In the beginning God had two… creation stories? Plural? Many people are surprised to hear the opening chapters of Genesis contain TWO creation stories. And then even more surprised to hear the rest of Scripture contains a small handful more of creation accounts!

Genesis 1:1-2:4 gives the account of a watery beginning, where God speaks from outside creation to tame and form the universe.

Genesis 2:5-24 gives account of God creating the Garden of Eden from a barren wilderness, using His own hands to shape and form His creation. Genesis 3 continues this account telling of the fall of mankind.

This episode of HelloBible dives into the two stories of creation, what they mean, and how we can read them faithfully. We also dive into what it means to read scripture “literally” and what to look out for when we approach the Bible with our well intentioned questions.

Scripture to Read:

Genesis 1-3

Additional Reading:

• Richter, Sandra L. 2008. The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
• Walton, John H. 2009. The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
• Anderson, John E. 2016. “Creation.” In The Lexham Bible Dictionary, edited by John D. Barry, David Bomar, Derek R. Brown, Rachel Klippenstein, Douglas Mangum, Carrie Sinclair Wolcott, Lazarus Wentz, Elliot Ritzema, and Wendy Widder. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

*The LBD is available for free with Logos Bible Software. DM or message us for more info!