God Creates

KEY VERSE: “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” —Genesis 1:31

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Genesis 1:1-3, 6, 14, 15, 20, 26, 27, 31; 2:1-3

THE opening words of Genesis are, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” There is no indication of when the creation of the earth began, but science tells us that our solar system was probably created at the same time as the rest of the universe. Some idea of the immensity of the heavens and the incredible time element involved in creation can be had by considering the fact that light traveling at 186,000 miles per second, and coming from the most distant galaxy now known, takes eight billion years to reach the earth. In addition, scientists tell us that located in that vast area of space are billions of galaxies as large as or larger than our own galaxy—the Milky Way. Then when we consider that our solar system with its sun and planets is only one of several billion such systems in our rather small galaxy, we are simply overwhelmed by the power and majesty of God, the Creator.

An appreciation of the infinite power of God, and of our own littleness, should make us humble and eager to be instructed by him. Reason tells us that such a great being must have a purpose in all of these works and in the Book of Isaiah, God, through the prophet tells us: “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.” (Isa. 45:18) From this text we learn that it was God’s purpose to place his human creation on this planet and that the race, created a little lower than the angels, would, in its perfection, be a glory and honor to him.—Heb. 2:5-8

The psalmist expresses this purpose of God: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” (Ps. 8:4-9; Gen. 1:26-28) We know from Genesis 3:1-19 that the man Adam did not then inherit the dominion that was created for him. Because of unfaithfulness he lost his special place and was condemned to death. The Apostle Paul tells us, however, that this was not the end as far as God’s plan for man was concerned. God in his foreknowledge and wisdom had long before made provision for the recovery and redemption of man from his fallen condition. Speaking of Adam and his race the apostle says: “But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”—Heb. 2:8,9

In harmony with God’s law, it required a perfect man to take Adam’s place in death in order that condemnation could be lifted from him and his off-spring. Jesus was that perfect man. Jesus himself expresses the matter thus: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16,17) It was not only necessary that Jesus take Adam’s place in death, but to really “save” the world, that is reestablish man in his perfection and again endow him with dominion and everlasting life, will require the thousand years of Christ’s kingdom. In order that Jesus might accomplish this phase of God’s plan for man, God resurrected him from the dead and set him on his own right hand in the heavenlies.—Phil. 2:6-11

Together, Christ and his church will be the instrument used by the Heavenly Father to reestablish man as his perfect human creation. “This is in harmony with God’s merciful purpose for the government of the world when the times are ripe for it. … In him too we have been made heirs.”—Eph. 1:10,11, Weymouth

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