Genesis Chapter 1

As an overview of the first chapter of the Book of Genesis it is interesting to note that the name of the Book comes from the Hebrew Idea of beginning or being at the first. Bereshet is first translated "at the first" or "In the beginning" and it is from that the LXX translates archae..meaning beginning. In the hebrew it comes from the word that means, the first, chief, and as such significantly influenced the way we interpret the book.
Chapter 1 outlines the overview of God's creative act. Necessarily God utilizes no proof for himself but presents the truth based upon an assumption of our belief in him by faith. The text begins: In the Beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.

Here God simply overviews the great details of his creative act. He does not necessarily divulge all of his acts in creation. Notably that is how stories are told especially in oral tradition. We shall see in chapter 2 how God takes a few points from his overview and expands them to explain the intimacy of the human creation and the origin of the family. Note that God delivers similar overview statements in Genesis 11 and then from chapter 12 forward he develops the nations of Abraham and his descendants.

As an aside I believe too much has been made of the difference between verse 1 and verse 2. Essentially, folks believe in a gap of ages between verse 1 which to them describes the first creation and then its destructing in verse 2 due to the "without form and void" statement.  I believe in a young earth at the least or an expanding time stretching universe like Hugh Ross. However, I do not see how a gap can occur between verse 1 and verse 2 although gaps do occur in scripture in other places. The problem I have with the gap theory is that death would have had to proceeded Adam's fall in chapter 3 to do away with the first creation. I believe death came by Adam and was passed upon all mankind and had ramifications upon all of Creation.
To me the being without form and void simply describes the earth in the transition flux of the creative act. There is no mention of pre adamic humanoids or dinosaurs and for it to be empty would that not mean that the evidence of such a pre adamic world would be eradicated when it was destroyed. furthermore as Bruce states the Hebrew syntax does not support the insertion of time here to develop the infamous "Gap".[Bruce 114]

Leaving this for God and the ages, I note that the creative dialog is broken up into days from verse 3 on. Light is created in verses 3-5. Day 2 involves the seperation of the waters above and below. [6-8] Day three God adds dry land, seperates the land and sea adding plant life to the earth.[9-13] Day four deals with the stellar heavens, sun, moon, and stars. [14-19] On the fifth day God creates the animal life. [20-23] On the sixth day God creates man and woman in his own image. [24-27] This passage it should be noted is where God will pick up in Chapter 2:7 to describe the intimacy of his creative act of making man and woman.
Some describe the verses from 1:28-2:25 to describe the first dispensation of mankind, Innocency.
From this chapter I present now the Assumptions of faith.

    Assumptions of Faith and Theology Outline

I. The first assumption of Faith: God exists and has creative power Chapter 1
A. God declares his person  vs1
1. He does not have to prove himself.
2. His very presence promilgates faith
B. God declares his plan vs 1
C. God declares his creation process vs 2-31
The assumptions of Faith will be continued in Chapter 2 of Genesis blog.