Genesis 1-11 as the Basis for Biblical Theology

Genesis 1–11 presents foundational principles that explain and govern all reality. However, not only do these chapters explain what life in this world is really all about, they also lay the groundwork for the rest of Scripture. The rest of the Bible develops and expands upon these foundational principles, which introduces the concept of Biblical Theology. Section 1 deals with biblical theology and the hermeneutical method that is used throughout the title.

Section 2 book deals with creation (Gen 1:1–2:3). This section begins with chapters dealing with introductory matters. That is followed by consideration of each day of creation, ending with a summary chapter. Throughout this section, we learn the most foundational principle of all, namely, that when God is at work, he is turning death into life.

Whereas the creation account focuses on God and his work, Genesis 2–4 deals with humanity. This is the subject of Section 3. The incredible blessing bestowed upon humanity is lost due to sin. Throughout this section, the focus is on the fundamental principles that govern people’s relationships with both God and one another.

Section 4 covers Genesis 5–11. This is a large section of Scripture that contains many and various stories and genres. Because of this, only the larger topics and how they are developed will be covered. These topics step back from issues focusing on God (creation) and the specific issues focusing on human conduct (Genesis 2–4) and deal with God in reference to humanity as a whole.

This book does not attempt to trace the principles revealed in Genesis 1–11 throughout the rest of the Bible. This is a very different approach than most books on biblical theology. There are several reasons for this. First, tracing all the principles that are introduced in Genesis 1–11 throughout the rest of Scripture would make this book exceeding large, and most students would find it extremely tedious. However, more importantly, the fundamental principles that are presented in Genesis 1–11 are so apparent in both life and Scripture that there is no need to show how they continually appear.