Four important questions about the beginning and creation as we know it. When, what, how and why?
We should all have some answer for these questions, and more importantly we should have a correct answer. The humanist and atheist believe in a big bang followed by the evolutionary process. In Hinduism, the universe was created by Brahma out of himself. And in Buddhism, there is no creator god to even explain creation. Can you imagine life while holding to one of those worldviews? How would one begin to explain that something came from nothing, or not having an explanation at all for the universe and everything in it? Creation is the work of a Triune God, meaning all three persons of the godhead were involved. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. John 1:1-3 points to the Father and Son, showing that God the Father created everything through the Son. Genesis 1:1-2 points to the Holy Spirit “Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters”. We then see all three in the creation of man in Genesis 1:26 “let us make man in our image”.As Christians this is the facts we rely on. They have been revealed to us by God through His holy word.
Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God”.
When did God create: We see the word “beginning” and we rightly assume a starting point of “all” things.
The beginning of a race, the beginning of a book, the beginning of a movie, the beginning of a career. These things have a particular point in time when it began and before that point there was nothing, creation does as well, but the Creator doesn’t. It’s sometimes hard to wrap our mind around the fact that God existed before anything was created.
God was before the beginning, existing eternally, without a starting point or an end, an existence without a passage of time. Before the beginning there was a “before” and it consisted of eternity and the everlasting God (Psalm 90:2)Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hast formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting,thou art God. On day one God could have created the heavens and the earth and everything in them, nothing was stopping Him,but out of His infinite wisdom He chose to create in a sequence of time. The time frame of six days, each day seeing the glorious power of God adding to His creation. And then on the seventh day was rest, this was a perfect example for us and is seen in Exodus 20:9-10 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God”.
What did God create: A reading of the very first chapter of Genesis in its entirety gives us the complete creation story and what was created. It’s fascinating to see the works of God in creation in 6 days but what exactly did He create?
Day 1 (Gen1: 1-5) God created the heavens and a formless and void earth, light and darkness, evening and morning.
Day 2 (Gen1: 6-8) God created the expanse/ firmament, which is the sky.
Day 3 (Gen1: 9-13) The bodies of water, dry land, and all the plants and trees were created.
Day 4 (Gen1:14-19) God created the sun, moon and stars.
Day 5 (Gen1:20-23) The fish of the seas and all the birds of the air.
Day 6 (Gen1:24-31) God created all the beasts of the earth, the animals, and finally God created man. Gave man dominion over the earth and gave man food from the plants and trees of His creation.
God, out of His infinite wisdom and goodness created all things visible and invisible and placed us in the middle of it to enjoy.
How did God create: God “created the heavens and the earth”, He did this without any matter or material, God created out of nothing.
The Latin phrase ex nihilo, meaning “out of nothing” is often used to describe this creation account. The first verse of scripture, Genesis 1:1 shows that the heavens and the earth make up the entire universe.
Psalm 33:6 states “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.”. And Psalm 33:9 “For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast”. We see here that God created by speaking into existence. He spoke and things came to be, He commanded and so it was.
Some other verses concerning the “How”.(John 1:3, Colossians 1:16-17, Acts 17:24, Hebrews 11:3)
Of all of creation God created man differently. Take a look at Genesis 2:7, rather than being created ex nihilo or out of nothing, it reads “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being”. In Genesis 2:21-22 God took the rib of man and made woman.
The creation of man and woman was a special creation.
We are made in the image of God (Gen1:27), completely distinct from all other creation, and were given a particular purpose, to subdue the earth and to be fruitful and multiply (Gen 1:28).
Why did God create: All things created were for the purpose to show God’s glory. From the largest to the smallest, from the most complex to the most simplistic of creation, all things testify to God’s glory and shows His most perfect wisdom and greatness.
(Revelation 4:11) reads “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you have created all things, and by your will they existed and were created”.
As the pinnacle of God’s creation, mankind should, above all else, glorify God. We are image bearers of our creator and were given everything we need for life.
The Westminster Shorter Q.1- What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Take a look at Psalms 145, David begins “I will exalt You, my God and King; I will bless your name forever and ever”.
This should be something we think and feel everyday.
Think about all the beauty that creation holds. Think about how we as humans are made. We have senses such as sight,hearing, touch, taste and can connect with God’s creation in many different ways. The beauty of a sunset, the sound of a stream, the feeling of a cool breeze on a hot day. Now look at it in a deeper way, the beauty of your child’s face, the sound of a loved one’s voice, the feeling of love from family and friends. We are very blessed each day to be a part of God’s creation and to connect with it, we are even more blessed that God made us so that we can connect with Him in a way the rest of creation can’t.
A few things to think about today and each day.
- What do you do as part of God’s creation to bring glory to Him?
- Do you pay attention throughout the day to the beauty of creation?
- Do you pay attention to others created in God’s image? Do you uplift others, offer a helping hand, socialize, or maybe just give a smile to someone passing by?
- Where do you see yourself in creation and what role do you play? Remember God hung the sun, moon, and stars in their place and gave them a specific job. He has done the same for each of us. What role has God given you as part of creation?
- What are some ways you enjoy different parts of the goodness of creation?
- How do you do your part to care for creation? We were made to subdue it and enjoy it so it seems right that we would be mindful of how we care for something that’s been given to us.
No King but Christ 