Genesis 1-3

 From the very beginning of Genesis, we get a series of powerful clues regarding the God this book is revealing.  5 times in the first 24 verses, we see a hint of the authority of God:

1:3 God said let there be light and there was

1:9 God said... and it was so

1:11 God said... and it was so

1:14 & 15 God said... and it was so

1:24 God said... and it was so

Next, we learn something about ourselves -

1:26&27 Created man in His image, male and female

We are created in the image of God.  What does that mean in terms of how we view and treat one another?  (More on that in coming readings) Does gender matter?

2:3 sanctified the seventh day

2:7  formed man out of the dust, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, man became a living being

2:17 literally "dying you shall die" - What did this warning mean?

2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Gen 3:15 - This verse has been called the "protoevangelion".  Compare with Romans 16:20.  What does protoevangelion mean and why is the context here (the fall of man) relevant?

Gen 3:21 God made coverings of skin

Gen 3:22-24 What's going on here?  Why would it be bad for fallen man to eat from the tree of life?  (Hints in Romans 8, Hebrews 10, Revelation 2, Revelation 22)