Christ in Genesis

By Scott Shifferd, Jr

If there was nothing in the beginning, there would be nothing now. Yet, we from the creation of the world have been able to see God's invisible attributes, His eternal power, and divinity (Rom. 1.20).

In the Scriptures, the Apostle John lived with Jesus and wrote of Jesus' life revealing that He was "In the beginning". Clearly, John was connecting Genesis with the Gospel. John wrote that Jesus was the Word, and the Word has been God (John 1:1-5).

Can Christ be seen in the book of Genesis? Genesis means "beginning", and the book of Genesis is filled with beginnings. Before the beginning, there was God, who spoke creating all from His Word and not from nothing (Heb. 11:3). From the beginning, God created the heavens, the earth, vegetation, and animals (Gen. 1). God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; [...] So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Gen. 1:26-27). The personalities of God are revealed in mankind's creation. By His image, God created mankind's immense value and unity in the institution of marriage (Gen. 2).

God made mankind with free will, and mankind chose to take the knowledge of good and evil upon their flesh and bring death when sinless paradise could not bear such knowledge (Gen. 3:19). God's angelic creation had a rebel, who fathered the lie in the beginning and deceived mankind to sin taking the knowledge upon themselves. From sin came death and its sufferings. The beginning of sin grew to include the beginning of murder, polygamy, enslavement, and more.

From evil hearts came the beginning of judgment and a demand for the lifeblood of mankind (Gen. 6:5-8, 9:5-6). Therefore, there was the beginning of the need for atonement and salvation from eternal death and separation from God. Therefore, God promised that the Seed, the Offspring, of woman will overcome Satan's head (Gen. 3:15). Genesis records the generations and the origins of the nations and languages. God made a way that all the Nations to be blessed through the Seed of Eve's descendant, Abraham. God said to Abraham in Gen. 22:18, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Gen. 22:18, cf. 12:3). That Seed is Christ.