Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
GENESIS 1
The Beginning
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Application Notes
1:1-31 The simple statement that God created the heavens and the earth is one of the most challenging concepts confronting the modern mind. The vast galaxy we live in is spinning at the incredible speed of about 490,000 miles an hour. But even at this breakneck speed. our galaxy still needs over 200 million years to make one rotation. And there are at least one trillion other galaxies in the universe.
It has been said that the number of stars in the universe is more than all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the world. Yet this complex sea of spinning stars functions with remarkable order and efficiency. To say that the universe "just happened" or ·evolved' requires more faith than to believe that God is behind these amazing statistics. God truly did create a wonderful universe, and he is worthy of our praise.
God did not need to create the universe: he chose to create it. Why?
God is love, and love is best expressed toward something or someone else-so God created the world and people as an expression of his love. We should avoid reducing God's creation to merely scientific terms. Remember that God created the universe because he loves us.
1:1-31 The Creation story teaches us much about God and ourselves. First, we learn about God: Ill He is creative; 121 as the Creator. he is distinct from his creation; (31 he is eternal and in control of the world. We also learn about ourselves: (1) Since God chose to create us. we are valuable in his eyes; (21 we have an important role in the created order that includes ruling over other living things.
1:1-31 Just how did God create the earthl Even among believers, this is an ongoing subject of debate. Some believe God created it in seven. 24-hour days. Others believe it happened over millions of years under God's direction. Almost every ancient religion has its own story to explain how the earth came to be. And some scientists try to attribute our origins to natural causes alone. The Bible doesn't tell us how it all happened. but it does show us one supreme God creating the earth out of his great love and giving all people a special place in it. We may never know all the answers to how God created the earth, but we know from Scripture that God did create it. That fact alone gives worth and dignity to each of us.
1:2 Who created God? To ask that question is to assume there was another creator before God, and who would have created that being? Eventually we are forced to stop asking that question and realize that there has to be something that has always existed. God is the infinite Being who has always been and who was created by no one. This is difficult to understand because finite minds cannot comprehend the infinite. (For example, we can try to think of the highest number, but we can't do it.) We must not limit the infinite God by our finite understanding.
1:2 The statement "the earth was formless and empty' provides the setting for the Creation narrative that follows. During the second and third days of Creation. God gave form to the universe; during the next three days, God filled the earth with living things. The darkness was dispelled on the first day, when God created light.
1:2 The image of the Spirit of God hovering over the waters brings to mind a mother bird caring for and protecting her young (see Deuteronomy 32:11-12; Isaiah 31:5). God's Spirit was actively involved in the creation of the world. God's care for and protection of us are still active through the Holy Spirit today.
1:3-2:7 How long did it take God to create the world? There are two basic views about the days of Creation: Ill Each day was a literal 24- hour period; 121 each day represents an indefinite period of time (even millions of years).
The Bible does not say how long these days were. The real question, however, is not how long God took. but how he did it. God created the earth in an orderly fashion (for example, he did not make plants before light), and he created men and women as unique beings capable of communication with him. No other part of our created order can claim that remarkable privilege. The important thing is not how long it took God to create the world. whether a few days or a few billion years. but that he created it just the way he wanted it.
1:6 The ·vault between the waters· was a separation between the sea and the mists of the skies.
1:25 God saw that his work was good. People sometimes feel guilty for feeling good about an accomplishment. This need not be so. Just as God felt good about his work, we can be pleased with our work when it is well done. However, we should not feel good about our work if God would not be pleased with it. What are you doing that pleases both you and God?
1:26 Why does God use the plural form-"Let us make mankind in our image· (emphasis added)? One view is that this is a reference to the TrinityGod the Father, Jesus Christ his Son. and the Holy Spirit all of whom are God. Another view is that the plural wording is used to denote majesty; kings have traditionally used the plural form in speaking of themselves. The grammar doesn't decide the matter for us, but in either case it is God who created humans in his image, and God has revealed himself to us as a Trinity clearly through the whole of Scripture. From Job 33:4 and Psalm 104:30, we do know that God's Spirit was present in the Creation. From Colossians 1:16, we know that Christ God's Son. was at work in the Creation.
1:26 In what ways are we made in God's image? God obviously did not create us exactly like himself because God has no physical body. Instead, we are reflections of God's glory and character. Some feel that our reason. creativity. moral capacity, speech, or self-determination is the image of God. More likely, "the image of God" describes our entire self. not just one part of us. We will never be totally like God because he is our supreme creator. But we do have the ability to reflect his character in our love. patience. forgiveness, kindness. and faithfulness.
Knowing that we are made in God's image and thus share many of his characteristics provides a solid basis for self-worth. Human worth is not based on possessions, achievements. physical attractiveness, or public acclaim. Instead, it is based on being made in God's image, which gives us an unshakeable reason to feel positive about ourselves. Criticizing or downgrading ourselves is criticizing what God has made and the abilities he has given us. Knowing that you are a person of worth helps you love God. know him personally, and treat others as his image bearers.
1:27 God made both man and woman in his image. Neither one is made more in the image of God than the other. From the beginning, the Bible places both man and woman at the pinnacle of God's creation. Neither gender is exalted over the other, and neither is depreciated. Our identity is given to us by God. It is not defined by culture, experience, or environment; he has the prior claim to us. Thus he is Lord of our gender and sexuality.
1:28 To rule over something is to have absolute authority and control over it. God has ultimate rule over the earth, and he exercises his authority with loving care. When God delegated some of his authority to the human race. he expected us to take responsibility for the environment and the other creatures that share our planet. We must not be careless and wasteful as we fulfil this charge. God was careful and creative when he made this earth. We must also be careful and creative in our stewardship of it.
1:31 God saw that all he had created was very good. You are part of God's creation, and he is pleased with how he made you. If at times you feel worthless or of little value, remember that God made you for a good reason. You are valuable to him.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)