Genesis 1-11, Part 2

Creation is described as follows in the Bible, 

‘…long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.’  2 Peter 3:5 

We know that all matter on earth, living as well as nonliving, are made of atoms.  The atoms are the building blocks of the whole universe.  

The Periodic Table is a summary of all the elements (an element has only one kind of atom).   For example, Hydrogen has one proton and one electron, helium has two protons, two neutrons and two electrons.  There is a systematic increase of protons and electrons all through the different elements as seen in the Periodic Table.   The change in atoms causes the different elements.  The universe has 92 or 98 naturally occurring elements.

The Bible teaches, 

‘By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place; by His knowledge the deeps were divided and the clouds let drop the dew.’  Proverbs 3:19,29

We live in an age where Creation by God is scoffed at and labelled as ‘unscientific.’  What is the alternative that is proposed?  Naturalism – everything just appeared by chance over billions of years.  In contrast Supernaturalism, specifically creation by God, is regarded as totally out, wrong, unscientific, et cetera.  

We want to pursue his issue.  However, we can never understand the two options of natural or supernatural creation, if we do not have a clear idea of the two opposing kingdoms of this age. 

Genesis 1-11, Part 1

The first verse in the Bible is, 

‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’  Genesis 1:1

That is God’s entrance statement that has led to endless confusion and speculation – could an invisible God really do it?  To complicate it even more, the Bible says, 

‘In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.’  John 1:1-3

So Jesus is also the Creator.  God and Jesus both created, 

‘…yet for us there is but one God and Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.’  1 Corinthians 8:6

• God created the universe by speaking.
• Jesus is the living Word.  

Therefore they both created.   We have to investigate if our glorious Lord Jesus created.  Otherwise, why do we accept Him as Saviour, and reject Him as Creator? 

The exceptional position of man in God’s creation

The Bible opens with the statement, 

‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’  Genesis 1:1

God created it in six days.  On the final day He created man, 

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule….’  So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.’  Genesis 1:26-27

God’s whole creation was excellent and perfect,

‘God saw all He had made, and it was very good.’  Genesis 1:31a 

God’s creation emphasis on man

1. Man is like God.  The passage repeats four times that God created man and woman in His image or likeness.  God emphasised how special man was with the expanded version of Genesis 1:16-17 in Genesis 2:7-25.  (Note the change from ‘God’ in Genesis 1 to ‘Lord God’ in Genesis 2.  ‘Lord God’ is a combination of the majestic powerful God and the personal intimate Yahweh.)  

2.  Man is different from the animal kingdom because God breathed His divine, eternal breath of life into him, 

‘…the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.’ Genesis 2:7

3.  Man was so special that God planted a Garden for them in the East,

‘Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there He put the man He had formed.’  Genesis 2:8

   God specially planted the Garden of Eden with all kinds of trees, 

‘And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.’  Genesis 2:9a

4.  God gave Adam the rule over the animal kingdom and the earth, 

‘Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air.  He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.’ Genesis 2:19

    In Bible times a ruler had the right to give his subjects names to establish his authority over them.  For example, the chief official of king Nebuchadnezzar gave Daniel and his three friends new names.  Daniel 1:7     

5.  God supplied a wife for the man He made, 

‘But for Adam no suitable helper was found.  So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh.  Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of man, and He brought her to the man.’  Genesis 2:20b-22

The moral of the story 

God created man in His image.  He provided a special garden, gave him a specially created wife and blessed him with exceptional qualities to rule for God on the earth.  So did they ‘live happily ever after?’  No!  Things went haywire:

• Adam failed to honour God and obey His one simple command. 
• Cain killed his brother after God warned him. 
• Cain’s descendant, Lamech, was all for war and retaliation. 
• The generation before the Flood went wild and wicked.  
• Noah, a righteous man saved by God, got drunk and cursed his grandson. 
• The Tower of Babel builders planned to exclude the Creator God from their city.   
• The Bible has many more names of people who failed God’s original creation purpose for man.

The question? 

What happened?  What went wrong?  These are the questions the Bible answers.