Genesis 1
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CHAPTER 1
The Beginning (1:1–31)
1 Everything begins with God. God created heaven and earth; He is the Creator of the universe and all that is in it. Everything that exists has its origin in God’s creative acts.
The word beginning implies the start of a period of time that has an ending. God existed before the “beginning”; He has always existed; He is eternal. But the heavens and the earth have not always existed, and they will not exist forever. They will come to an end and be replaced by a new heaven and earth that will last forever (Matthew 24:35; 2 Peter 3:10–13; Revelation 21:1). The Bible, then, tells the story of God’s creation and care of the earth from its beginning to its end.
God created . . . This first great pronouncement of Scripture stands in opposition to all the world’s philosophies and religions that deny the one true God of the universe. This pronouncement stands against atheism, which says there is no God. It stands against polytheism, which says there are many gods. It stands against pantheism, which says that God and the universe are the same. It stands against the worship of idols, who themselves are merely human creations with no power. And it stands against scientific theories that say the origin of the universe came about merely by chance (see General Article: Creation, Evolution, or Both?).
The Bible does not tell us exactly how God created the universe; there are many unanswered questions. How could He create everything within six twenty-four-hour days? Is there a long time lapse possible between the events of verses 1 and 2 (as many suggest), or between the events of verses 2 and 3? This commentary offers no answer to these questions. What we can say, however, is that today the universe demonstrably exists before our eyes and gives unequivocal testimony to a Creator of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness. To argue that this amazing universe has come about solely by some chance materialistic process is surely to abandon the basic intelligence we humans have been given.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands (Psalm 19:1). For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:20).
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). The basis of this great truth, which runs like a thread throughout the whole Bible, is introduced right here in the very first verse of Genesis: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 At first the earth was formless and empty; that is, it was uninhabitable (Isaiah 45:18). There was no light, no separation of land and water. God needed to prepare the earth so that it could be lived on.
Here God is called the Spirit of God. God is spirit (John 4:24). We humans can apprehend and understand God only because of His Spirit interacting with our human spirits. The Spirit of God referred to here is the same as the HOLY SPIRIT mentioned repeatedly throughout the New Testament. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, the triune God.
3 And God said . . . It was not only God’s Spirit who was active in creation; it was also God’s Word. God said—God spoke—and the universe was formed. God’s Word was with God in the beginning, and the Word was God (John 1:1). The Word is none other than Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity. Thus, within the first three verses of the Bible, we are introduced to the full manifestation of God in His three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The New Testament clearly states that it was through the Son that all things were made (John 1:3). For by him all things were created . . . all things were created by him and for him (Colossians 1:16).
Let there be light. This light was not the sun, which wasn’t created until the fourth day (verse 16). Rather, it was likely caused by some form of tremendous energy that produced heat and light in the as yet unformed universe.
God simply spoke, and what He desired came to pass. With humans, there is a great difference between words and deeds. But with God there is no difference: what He speaks He always accomplishes (Psalm 33:9).
4–5 God saw that the light was good. The word “good” occurs seven times in Chapter 1. Since God Himself is good in every way, whatever He creates must likewise be good. In particular, it is good for humans, who are the crown and climax of God’s creation. God’s goodness is especially directed toward living beings, highest of whom are men and women because they are made in the image of God (verse 27).
When God created light, He didn’t thereby eliminate darkness. He made the light and darkness to exist together, yet separately and distinctly. The fact that God called them “day” and “night” doesn’t mean the sun had to have already been created; “day” and “night” were merely names for light and darkness.
And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. The mention of “evening” before “morning” reflects the HEBREW concept that each day begins at sunset and ends at the following sunset. The main question is: What is meant by the term “day”? Is it a twenty-four-hour day, such as we humans are used to? Or is this “God’s workday”—an indefinite, unknown period? Either interpretation is possible (see General Article: Creation, Evolution, or Both?).
A second question is this: Is the initial creation of heaven and earth described in verse 1 to be included in the “first day” of verse 5? Or is the creation in verse 1 a kind of preliminary, unorganized creation that took place before the creative events of verses 3–5? Again, it is not possible to give a definite answer to this question. The most important thing to remember in the early verses of Genesis is that it is God who is behind all these creative activities; it is God who is planning, organizing and controlling each phase of creation according to His will, His wisdom, His time-table, His design.
6–8 Let there be an expanse. The “expanse” is the sky (verse 8). The sky separated the water below (still covering the earth) from the water above, that is, the clouds. Notice here that God didn’t just “speak” the expanse into existence (verse 6); He also made it (verse 7). God both ordered it to be done and then He did it. He didn’t just speak and then have someone else do the work! Thus ended the second day.
9–13 On the third day God placed limits on the water covering the earth and formed it into seas; this allowed dry ground to appear, which He called land (verses 9–10). He caused the land to produce vegetation for the benefit of the living creatures He was about to create the following day. The plants and trees together with their seeds were produced according to their various kinds (verse 11). This suggests that early in the creative process God established distinct varieties of living things (see verses 21,24). This stands in opposition to the modern evolutionary theory that humans are descended from apes.
We humans who today enjoy the abundance of God’s provisions—sky, water, land, vegetation—need to remember that all creation belongs to God and that we owe to Him our thanks and praise for all that He has done for us.
14–19 On the fourth day God created lights—that is, the sun, moon and stars. He had already created light back on the first day (verse 3), but now He organized that light into stars and planets and set them in motion to serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years (verse 14) and to give light on the earth (verse 15). The sun is described as the greater light and the moon as the lesser light (verse 16).
20–23 On the fifth day God created the sea creatures and the birds. The sea creatures include every living and moving thing that lives in water (verse 21). Though only birds are mentioned, we can infer that He also created all manner of flying insects as well. This creation story in Genesis is not meant to give a comprehensive scientific account of God’s entire work; rather it focuses on the highlights of creation.
God blessed these living creatures of sea and sky. He blessed them with the ability to reproduce and increase in number. As with the creation of vegetation in verse 11, God created these sea-and-sky creatures according to their kinds (verse 21).
24–25 On the sixth day God created all the creatures dwelling on land, starting with reptiles and animals, each according to its kind (verse 24).
26–27 Then God reached the climax of His creative work: the creation of man.4 And at once we notice some important differences between His creation of man and His creation of other living things. First, God created man in his own image (verse 27). We humans, in contrast to other living creatures, bear the image, the likeness, of God. This can be understood on different levels, the most important of which is spiritual. Our human spirits are like God’s Spirit in that we can respond to God in faith and worship. Also our minds, though finite, bear a likeness to the mind of God. God has given us a knowledge of His will; He has taught us to live in HOLINESS and RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Bearing God’s image also means that we represent God on earth; we are His agents, His instruments for carrying out His will. In ancient times an ambassador carried the seal or image of his king, and thus was authorized to represent the king in foreign lands. So too, bearing God’s image, we represent Him on earth. What a great privilege and responsibility He has given us!
God has also given us, as His representatives, the rule over all the earth, including all the living creatures of the earth. We exercise this “rule” on God’s behalf; we are God’s stewards, whom He has created to take care of His earth. This means that we humans must not abuse or show cruelty to other living things;5 it also means we must protect and preserve our natural environment.
To best understand what it means for humans to be created in God’s image, we need to recall that when God decided to come to this earth two thousand years ago He came in the form of the man Jesus Christ, who was the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15) and the exact representation of his being (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus is the ultimate and perfect example of what it means for man to bear the image of God. The first Adam bore that image, but then it was marred because of SIN (Genesis 3:1–6). Jesus, the last Adam, has restored that image to us (1 Corinthians 15:45–49), and made it possible for us to be renewed, recreated, in true righteousness and holiness (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:24).
Because we humans are created in God’s image, we have unique value and worth. This worth is not something we produce; it comes from God. And because we have this worth we can legitimately value ourselves as God’s highest creation. That means we must also value other humans; this is the basis of our respect for human life, for other people’s rights and welfare. This is why we must oppose oppression and prejudice of all kinds: we are all equally made in God’s image and we all have equal worth. Indeed, this is the basis of modern democracy.
God said, “Let us make man in our image” (verse 26). What did God mean by “us” and “our”? It is unlikely He was referring to ANGELS, because verse 27 states that God created man in his own image—singular. Rather, in light of the New Testament revelation, it is likely that God was referring to the other two persons of the Trinity—the Son and the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the Hebrew word for God used here, “Elohim,” is itself plural, suggesting the multiple aspects of an infinite God (see Genesis 3:22).
Likewise, the singular man in verse 27 has two aspects and becomes plural in the last part of the verse: male and female he created them. From the beginning God created both man and woman in His image, to be equal before Him, and to share equally in His blessing (verse 28).
28–31 God blessed them. God’s attitude to His creation is one of pleasure, of blessing. He has created us in order to bless us, to meet all our needs, and to give us a deep sense of joy and purpose. A major part of His blessing comes in the form of our posterity, our descendants; notice that God immediately associates His blessing with our being fruitful and increasing in number (verse 28). One of the major promises that God gave to Abraham was that his descendants would become great in number (Genesis 15:5; 17:2).
Although God expressed this blessing of fruitfulness as an imperative—“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth”—it is not to be understood as an ordinary command but rather as a form of well-wishing. The meaning is: “May you be fruitful and increase in number. . . ”6
God said, “. . . fill the earth” (verse 28). According to some Christians, God’s expectation that we humans should be fruitful and “fill the earth” means that all forms of contraception and family planning are wrong. Others say, however, that many areas of the earth are already “filled” and that people are suffering, in part, because of overpopulation. It is best to understand verse 28 as a broad generalization, applicable in particular to mankind’s early history. Each person today needs to seek God’s guidance as to what extent he or she is individually responsible for “filling the earth.” However, one thing we can say with certainty: God has ordained sexual intercourse between male and female, and it is one of the things He has called very good (verse 31).
In verses 28–31, we see how carefully God has planned for the well-being of both humans and animals. With respect to humans, God has given us companion-ship in the form of husband and wife, parent and child. He has given us authority and responsibility as His representatives on earth. He has given us all the food we need for our bodies, including—from the Flood onward—fish, fowl and meat (Genesis 9:3). He has given us His image, His character. In all this, we can see the benevolence of God toward humankind. For God so loved the world . . . (John 3:16).
For further discussion on the subjects of the earth’s beginnings and of man’s creation in God’s image, see General Articles: Creation, Evolution, or Both?; In the Image of God.