Introduction
Who made the world? How did man arrive upon the earth? From where did the flowers, trees, birds, animals, and fish come?
For the correct answers to these questions, we must turn to the Bible, God’s inspired record of creation.
1. The Origin of the Universe
Question: What is the origin of the material universe?
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1
The Bible opens with a direct and simple statement of divine creation. God—not chance or natural process—is the Creator of all things.
2. The Power of God’s Word
Question: How were the heavens made?
“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth…
For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.”
Psalm 33:6, 9
God’s spoken word alone brought the universe into existence. When He spoke, creation instantly came to be.
3. The Earth’s Enduring Foundation
Question: How long was the earth to endure?
“Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.”
Psalm 104:9
God established the earth on firm foundations. It was made to remain according to His divine purpose.
4. The Creator of All Things
Question: Who has created all things?
“Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number:
He calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth…
Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?
There is no searching of his understanding.”
Isaiah 40:26, 28
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets…
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.”
Hebrews 1:1–2
The Father is the ultimate source of creation, and His Son, Jesus Christ, is the divine agent through whom the worlds were made.
5. The Creation of Humanity
Question: How was man brought into existence?
“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.”
Genesis 2:7
Man was formed directly by God’s hand. Life itself came from the Creator’s breath—personal, deliberate, and intimate.
6. Understanding Creation Through Faith
Question: How is it possible to understand the creation story?
“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
Faith accepts what human wisdom cannot explain: that all things were made by the unseen power of God’s word.
7. The Length of the Creation Days
Question: Can we be sure that each day of creation week was a twenty-four-hour day?
The first chapter of Genesis gives a precise record of each day’s work. The Bible says:
“The evening and the morning were the first day.”
Genesis 1:5 (last part)
Each subsequent day of creation is marked the same way—each consisting of evening and morning, the cycle of light and darkness.
According to God’s plan, the setting of the sun marks the close of the day (see Genesis 1:14–18).
Thus, every day of creation week was a literal twenty-four-hour day.
Note:
Some suggest that “day” might represent a long, indefinite period of time. However, a study of the Hebrew manuscripts reveals that whenever the word day is used with a definite number (such as first, second, third), it always refers to a literal, 24-hour period.
8. The Purpose of Creation
Question: Why was the world created?
“For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens;
God himself that formed the earth and made it;
He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited:
I am the LORD; and there is none else.”
Isaiah 45:18
God made the earth to be inhabited—to be a home for life and for humanity.
Read Job 38:1 through Job 42:6 to see evidence of God’s creative power and Job’s humble acknowledgment of His greatness.
9. The Basic Elements of Creation (Genesis 1)
Each step of creation begins with the phrase “And God said,” showing that all came into existence through His spoken word.
- God created light. (Genesis 1:3)
- He created the atmosphere. (Genesis 1:6–8)
- God set boundaries for land and sea. (Genesis 1:9)
- He established the vegetable kingdom, each producing after its kind. (Genesis 1:11)
- God divided time into days, months, and seasons through the movements of the sun, moon, and earth. (Genesis 1:14)
- He created birds and marine life, each after its kind. (Genesis 1:20–21)
- God created land animals, each after its kind. (Genesis 1:24)
- Man was created in God’s image—a distinct and special act. (Genesis 1:26)
- God gave the law of human reproduction. (Genesis 1:28)
- God provided man’s diet. (Genesis 1:29–30)
10. Principles of Human Conduct (Genesis 2)
Genesis chapter 2 reveals several divine principles governing human life and conduct:
- The Sabbath Instituted – God made the seventh day holy. (Genesis 2:1–3)
- The Gift of Labor – God placed man in the garden to work and keep it. (Genesis 2:15)
- The Principle of Restraint and Obedience – Man was to exercise self-control and acknowledge God’s ownership.
The tree of knowledge of good and evil became the test of obedience. (Genesis 2:16–17) - Marriage Instituted – God created woman and established the family unit. (Genesis 2:18, 24)
Conclusion
Everything God created was “very good.”
Man was made perfect, and creation reflected the wisdom, power, and goodness of the Creator.
“Man was made perfect. There is no God like the Creator. Let us worship him.”
Read Isaiah 43:10, 13.