When something comes to a positive conclusion, when critical situations reach a happy ending, when a strained marriage turns into matrimonial bliss, we usually tend to forget how many obstacles and setbacks, difficulties and disappointments we had to overcome. The proverbial "happy ending" lets everything grow pale that had been in our way. As the saying goes: "All’s well that ends well." That’s true for individuals as well as for humankind as a whole. That the Almighty God will bring everything to a positive conclusion is the conviction of Christians who trust in the promise: "Behold, I make all things new." With confidence we look therefore to the advent of Christ and the end of all things, that is, the eschatological completion of the world.

But biblical faith does not only look to the future as the time when the pain and misery of this world will be forgotten and replaced by eternal joy and peace. True, the firm hope and expectation of a better and indeed perfect future help us deal with the countless challenges of individual and corporate life here and now. But the opposite saying is also true. "All’s well that begins well." For example, a perfect start in a race provides the best basis for a successful finish; a bad start, in comparison, usually spoils the chances of victory. The direction we take when entering a freeway determines the destination we will finally reach. Only a solid foundation can support the skyscraper erected upon it. Likewise, the basic questions of life call for firm and solid answers. As the Greek philosopher Aristotle once perceptively said, "The beginning is half the whole."

Seen in that light, the book of Genesis—in the Hebrew Bible it is aptly called "Beginnings"—holds a special and important place within the Holy Scripture. By telling us how everything once began, how things were put in place by their Creator, and what purpose "man"—understood as male and female—was to fulfill, it reveals God’s true intentions for us and for this world. The description of humans in the first three chapters of the Bible provides a basic theological anthropology that is unsurpassed in ancient and modern literature. It gives us much-needed direction and orientation for ruling the world as God’s viceroys and stewards. It also gives meaning to our lives and strengthens our confidence that God’s plan for this world will ultimately be fulfilled.

The biblical view of humanity as set forth in the book of Genesis is both quite appealing and appalling, very idealistic and utterly realistic. Despite perfect conditions, the paradise-like state of this world didn’t last long. Strange as it may seem to us, the seed of doubt in God’s unsurpassable wisdom and goodness found fertile ground to become a proliferous, creeping plant of distrust, alienation, and guilt. Thus the biblical story of the "Beginnings" tells tales of moral decline and divine judgment, human pride, lies and intrigues, resentment and envy, bloody family feuds, ruthless murder, and other catastrophes. In short, a world just like ours—and not one bit better. To read the first book of the Bible is like browsing through the tabloid newspapers of today

Well, not quite. There is at least one crucial dimension to the biblical story not found in news magazines or history books that offer a merely human perspective of our world. How does the Creator-God react to the fact that his perfect creation has become an ugly place of fear and terror? At the first glance, it would seem that he regrets what he has done and is willing to destroy his own work. But again and again, his mercy and care can be seen as he showers his attention on his creatures and with loving patience seeks to win them over. God does not desire calamity and destruction, but rather life and well-being for us. He guides and protects, liberates and saves, pardons and forgives, blesses and provides. There is divine mercy in the midst of divine judgment, saving faith in view of doubt, ultimate meaning in the face of chaos—just like today.

God is able to write straight with crooked lines. This experience, as told in Genesis in so many variations, can encourage us to take hold of our lives, and—despite guilt and failure—do our best to shape this world responsibly, act righteously, preserve and protect what is left of the original "garden," and witness about the incomprehensible love of God whose power and grace sustain his beautiful—but fallen—creation. To look at the beginnings of our world is to come face to face with the mystery of life and discover our human destiny. It may also lead us to a fresh start in our personal life, a renewal of our spirituality. The Nobel prize winning author and poet Hermann Hesse sensed something of the mysterious power of "Beginnings" as he wrote these words: "In every new beginning there is an inherent magic that protects us and helps us to live."

The book of Genesis can help us understand God, ourselves, and our world—both as it is and as it was meant to be. In fulfilling this function, it exerted a strong and lasting influence not only on the Jewish religion, but also on Christian theology. It is indeed a unique book in our library of sacred writings that we call the "Holy Bible." To study it with an inquiring mind, seeking fresh insights from its age-old but down-to-earth stories, may lead us to a personal encounter with the Creator and Sustainer, Redeemer and Judge of the world himself. In his covenant with the Hebrew patriarchs, God had promised to bless all nations of the earth. He later fulfilled this plan in an utterly surprising manner. Now all who believe in Jesus Christ—the unique Son of God—are Abraham’s children. Thus, the book of Genesis is their—and our—(hi)story.

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