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Comparison of Genesis I and Exodus 20 Essay

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The purpose of the creation story is not central to the Bible but serves as a prologue to the historical drama, which are the central concerns of the Bible. The narrative focus in the Bible is on the story that begins with Noah and is centered on the exodus from Egypt. The central event in the Bible is the creation of the covenant and the giving of laws and commandments. Although the creation of the world in Genesis I and the pronouncement of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 are two completely different accounts in the Bible, there lies a similar theme between them: God creates an orderly and hierarchical universe, both natural and moral.
In Genesis I, God creates an orderly natural universe. He separates and categorizes everything he …show more content…

In conclusion, we human beings can rely on the order of nature to attain our ends.
In Exodus 20, God creates moral order. God’s way of separation and categorization is a model for human morality. Morality divides up actions into right and wrong, good and bad. To be moral is to categorize actions and circumstances appropriately and follow the correct rules in each case. The Ten Commandments serve as a guide for human beings to be moral. In disobeying these laws, God is well known to punish, starting with Adam and Eve. God punishes because punishment is necessary in order to create human beings who can be morally responsible for themselves. To be morally responsible, we must be able to do the following things:
1. Recognize that we can choose to act one way or another. (Given the simplicity of life in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were barely aware of this.)
2. Be self conscious and self-aware. We must be capable of looking at our actions or interpreting our own actions.
3. We must be able to compare our actions to some ideal or standard of morality.
4. We must be able to stop and think before we act.

Recognition of a failure to follow God’s commands brings about new capabilities. In violating God’s commandments, Adam and Eve come to learn that they can choose to live

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