"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). To this exalted thought the leaders of Bible times returned again and again as they appealed to their people to maintain a steadfast loyalty to God. Genesis (meaning "beginnings") logically takes its position as the opening book in the Bible, establishing the supremacy of God, the creator, as "in the beginning," or "in the first place."
The Bible reader soon encounters difficulty in tracing a chronological pattern, whether in the history of the Hebrew people or of their religion. However, a patient search of Scripture reveals a remarkably unified design in its history and, above all, in its spiritual message. Important as the historical structure is, all other aspects are secondary to the spiritual design.
The only Bible of Jesus and the early Christians was our Old Testament, which they knew and loved. Though in the third chapter of II Corinthians the Apostle Paul explains how "the new testament" (verse 6) would supersede what he calls "the old testament" (verse 14), doubtless he would agree nothing could entirely replace it.
