Genesis 1 is a popular section of not only the Old Testament but also of the entire Bible. The Book of Genesis is where we find the story of creation, which describes how God created the universe and everything within creation.
While the Old Testament can be overlooked by many, it doesn't need to be, as there is vast information contained within its pages that teach us about God and His creation.
Day 1: Light (Genesis 1:1-5)
On the first day of creation, God created light (Genesis 1:1-5). Before God created light, there was complete darkness. Many of us might wonder why God created the world and everything in it.
I know I have asked this question many times in my own life. God created the world and everything in it for His glory. He created us because He loves us and desires a relationship with us. It's true that God does not need us, but He does want us.
The reason He created the world, including the aspect of light, is to give us a world where we can live and have the opportunity to know Him.
When God created light, He only had to speak it, and it came into being. In this way, God created something out of nothing. He simply spoke the words “let there be light,” and light was created.
God created the world ex nihilo, which means he created the world out of nothing. He can do this because He is God. Only God can do this — we, as human beings, are incapable of making something out of nothing.
Day 2-3: Sky, Sea, and Vegetation (Genesis 1:11-13; Genesis 1:6-10)
The next two things God creates on the following two days are the sky and the sea. God causes a vault to be between the waters to separate them, which God calls the “sky.” God finished creating the sky on the second day of creation.
On the third day of creation, God created the seas and separated them from the dry land. While we may think this is quite the task to do in one day, we are only thinking as human beings. God is outside time, and He never grows tired, not to mention God is God, and He can do anything He desires.
It is important to mention here that each day spoken of in Genesis 1 is referring to literal 24-hour days. While there are disagreements surrounding this, a literal interpretation of the Bible comes to the conclusion that each of the days of creation was a literal 24-hour day.
On the same day of creation, God created vegetation and plants. Similar to the other creations of creation, God simply spoke this into being, and the vegetation and plants came into being. He created vegetation in order for mankind and animals to have food for nourishment.
Day 4: Planets and Stars (Genesis 1:14-19)
On the fourth day of creation, God created the planets and the stars. God created the sun and moon during this time as well. He created the lights in the sky to guide us and help us to see at night.
During the time of the Old Testament and even the New Testament, the people didn't have modern conveniences, such as lights in their houses or lanterns.
Even in the present day, sailors and pilots can use these major lights in the sky to help direct them home. God’s creation of the planet and stars are to show His glory as well as to light our path.
Day 5: Water Animals and Flying Animals (Genesis 1:20-23)
Following the creation of the planets and stars, God created the water animals and the flying animals. Throughout each of His creations, God declares them to be good.
While each of these things was declared to be good at creation by God, after the Fall of Man, the world became corrupt, and sin entered our midst.
However, when God first created everything in creation, it was perfect, including the animals. While animals now are meat eaters, when God created them, they were vegetarians. In the future, when God makes everything new, all animals will once again be vegetarians.
It is important to note that the creatures of the ocean and the flying creatures were created on the day prior to land creatures. Land creatures, such as dogs, cats, and horses, would have been created on the day after.
Day 6-7 Animals on Dry Land and Mankind (Genesis 1:24-25; Genesis 1:26-28)
As stated, animals on dry land were next in creation, and God once again declared them to be good. While this is the time God created the land animals, none of the animals received names until Adam named them later in the book of Genesis.
There is a debate surrounding all of these biblical facts in the form of evolution. Usually, only atheists believe in evolution, yet there are Christians who also believe in evolution.
Nowhere in the Bible are we told that animals evolved, nor are we told that mankind evolved from monkeys or apes.
Man was not evolved from monkeys, nor were we evolved from any other type of animal. Mankind was uniquely made and is distinct from the rest of God's creation, which leads us to the final part of God's creation, mankind.
The last thing God created was mankind on the sixth day of creation. As mentioned, mankind is unique and distinct from the rest of God's creation.
We are unique in the sense that we are made in God's image (Genesis 1:27). Nothing else in all of creation is made in God's image. Only mankind has been created in the image of God.
Since we have been made in God's image, we can create, think, and have a relationship with Him. When God created the first man, Adam, He created Him to live forever. God never intended for anyone to die.
However, once sin came into the world through Adam and Eve disobeying God, death was the result. Now, all people are destined to die and encounter pain throughout life. It is only through Jesus that our broken relationship with the Father can be fixed.
When we place faith in Jesus, we are given forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and a repaired relationship with the Father. Even though the original design for mankind was broken at the Fall of Man and mankind was removed from the Garden of Eden, God had a plan to fix the problem we had made.
This is because God's love for us has no bounds. The love God has for us is greater than any other love as it doesn't change, and it doesn't waver. Despite our actions, God always loves us, and He deeply desires a relationship with us.
Why Is Genesis 1 Popular?
The meaning of Genesis 1 is multi-focused; however, the meaning that stands out to us in this chapter of the Bible is God's act of creation. The concept of creation is so popular because of the different theories in the world of how the world came into being.
There are many different views, yet the two main views are the biblical definition of creation and the Big Bang Theory. The Big Bang Theory is normally taught in schools as the way the world was created.
The Bible: however, tells us otherwise as Genesis 1 tells us the creation story and how God spoke it into being. Despite the belief of secular scientists, there is proof for the Christian argument of how the world came into being even outside the Bible.
Numerous Christian scientists have backed up the truth of God's divine creation in the realm of science, including Ken Ham, founder of Answers In Genesis.
Thus, the meaning of Genesis 1 is to tell us about creation. Through Genesis 1, we are told that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. When the Bible tells us God rested on the seventh day, they don't mean that God is tired, but rather that God was admiring His work.
In this way, God gave us an example in our own lives. Furthermore, Genesis 1 is popular because it is a subject of controversy.
In this chapter of the Bible, there is written evidence of the exact beginnings of the universe and mankind, yet secular scientists and many individuals refuse to believe it.
Even though many reject the biblical definition of how the world came into being, we do have proof of God's creation of the world. Everything written in the Bible is true as it is divinely inspired, including Genesis 1.
For further reading:
What Is the Creation Story in the Bible?
What Happened on Each Day of Creation?
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