The One Behind The BookSample

Creation - The perfect start

The Bible begins with an amazing declaration, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Just pause for a moment and think about how huge that statement is. Do you begin to get a sense of just how incredible and powerful God is? Right from the start the Bible speaks of the awesome majesty of God.

The first chapter of the Bible tells us that God created the entire universe and all that is in it. It was the most incredible expression of creativity imaginable! God looked at all that he had made, and “saw that it was good” (see Genesis 1:4,10,12,18,21,25,31).

To top it off God saved his most prized creation for last... humans! We see throughout the Bible that humans have a unique place within God’s creation. We are created in his own image, with the special purpose of having a loving relationship with him. You were designed to be with God and to know him personally. God also gave humans some work to do. He told them to look after the rest of his beautiful creation, to multiply and to be fruitful.

The Bible tells us that the first two people were Adam and Eve. They lived in perfect harmony with God, each other and the world around them. It was just as God had planned it, a beautiful place where God and people were together in perfect relationship without any pain, sadness, suffering or death. It was safe and peaceful-everything was as it was meant to be.

30 word recap

God creates everything and it is perfect! Human beings are uniquely made in God’s image to care for the world and live in peace and harmony with God and others.

Questions

1. Read Genesis 1:1. What do you imagine this scene would have looked like?

2. There are seven times in Genesis 1 where God sees that his creation is “good” (or “very good”!). What do you think God means by this? What does it say about the way God intended things to be?

3. Read Genesis 1:26-27. What do you think it means to be made in God’s image?

Personal reflection

If God created everything, it means he created you too! How does it make you feel to know that God has specifically designed and created you to be in his world?