The first chapter of the first book of Bible (Genesis 1) records the story of how God created everything. This chapter details for us where we all come from. In fact, the very title of the book, “Genesis”, comes from a Greek word meaning origins, which is perfectly fitting for this book, as it is a book that is all about origins.
What kinds of origins do we find in Genesis? Well, Genesis records (1) the origins of the world as we know it, (2) the origins of humanity, (3) the origins of sin and death in the world, (4) the origins of the Jewish people in Abraham, and (5) the origins of God’s mission to redeem the entire creation through Abraham’s family.
I find this interesting. Why does the Bible start here? Why doesn’t the Bible start with the first book of the New Testament (Matthew)? Why doesn’ the Bible start with the story of Jesus? He is, after all, the hero of God’s cosmic plan to redeem it all. Better yet, why doesn’t the Bible start with the story of Moses in Exodus? Why does the Bible go clear back to the very beginning to explain where everything comes from?
I think the Bible starts his way so as to teach us that knowing our origins is essential to the Judeo-Christian worldview and for growth towards spiritual maturity.
How does this work?
Well, when we do not know our origins, we have no context for understanding who we are and why we are here. A life without origins is a life without purpose; a life without significance or consequence.
Failing to be mindful of our history turns us into vain, self-centered, and superficial people. There’s something very wrong if we think life begins and ends with me. If we don’t know history (or don’t care about history), we have a tendency to think it’s all about us right here, right now. It’s possible that we tell ourselves, “I know life doesn’t begin and end with me!”, but we fail to live like we believe that? There’s often a fatal disconnect between belief and behavior. The lifestyle prescribed by the American dream (which is all about me) doesn’t reflect that sort of a worldview, unfortunately.
Contemporary, American Christianity sometimes falls into the trap of thinking that our faith and our salvation is all about me and God. This is too short-sighted. The story of the world as it begins in Genesis, is all about God. God is the main actor on the stage of history. He started his redemptive work the moment the problem began and will continue his work long after you and I are gone.
The story of history is not the story of you, or me. It’s the story of God and what he’s doing in the world. You and I play a minor (but important) role within God’s larger narrative. Knowing our history helps us understand that we are a single, tiny thread within a march larger, more elaborate tapestry. If we form the habit of thinking that our individuals lives are the entire tapestry, then we have yet to put on a Christian/biblical worldview.
To sum it up, Cicero keenly observed, “To know nothing of what happened before you were born, is to forever remain a child.”
Not remembering God’s epic story of redemption means loosing our footing in the pilgrimage of growing in spiritual maturity. Know your history.
