Genesis 1

Sunday Teaching

Nov 7

The full video of this teaching is at the bottom of this post and is also available at this link.

WHY GENESIS 1-3 ARE MY FAVORITE CHAPTERS OF THE BIBLE

We can understand parts of the Bible without understanding Genesis 1–3. But we cannot understand the Bible without them.

Genesis 1–3 gives us the framework for the whole story. God brings order out of chaos, creates a good world, and places us in it as His image-bearers, with dignity, purpose, and responsibilities. (Genesis 1:26–28).

And that’s why the rest of Scripture keeps insisting that the world belongs to God (Psalm 24:1), that human life has extraordinary value (Psalm 8:4–6), and that Jesus is Lord over all creation (Colossians 1:15–17).

God doesn’t create us and disappear. He puts us in a garden and gives us meaningful work, relationships, freedom, and boundaries. We’re built to live in harmony with God, with each other, and with His world.

That’s why Jesus teaches us to love God and our neighbors (Matthew 22:37–40).

It’s why Paul describes the church as one body (1 Corinthians 12:12–27).

And it’s why Revelation ends with God dwelling among His people (Revelation 21:3).

But back in the garden, we decide that trusting God’s wisdom isn’t enough. The result? Shame, blame, broken relationships, suffering, and death. And we’ve gotten remarkably good at repeating Genesis 3.

Paul traces what’s wrong with every one of us back to Adam (Romans 5:12–21). And Jesus comes not simply to forgive our sins, but to defeat sin and death and begin making everything new (1 Corinthians 15:21–26; Revelation 21:5).

Genesis 1 tells us whose world this is.
Genesis 2 tells us why we’re here.
Genesis 3 tells us what we broke.
And every page after that tells us how God is putting it right.

Without Genesis 1–3, we’d miss why Israel needed a sacrificial system to approach God. We’d miss the bigger picture of what Jesus accomplished through His life, death, and resurrection.

And when we understand Genesis 1–3, the ten plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, Jesus healing the sick and walking on water, and even the virgin birth aren’t an intellectual stretch. God, who created all matter and holds it together, is certainly capable of acting within it.

The Book of Revelation suddenly makes so much more sense too. God judges evil, renews creation, moves in with us, and restores access to the tree of life.

WHAT GENESIS ONE IS SAYING

There is one God. He alone is the eternal Creator of everything.

God is distinct from His creation. The sun, moon, stars, and nature are His creations, not gods.

God creates by His word. His speech conveys intelligence, information, and power. Creation is the work of a mind, not a mindless process.

God brings order and purpose. Creation is not meaningless or accidental.

God's creation is good.

Humanity bears God's image. Every man and woman has inherent dignity, value, and significance.

Humanity represents God on earth. We are commissioned to be fruitful, exercise responsible dominion, and care for His creation.

WHAT GENESIS ONE IS NOT SAYING

The age of the earth or universe. Genesis 1 gives no dates or sufficient information to calculate their ages.

Whether the entire physical universe was created in six consecutive 24-hour days.

Ken Ham (Creation Museum): Genesis 1 describes God creating the physical universe and everything in it during six consecutive, literal 24-hour days. He believes the Bible's genealogies indicate that creation took place approximately 6,000 years ago.

Dr. John C. Lennox: Genesis 1 describes six ordinary 24-hour days, but they were not necessarily consecutive. Long periods of time, even millions of years, could have passed between them. In other words, God may have acted on six specific days, with long stretches of time between those acts. So, the six days tell us when God acted, but not how much time passed from the beginning to the completion of creation.

Dr. John H. Walton: Genesis 1 describes six actual, consecutive 24-hour days. But he doesn't believe those days describe God making the physical universe from scratch. Instead, they describe God taking His creation and giving it order, purpose, and function. In other words, Genesis 1 is telling us less about how God made everything and more about why He made it and what everything is for.

Dr. Tim Mackie, Dr. Walter Brueggemann, and Dr. Michael Heiser: The six days are a literary structure designed to teach us about God, what He created, and not how long creation took. They do not insist that the days represent six consecutive 24-hour periods.

A scientific explanation of creation. Genesis 1 does not attempt to explain the scientific processes, mechanisms, or timeline of creation. It neither establishes nor refutes evolution or other biological processes, nor does it teach astronomy, physics, or geology.

“When discussing Genesis 1–2, I explain the cosmological thought of ancient Near Eastern people. I explain that Genesis 1–2 reflects an ancient Near Eastern worldview and does not function as a scientific textbook.” — Dr. Christina Bohn, Old Testament Scholar, MidAmerica Nazarene University

That the physical world is less important than the spiritual world. Genesis 1 repeatedly declares the physical creation good. The world is not evil, worthless, or merely something to escape, even after the Fall. It is God's good creation. He values it and has set out to restore it. And the rest of the Bible builds on that. Jesus rose from the dead in a physical body; one day we will too, and God will renew heaven and earth, not abandon His creation.

WHY THIS MATTERS TO US

Some people explore Christianity and reject it. Others walk away from the faith they were raised in. Many times, it's not because of what Scripture actually says, but because of what we told them it says. That’s tragic.

We hand people a false choice (the Bible or their biology class, for example). But they never needed to choose. Genesis tells us who created the world and why we're here. Science gets to explore how God did it. When we let Genesis speak for itself, the biology student doesn’t have to choose between her microscope and her Maker. Her microscope reveals the work of her Maker.

PASTORAL TAKE-HOME FROM GENESIS ONE FOR TODAY

Let me close today with just one of the many ways Genesis 1 applies to our lives.

God takes what is formless and empty and brings order, beauty, and life. Then He gives us a role in caring for and developing His creation. So anytime we step into the chaos around us and bring something good out of it, we reflect God’s image into this world. And that happens in some surprisingly ordinary places.

For you cops: You step into homes where chaos has erupted into violence, and neighborhoods where someone has threatened the safety of others. You show up where the peace and order a community depends on have broken down. You’re protecting the conditions in which human life can flourish. You’re reflecting the image of God.

For you parents: Day in and day out, you’re taking selfish, chaotic little lives that don’t yet know how to navigate this world and helping them discover how to live in it. You’re teaching them to share, forgive, tell the truth, take responsibility, and care for others. You’re bringing order into their worlds, helping them grow into the people God created them to be. You’re reflecting God's image in your own home.

For you mental health professionals: Every day, someone walks into your office carrying a world that has fallen into chaos. Their thoughts are tangled. Their emotions are overwhelming. You listen and give them tools to begin rebuilding what's been damaged. You’re reflecting the image of God.

For you businesspeople: You take raw materials and human talent and organize them into something that didn’t exist before. You provide goods, offer services, create jobs, and solve problems that make other people's lives better. You're helping build communities where people can work, provide for their families, and flourish. You’re reflecting the image of God.

I could go on and on. But as you leave today, here’s my point: no matter how ordinary the task may feel, when you bring order to chaos, you are doing what God created you to do. And that’s every bit as spiritual, and every bit as much a reflection of God's image, as what I'm doing standing up here preaching.