Genesis | Reading Plan + Study QuestionsSample

GENESIS 1

GOD’S CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE

In the beginning, God creates everything. First, God separates the light from the darkness and the heavens from the earth. God then creates the land and the sea, separating the ground and the waters. Next, God creates and places the sun, moon, and stars. Subsequently, God creates birds and sea animals. Lastly, God creates the land animals and humans.

From the very beginning, God creates boundaries and brings order to chaos.

In verse 26, God says that humankind is created in "our" image, which is the first reference to the Trinity in scripture. The Trinity is the unity of three persons in one Godhead—God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. (See Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:13.) From the very start, God is present as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Being created in God's image is unique to humans; no other part of creation is made in His image.

After seeing each creation, God says that it is good, but after seeing everything together in unison, God describes it as "very good."

Scripture recalls this creation account occurring in a six-day timeline. Some people believe that this timeline occurs literally in six days, and some people believe that this is a literary device God uses to reveal His creation to us. Regardless of your view on when creation occurs and how long it lasts, there are still revelations of God's character in this passage. Focus on what God wants you to know about Him through the scriptures more than its literal or symbolic nature.

The first word used to describe God in scripture is that He is a creator. Throughout the Bible, God's creative nature is written on every page! The story He is writing is unlike any other.

STUDY QUESTIONS

Read Genesis 1:26. Who or what was God referring to when He said, “Let us make man in our image?”