Great Doctrines

Lesson 2

Lesson Text—Genesis 1:1-4

Genesis 1:1-81 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Lesson Text—Genesis 1:1-4

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Lesson Text—Genesis 1:5-7

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Lesson Text—Genesis 2:4-6

Genesis 2:4-74 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

Lesson Text—Genesis 2:7

6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Focus Verse—Colossians 1:16

Colossians 1:16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in

earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or

principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.

Focus Thought

In the beginning God created

the heavens and the earth. To

know the Creator of all

inspires our faith in and praise

for Him.

I. The Purpose of CreationIntroduction

The Book of Genesis has been properly called the “Book of Beginnings.” Its very name means “beginning.” Most major themes of the Bible have their origin in this book. The material world, sin in the human race, redemption from sin, faith in God, and the prophecies concerning Jesus Christ—all are introduced in this first book of the Bible. Genesis is the beginning of the account of God’s relationship with mankind on the earth.

I. The Purpose of CreationThe Book of Revelation tells about the conclusion of the account. Genesis does not tell about the beginning of the spirit world, however. Satan and the rebellious angels who followed him, as well as all the angels of heaven, already had their places on stage when the curtain to the drama of mankind opened in the first chapters of Genesis.

The Book of Genesis does not attempt to prove the existence of God.

I. The Purpose of CreationIt assumes and proclaims Him as the Creator of heaven and earth and all things, animals, humans, and spirits. But Genesis is not alone in its silence in theological reasoning to prove that God exists, for nowhere does the Bible attempt to prove His existence through the natural reasoning process. The Bible is not a theological textbook, but a revelation of God to mankind. The Bible is not a record of man’s search to discover and know God, but a progressive self-revealing of God to mankind, whom He created in His own image.

I. The Purpose of CreationWe can know of God and His

glory through the Creation, but we need to remember that God has revealed Himself to mankind through the Incarnation. Mankind has received this greatest of revelations through the experience of the new birth of the water and the Spirit. Still, a glimpse into the universe helps us to see and appreciate the Supreme Being who put it all together.

I. The Purpose of CreationWe are amazed at the vastness of

the universe with its billions of stars in a billion galaxies structured through billions of light years of space. We also sense wonder at the order in everything we see around us on earth. One illustration of this order is the interdependence and balance in nature. For example, plants give off the oxygen needed by mankind and animals. In turn, mankind and animals give off the carbon dioxide needed by the plants. Further, our own bodies testify to the greatness of God’s creative powers.

I. The Purpose of CreationThe development of a mature human body from only a single cell is truly one of the greatest miracles known.

God formed the universe and established the laws under which it functions. He can also set these laws aside according to His will. We can believe in the supernatural because we know the God who can do all things.

I. The Purpose of CreationThe Purpose of Creation

God did not design His Word to satisfy our complete curiosity, but it will supply us with all the information necessary to lead us to a proper relationship with God. The Book of Genesis does not disclose the purpose for the creation of the world. It merely announces that God created all things and pronounced what He created as good.

I. The Purpose of CreationOur desire to know the reason God formed the heavens and the earth is not satisfied until we get a glimpse of end-time events and God’s eternal plans for mankind described in the Book of Revelation. John the Revelator revealed that God created all things for His own pleasure: “Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

Hebrews 11:3

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were

not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3).

I. The Purpose of CreationCreation was not the making of something out of a substance of less matter; it was not finding space in a state of shapelessness or confusion out of which the Creator formed beauty. Rather, the Creation began with nothing.

The Creator formed something out of complete emptiness and void. Only God is able to do such a thing.

I. The Purpose of CreationPerhaps one could discover the

key to the reason God created all things in His moral nature, which in essence is goodness and love. He is the very fountain of love itself. I John 4:8 declares, “God is love.” His great love would not permit Him to dwell alone. Although He was surrounded by myriads of angels, yet His nature of love moved Him to create someone with whom He could have fellowship and whom He could enjoy.

I. The Purpose of CreationAs the Creator of all things, God is worthy of our praise and adoration (Revelation 4:11). We should return the love He has given to us. Since He is not only the Creator but also the Preserver of all things—all things depend on Him—we should trust Him completely and thank Him profusely for His goodness.

II. The Progression of CreationThe Progression

of CreationWhere and when did it all begin?

This question has haunted mankind since the beginning of time. Sadly, rather than turn to God in simple faith, individuals have proposed a number of theories in an attempt to explain both God and the universe. Invariably, these man-made theories reduce God to a mere concept, or they completely ignore or deny His existence.

I. The Purpose of CreationTo them the universe emerged from physical movement and was an accident of matter or energy. Still unanswered in such theories, of course, is the question of the origin of the matter or energy that moved to form the universe in the first place. What moved and from where did it come?

I. The Purpose of CreationGod’s Word is clear; it refers to the very beginning of the existing universe and declares God is the Creator of all things. God framed the universe by His wisdom and brought it into existence by His power. (See Hebrews 11:3.) He brought into being the heavens and earth and all things in them by the authority of His words.

Transparency 2

Psalm 148:5

“Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he

commanded, and they were created” (Psalm 148:5).

I. The Purpose of CreationThe believer has no difficulty in

accepting that God created all things by His Word, for he believes God is omnipotent. He knows nothing is too hard for the Lord. The first verse of God’s Word tells us that God both existed before the heaven and the earth and that He is the Creator of them.

God has a master plan for the universe, a plan that was in existence even from the foundation of the world. It included the Redeemer, the redeemed saints, and a new heaven and a new earth.

I. The Purpose of CreationThis suffering world groans while awaiting the fulfillment of His glorious plan (Romans 8:22), and the true believer eagerly awaits the consummation of all things.

The Book of Genesis describes the order of Creation in a step-by-step fashion. Beginning with a description of a world without form and void, the biblical account of Creation leads us through a series of six creative days, and it tells us what took place during each of these periods of time.

I. The Purpose of CreationThere are differences of opinion as to the exact length of the creative “days.” Some believe each day was a literal twenty-four hour period; others believe each day was one thousand years in duration; still others contend the days were simply a time period of no certain duration. Some scholars contend the original language of the Bible upholds the latter viewpoint while others disagree.

I. The Purpose of CreationIt may be valuable for the believer to adopt one of the many theories concerning the length of the creative days, but he should not become dogmatic or arrogant with his views. The Bible simply is not specific on this matter, and we are left to our interpretations. However, it is vital that we recognize and accept the fact of the Creation and God as the Creator.

I. The Purpose of CreationThe account of the Creation in Genesis is not a textbook on how the world came to be but a firm proclamation that God made everything, and everything He made was good. The story is told in beautiful and majestic poetry, which is fitting for such a beautiful and majestic accomplishment.

I. The Purpose of CreationGod utilized some of the most striking lines of Scripture in the account of the Creation: “And God said, Let there be . . . and there was.” These words introduced the creation of light, firmament, vegetation, the sun and stars, and the animals of the sea, the air, and the land. Then God made man.

Let us trace the sequence of events as the Book of Genesis unfolds them. As the drama began, God’s Spirit was brooding over a primeval creation. At God’s command, light appeared and day and night separated.

I. The Purpose of CreationThis began time, marking its first moments in eternity. Next God formed the lands. He created the living things—first the grass and vegetation of the earth came into existence, and then the animal world made its appearance. It seems animal life first appeared in the oceans (Genesis 1:20), but soon birds were in the air. God’s creative power then swept over the land to form the animals that would live upon it. Everything was now complete and awaiting the crowning work of Creation when God formed man.

I. The Purpose of CreationA study in biology reveals that each species of life has its own characteristics. Tiny ribbons of matter called chromosomes, which exist in each nucleus of the cells of the particular organism, uniquely program each species. The chromosomal components of each species are incredibly complex, and God changes them completely to form other species.

I. The Purpose of CreationSince only a miracle could

produce the myriads of species in the world, the theory of evolution simply does not answer the creative pattern and principles that operate in life around us. Evolution was not God’s way of creating the universe and life on earth.

God took special care in the final act of Creation, for man was to be different from anything He had created. Man was to have the image and likeness of God Himself. Taking the dust of the ground, God formed man.

I. The Purpose of CreationWe should note God did not merely speak creative words to make man, but with His own hands He molded man from the earth. Then God breathed His breath into this lifeless form, and man became a living soul. But he was more than any other living form, for the breath of the Creator was in him, and he carried the image and likeness of God. Man was in unison with the Creator; he could fellowship with Him, he could respond to God’s love, and he could worship God.

I. The Purpose of CreationBeing formed from the dust

should remind us of our lowly origin, but we should also remember we have the touch of the Creator in our nature. Chemically speaking, we are of little value, for there is nothing of unusual value in our flesh. What makes us valuable is that we have been created in the image of God. As such, we are not destined to live on the level of mere instinct, but we live with reason and hope.

I. The Purpose of CreationGod intended that we enjoy the beauty of a flower, the majesty of a mountain, the invention of a machine, the creation of ideas, and most of all our fellowship with and our worship of Him.

We perform the purpose for which we were created and reach the highest levels of satisfaction and achievement only when we turn our lives over to God. There is no true joy, peace, or satisfaction in a person’s heart unless he has surrendered himself to the Lord.

A. The Original Perfection The Perfection

of CreationA. The Original Perfection

Not only is God perfect, but everything He does is perfect. He is One in whom we can have complete confidence. It would be foolish to think God’s creation was less than perfect. However, we cannot fully appreciate the great perfection that was in the world before sin entered the scene, for we are accustomed to a world in which sin has distorted and stained the beauty of God.

I. The Purpose of CreationMan’s sin caused an ugly change

to take place in nature. We now see the universe at war with itself. Greed and evil have filled the hearts of mankind; fear and disharmony abound around us. This is not what God created. Just as spots of dust can soil a clean white sheet, the stains of sin have soiled God’s creation.

In spite of the introduction of sin and its ugly consequences upon nature, there remains a definite beauty that still reflects the original glory given to our world.

I. The Purpose of CreationThe beauty of the flower, the marvel of an insect’s wings, the majesty of a snow-capped mountain, the whisper of a snow-born stream, the falling of the ocean waves—all tell of the wonder of God’s perfect creation. If the marvels we now see are the soiled remnant of a creation that teemed with perfection when God completed it, only our imagination can re-create the majestic beauty of the original home of Adam and Eve.

B. The New Heaven and Earth B. The New Heaven and

Earth The description of the perfection

of the original creation leads us to wonder about the destruction of this sin-cursed world and the creation of the new heaven and new earth. Peter wrote that when the day of the Lord comes, “the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (II Peter 3:10).

I. The Purpose of CreationTherefore, we “look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (II Peter 3:13). Revelation chapters 21 and 22 mention this new heaven and new earth, where sinners will have no part in the holy city (Revelation 21:1-8). No sin will exist there to destroy the beauty of this new creation. Consequently, those who live on the new earth and in the new heaven will not experience human woes. The vocabulary of the inhabitants of God’s new order will not know the words sorrow, crying, pain, or death!

C. New Creations in Christ C. New Creations in

Christ

Today God’s greatest creations are those individuals who experience redemption and regeneration by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It may be that God is still creating the eternal home for the church, and the divine healing of our bodies is certainly a work of His creation.

I. The Purpose of CreationStill, these cannot compare with the transformation that occurs in the heart and life of a person whom God changes from a sinner to a saint. Darkness yields to light, hatred turns to love, fears succumb to faith, problems give in to peace, gloom turns to gladness, sin surrenders to salvation.

There is no greater joy in heaven or on earth than when a sinner repents. By the Spirit of God, he is re-created from his evil ways to the righteousness that is in Christ Jesus.

I. The Purpose of Creation“He is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17). The alcoholic is no longer an alcoholic; the person who is guilty of fornication and adultery has his past pardoned and a new life to live. The idolater becomes a worshiper of the one true God; the thief no longer steals; envy, jealousy, and covetousness no longer claw at a person’s heart; and the violent man practices peace.

I Corinthians 6:9-11 “Know ye not that the unrighteous

shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor

abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor

covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall

inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the

Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God”

(I Corinthians 6:9-11).

I. The Purpose of CreationThe Holy Spirit inside the heart makes the difference. There is new life (Romans 6:4). We are “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Ephesians 2:10). Therefore, we are to lay aside the attitude, thoughts, and lifestyle of the carnal man so we may be renewed in the spirit of our minds and have the blessings of “the new man.”

Ephesians 4:22-24 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the

old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful

lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that

ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true

holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

I. The Purpose of CreationThe “washing of regeneration,

and renewing of the Holy Ghost” are the means by which we are saved (Titus 3:5). This is not to imply the experience of salvation makes us perfect or infallible. Our bodies still carry the stains of a depraved nature, and only by walking in the Spirit can we conquer its inordinate desires and passions. It still labors under the penalty of death. However, God promised that in the resurrection we shall receive a glorified body like His (Philippians 3:21).

I. The Purpose of CreationOur new bodies will be incorruptible and immortal (I Corinthians 15:53). It is with this hope we “groan, being burdened . . . that mortality might be swallowed up of life” (II Corinthians 5:4).

B. The New Heaven and Earth Conclusion

“In the beginning God created” begins the narrative of sacred Scriptures and sets the stage for the unfolding drama of human history. The belief that God is the Creator of the universe lifts the meaning of life from chaos to cosmos, from defeatism to optimism, from fatalistic thoughts to a future hope.

I. The Purpose of CreationThe truth of Creation is the

foundation upon which humans build hope and dignity. It supports the thesis that mankind is more than the result of an endless and meaningless sequence of mindless accidents that tumbled out of nothingness into nothingness, and emptied from one void into another. Man is not a mere clod of dirt or even just a higher form of an evolved animal, but he is the crowning achievement of God’s creation. He is robed in regal attire by his origin, for he was made in the image of God.

I. The Purpose of CreationAlthough stained with sin and burdened with depravity, the spark of divinity still resides in his bosom.

As the vastness, beauty, and order of the universe point to God’s omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence, His incarnation reveals His attributes of love, mercy, and justice. By His vicarious death upon the cross, He made it possible for every person to be reborn, that is to become a new creation in Him. By the acts of repentance, water baptism in Jesus’ name, and the regeneration of the Holy Ghost, we become new in Him.

I. The Purpose of CreationGod created the original world

in perfection, but it was marred by the introduction of sin into the family of mankind. Consequently, God promised a new heaven and a new earth, created in the grandeur and beauty of the original, as a place for His people to live in joy, peace, and righteousness forever.