Genesis 1: Where the Bible Begins

Introduction: What is the Bible?

  • Greek ‘Biblion’ = ‘book’

  • One book made up of 66 books written by more than 40 men over about 2000 years or more

  • Two sections:

► ‘Old Testament’ written before Jesus came, in Hebrew language (39 books)

►‘New Testament’ written after Jesus came, in Greek language (27 books)

  • Different type of literature: narrative, poetry, prophecy, wisdom, letters etc

  • English translations divide the text into chapters and verses for referencing

  • Christians believe:


►The Bible was written by God through human authors


►The (original) Bible is without errors or faults


►God continues to speak to people today through the Bible


►The Bible is the greatest authority on all matters that it speaks about


►The main message of the Bible is to introduce people to Jesus

Discussion Questions for Genesis 1:1-2:3

  1. Generally speaking, what things does this passage talk about?

  1. Fill in what happened on each day:

Day 1 (1:3-5)

Day 4 (1:14-19)

Day 2 (1:6-8)

Day 5 (1:20-23)

Day 3 (1:9-13)

Day 6 (1:24-31)


Day 7 (2:1-3)


  1. What was everything like in the beginning (1:1-2)?

  2. Who is the main subject of this passage?

  3. What is everything like by the end of the passage?

  4. What relationship does God have to everything else in the universe? How might that compare to other religions?

  5. What do we learn about people from this passage? Is there anything notable about people? (1:26-31)

  6. RECAP: What do we learn about God and people from this passage?