God and his people. (ccc 288) • Creation is revealed as the first step towards this covenant and first expression of God’s universal Love. (Gn 15:5; Jer 33:19-26)

7. The Creation of Human Beings in the Image of God • The very last act of creation God said… • “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness and let them have dominion… • What does it mean to say man was created in God’s image & likeness ?

8. 4 determining factors man possesses being in God’s image • God is our Father • Were created for a loving relationship with God, our father • We are like God • Because our human nature has 3 characteristics that are similar: • 1) intelligence, 2) free-will, & 3) the capacity to love. • Our love in our families is an image of thelove and life of the Trinity- Father, Son, & Holy Spirit

9. (cont.) 4 determining factors man possesses being in God’s image • Human life possesses great sacredness • Old or young, healthy or sick, every person is sacred because they are in God’s image. • Our work has special value. • Our dignity does not come from what we do. • Our work has dignity because we bear the image of God and bring his presence and love into our work. • We are called to work in imitation of God our Father

10. The Marriage Covenant • Not only did God create us in his image, but he also created us male & female . • God created man & woman as equal but complementary persons, • meant to join ina family relationship sealed by the marital covenant. • Marriage is not man made. • Marriage was divinely instituted the very moment man was created male & female.

11. The Marriage Covenant (cont.) • In Matthew 19, when the Pharisees questioned Jesus about divorce – • Jesus went right back to Genesis. • Jesus said “what God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” • God is the one who creates marriage. • Marriage was created to be permanent, lifelong, and indissoluble. • Marriage was created to be fruitful.

12. God our Father • Genesis chp.1 speaks of God as Elohim, • God the Creator • Genesis chp. 2 begins to call God Yahweh, • God the Covenant Lord • The difference in names reveals God’s plan to draw his creation closer to himself. • Yahweh suggests God’s covenant love, the love of the father for us, his children.

13. Genesis 3 The Fall • The Hebrew word used to describe the “serpent”, Nahash implies something much more deadly than a garter snake. • Nahash is used throughout the O.T. in reference to a powerful evil creature. • Num. 21 describes them as “fiery serpents” • Is. 27:1 a great mythical dragon – Leviathon • Job 26:13 uses Nahash as sea monsters

14. The Serpent - Nahash • Nahash- wherever it appears the word usually refers to something that bites. • The Serpent here is more than just subtle: • It is deadly, a liar, and a murderer. • “the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil (1John 3:8)

15. Spiritual Death • Adam & Eve lost supernatural life • Original holiness and original justice • What the Serpent said was true but in a twisted way. • They did not die physically- but they did die spiritually. • Catechism states: Finding himself in the midst of the battlefield, man has to struggle to do what is right at a great cost to himself aided by God’s grace in order to achieve his own inner integrity.

16. The 1st Gospel (protoevangelium) • God cursed the serpent, with a promise to send one who will conqueror the serpent. • “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed & her seed: he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel”. Gen 3:15 • Early Christian writers called this the “first Gospel” & the “ seed of the woman” as God’s promise of a future Redeemer.

17. The Curse: Sin & Suffering • Adam/Eve’s sin brought suffering into the World. • All good things God planned for us • is now tainted by suffering. • Family life -an image of God’s love, now will be marred by sin. • The transmission of Original Sin is a mystery that we cannot fully understand. • O.S. is a sin “contracted” and not “committed” • A state & not an act (ccc 404)

18. Evil entering the World • After Adam & Eve were thrown out of paradise, they had two sons, Cain & Abel. • Why did Cain kill Abel? • God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s, since he had not given from his best. • Cain’s sacrifice was not of love, but, instead, it was done selfishly.

19. Evil (cont.) • Cain became resentful of Abel. • Cain’s sin was envy- one of the seven deadly sins. • Envy is the sin of resenting the blessing of others: “its not fair” says the envious one. • Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil - • gives rise to serious errors in the areas of education, politics, social action and morals.

20. The Evil Line of Cain • After Cain was punished by God, he was banished from the land and went to the land of “Nod” which means wandering. There he had a son named Enoch. • After that, he built a city and named it after Enoch. • Scripture credits Cain’s line with having invented most of the things that make civilization possible. • A descendant of Cain,Tubal-cain, invented metalworking. • Another descendant of Cain who is notorious in this list is Lamech. He came seven generations down.

21. The Evil Line of Cain • Lamech had 2 wives- the first record of bigamy or polygamy in the Bible. Gen 4:23 • Lamech has defied God’s will. • The Marriage covenant is the primary covenant, a holy institution created by God. • But Lamech treats women as objects to be possessed and men as mere objects to be disposed of.

22. The Evil line of Cain (cont.) • Instead of treating other people as imagesof God, Lamech and his followers live in a world of wars and bloody revenge. • Seven generations down from Adam • Cain’s line of evil has reached its ugly completeness. • Lamech’s code of revenge is exactly the opposite of God’s intention.

23. The Righteous Line of Seth • Adam & Eve had another son – Seth. • Now we hear about his line – the faithful followers of God. • When Seth had a son, he named him Enosh. “At that time men began to call upon the name of the Lord” Gn 4:26

24. The Righteous line of Seth • That phrase “to call upon the name of the Lord” means to worship God. • Cain named a city after his son to make a name for himself. • But when Seth has a son, his work is not for himself but rather for God. • Cain’s line care only about their own glory. • But Seth’s descendants, God’s own people, put the glory of God first.