Genesis: Day 1
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:2 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.
This is referring, of course, to the beginning of our natural universe. Scripture teaches us that God Himself has no beginning and no end. He is “from everlasting to everlasting”, the One Who was, and is, and is to come. On the other hand the earth and the universe around it did have a beginning and the Bible tells us that it will have an end, but the Lord Himself shall continue.
In the words of Hebrews 1:10-12-
Hebrews 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
Hebrews 1:11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
Hebrews 1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
So then, this earth and the surrounding universe, as massive as they are, are finite sub-creations when viewed from God’s eternal perspective. This account in Genesis chapter one is the account of the creation of the natural world that man lives in. The world that God lives in, according to scripture, has no beginning and existed eternities before the natural universe was made.
When looking at Genesis chapter one it is helpful to also consider the words of John chapter one, which also add to the account of the creation.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
John says that all things were made by the Word, the Word of God, the same Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us; the Word Whom we know as the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Word of God, the express image of God, was involved in the creation of all things in our natural world.
The points I want to emphasize are that Jesus is referred to as the Word and that all things were created by the Word.
Genesis 1:2 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.
The earth was without form, or, in other words, it had no land showing on it. It was a planet covered with water. From the surface of the water upward there was darkness. So it was created in a place of darkness. And the Spirit of God hovered above the surface of the waters, poised and ready to bring to pass whatever God desired.
We can see in this scripture passage the working of God the Father, God the Son (the Word), and God the Holy Spirit. The Triune Godhead was present at the creation of our world.
Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
It’s good to take note that when God speaks something occurs. When the Word, the real Word that proceeds from God, is released, the Spirit of God will always make sure that something takes place. The Word has dominion over all things in our universe and the Word has creative powers. This world was created, brought into being, by the miraculous power of the Spirit of God, the “dunamis”, the supernatural power and ability of God.
God said, Let there be light: and there was light. The first thing He released into this world was light. But as we continue to study the account of creation we find that the sun and moon were not made until the fourth day. This was a light that proceeded forth from God Himself, a heavenly light that drove back the darkness.
It says that God divided the light from the darkness. There was a distinction made between what was dark and what was light. Darkness was not removed but it was separated from the light. The notion that this was a spiritual light released into the earth is supported by the statement in John 1:4-5.
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
John 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The light shined in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not, or, that is, the darkness could not overcome it. God released light into the darkness and that light continues to this day, and darkness has not been able to extinguish it.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. Day is the name of the place of light and night is the name of the place of darkness. We, as Christians, are to walk as children of the day, walking in the light of life, for we have been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light. We’ll get to the creation of natural day and natural night in the account of the fourth day.
We’ll speak more about the concept of darkness and light as we move forward in our study of Genesis.