^{Whether you’re learning to use a computer, drive a car, or climb a mountain, you have to start with the basics.  And if you want to succeed, you have to know and master the basics.  Basics are the fundamental truths that are the foundation for the decisions we make, the values we cherish, and the goals we try to reach.  If you’re wondering why there’s so much confusion and destruction in today’s world, one reason is because people are ignoring or rejecting the basics.  But that’s like going on a voyage without a compass or radar, or trying to perform brain surgery without lights.  
 
The book of Genesis is the “book of basics” because it’s the “book of beginnings.”  To know Genesis is to know the fundamental truths – the basics – about God, the world, yourself and other people, law, sin, salvation, marriage, faith, and spiritual fulfillment.  Quoted more than 200 times in the New Testament, this book at the beginning, points all the way to the end.  Even from page 1, it’s going to be showing us the story that leads to Jesus.  So, let’s get down to basics!}