Biblical Worldview Of Genesis 1-11

Genesis 1-11 sets the foundation for several concepts pertaining to the biblical worldview. These chapters illustrate the ideal relationship with God, creation, and others before the fall of man. It shows how sin affected human relationships and identities that still exist today. The chapters begin with a perfect creation and end with the division of men from God due to their wicked nature. “This section explains the terrible progress of sin and the reason God’s redemptive program was necessary. Thus, it is the foundation of the biblical worldview, and without this part the rest would be somewhat incomprehensible” (Hindson & Yates). Four concepts, found in Genesis 1-11, that set the foundation for the biblical worldview are the natural world,

human identity, human relationships, and civilization.
God is the creator of the natural world.

Everything God created was perfect and in balance with one another. God made man in His own image and communicated with him. He created everything to have a purpose and meaning in life. He was involved in every aspect of creation and continues to be involved in creation today. “God continues to engage his creation by speaking to his creation” (Arand, 133). God made His creation and was well pleased. “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31a, NIV). However, the perfect harmony between God and His creation did not last long. When Adam and Eve sinned, God put a curse on the natural world, which induced hardships for man. Creation and man do not have a peaceful relationship today. Men abuses creation and creation creates conflicts for men. Humans also abuse the creation’s purpose when they worship it instead of worshipping the creator. God gave us authority over creation, therefore, we should not abuse this responsibility. We are to take care of creation and not harm it. We should worship the Creator rather than the

creation.
God created man to identify themselves with God. He created man in His own image and His own likeness. Since man was created in God’s image, he found his identity in God. God intended to have a personal relationship with man and have fellowship with him. However, once Adam and Eve disobeyed God, this fellowship was broken. “In an instant, this flawless world collapsed, and the human race found itself in the midst of sin and all its consequences” (Harris, 39). Adam and Eve were sinners and their offspring were sinners as well. Wickedness increased in the world and humans began to identify themselves with sin. They were so wicked that God decided to judge them and destroy them with a flood. However, Noah obeyed God and had faith in Him. By being faithful to God, Noah found his identity in God. Even after the flood, human wickedness still increased. Rather than having their identities found in God, they wanted their identities to be gods. They built the Tower of Babel to make a name for themselves and to become like gods. The wickedness of sinful nature is still present in today’s world. People live in sin and for sin while Christians live in the Spirit and for God. We are to love and obey God and find our identity in Him and ultimately in Christ. Once Jesus saved us, our identity in sin was no more. Therefore, in the end, God will not see our sin, but see Christ in us.
God created man and gave him authority over all of creation. However, the man did not find a suitable helper among the animals. The man needed community and God fulfilled that need by providing man with woman. Adam provided for Eve and Eve helped Adam. They were united as one in marriage. This union of marriage is still relevant and used in the world today. However, sin has distorted the definition of marriage and their relationship to each other. Adam and Eve had a perfect relationship with each other until sin broke their perfect bond. When God asked if they ate from the tree, Adam blamed Eve and ultimately God. “Here, the reader sees the most divisive effects of sin: setting humanity against one another and alienating them from their all-caring creator” (Harris, 44). After they sinned, their relationship was never the same. Their offspring and the generations to come were born in sin and their relationships were corrupt. “Their descendants followed in the rebellious ways of their parents, resulting in what would become the beginning of the continuing story of human depravity and its terrible consequences” (Hindson & Yates, 131). Humans disobeyed God and their relationships have become deeper in sin throughout the ages. Today, relationships are full of sin and wickedness. Instead of loving God and loving others, people love themselves. The sanctity of marriage has been distorted by divorce and homosexuality. Even with family and platonic relationships, people lie and deceive each other. Christians should love each other and keep the sanctity of marriage. Our relationships should be the way God intended them to be before the fall.
Since sin entered the world, wickedness in men’s hearts.

Even after God wiped them out with a flood, the next generation grew in wickedness. After the flood, God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). From Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham, Japheth; nations arose. The nations scattered and filled the earth. Even though God blessed Noah and his offspring, sin still lived in human hearts. God intended the nations to scatter, but they settled in one spot because of their common language. They built the tower of Babel to glorify themselves. God, however, intervened with their plans and confused the language between them. This caused them to scatter out of confusion and not of God’s blessing. “The subsequent dispersion of the nations at the tower of Babel indicates that obedience results in blessing and disobedience results in scattering” (Hindson & Yates, 136). The people scattered the earth according to their language. Today, civilizations are still grouped by different languages. Even with the confusion of language and the divisions of nations, each society continues to sin and glorify themselves rather than God. Jesus called us to go out into the earth and tell others about Him. The barrier of language will not overcome to spreading of the Gospel. We are called to bring others to Christ and be unified as the Body of

Christ.
The four concepts: natural world, human identity, human relationships, and civilization, set up the foundation of the biblical worldview. God created the natural world to be perfect and for man to be made in His image and likeness. Adam and Eve had a perfect relationship with God and each other. However, when sin emerged, the bond between God and between themselves was broken. God made them fruitful in numbers, but their descendants were full of sin. They found their identity in sin rather than God. Their wickedness was overwhelming and lead them to an even greater division from God and others. The division still persists today. The world is full of wickedness and people find their identity in sin. Christians in today’s world should be full of the love of God and spread God’s love to others. They should remain faithful to God and find their identity in Him.