How does the biblical story begin, and where is it ultimately going? This paper considers the theological significance of the land in Genesis 1, drawing from John Sailhamer’s Historical Creationist interpretation and developing its implications through the framework of Progressive Covenantalism. According to Sailhamer, the six-day structure of Genesis 1:2–31 is best understood not as a global cosmological account, but as the preparation of a specific land—a sacred space where God would dwell with His people. This reading positions Genesis not primarily as a scientific text but as the opening act in God’s redemptive drama (Gen 1:1–2:3).
Progressive Covenantalism affirms the centrality of the land promise in the unfolding covenants of Scripture, while recognizing that the land ultimately functions typologically. The promise made to Abraham finds its fulfillment not in a strip of territory, but in Christ Himself, who secures rest for His people and inaugurates the new creation (Heb 3:7–4:11). In this framework, the land is never the goal, but the stage on which the covenantal purposes of God unfold.
This paper argues that Sailhamer’s reading provides a meaningful theological entry point into the canonical storyline, one that aligns with the typological structures emphasized in Progressive Covenantalism. By situating the land as a covenantal category from the outset, Genesis 1–2 becomes the first movement in a unified narrative of God’s intention to dwell with His people. That intention, progressively revealed and typologically developed through the covenants, culminates in Christ—the true and greater Adam, the true seed of Abraham, and the greater Joshua—who brings His people into their ultimate rest.
In light of this, Sailhamer’s proposal, far from being a mere exegetical curiosity, offers a constructive theological contribution to ongoing conversations about creation, biblical theology, and covenantal continuity within evangelical thought.