God Created

Genesis 1

Last time we began an expositional study through the book of Genesis. I gave you some background information and we looked briefly at Genesis 1:1. I pointed out two great truths we learn in that verse: 1) God is before everything; 2) God created everything. This first verse was a foundational statement for the rest of the creation account that we have in Genesis 1. Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created everything, “the heavens and the earth.” The rest of the chapter gives us the description of His creative work.

Although Genesis 1 does depict the history of when and how God created, it is especially concerned with the who and why of creation. As I pointed out last time, God is the subject of Genesis 1 and this account of creation communicates much about who He is. Too often when Christians study Genesis they get bogged down trying to reconcile the creation account of Genesis with modern science and they miss why God gives it to us at the very beginning of His biblical revelation. John Calvin lifts our eyes to the purpose of the creation account, the “why”, by writing, “The intention of Moses, in beginning his Book with the creation of the world, is, to render God, as it were, visible to us in his works.”

The rest of scripture also points us toward this purpose of God’s creation. In Psalm 19:1 David sings, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.”  Paul writes in Romans 1:18-20, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” Psalm 19 and Romans 1 teach that God’s glory is revealed as we study His creation, yet in the end both of those passages say that it is only Scripture which is the ‘perfect’ revelation of God’s truth (Psalm 19:7-11; Rom. 2:15; 3:2).

Special Revelation (Bible) and General Revelation (Nature)

There are two spheres of revelation: 1) the primary one is the Bible, that God reveals Himself through His word (we call this God’s special revelation); and 2) nature, that God reveals Himself through the created order (we call this general revelation). We may know about God through general revelation in nature, we may only truly know God through the special revelation of His word.

Some years ago Francis Schaeffer wrote a fine little book called No Final Conflict on the problem of the Bible and science. If you compress what he says down to one or two sentences, it looks like this: When all the facts are finally in, when the Bible has been fully understood and science has finally reached the truth of the universe, in that day it will be seen that there is no final conflict between the Bible and science. Since all truth is God’s truth, there can be no ultimate conflict between God’s Creation and God’s Word. Seen in that light, we should understand that science and the Bible are not enemies, but allies in the search for truth.

“In other words, if all truth has its source in God and if all truth is unified, then one thing we know to be a fact is that if there is a contradiction between an interpretation of Scripture and an interpretation of what God has created, then one or both of those interpretations is incorrect” (Keith Mathison). R.C. Sproul points out that scientists are fallible human beings interpreting infallible natural revelation and theologians are fallible human beings interpreting infallible special revelation. Schaeffer gives us good advice when he writes,

“When we face apparent problems between present scientific theories and the teaching of the Bible, the first rule is not to panic, as though scientific theory is always right. …  We must take ample time, and sometimes this will mean a long time, to consider whether the apparent clash between science and revelation means that the theory set forth by science is wrong or whether we must reconsider what we thought the Bible says.”

That said, I believe that the Bible is clear in what it teaches about creation—God has revealed the truth to us in His word. We need to beware of accommodation to current scientific theory in our attempts to interpret Genesis 1. Scientific theories come and go. The word of God stands forever (Isa. 40:8; 1 Pet. 1:25). There’s an old saying that goes, “He who marries the spirit of this age, will be a widow in the next” (William Inge). It is encouraging to know that when Scripture is properly interpreted and God’s creation is properly interpreted, there will be no contradiction. Let’s remind ourselves that Moses’ purpose in recording this the creation account was not that we should get caught up in religious and scientific debates, but that we should get caught up in the greatness of God who brought it all into being through the word of His power.

Enough said on that matter. We need to get back to Genesis 1. Genesis 1:2-31 expand upon the opening statement in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In verse 2 we have,

The initial state of the earth (Gen. 1:2)

“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (Gen. 1:2). This verse tells us that when God initially created the earth it was “without form, and void.” The Hebrew has rhyme and rhythm,  (תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ) “tohu wa’bohu.” These words describe the earth as formless and uninhabited and they set the stage for the creative acts of God in the six days that follow. God will bring form out of formlessness and fullness out of emptiness. This original state of the earth being formless, void, and dark becomes the backdrop to display the purpose of God to make an orderly, full place for His glory. Isaiah 45:18 says, “For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.” God created the earth to be inhabited. He created the heavens and “spreads them out like a tent to dwell in” (Isa. 40:22).  

Genesis 1:2 goes on to say, “… and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Even though the earth was without form, without life, and without light, it was not without God. In this strange dark, watery, empty, unformed world, the Spirit of God hovered like a eagle guarding its young (Deut. 32:11). In the six days of creation that follow, God brings the earth from formlessness to form, from emptiness to fullness, from darkness to light. In this way God creates for His glory a perfect habitat for humankind.

The arrangement of creation (Gen. 1:3-2:3)

The first obvious arrangement of the creation account is the seven-day scheme. God’s creative work is arranged in six days (Gen. 1:3-31): Gen !:3-5, day one; Gen. 1:6-8, the second day; Gen. 1:9-13, the third day; Gen. 1:14-19, the fourth day; Gen. 1:20-23, the fifth day; and Gen. 1:24-31, the sixth day. Then Gen. 2:1-3 when God rests on the seventh day.

Each day has similar elements although they are not always worded exactly the same or in the same order.

1. The day starts with God’s command, “Then God said,” (Gen. 1:3,6,9,14,20,24). Both days 3 and 6 also have a second “Then God said” command (Gen. 1:11,26).
2. There is a confirmation of the command, “and there was light” Gen. 1:3; “and it was so,” (וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן wa’yehi ken), 1:7,9,11,15,24,30; “So God created” Gen. 1:21,27.
3. There is a clarification of the result (Gen. 1:4-5; 7-8; 10; 12; 16-18; 22; 25; 28-30).
4. There is a confession of its value “And God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:3,10,12,18,21,25). Day 2 is missing the “good” statement. Days 3 and 6 have it twice, the last one being “very good” (Gen. 1:31).
5. There is a conclusion of the day “So the evening and the morning were the _____ day” (Gen. 1:5,8,13,19,23,31).

Looking closer, you may notice that these six days are perfectly divided so that the first three days describe the forming of the earth and the last three its filling. The two sets of days are a direct echo and remedy to the initial condition of the earth “without form and void” in Gen. 1:2. The earth’s formlessness was remedied by God forming it in days one to three, and its emptiness by God filling it on days four to six.

There is also a remarkable correlation between the first three days and the last three. On day one God calls light into existence dividing light and darkness, day and night; day four He sets luminaries in the heaven to give light and rule the . On day two God separates the waters to make the firmament; day five He created fish and birds to fill the waters and the sky. On day three God makes dry land appear and plants grow; day six God made land creatures and created mankind in His image, giving them all plants to eat.

The creation account is beautiful in its arrangement, its perfection, its order and its symmetries. What a powerful, intelligent, orderly, perfect and glorious God our creator is! As Isaiah writes (Isa. 40:25-26) “’To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?’ says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.”

The meaning of the days

Although as we have seen, Genesis 1 is highly structured, symmetric and stylized, it is not technically poetry, but narrative prose. The account is written in the normal Hebrew narrative tense. It records sequential consecutive events in those six days. If you compare Genesis 1 to the creation poem in Psalm 104 you will see a stark contrast in styles between the poetry and the narrative. The narrative tense is used throughout most of the book of Genesis. It generally is used to relate history.

“Genesis 1 is therefore exalted, carefully structured and worded narrative prose-history. Certainly, it is not meant to be an exhaustive account of creation. It is only one page long! It must not be treated as a photograph of creation but rather as a broad-stroked painting of what happened when God created the heavens and the earth.” (Kent Hughes).

Godly, Scripture-loving people who have given their lives to studying God’s Word have differed over the intent of the six days of creation. What they have not differed on is the utter truth of God’s Word and that the Genesis accounts are factual and historical. There are at least six interpretive views of the six days (Kent Hughes), namely:

1) the twenty-four-hour solar day view (creation took place in 144 hours; this has been the traditional majority view throughout the history of the church);
2) the gap view (sees a gap between Genesis 1:1 and 2, wherein the primeval rebellion of Satan brought the chaos of Genesis 1:2, and the six-day creation is a remaking of the earth);
3) the punctuated activity view (might be called the gaps view; the creation days are twenty-four-hour days but were separated by indefinite periods);
4) the day-age view (understands the days as corresponding to long geological ages);
5) the framework view (the days are a literary structuring device to convey the truth of creation, and not consecutive days); and
6) the analogical day view (the days are God’s workdays which are analogous to human work days).

Obviously these six views cannot all be correct. In fact, there can be only one true understanding and it is our duty to seek it through careful and prayerful exegesis. None of these views is free from exegetical problems, including the twenty-four-hour day view which I have understood to be the most literal understanding of the text. There have been godly Christians who hold the scriptures to be inerrant and entirely true who have differed on their interpretations of the six days of creation. This should remind us to be cautious and humble in our opinions of fellow believers who think differently that we do. We must act in love toward one another. It is the loving thing to do when we humbly advocate our position and try to persuade others who hold other positions. It is not loving to condemn brothers in Christ who think differently. Discernment is necessary, attacking others is not.

Truths for today

Let me close with some timeless truths that we learn from Genesis 1 (thanks to Steven Cole).

God is sovereign and all-powerful – Genesis 1 proclaims that God alone created all that is. He didn’t consult with anyone or have to answer to anyone. He just spoke the word according to His sovereign will and called into being all that exists. That God creates by speaking His word shows His infinite power and should humble all people before Him (2 Pet. 3:5). Psalm 33:6-9 says,

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He lays up the deep in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.

God is intelligent – Genesis shows an intelligent Creator who orders all things by His word. How people can study creation and deny the presence of an intelligent Creator behind it baffles me. From the tiniest insects to the movements of the planets there is overwhelming evidence of an intricate, interdependent plan.

God is personal – He is not a mere cosmic force, but a personal being. He speaks, He sees, He makes value judgments about what He has made, and He creates man in His image as a personal being.

God is good – Genesis 1 repeatedly emphasizes, “And God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). This shows the personal care of God for His creatures, especially for man. God’s good creation will contrast with the evil of mankind’s sin in Genesis 3. Genesis will teach us that because God is good in His very being, He must judge sin.

Conclusion

So Genesis 1 shows us that God is the sovereign, powerful, intelligent, personal, good Creator. The truth of Genesis 1 calls for more than just a passing nod; it calls for commitment.

We cannot avoid the biblical revelation that the God Who created heaven and earth, is the God-man of Galilee, Jesus Christ. While God revealed things about Himself in creation, He has revealed Himself fully in His Son (John 1:18). Just as Christ fashioned the first creation (Col. 1:16), so He has now come to accomplish a new creation, through His work on the cross of Calvary: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Cor. 5:17).

Have you become a new creation in Christ? Genesis 1 reveals how God took what was formless and void and brought order and fullness. If you have never come to Christ, I can say with total confidence that your life is formless and empty; it is darkness and lifeless. 2 Corinthians 4:6 says, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Come to Jesus Christ and find life and light.

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