Genesis 1

Verses 1-3

• We learn here about the person of God, and first that He is the Creator of everything.

  • Colossians gives us some more details, saying, “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him and for him” (Colossians 1:16).

  • God made everything you can see, and everything you can't—the physical, material realm, and the invisible spiritual realm.

    • The angels, for example, and other invisible spiritual beings are part of the creation of the heavens.

• We learn here that creation started in darkness, and that God's Word brought light.

  • In the lives of humans, darkness means aimlessness, confusion, and being under the control of evil and sin (1 John 2:11, Acts 26:18).

  • But when we learn what God says in the Bible, light comes into our thinking (2 Peter 1:19).

    • We gain understanding and a clear mind (Psalm 119:130),

    • A clear way to live our lives every day (Psalm 119:105),

    • And we learn how to walk without sin (Ephesians 5:8-10).

  • If you want less darkness and more light in your life, it starts with reading your Bible every day.

Verses 4-25

• Next we learn more details about creation—how God made it and in what order.

  • What's highlighted is that God made everything very good.

  • Proverbs 3:19-20 says, “The Lord by wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens.” In other words, God created everything skillfully and excellently, and it turned out exactly the way it should be.

  • We can learn from this that we should make things the way God does. Proverbs 24:3 says, “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established.” Just like God's wisdom made everything very good, you can use wisdom from the Bible to make your life very good also.

    • So, when we make plans, when we work at or set out to do anything...we should make it very good. We shouldn't do things half-heartedly. We should do everything well—with preparedness, skill, and focused effort.

Verses 26-31

• Here we learn about when God made humans.

• The first thing that stands out is where verse 26 says, “Let Us make man in Our image...” God refers to Himself as an Us, not an I. Here we learn about the Trinity—the fact that God is three in one. Look again at the first three verses of Genesis 1:

• • “In the beginning God” (verse 1) is a reference to God the Father.

  • “And the Spirit of God was hovering” (verse 2) is a reference to the Holy Spirit.

  • “Then God said ”—God's words—(verse 3) is a reference to the Son of God—Jesus Christ.

    • We know this because John 1:1,14 says that God's Word, in the beginning, was Jesus Himself.

• God made humans to be like Him in some ways.

  • Being “made in God's image” starts with being made as a three-part being. We are three in one just like He is. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says that we are three parts—soul (mind), spirit, and body, all in one being.

  • Secondly, we learn that God made us to be rulers over His creation—leaders that take care of the earth, just like God is a ruler that cares for His creation (Matthew 6:26-30).

  • And thirdly, we learn that humans were made to be male and female so that we can be spouses and parents—to be married and have children. This allows us, like God, to experience the love and joy of creating a family (Genesis 5:1-3). We are made as God's children, and He is a loving Father to us (2 Corinthians 6:18).

• Your task? Take good care of your family and your home. We'll learn more about what this looks like, as men and women, in Genesis 2.