READING • GENESIS 1; 2:1–7
The Bible begins with God as Creator
Genesis does not begin by arguing for the existence of God. It begins with the simple declaration, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The creation account presents the world, life, and mankind as the deliberate work of God.
The creation week
Genesis 1 describes an ordered sequence in which God prepared the earth and filled it with life. The seventh day is different from the first six: God rested from the work that He had made.
DAY
WORK
GENESIS ACCOUNT
1
Light
Light appeared; day and night were distinguished.
2
The firmament
The waters were divided and the firmament, or expanse, was made.
3
Land and plants
Dry land appeared; grass, plants and fruit trees were brought forth.
4
Lights in heaven
God made the great lights and the stars to mark days, seasons and years.
5
Sea life and birds
Living creatures filled the waters, and birds flew above the earth.
6
Animals and mankind
Land animals were made; then God created man and woman.
7
God rested
God ended His work and rested from the work which He had made.
“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.”
Genesis 1:31 • King James Version
The lesson of Genesis is not merely that the world exists, but that it belongs to its Creator. The regularity, order and beauty we see around us should lead us to recognise God’s power and wisdom, and to give Him honour.
The Creator and His works
Human beings can make remarkable things, but we work with materials, laws and abilities that already exist. The Bible directs our attention beyond human achievement to the One who made the world itself. From the smallest flower to the movement of the heavens, creation displays order, variety and beauty.
“O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:1)
Gods that are no gods
Throughout history people have often worshipped created things rather than the Creator. The Bible records worship of the sun, moon, stars, images and idols, and repeatedly condemns such worship. Paul describes the mistake in Romans 1:
Worship the Creator, not the creation
“And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” — Romans 1:23, KJV
False gods cannot hear, speak or save. More seriously, idolatry turns the heart away from the living God and can lead people into practices that are completely opposed to His ways.
Idols in the heart
Ezekiel 14:1–5 speaks of people who had “set up their idols in their heart”. That warning applies beyond carved images. Anything that becomes more important to us than God can take an idolatrous place in our life—possessions, status, pleasure, ambition, or even another person.
The New Testament therefore calls disciples to separate themselves from worship and practices that oppose God:
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14)
The Thessalonian believers provide the positive example: they “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” and waited for His Son from heaven (1 Thessalonians 1:9–10).
God’s world and our responsibility
The earth is still God’s world, yet human greed and carelessness can damage it. Forests can be destroyed, land degraded, and air and water polluted. A believer should not treat God’s creation as worthless. We are accountable to the Creator for the way we live in His world.
God’s purpose will not fail
God will not allow human sin to frustrate His purpose. Scripture looks forward to a day when the earth will be filled with His glory and ruled in righteousness through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Almighty God
God is not part of creation. He existed before it and is not limited by the beginning and ending that mark human life. Psalm 90 says:
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psalm 90:2)
This is difficult for finite minds to grasp, but faith begins by accepting that God is. Hebrews says that the person who comes to God “must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
How can we know what God is like?
Creation can show us something of God’s power and wisdom, but it cannot tell us His purpose with the earth, why He made mankind, or how He wants us to live. For that we need His revealed Word, the Bible.
When God revealed His character to Moses, He described Himself as merciful and gracious, patient, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving sin, yet also righteous in judgement:
“The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty.”
Exodus 34:6–7 • King James Version
God is loving and merciful, but He is also righteous and just. Because He is our Creator, He has the right to tell us how we should live, and we have a responsibility to honour and obey Him.
In the beginning
Many explanations of origins are framed without reference to God. The Bible begins from a different foundation:
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1 • King James Version
This course accepts that statement as true. The biblical account presents the world as purposeful creation, and man and woman as deliberately created by God—not as accidental products of unguided chance. Genesis is not written as a modern scientific textbook; its purpose is to tell us who created, what place mankind has in creation, and why our relationship with God matters.
“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” (Psalm 33:6)
The opening chapters of Genesis also prepare us for the Bible’s teaching about sin and salvation. Genesis 2–3 records how Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and how sin and death entered human experience. The rest of Scripture shows how God’s purpose addresses that problem through the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are part of God’s creation
The right response to creation is not simply admiration—it is worship, gratitude and obedience. The Psalmist says:
“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”
Psalm 95:6 • King James Version
Jesus said that the Father seeks people who will worship Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). God wants men and women who believe Him, listen to His Word and allow Him to guide their lives.
Those who do so look forward to the fulfilment of God’s purpose when the Lord Jesus Christ returns. In that day the faithful will be able to say:
“Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:9)
SUMMARY
What this lesson has shown
1
God created the world.
Genesis presents the earth, life and mankind as the deliberate work of the Lord God.
2
God alone is to be worshipped.
The Bible condemns the worship of created things and warns against idols in the heart.
3
Creation belongs to God.
The order and beauty of the world should lead us to honour its Creator and to live responsibly within it.
4
The Bible reveals God’s character and purpose.
Creation shows His power, but His Word tells us why He made us and how He wants us to live.
5
Genesis prepares us for the Gospel.
The record of creation, human disobedience, sin and death leads into God’s saving purpose through Jesus Christ.
6
Our response should be faith and worship.
God calls men and women to seek Him, obey His Word and look forward to His coming Kingdom.
Verses to read
Psalm 24 • Psalm 102:25–28 • Romans 1:18–23 • Genesis 2:15–3:24
LEARN BY HEART • HEBREWS 11:3
“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”
Hebrews 11:3 • King James Version
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