This is the first Study Guide (SG) in Genesis, copyright 2019 by JWA. Not every program will have an accompanying SG, but only those that contain information that is unfamiliar to the majority of our TFW radio audience. Pastor Jim usually refrains from giving much detail about words in the original languages (e.g., Hebrew & Greek) or from using technical terminology. However, there are times when he feels this is necessary.

The purpose of this SG is to help the listener absorb the content with a minimum of distraction from a significant amount of new information. It has been adapted from Pastor Jim’s sermon notes, and it only contains the necessary content for the average listener to comprehend the passage. For more help, consult a study Bible (avoid the 2011 NIV version due to gender-neutral language).

“Let’s first talk about Genesis as a book. Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament (called The Pentateuch or The Law).”

“The Hebrew word bereshith and the Greek word genesis both refer to the same thing—a beginning.”

“The Greek exegesis means ‘to dig out the true meaning.’”

“A genre is a literary category; Genesis is in a literary genre by itself (sui generis–Latin). Chapters 1-11 are not myth, yet they are not intended to be a precise, scientific account either. Nor is it a historical description in the ordinary sense. It is not exactly poetry, but more like elevated prose that has a theological purpose.”

“The commentators Keil & Delitzsch [p. 39], list 3 competing cosmologies (theories of origins) among secular scientists and philosophers:

The hylozoistic view held that the source of life was some pre-existing primeval matter. (Darwinism follows this track somewhat.)

The pantheistic view held that the whole world emanated from a common divine substance, so that ALL is God or All is God. (Eastern religions such as Hinduism and some schools of philosophy are on this page.)

The mythological view sees the origins of gods and men as emerging from ‘rival forces’ colliding in primeval chaos or alternatively, like a chicken, from a world egg. (The Big-Bang Theory shares commonality with this school of thought.)”

In Genesis 1-11, some things in these chapters are paradigmatic (meaning the content serves us as timeless models or patterns of certain realities – the tactics of Satan, the outcomes of sin, etc.), some are aetiological (meaning they are intended to clue us about the source or origins of peoples, practices or behaviors or cultures, etc.), and some are foundational (intended to establish the historical basis or authority for an institution, e.g., marriage).

Copyright 2019 by JWA

“In Genesis 1-11, some things in these chapters are paradigmatic (meaning the content serves us as timeless models or patterns of certain realities – the tactics of Satan, the outcomes of sin, etc.), some are aetiological (meaning they are intended to clue us about the source or origins of peoples, practices or behaviors or cultures, etc.), and some are foundational (intended to establish the historical basis or authority for an institution, e.g., marriage).”

“Definition of SCIENCE: Study of God’s created order. Definition of scientism: Worship of man’s understanding of a godless Universe”

“ex nihilo creation (Latin, meaning ‘out of nothing’).”

Copyright 2019 by JWA

“The Hebrew verb bara (created) can mean one of two things. The usual sense of the verb, which is only used of God and of no other creature or person, is ‘to create by a divine supernatural act.’ However in this case, it means ‘to create something entirely new that did not exist previously by a divine supernatural act.’ This is confirmed by the analogy of Scripture, which means that the ENTIRE biblical revelation explains and clarifies the individual part or parts. See Colossians 1:16-17, Romans 11:36, Isaiah 45:7-10 and John 1:1-3.”

“So, to summarize, this verb in itself does not say the creation was out of nothing; in fact it is used elsewhere in this chapter where God creates using what He had already created. But in this case (1:1), ‘out of nothing’ clearly stated in those passages above that were penned by inspired writers. So we rightly affirm it.”

“The Hebrew plural noun Elohim (God) is the generic name for “God” just as ho theos is in Greek. God also reveals Himself by other names which define relationships (Yahweh, which means “Lord,” and “Father God,” by which we mean that the One who is God is also the One who, in Christ, is our Heavenly Father).”

“El Gibbor” means Mighty One.

“Since Moses used a plural noun (Elohim) with a singular verb (bara), this is an indication of the Trinitarian nature of God. Biblical revelation tends to move from the seminal to the substantive, to move progressively into fuller and fuller light on a subject. ‘The New Testament is in the Old somewhat concealed; the Old is in the New more fully revealed.’”

“The phrase used for the ‘heavens and the earth’ is a Hebrew term that means the whole cosmos of Creation.”

“The Hebrew term for ‘earth’ means the land portion of our globe.”

“The Hebrew terms tohu and bohu mean ‘formless and void.’”

“The Latin phrase ex nihilo means ‘out of nothing.’”

“The Hebrew word for spirit or Holy Spirit is ruach.”

Copyright 2019 by JWA

The distinction between macro- and micro-evolution is critical; the biblical position is that the macro (change between species) is untenable. Nobody denies microevolution (change within a given species).

The definition of phenomenal language is “a description of appearance, not objective reality, e.g., ‘the sun is setting.’”

Keil & Delitzsch call the Hebrew term for “seas” a “plural of intensity” not a numerical plural.

The term proleptically means “by anticipation.”

Copyright 2019 by JWA

The Hebrew word Adam means “man” or “mankind.”

The use of the Hebrew plural “let us” with the singular verb “make” refers to an early hint of the Trinity.

What does the phrase “image and likeness of God” mean? By adding “likeness,” Moses indicates that this does NOT mean an exact one. Not “a little god,” as heretical charismatics (esp. NAR) teach. Rather, a divinely designed similarity, including an ability to commune with God.

Copyright 2019 by JWA

This detailed creation account in chapter 2 is not, as skeptical scholars claim, a second one patched from a later source into the original narrative in chapter 1. Genesis is by no means a patchwork quilt of narratives, but a carefully crafted document of accounts or generations that move the story forward.

Genesis is organized by the author around 10 divisions. These ten generations are clearly marked by the Hebrew word toledoth, which is sometimes translated “account,” i.e., the successive accounts (lit. “generations”) of the family of the man down to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who were the patriarchs of God’s chosen people. The first of those divisions is demarcated at Genesis 2:4, “This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.”

Editor’s note: Pastor Jim used Dr. Bruce Waltke’s GENESIS: A COMMENTARY (2001) as one of his resources for teaching Genesis, which is doctrinally sound. Waltke had enjoyed a sterling reputation for scholarship and theological integrity for over half a century. However, in 2010, he endorsed evolution as part of God’s creative process, which is contradicted by the textual, biblical evidence. He resigned from Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando shortly thereafter. This development was unknown to Pastor Jim at the time of recording.

Thus, to avoid appearing to endorse Waltke’s views, we have edited out his name, replacing it with “a well-known OT scholar” in programs #5 and #6 (today’s). There will be future programs as well.