Great Doctrines

Lesson 2

Lesson Text—Genesis 1:1-4

Genesis 1:1-8 1 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 2:4-7 4 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 1:16 For 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.

Introduction

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.

The Book of Revelation tells about

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.

It assumes and proclaims Him as the

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.

We can know of God and His

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.

We are amazed at the vastness of

I. The Purpose of Creation

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 Creation

The 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.

The Purpose

I. The Purpose of Creation

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 Creation

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).

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.

Perhaps one could discover the

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.

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.

The Progression

II. The Progression of Creation

of Creation

Where 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 Creation

To 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 Creation

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).

The believer has no difficulty in

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.

This suffering world groans while

I. The Purpose of Creation

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 Creation

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.

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 .

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.

God utilized some of the most 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.

This began time, marking its first

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.

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.

Since only a miracle could

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.

We should note God did not merely

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.

Being formed from the dust

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.

God intended that we enjoy the

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.

The Perfection

A. The Original Perfection

A. 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.

Man’s sin caused an ugly change

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.

The beauty of the flower, the marvel

I. The Purpose of Creation

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

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).

Therefore, we “look for new heavens

I. The Purpose of Creation

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

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.

Still, these cannot compare with the

I. The Purpose of Creation

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

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.

“Know ye not that the unrighteous

I Corinthians 6:9-11

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 Creation

The 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).

The “washing of regeneration,

I. The Purpose of Creation

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 Creation

Our 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).

Conclusion

B. The New Heaven and Earth

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.

The truth of Creation is the

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.

Although stained with sin and

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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.

God created the original world

I. The Purpose of Creation

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.