Genesis 1:1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
God is the Creator. The eternally existent One spoke time and space into existence and created everything that we can see and the unseen world that we cannot see. He created the laws that govern the universe and He created the universe the follows the laws.
Deuteronomy 6 affirms that there is only one God: “The Lord our God, the Lord is One” (Dt 6:4). Yet something interesting appears when you examine the Hebrew text of Genesis 1:1. See, the Hebrew word for God is El. The plural form of the word is Elohim. In Genesis 1:1, the word Elohim is used to name the Creator. What does this mean? Let’s add two passages from the New Testament to make it clear.
John 1:1-4, 14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 Life was in Him, and that life was the light of men…. 14 The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Colossians 1:15-16
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him.
When you combine all of these verses together (Gen 1:1, Dt 6:4, Jn 1:1-14, Col 1:15-16), it becomes crystal clear — our Three-in-One God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is the Creator. You see this truth “hidden” in plain sight in Genesis 1:1, the very first verse of the Bible. God spoke and creation took place. Jesus is the Word of God. The Spirit of God was present at creation.
God’s creation is very good. God is the prime mover of everything. He got it all started. God is the master designer of the universe. It works with amazing precision. God is the supreme intelligence that thought up all things, visible and invisible. He holds all things together. What an amazing God we serve.
Even the order of creation demonstrates these qualities. Notice the pattern of two sets of three in the order of creation.
- Day 1 = Light
- Day 2 = Sky & Sea
- Day 3 = Land & Plants
- Day 4 = Sun, Moon and Stars (corresponds to Day 1)
- Day 5 = Birds and Fish (corresponds to Day 2)
- Day 6 = Land creatures and people (corresponds to Day 3)
- Day 7 = Rest
God’s original creation was flawless. Perfect. In every way. He looked at His creation and declared that it was “very good” (Gen 1:31).
God’s creation is totally complete. The reason God rested was that His work in creating was done. He put the life systems and laws in motion that continue to this day. And despite the fact that we now live in a broken world (more on that in future posts), God’s creation is absolutely amazing.
I believe that the Bible is clear that God created the earth in six, literal 24-hour days. [More on that HERE.] And when God finished His creation, He rested. He rested not because He was tired but rather to give us an example to follow. We set aside one day each week to rest from our regular work and to devote the day to worshiping God.
God set Adam and Eve in the perfect Garden of Eden. It was truly paradise on earth. People were made in the image of God. God said, “Let Us make man in Our image…. Male and female He created them” (Gen 1:26-27). Did you notice the “us” in that verse? Guess who God is talking to there? God the Father is speaking with God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Elohim.
Let me state it clearly.
- God is Creator.
- Jesus is God.
- Jesus is the Creator.
And He is the One who sustains all of creation, including you.
Worship Him. Put your trust in Him. Follow Him.