Genesis Explained: A Bible Study

Did God really create everything? In Genesis 1, the Bible opens with five world-shaping words: "In the beginning, God created." Dr. Toby Holt shows why how we understand creation shapes everything else we believe. Genesis declares God made the heavens and earth out of nothing, by His word, and made human beings in His image. This is the foundation of all right thinking about God and ourselves — "there is a God, and you are not Him." As Creator, He sets the purpose...

What does Genesis 3 teach us in The Temptation and the Fall? In this sermon on Genesis 3, Dr. Toby Holt of New Geneva Theological Seminary teaches that the fall of Adam is the cataclysm modern people no longer understand: one sin was enough to expel our first parents from God's presence and to curse the whole created order, because the wages of sin is death. From a Reformed and Westminster perspective, Holt exposes the serpent's method of attacking God's word and...

Why did Cain kill his brother? In Genesis 4:1-12, the first child ever born grows up to commit the first murder. Dr. Toby Holt shows how Cain and Abel reveal the deep reality of sin in every human heart. Both bring offerings, but God accepts Abel's and not Cain's — because of the heart behind it. Instead of repenting, Cain grows furious and murders his brother. There was no bad upbringing to blame; Cain's sin came from his own fallen nature. God had warned, "sin...

Was Noah's flood about more than animals? In Genesis 6, the world has grown so corrupt that God sends a flood — yet "Noah found grace." Dr. Toby Holt shows that the flood is far more than a children's story. As humanity's wickedness fills the earth, God resolves to judge it with a flood — a picture of His wrath on sin. But Noah finds grace, and God provides the ark as the one means of rescue, pointing forward to Christ, the only refuge from judgment. Jesus said the...

Why did God confuse the world's languages? In Genesis 11:1-9, humanity unites to build a tower to the heavens — and God scatters them by confusing their language. Dr. Toby Holt explains what really happened at Babel. God had told mankind to spread out and fill the earth, but the people gathered to build a city and tower "to make a name for ourselves" — pride and rebellion. God came down, confused their language, and scattered them, accomplishing His will despite...

What does it mean to be a friend of God? In Genesis 12, God calls Abraham out of a pagan land with a staggering set of promises. Dr. Toby Holt opens the life of the man the Bible calls "the friend of God." Abraham came from Ur, steeped in idol worship, yet God chose him — not for his merit but by grace. God told him to leave his country and family for a land he had never seen, and he obeyed. God promised to make him a great nation and to bless all the families of...

Is anything too hard for God? In Genesis 18:1-15, the Lord promises ninety-year-old Sarah a son — and she laughs. Dr. Toby Holt asks whether anything is truly too hard for God. Three visitors come to Abraham, one of them the Lord Himself in human form. As Abraham serves a lavish meal, the Lord renews His promise: Sarah will have a son within the year. Sarah, far past childbearing age, laughs at the impossibility. God's reply: "Is anything too hard for the LORD?"...

Why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? In Genesis 18:22 through 19, God rains down judgment on the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Dr. Toby Holt examines a sobering account of both God's wrath and His mercy. Before judgment falls, Abraham pleads with God, who agrees to spare the cities for ten righteous people — but not even ten are found. Two angels rescue Lot's family as fire destroys the cities; Lot's wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt. Jesus...

Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? In Genesis 22, God gives Abraham the hardest command imaginable: offer your son Isaac as a sacrifice. Dr. Toby Holt walks through this famous test and the gospel it foreshadows. Abraham obeys, traveling three days to Mount Moriah as Isaac carries the wood up the hill. At the last moment God stops him and provides a ram as a substitute. Abraham trusted God so fully that, Hebrews says, he believed God could raise Isaac...

Why did God choose Jacob over Esau? In Genesis 25, before twin brothers are even born, God declares that "the older shall serve the younger." Dr. Toby Holt explores one of the Bible's clearest teachings on God's electing choice. As Isaac's line continues, Rebekah gives birth to Esau and Jacob, and God announces His choice of Jacob before either has done good or bad. Quoted by Paul in Romans 9, this is a foundation for predestination: God's choice rests on His...

Can God use a broken family? In Genesis 27, a blind old father, a scheming mother, and a deceiving son all sin their way through one chaotic day. Dr. Toby Holt shows how God works His good plan even through a deeply broken family. Isaac plans to bless Esau, ignoring God's choice of Jacob. Rebekah schemes, and Jacob lies to his father's face to steal the blessing. Every major figure does wrong — yet the blessing still lands on Jacob, the son God had chosen. Nothing...

What was Jacob's ladder, really? In Genesis 28:10-22, the fleeing deceiver Jacob dreams of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven. Dr. Toby Holt reveals what that ladder truly was. Running from Esau, Jacob sleeps with a stone for a pillow and sees a ladder joining heaven and earth, angels going up and down, and God above it renewing His promises. Every person senses a gap between earth and heaven, and our error is trying to build our own ladder by good works. But...

Who did Jacob wrestle with all night? In Genesis 32:22-32, Jacob wrestles a mysterious "Man" through the night and walks away with a limp and a new name. Dr. Toby Holt explains this strange and pivotal encounter. Returning home after twenty years, Jacob is terrified of meeting Esau. Left alone at the river, he wrestles until daybreak with One he realizes is God Himself — a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. He clings to Him: "I will not let You go unless You bless...

Why did Joseph's brothers hate him? In Genesis 37, Joseph's brothers hate him enough to sell him into slavery. Dr. Toby Holt asks where God is when calamity strikes — even though God's name never appears in the chapter. Jacob plays favorites with a special coat, and the brothers' jealousy turns to hatred when Joseph shares his dreams of ruling over them. They plot to kill him, then sell him to traders bound for Egypt, and deceive their father with a blood-stained...

Where is God when life seems unfair? In Genesis 40, Joseph sits in an Egyptian prison for a crime he never committed — yet “God was with him.” In this study, Dr. Toby Holt shows how God works in the dark seasons when life seems most unfair. Falsely accused and forgotten, Joseph meets Pharaoh’s imprisoned cupbearer and baker, and God enables him to interpret their dreams: one will be restored, the other executed. Joseph asks the cupbearer to remember him — but the...

Can God bring good out of the worst things? In Genesis 45:1-15, Joseph finally reveals himself to the brothers who sold him into slavery. Dr. Toby Holt unfolds the meaning of "providence" — God's hand at work even through hardship and evil. After years of slavery and prison, Joseph stands as second-in-command of Egypt, with his brothers at his mercy. He could have taken revenge. Instead he weeps, embraces them, and explains that God had sent him ahead to preserve...

How does the book of Genesis end? In Genesis 50:15-26, the first book of the Bible closes — not in a garden, but with a coffin in Egypt. Dr. Toby Holt traces the whole sweep of Genesis and its two great themes: human sin and God's grace. After Jacob dies, Joseph's brothers fear revenge. Instead Joseph weeps and forgives them, summing up the whole book in one sentence: what they meant for evil, God meant for good. Joseph dies asking that his bones be carried to the...