Genesis: A Few Key Doctrines

Consider the following statements below and what they mean to you, your life and your community.

The Creation (Genesis 1-2): Do you honor God as your Creator (Ps 33:6)?

• God is the Creator (Gen 1:1).
• God created man in his image (Gen 1:27).
• God planted a paradise for man (Gen 2:8-9).
• God gave man work to do (Gen 1:28; 2:15).
• God gave man freedom and a command (Gen 2:16-27).
• God saw that being alone is not good and gave the man a family (Gen 2:18ff).

The Fall (Genesis 3): Do you understand what it means that human beings are fallen creatures (Jer 17:9)?

• The temptation to be like God and to take control of your own life and the lives of others (Gen 3:5).
• The promise of One who would crush Satan's head (Gen 3:15).
• The curse of labor pains and the desire for a husband (Gen 3:16).
• The curse of toiling and worrying all the days of your life (Gen 3:17-19).

The Call (Genesis 12): Have you personally heard "the call"? Seen the Lord (Isa 6:1, 5, 8)?

• God gave Abraham a command and a promise (Gen 12:1-3).

The Covenant (Genesis 15): Do you know what it means to live by faith (Hab 2:4; Rom 1:17)?

• The basis of righteousness is faith (Gen 15:6).
• It is God who initiates a covenant with man as the recipient of the covenant (Gen 15:18).

Circumcision (Genesis 17): Is your heart circumcised by God (Dt 30:6; Rom 2:28-29)?

• Coram Deo ("in the presence of God"): God requires that we live before God faithfully and blamelessly (Gen 17:1).

The Provision (Genesis 22): Do you see your life as God's gracious gift (Rom 6:23b; Jas 1:17)?

• The Lord provides (Gen 22:8, 14).

The Stairway (Genesis 28): Are you on the stairway to heaven (Jn 1:51)?

• Jacob saw a stairway to heaven (Gen 28:12-13)?

The Wrestling Match (Genesis 32): Have you been transformed after wrestling all night with God (Ps 51:10; 2 Cor 3:18)?

• Jacob wrestled with a man all night until his inner person was supernaturally transformed (Gen 32:24, 28).

 The Adversity (Genesis 37-39): What life changing major adversity have you encountered in your life (Rom 5:3-5; Jas 1:2-4)?

• Joseph was thrown into the pit of darkness (Gen 37:24).
• In the worst of times Joseph prospered (Gen 39:2, 23).

 The Providence of God (Genesis 50): Have you genuinely experienced Romans 8:28 in your life?

• Despite man's deliberate intention to hurt him, Joseph experienced God's intention to bless him (Gen 50:20).