Genesis, as its title implies, is a book of beginnings. It narrates the beginning of the world and it narrates the beginning of God’s relationship with human beings.
'God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.' Gen 1:31
It also narrates the beginning of our fall from paradise. Human rebellion makes its stamp on God's creation, and this has dire consequences. Sin has entered the world... and through it, death.
But Genesis also narrates the beginnings of God’s plan to redeem and renew his Creation. In many ways the rest of the Bible is the outworking of Genesis. To begin to grasp Genesis will help us to grasp better the whole biblical story. All the main themes of the Bible are introduced in this book in one way or another.