Your browser does not support JavaScript. Please enable JavaScipt to view our website.

Week 1 – Genesis 1-2.3: An Introduction to God

By: Matt Barnes

Print Week 1 Devotional


Introduction

Beginning with the ancient Israelites fresh out of slavery and continuing to today’s age of science, the account of God’s creation of the heavens and earth captures the human imagination. For a good chunk of that history people have been focused on the “when” of the opening pages of the Bible. And while this question is certainly thought-provoking, it does not appear to be the central thrust of the passage itself. Instead, the “who” of Genesis 1-2.3 stands out as important to Moses, the original author, and could do so for us today as well.

However, it should be noted well that people who have submitted to Jesus and who believe in the authority of the Bible have read the opening pages of the Bible differently, especially with regard to the “when” question. Some believe that the universe is ~10,000 years old, others believe that the universe is ~13 billion years old, and still others find themselves somewhere in between. And folks have used reason and sound interpretation of the Bible to come to their conclusions about the age of the universe. Therefore, it would be wise for all of us to exercise some hospitality and grace toward one another with regard to the “when” question.

On the other hand, followers of Jesus have always agreed about the “who” question. Genesis 1-2.3 is God’s authoritative introduction of himself to the world. This is supported by the ancient Christian creeds, like the Apostles’ Creed (“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.”) and the Nicene Creed (“We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.”). Our statement of faith here at Lake Avenue Church reflects this same orthodox Christian position as well: “We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing...”

We can learn much about God from this opening pages of Genesis. Most importantly, we see that God is the creator of all things, that he desires to be personally known and understood, and that he is the one who brings order out of chaos.

“Science has given me a deeper awe for creation - the more I learn the more magnificent I find our universe. The fact that the questions in science are growing even faster than the answers has increased my reverence for our Creator. My study of science has resulted in an ever increasing humility and admiration for God's omnipotence and omniscience.”

- Shaun Kirby, PhD, Internet of Things Researcher

 

Bible Questions

  • Read through Genesis 1-2.3 and make a list of characteristics of God that you can find there. What about each of these characteristics makes you more inclined to worship and adore God?
  • What do you make of the idea that God's creation in the first chapters of the Bible was very good? What does that mean? How good is creation today?
  • God built order into the way that he created the universe. What evidences of that order do you see in your life? How can your life be lived more in line with God's order today?
  • In several places in the opening pages of Genesis we read that God is a God of blessing. What does it mean that God blesses something or someone? As followers of Jesus how can we also be people of blessing?

Discussion Questions

  • What do you learn about God in Genesis 1-2.3? Is there anything that surprised you or especially stood out to you when reading it afresh?
  • How can Christian community help us personally know the God we meet in Genesis 1-2.3? How can we help one another continue to move from chaos to order in our lives individually and as communities?
  • How does our understanding of Genesis 1-2.3 impact how we share the good news with people who have yet to meet Jesus? Could you foresee any potential issues with evangelism with regard to Genesis 1-2.3? How might we overcome these challenges?

Take Away

This week when you experience any chaos or uncertainty, find a way to remember that God created order out of chaos and he continues to hold the chaos at bay even today (Colossians 1.17)! 

"I feel that science glorifies God. The more I learn about creation (e.g., the universe, our environment, human bodies), the more impressed I am with God."

- Joe Stehly, JPL Europa Project Engineer