STOR Y L INE
When God rebuked Satan in Genesis 3:15, He outlined the plot of the entire rest of the Bible: “I
will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush
your head, and you will strike his heel.” Indeed, the devil would fight against Eve’s descendants;
but one of them, Jesus of Nazareth, would deal him a fatal blow by defeating sin and death on
the cross. Because Genesis encapsulates many foundational truths, it is not surprising that many
New Testament books reference this book in some way. For example, Jesus, Paul, and the author
of Hebrews draw from the Bible’s opening book to give the basis for marriage (Matthew 19:4–5),
explain humanity’s fallen condition (Romans 5:12), and provide examples of walking by faith (He-
brews 11). And key salvation-related concepts like sin, covenant, sacrifice, judgment, mercy, and
obedience all have their origins in this book.
OU TL INE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The universe, the earth, and human beings (1:1–2:25)
The fall of humanity and the results of sin (3:1–5:32)
The story of Noah (6:1–9:29)
The scattering of the human race (10:1–11:32)
The life of Abraham (12:1–25:18)
Isaac and his family (25:19–26:35)
Jacob and his sons (27:1–37:1)
The life of Joseph (37:2–50:26)
THE 7 ER A S
For topical study, please refer to the index on p. xxxx.