Genesis 1
The Foundation of Everything

Genesis 1

The Creation

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

20 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” 21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.

31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Unpacking Genesis 1

Who am I? Why am I here? What am I supposed to do with my life? These are common questions everyone asks or should ask! We start to find answers in Genesis 1.

Genesis 1 starts, “In the beginning.” Keep in mind Genesis 1 only addresses the beginning of time. Even when the unfolding of time begins in verse 1, notice that God is already there. No one made Him. He is before time and before the beginning of everything! He is the source of all things, including time! This chapter tells us about how He brought everything else into existence.

No doubt, Genesis 1 is a simplified record of God’s work. Anyone taking a high school science class knows there is much more to creation. Yet this simplified account is also 100% accurate. It tells us God created everything by speaking the universe into existence. This also means that even though science classes dive into the minutiae of creation, God created all that minutiae!

But why is Genesis 1 so simple? Well, we need to understand that the Bible is God’s revelation. The Bible is not a textbook. It’s a message from God. Therefore, it must be understandable to the recipient. He has presented His revelation in the Bible so that we would know Him, understand Him (at least a little), understand ourselves, and get the gist of what He is doing in this world. This account in Genesis 1 is intended to communicate these truths meaningfully to people from every realm of life, from ancient jungle people to modern university people to everyone in between. Therefore, it needs to be clear and accurate for everyone, no matter how much or little they understand about creation.

I like to use an analogy I heard years ago of the Pioneer 10 and 11 space probes that NASA sent up in the early 1970s. Each space probe was designed to travel through the solar system and eventually go into the universe. Just in case anyone ever found them, the engineers attached gold plates to the outside of those probes. These gold plates had basic images of a man and woman, the earth’s location in the solar system, and the solar system’s location in the universe. Each detail was 100% accurate but very simplified.

It’s the same with Genesis 1. Genesis 1 is accurate but simplified. It tells us what we need to know: God, who is outside creation, has created us. He created the universe with design and order. He originally created it to be flawless and perfect. He also created mankind in His image for a specific purpose.

God’s purpose for mankind is found in verse 26, which says, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” Therefore, God designed mankind so that we all bear His image.

What does it mean to bear God’s image? Obviously, it doesn’t mean we look like God or have His divine abilities. So, then, what does it mean? Different theologians have different suggestions. I think it can be boiled down to the plain reality that humans have a unique and sacred place among all creation. Sunsets are beautiful, hurricanes are powerful, waterfalls are cool, puppies are cute, platypuses are silly, sharks are scary, and birds are amazing. Yet, men and women uniquely have the breadth of mind, coupled with physical dexterity, under the guidance of coherent thought, responsive emotions, and a focused will that can conceptualize, theorize, strategize, and ultimately create what we envision. Moreover, interwoven into everything we do are virtues of love, joy, goodness, self-sacrifice, perseverance, and a host of others. Thus, mankind is unique among creation in valuing what is beautiful in music, art, word, math, mechanics, and society. Of course, sin has infected all of this, yet the image of God still remains in every person; even our darkened souls can still appreciate and pursue an array of transcendent aspirations.

Even more important than all this, bearing God’s image means we have holiness and sacredness. We’ll see in our study of Genesis 2:7 that God has breathed life into man. This life is different from all other life in creation. It is unique and holy. It came from God and has been passed down from person to person in a way that He uniquely and specifically creates. Therefore, each human life must be treasured because we all bear His image.

Going back to our study in Genesis 1, this chapter also gives us God’s basic instructions for mankind in verse 28. Genesis 1:28 says, “God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” This instruction covers several key points. First, we are meant to “be fruitful and multiply.” God designed us to be fruitful. But what does that mean? It means we are to have healthy, wholesome, abundant productivity from the unique kaleidoscope of skills, abilities, and opportunities that God has given us.

To “multiply” means, well, to make more people. This command “to multiply” includes activities that are a gift from God from start to finish. Having babies is a joy. Raising kids is a joy. So are grandkids and great-grandkids. Obeying this command is a joy and blessing given to us by God. When we get to Genesis 2:24, we’ll see that this work of “multiplication” is to be carried out in the context of a union called the Covenant of Marriage.

Lastly, this passage shows that God has given mankind natural provision (verses 29, 30) and dominion over the earth so that mankind can fill the earth (verse 28). In other words, God has given us the resources we need to thrive; as we thrive as “image bearers,” we bring glory to God. As we fill the earth, we bring glory to Him worldwide.

Think about what this means for your own life. God has unique blessings awaiting us in every corner of the earth. The resources in one place will be different than in another. Situations will be different. Opportunities will be different. Things we do will be different. Those differences reflect a God who clearly delights in creating unique and different stuff. No two snowflakes are the same. No two fingerprints are the same. What you do and what I do will be different. These differences give us unique opportunities to bring God glory in our unique situations joyfully.

Coupled with this diversity of activity is the principle that we’re supposed to do all of this in a way that reflects God as His image bearers. We are to go throughout this world, bringing glory to Him. We glorify Him in what we do, and we glorify Him as we celebrate what He has done! We are also to worship Him in every corner as we behold the wonders of His creation in the power of the ocean, the beauty of sunsets, and all of the provisions that God has given us! We are to bring glory to God in these granular moments and throughout the world while we enjoy Him and all He has created!

This might sound very Edenic because we do not see much of this worship going on in our world. Genesis 1 also shows us that the world we live in now no longer conforms to God’s perfect design. He’ll tell us what happened in Genesis 3 when sin entered the world. Yet despite that Fall, these instructions and purposes still stand. Therefore, our greatest joys will come as we bring our lives into conformity with them.

So, let’s finish our study of Genesis 1 by coming before our Creator to worship and praise Him. Before you work through the following questions, how about beginning in prayer and asking the Lord to give you a heart of worship and wonder as you work through these questions? May the Lord bless your study and meditation on His revelation of the cosmos.

Study And Discussion Questions

Listening to the Key Chapters Podcast on this chapter provides further insights into the following questions.

1. Read through Genesis 1 and underline the verses that are particularly meaningful to you. Why did you underline them?

2. Draw a circle around every occurrence of the word “said.” Who is speaking? What does this say about how creation came about? Is this truth a struggle for you to accept? Why or why not?

3. Draw a box around every occurrence of the word “good.” What does this tell us about the condition of God’s original design? Why is that important for us to know, as we now live in a world that is not perfect?

4. Genesis 1 describes trillions upon trillions of actions in simplified terminology that anyone can understand. What does this tell us about God’s intent to communicate His message to mankind clearly?

5. According to the study, who “made God”?

6. In reading Genesis 1, what is God like? How is this similar or different from what people typically think about Him?

7. Throughout this passage, God’s creation takes place over six days. How should these days be understood? What impact does this have on your understanding of how the universe came into existence?

8. When did you first realize God created the light before He created the Sun and Moon? Did that surprise you? Did it cause you to question God’s Word? How does our understanding of God’s glory relate to the order in which He created light?

9. Revelation 22:5 tells us that the New Heaven and the New Earth will have no darkness. Why do you think God allowed darkness here? Why won’t there be darkness in the New Heaven and New Earth?

10. What are some possible reasons God refers to Himself in the plural in verse 26? How does John 1:1-3 fit in with Genesis 1? Likewise, how was Jesus involved in creation?

11. What does Genesis 1:27 mean when it says mankind was created in God’s image? What does this not mean? What kinds of conclusions should we not draw from this statement?

12. In Genesis 1:28, the Lord commands mankind to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” What reasons are given in the study for mankind to “fill the earth”? How does this relate to verse 27?

13. As you reflect upon the God who created you, what do you think are some reasons for why you are “here”? If a person is struggling to answer this question, what advice would you give them to help them find their purpose(s) in life?

14. When you go throughout your day and look at the world God has created, what should your response be? How might this guide you to develop a habit of worship and praise to God throughout your day? According to Romans 1:20-23, how is this different from how people of the world typically respond to creation?

All episodes have been written by Pastor Russ Brewer, Copywrite Russ Brewer, Key Chapters of the Bible Podcast.