Today’s readings cover the creation of the universe- the image above is how it’s described in Genesis 1. This is similar to the way the most ancient Near East cultures thought the world was. The point of these stories has nothing to do with history or science- they’re all about theology. Don’t worry about whether or not Genesis disproves evolution, worry about what Genesis says about who God is and who we are, and how we are supposed to relate to God and Creation.
- 1:2 – First mention of the Holy Spirit being present.
- 1:26 – Note the use of “our”. This is God speaking amongst all 3 persons of the Trinity. Humanity is made in the image of God the Trinity. This is why we’re designed to create things, to love, and to be in relationship.
- 2:1-3 – This is why we are to observe the Sabbath – a day of rest from our regular work.
- Note that chapter 1 and chapter 2 of Genesis tell the story of the creation of humanity slightly differently.
- Some people ask why God put the tree of good and evil in the garden if it wasn’t good for people. The better question might be, though, with all the other choices in the garden, why were the people drawn to the one tree that was forbidden.
- 3:4-6; note that the serpent convinces Eve to eat the fruit by telling her it will give her knowledge of good and evil. The original sin, and all sin that followed it, is, essentially, rejecting God’s definitions of good and evil and trying to substitute our own.
- 3:12-13; Adam and Eve both try to pass the blame for their sin on to someone else
- 3:22; Adam and Eve weren’t eating from the Tree of Life- they were going to die When God talks about dying in 2:17 He’s referring to spiritual death. Physical death was always part of being human.