The word genesis in Hebrew means “origin,” and the Book of Genesis gives the only true and reliable account of the origin of all the basic entities of the universe and of life. For example:
Only the Book of Genesis even attempts to account for the ultimate origin of matter, space, and time; and it does so uniquely in terms of special creation.
Order and complexity never arise spontaneously—they are always generated by a prior cause programmed to produce such order.
The earth, as well as the sun and moon, and even the planets and all the stars of heaven, were likewise brought into existence by the Creator, as told in Genesis.
The earth is uniquely equipped with a great body of liquid water and an extensive blanket of an oxygen-nitrogen gaseous mixture, both of which are necessary for life.
How living systems could have come into being from non-living chemicals is, and will undoubtedly continue to be, a total mystery to materialistic philosophers. The account of the creation of “living creatures” in Genesis is the only rational explanation.
Man is the most highly organized and complex entity in the universe, so far as we know, possessing not only the marvelous capacities of life and reproduction, but also a nature that contemplates beauty and love and worship.
The remarkable universal and stable institution of marriage and the home, in a monogamous, patriarchal social culture is described in Genesis as having been ordained by the Creator.
The origin of physical and moral evils in the universe is explained in Genesis as a temporary intrusion into God’s perfect world, allowed by human as a concession to the principle of human freedom and responsibility, and also to manifest Himself as Redeemer as well as Creator.
Genesis alone accounts for the origin of language and for the various national languages.
The development of organized systems of human government is described in Genesis, with man responsible for his own actions and maintaining orderly social structures.
Genesis describes the beginning of the main entities now associated with civilized cultures—urbanization, metallurgy, music, agriculture, animal husbandry, writing, education, etc.
Only Genesis gives an adequate answer to the problem of how distinct nations and people groups developed.
All religions share the consciousness that there must be some ultimate truth and meaning toward which men should strive. The origin of man’s unique consciousness and the worship of the true God are both given in Genesis.
The enigma of the Israelites—the unique nation that was without a homeland for 1900 years, which gave the world the Bible and knowledge of the true God, through which came Christianity—is answered only in terms of the unique origin of Israel described in Genesis.