How It All Began…

Introduction

On February 5, 1971, Apollo 14 commander Edgar Mitchell placed a microfilm packet containing a complete Bible on the moon. With the Bible was one verse written out in sixteen different languages: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Why Genesis 1:1? “In the beginning God created,” is the foundation of all theology. It is vitally important that if we are to ever fully understand anything in the Bible, or in the world in general, that we must first understand this verse. Theologian Ray Stedman writes: “Each of us began life as a baby, and we were unaware of what was going on around us or what the world was like. But as we grew older, we started to take note of the world—the sky, the sea, the winds, the birds, the flowers, the animals, the trees, and all of life around us. As we became aware of the world, we inevitably ask some questions about it.” Those questions are the ones answered for us in the very first words of Genesis 1. Are you ready to better understand your Bible, and the world in general? Let’s dive in….

Observation

Pray

Begin each study with prayer. Ask the author, God, to expand your view of who He is through His Word and through this study.

Read Key Verse

Take a moment and read Genesis 1:1 as if you’ve never read it before. Resist the urge to skim over the words based on your knowing it by memory. Enjoy each word, as if God invited you over for coffee, leaned back in His recliner, and began to tell you how He made the universe.

"In the beginning..."

The very first words of the Hebrew Bible, the first words God chose to communicate with His people—“bereshith bara Elohim,” or “In the beginning God created,”— are the foundation of all theology (study of God). Those three words make up a summary statement that is further developed throughout the rest of Chapter 1. It is a declaration that explains the origin of everything.

Read in Context

Now that you’ve read the main verse of our study today, expand your reading context to get a bigger picture of what’s being discussed. Take a moment and read the entire first chapter of Genesis. If while reading you gain a sense of what this entire chapter is about, please enter it as a chapter theme. Don’t worry; if the chapter theme isn’t clear to you at this point you can add it later.

Want to see it?

We didn’t have a video crew to film the creation, but we have the next best thing! God gave a creative group of folks the ability to present the creation in a video that gives us an idea of how it could have played out. Check it out!

Snapshot

Take a look at this diagram which captures a snapshot of the seven days of creation.

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Keyword - "Time"

Let’s use this marking to give us a visual que that the text is describing when something happened. A few examples of expressions of time are: “first,” “next,” “last,” “after,” or “beginning.”

When Did It Happen?

Read Genesis 1:1 again, but this time mark any word or phrase that seems to indicate when this event occurred.

Interpretation

God vs. Time

Since God already existed and had the power to create “the heavens and the earth…in the beginning,” what does this say about God and His relationship with time?

God Time

Let’s take a moment and gain insight on God’s time as it relates to man’s time. Read Psalm 90:1-4.

Is God Ever Late?

Is God bound by our understanding of time (days, hours, minutes, etc.)? What capability does God have to work in and outside of the bounds of time? (The objective of this question is to magnify your view of God – He’s bigger than you can imagine!)

Building Blocks

Everything that mankind makes fits within the definition of “assembly.” We separate or combine the materials that exist on earth to make or invent things. What does the Bible indicate that God used as His raw materials to make the universe?

Creation

Easton’s Bible Dictionary describes “Creation” as follows: "In the beginning" God created, i.e., called into being, all things out of nothing. This creative act on the part of God was absolutely free, and for infinitely wise reasons. The cause of all things exists only in the will of God.

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Who Did It?

Most translations simply state “God” as the source of this magnificent work. While this is true, is there something to uncover as we look at the specific Hebrew name for God that is used?

One or Many

I’m sure you noticed that the word for God is plural. We’ll discuss that a bit more in further studies, because the focus here is on creation. Since God didn’t make a mistake in His identification, journal your thoughts on what God is revealing about Himself in this first verse of the Bible.

All Things

When reading the Bible, you’ll find that God sometimes explains things in more detail in other passages. Take a look at Colossians 1:16. This gives more details regarding exactly what God made.

Foundation

Also, take a look at Hebrews 1:10 to find who the work of creation is attributed to.

Application

God Speaks

Ask God what He’s saying to you personally through this verse. Write it down.

Awesome Job God!

We don’t know how many pats on the shoulder God gets for creation. If you had the opportunity say “Good job God!” for something He created, what would it be and what would you say?

Wrapup

Closing

We hope that you enjoyed this study and that it has given you a fresh view of just how awesome God is!

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