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1:3
Pss 33:9; 104:2
2 Cor 4:6
1:6
Job 26:10
Ps 136:5-6
Isa 40:22
1:7
Job 38:8-11
Ps 148:4
1:9
Job 26:7
Ps 95:5
Jer 5:22
2 Pet 3:5
1:10
Pss 33:7; 95:5
1:11
Gen 2:9
Ps 104:14
Matt 6:30
BEGINNINGS
•
GENESIS 1
3Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw that the light
was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light
“day” and the darkness “night.”
And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
6Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of
the heavens from the waters of the earth.” 7And that is what happened. God made
this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. 8God
called the space “sky.”
And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.
9Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry
ground may appear.” And that is what happened. 10God called the dry ground
“land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let
the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that
grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and
THE BIBLE does not discuss the subject of evolution. Rather, its worldview assumes God cre-
ated the world. The biblical view of creation is not in conflict with science; rather, it is in conflict
with any worldview that starts without a creator.
Equally committed and sincere Christians have struggled with the subject of beginnings and
come to differing conclusions. This, of course, is to be expected because the evidence is very old
and, due to the ravages of the ages, quite fragmented. Regardless of what position we take, we
should avoid polarizations and black-and-white thinking. We must also be careful not to make
either the Bible or science say what it doesn’t say.
The most important aspect of the continuing discussion is not the process of creation but the
origin of creation. The world is not a product of blind chance and probability; God created it.
The Bible not only tells us that the world was created by God; more importantly, it tells us who
this God is. It reveals God’s personality, his character, and his plan for his creation. It also reveals
God’s deepest desire: to relate to and fellowship with the people he created. God took the ultimate
EXTENDED
step toward fellowship with us through his historic visit to this planet in the person
of his Son, Jesus
EXPLANATION
Christ. We can know in a very personal way this God who created the universe.
As we open —
his
Word and start getting to know him, we begin the most exciting and fulfilling
journey
imaginable.
These
allow
you to
dive deeper into an
important topic or theme
needs over 200 million years to make one rotation. And there are at least another creator before God, and who would have created that being?
in the Bible.
Eventually we are forced to stop asking that question
and realize that there
one trillion other galaxies in the universe.
It has been said that the number of stars in the universe is more than has to be something that has always existed. God is the infinite Being
all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the world. Yet this complex who has always been and who was created by no one. This is difficult to
sea of spinning stars functions with remarkable order and efficiency. To understand because finite minds cannot comprehend the infinite. (For
say that the universe “just happened” or “evolved” requires more faith example, we can try to think of the highest number, but we can’t do it.)
than to believe that God is behind these amazing statistics. God truly did We must not limit the infinite God by our finite understanding.
create a wonderful universe, and he is worthy of our praise.
1:2 The statement “the earth was formless and empty” provides the setGod did not need to create the universe; he chose to create it. Why? ting for the Creation narrative that follows. During the second and third
God is love, and love is best expressed toward something or someone days of Creation, God gave form to the universe; during the next three
else—so God created the world and people as an expression of his love. days, God filled the earth with living things. The darkness was dispelled
We should avoid reducing God’s creation to merely scientific terms. on the first day, when God created light.
Remember that God created the universe because he loves us.
1:2 The image of the Spirit of God hovering over the surface of the waters
1:1-31 The Creation story teaches us much about God and ourselves. brings to mind a mother bird caring for and protecting her young (see
First, we learn about God: (1) He is creative; (2) as the Creator, he is distinct Deuteronomy 32:11-12; Isaiah 31:5). God’s Spirit was actively involved
from his creation; (3) he is eternal and in control of the world. We also in the creation of the world. God’s care for and protection of us are still
learn about ourselves: (1) Since God chose to create us, we are valuable in active through the Holy Spirit today.
his eyes; (2) we have an important role in the created order that includes 1:3–2:7 How long did it take God to create the world? There are two
ruling over other living things.
basic views about the days of Creation: (1) Each day was a literal 24-hour
1:1-31 Just how did God create the earth? Even among believers, this period; (2) each day represents an indefinite period of time (even milis an ongoing subject of debate. Some believe God created
it in seven lions
APPLICATION
NOTES
of years).—
24-hour days. Others believe it happened over millionsApplication
of years undernotesThe
Bible does not say how long these days were. The real question,
typically
God’s direction. Almost every ancient religion has its own story to however, is not how long God took, but how he did it. God created the
have three parts:
explain how the earth came to be. And some scientists try to attribute earth in an orderly fashion (for example, he did not make plants before
Scripture
our origins to natural causes alone. The Bible doesn’t(1)
tellsummarize
us how it all the
light),
and he created men and women as unique beings capable of
happened, but it does show us one supreme God creating
earth communication
beingthe
discussed,
(2) capturewith him. No other part of our created order can claim
out of his great love and giving all people a special place
it. We may ofthat
theinrelevance
theremarkable
passageprivilege. The important thing is not how long it took
never know all the answers to how God created the earth, but we know God to create the world, whether a few days or a few billion years, but
to
what
is
happening
today,it just the way he wanted it.
from Scripture that God did create it. That fact alone gives worth and that he created
and (3) demonstrate
dignity to each of us.
1:6 The how
“space between the waters” was a separation between the sea
to there
apply
it toand
daily
1:2 Who created God? To ask that question is to assume
was
the life.
mists of the skies.
