Passage: Genesis 1:2-31

The Big Idea

Before creation there was just God: complete, self-sufficient, and already planning grace for us. Into a dark, formless world, the Spirit hovered gently, and God’s first word was “Light!” That’s exactly how He works in our hearts. Day by day He brought order and goodness, and on the sixth day He made us in His image. And the very first thing He did for the people He made was bless them.

Man of Science, Man of Faith

The TV show Lost had a running theme, spelled out in an episode called “Man of Science, Man of Faith.” Jack, the man of science, couldn’t understand how Locke, the man of faith, could believe in something he couldn’t see. Locke didn’t really care what Jack thought.

In a way, we’re all on the same island.

Don’t be worried about scientists who claim to have disproved the Bible or God. The more we discover, the more we find out how much we don’t know. Astrophysicists, for example, are still trying to figure out what “dark matter” is: the term for a huge amount of unexplained gravity in the universe. It appears to make up most of the matter in the universe, yet no one knows what it is. Leading researchers have admitted it’s humbling: the origin and makeup of the most common matter in the entire universe is unknown.

Meanwhile, God isn’t worried at all. He seems completely unconcerned by the challenges of any scientist or philosopher trying to figure out what happened in the beginning.

Before Creation

In the beginning, it was just God. The Source. The One and Only.

Scripture tells us God existed before creation, and He was just fine. He didn’t need us or anything else. He was totally self-sufficient. Look at what we know about “before” creation:

Jesus’ mission was planned before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20).
Eternal life was promised before time began by God, who cannot lie (Titus 1:2).
The mystery of the gospel was ordained before the ages for our glory (1 Corinthians 2:7).
Grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, not according to our works but according to His purpose (2 Timothy 1:9).
Believers were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4).
The angels were created before the earth, because they shouted for joy when God laid its foundations (Job 38:7).

But one thing I believe did not happen before creation was the fall of Satan. Ezekiel 28:12-17 describes a being who was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty, who was “in Eden, the garden of God,” an anointed guardian cherub, blameless from the day he was created until wickedness was found in him. His heart became proud because of his beauty, and God cast him down. Since he was in Eden, his fall seems to have come after creation.

A Gap? (Genesis 1:1-2)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Some suggest a huge gap of time between verses 1 and 2. It’s a way of adding millions of years, a place to put dinosaurs, cavemen and other things people feel they can’t otherwise explain.

But Scripture tells us death entered the world through Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12). With no death before the fall, you can’t have millions of dinosaurs dying in the mud before Adam.

It’s simple. Just believe what the Bible says.

That’s why God gave us His Word: so we don’t all have to be geniuses! We just need to trust Him. If you had to be brilliant to know God, some people would have an advantage. But that isn’t how it works. He gives us His simple Word, and everything hinges on faith.

Do you trust Him or not? That’s the question. It even seems that very smart people often have a harder time trusting God and letting go of their need to fully understand an infinite God.

And even if there were evidence for millions of years (I don’t believe there is), it wouldn’t be a problem for the creation account, because God can create things that look older than they are: a full-grown Adam, mature trees in the garden, beaches.

The Spirit Was Hovering

The word for “hovering” is used of a mother bird fluttering over her young. It carries a sense of tenderness, of cherishing.

God wasn’t creating in a violent or frantic way.
He was gentle and calm. No stress in the whole process.
That seems to be how He works in my heart too.

Sometimes I feel like there’s just disorder in my own heart and life, and I want God to come in and bring order. But I don’t need to stress about it if God isn’t stressing about it. He’s working, hovering over my disorganized mess with love and compassion. So don’t stress. Relax and trust Him. Watch Him work.

Day One: Light (Genesis 1:3-5)

God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. He saw that the light was good, and separated it from the darkness. He called the light Day and the darkness Night. And there was evening and morning, the first day.

The first way God brought order and goodness to this chaotic world was by bringing light. And Paul says that’s exactly how God works in our hearts.

If our gospel is veiled, it’s veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded so they can’t see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. We don’t preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord. For the same God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3-6).

This light is all about Jesus. Physical light is a picture of what Jesus is and brings into a life.
Every time you see something, you could think about Jesus. Your eyes are useless without light illuminating the world around you.
The same way He created light in the world, He creates spiritual light in our hearts as we look at the face of Jesus, drawing near to Him in humility and faith.

Does your life seem full of darkness inside? Does your understanding of what’s happened to you seem dark? Are you still asking why?

As we set our eyes on the face of Jesus, the darkness lifts. You may not get a practical answer to why this or that happened, but your heart will be illuminated, and you’ll be set free from the darkness that filled your spirit.

Light before the sun

Light was created before the sun or any star.
There’s something supernatural about light. It’s more than just what the sun gives off.
In the new heaven and new earth there will be no need of the sun, because God will be its light (Revelation 21:23).
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
The plague of darkness on Egypt was a darkness that could be felt (Exodus 10:21). In Him was life, and that life was the light of men (John 1:4).
When Jesus died, darkness covered the land for three hours (Matthew 27:45). Coincidence?

That darkness is recorded by Matthew, Mark and Luke. Early Christian writers also mention non-biblical historians who referred to an unusual darkness around that time. The second-century chronicler Phlegon, for instance, reportedly wrote of a great darkness at midday, so that stars appeared, along with an earthquake. It couldn’t have been an ordinary solar eclipse, because Passover is at full moon, when an eclipse of the sun is impossible.

So it makes sense: when Jesus was bearing God’s wrath for our sin, the light went out.

And when we don’t trust that He has already paid for our sin, we walk in darkness ourselves. We can’t go back and pay for our sins. We get confused and stumble spiritually when we don’t believe in His finished work on the cross. Don’t put Him back up there. Trust what He already did.

“The first day”

The Hebrew word for day is yom. It can have a broader meaning in some places, but when it’s paired with a number and with “evening and morning,” as it is throughout Genesis 1, it consistently refers to an ordinary day.

Derek Kidner raised the question this way: if the days weren’t days at all, would God have used the word? Does He deal in inaccuracies, however edifying? It comes down to the proper use of language.

Day Two: The Expanse (Genesis 1:6-8)

God made an expanse (a “firmament”) to separate the waters below from the waters above, and called it Heaven. Evening and morning, the second day.

Some creation scientists have proposed that the “waters above” were a vapor canopy surrounding the early earth. If so, they suggest it could have:

Acted as a global greenhouse, keeping temperatures pleasant worldwide.
Reduced strong winds and rain as we know it, with the land watered by mist instead (Genesis 2:5-6).
Supported lush vegetation all over the world.
Filtered out harmful radiation, perhaps contributing to the long lifespans before the flood.
Provided a reservoir of water for the worldwide flood.

It’s an intriguing idea that could help explain things like giant plants and insects in the fossil record and long human lifespans. (Not every creationist holds it today, and Scripture doesn’t spell out the details, but it’s fun to think about.)

Day Three: Land and Plants (Genesis 1:9-13)

God gathered the waters into seas and let dry land appear. Then He had the earth bring forth grass, seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each “according to its kind.” And God saw that it was good. Evening and morning, the third day.

Those who propose that the days of creation were long ages of slow development have a real problem here. How would plants thrive for ages before the sun and moon? No modern evolutionist would say plants are older than the sun, but that’s the order Genesis gives.

“God saw that it was good.” God knows what is good. He isn’t morally neutral. He organizes His creation toward goodness.

Some people use this verse to justify using drugs: “God made the plants, and called them good!” But not every plant is good for every purpose. Hemlock is natural, but it isn’t good for you.

Scripture warns against pharmakeia, often translated “sorcery,” from which we get “pharmacy.” It refers to the use of drugs tied to occult practices and the abuse of substances to alter the mind and escape God. Revelation describes people who refuse to repent of these things (Revelation 9:21). This isn’t about medicine a doctor prescribes. It’s about where we put our hope. Do some believers struggle with addiction? Yes. And God’s Spirit is at work in them, drawing them to repentance and freedom. At its root, rebellion against God is always an issue of faith, of what we’re trusting in.

Day Four: Sun, Moon and Stars (Genesis 1:14-19)

God made lights in the expanse to separate day from night and to mark signs, seasons, days and years: the greater light to rule the day, the lesser light to rule the night, and the stars. Evening and morning, the fourth day.

The sun, moon and stars mark and measure time and direction.
Astrology, trying to read your fate in the stars, is forbidden and dangerous. But some Christians believe God originally embedded hints of the story of redemption in the names and pictures of the constellations, a message later corrupted into astrology. Either way, the heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1).

Day Five: Sea Creatures and Birds (Genesis 1:20-23)

God filled the waters with living creatures and the skies with birds, “according to their kinds,” and blessed them to be fruitful and multiply. Evening and morning, the fifth day.

“According to its kind!” Evolutionists often point to convincing examples of variation within a kind as creatures adapt to their environment. Peppered moths shift between light and dark forms as pollution changes; finches develop different beaks in different environments. But the moths are still moths, and the finches are still finches. Variation within a kind doesn’t demonstrate one kind becoming a completely different kind.

Charles Darwin himself admitted that the fossil record was “the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory,” and that leading paleontologists and geologists of his day had firmly maintained that species do not change. Critics of Darwinism like Phillip Johnson have argued that even very rich fossil records, such as Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin, don’t convincingly document gradual transitions from one species to another.

Day Six: Animals and Mankind (Genesis 1:24-31)

God made land animals according to their kinds. Then He said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness,” to have dominion over the earth. So God created man in His own image; male and female He created them. He blessed them and told them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and rule over it, and He gave them plants for food. God saw everything He had made, and it was very good. Evening and morning, the sixth day.

God made people different from all the other animals. He gave us a spirit and a heart.

Angels aren’t described as made in God’s image. They serve, but they don’t share the same kind of relationship with God that we’re invited into.
Being made in God’s image means the incarnation was really possible. We’re different from God, but compatible with Him.

The image of God shows up in at least three ways:

Personality: we have knowledge, feelings and a will. That sets us apart from animals and plants.
Morality: we can make moral judgments, and we have a conscience.
Spirituality: we’re made for communion with God. It’s on the level of spirit that we connect with Him.

The first thing God did was bless them

God’s desire is to bless you.

Do you think God is waiting for you to do something right before He blesses you?
Do you think He wants you to earn His blessings somehow?
Are you settling for a life that’s just okay instead of full of God’s blessing?

Peter told the crowd that God raised up His Servant Jesus and sent Him first to them to bless them, by turning each of them from their wickedness (Acts 3:26).

The whole story of the Bible is about getting us back to this sinless, perfect relationship with God. Jesus turns us from our sin, and through His resurrection blesses us again, just like God did here. We’re brought back to Eden when we live with Jesus.

What does it mean when God says, “I want to bless you”? A blessing is a declaration of goodwill and happiness spoken over someone. God’s will is set on your good and not your harm, and He’s declaring that decision to you. And as we’ve seen in this chapter, God’s word is pretty powerful! He also has the ability to make that blessing happen. That’s grace.

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Grace Takeaway

The God who hovered gently over the dark waters is hovering over the chaos in your life too, without stress, full of love. His first word was light, and He still shines that light into hearts through the face of Jesus. You were made in His image, and the first thing He ever did for people was bless them. He still wants to.

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A Bright Beginning