Creation Simplified

Genesis Chapter 1

What does Genesis mean?

Genesis means beginning or origin.

Consider what information we would be missing if we didn’t have the book of Genesis: The history of the beginning would be missing.

–how the earth was formed

–how life began

–how sin entered the world

–how God made a plan for salvation

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We are going to study what God tells us in Genesis about creation. We will see that the things taught in Genesis 1 are upheld throughout the rest of Scripture. Both the Old and New Testament writings affirm the Genesis account of creation.

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Genesis 1:1-2

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…

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Day 1 – Genesis 1:3-5 (summarized)

God said Let there be light and there was light. God saw the light, that it was good. He divided the light from the darkness. He called the light Day and the darkness He called Night. The evening and the morning were the first day.

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Day 2 – Genesis1:6-8 (summarized)

God created a firmament that divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters above the firmament. God called this firmament Heaven. This Heaven is the atmosphere. God saw that it was good. The evening and the morning were the second day.

There are three heavens – the heaven where the birds fly (the atmosphere), the heavens (outer space), the third heaven (the place where God lives). In 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 Paul said I know a man who was caught up to the third heaven, whether in the body or in spirit we know not. I agree with Bible scholars who say Paul was speaking of John and the Revelation.

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Day 3 – Genesis 1:9-13 (summarized)

God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together in one place and let the dry land appear. God called the dry land Earth and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. God saw that it was good.

And God said Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself. And it was so. And God saw that it was good. The evening and the morning were the third day.

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Day 4 – Genesis 1:14-19 (summarized)

God said let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night. Let them be for signs and seasons, for days and years. God made two great lights – one to rule the day (that would be the Sun) and the lesser light to rule the night (that would be the moon). And God made the stars also. God saw that it was good. The evening and the morning were the fourth day.

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Day 5 – Genesis 1:20-23 (summarized)

God said, Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures and let the fowl fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens. God saw that it was good. And God blessed them and said be fruitful and multiply. The morning and the evening were the fifth day.

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Day 6 – Genesis 1:24-31 (summarized)

God made the beasts of the earth, the cattle and every thing that creeps upon the earth according to their own kind. (Remember God has called the dry land earth.) God saw that it was good.

God said Let us make man in our own image. Let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the fowl of the air and the cattle and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, male and female. God blessed them, and said be fruitful and multiply.

And God said, I have given you the herb upon the earth and the fruit of the trees to eat. And the beast of the earth and every fowl, I have given every green herb to eat.

God saw every thing that he had made and it was VERY good.

(Notice man and animal ate only the herb and the fruit. There was no death.)

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Summary of Creation:

Genesis 1 tells of six days of creation.

Can you see the pattern?

In the first three days, God prepared places. In days four, five and six, God filled the places (in the order He prepared them).

On day 1, God made the day and the night. On day 3, He put the sun in the day, the moon and stars in the night.

On day 2, we see water and heaven. On day 4, God put the fish (and sea creatures) in the water and the fowl in the air.

On day 3, God formed the dry land. On day 6, He put animals and a man and a woman on the dry land. (I hope you can visualize what I’m trying to say. It’s easier to see with pictures.)