"Genesis" means "beginning." Genesis covers many important topics such as the universe, the earth, people, sin, and God's plan of salvation for the lost.
"In the beginning" refers to the beginning of creation. There had to be a Creator, and that Creator is the only true and living God. God has no beginning and no end, but His created universe does. Out of nothing God spoke things into being. This is what "created" means. God is the Creator and Sustainer of all life. David shares with us in these next two passages, what God clearly revealed to him and as we ourselves should know...
"The heavens are Yours, the earth is also Yours; the world and all its fullness, You have founded them."
Psalm 89:11 NKJV
and
"Of old You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands." Psalm 102:25
Since before the beginning, as we know it, God had everything planned out for us. Let's take a look at Ephesians 1:4; "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes."-NLT Since God knows all, and nothing takes Him by surprise, He knew that we were going to need a Savior. We see this in 1 Peter 1:19-20 NKJV, "but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you." Christ (the Word) was a part of the plan all along, which we see in
John 1:1 NKJV-"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.He was in the beginning with God."
Since there is clearly a higher being who created all living things, it stands to reason that we are accountable to Him. Look at what the elders say to Him in Revelation 4:11, "Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." For all that He is, He is most certainly worthy of our praise.
We were all created and specially designed by our infinate Creator, for a purpose. We see this clearly in
Ephesians 2:10 NLT, "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
Let's also take a look at the Amplified version of this same verse which enhances the above verse. "For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live.]"
We are a beautiful masterpiece in that we were created with a free will. We can choose to follow our Father in heaven who loves us and has a purpose and secured destiny for us, or we can follow our own fleshly and selfish desires that can interfere with God's overall good plan for us.
"God created the heavens and the earth." It should be noted here, that God resides in the heavens. He chose to reside within His own creation. This thought alone should make one feel on a more personal level with Him. If our Creator, which is infinate and Most Holy is willing to share His creation with us, should we doubt His intentions for us are anything but good and pure? Absolutely not!
Take this with you as you go...God is love, and love is best expressed toward something or someone else. So, as an expression of His love, He created the world and He created us. We are valuable in His eyes.
Genesis 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.
"The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep."
This statement describes the vast emptiness which exisited before God created the universe and all living things.
The phrase "without form and void" expresses the concept of "chaos."
The word "darkness" is symbolic of "evil" and wrongdoing throughout the Word of God.
The word "deep" refers to the secret places of the waters.
"And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."
God's Spirit can be likened to that of a mother eagle who protects and tends to her young. The same thing applies to God and us, as His children. He sees all of creation this way. Let's look at
Deuteronomy 32:11-12, "As an eagle stirs up in its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, So the LORD alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him.
Isaiah 31:5, "Like birds flying about, so will the Lord of Hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending, He will also deliver it; Passing over, He will preserve it."
So, He is our Creator, Protector, Defense and Provider...just to name a few.
The Spirit of God was present in creation as we can see clearly in Job 33:4, "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Psalms 104:30 makes this same general claim. "You send forth your Spirit, they are created; And you renew the face of the earth."
From the chaos and disaster, we will gradually see how God brought order. Our God, the One True and Living God, is not a God of chaos and confusion. 1 Corinthians 14:33 says, "For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints."
We were created by God, who is Father, Son & the Holy Spirit; and we were created for Him and with purpose.
