In the movie, The Sound of Music, Sister Maria sings: “Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start. When you read, you begin with A-B-C. When you sing, you begin with do-re-mi.” Where do we begin in understanding what life is all about? Genesis, the book of beginnings, provides the answer.
Genesis 1:1-31 begins with the presupposition that God exists. It doesn’t argue for the existence of God; it simply begins with God.
In the next 30 verses, we see the power of God and the purpose of man. God spoke and the universe—with all its amazing biodiversity—came into existence. But the crowning glory of God’s creation was man. Both male and female were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). They were created to live in God’s provided place, under God’s rule, and to enjoy His blessings. The apostle Paul sums it all up in one sentence: “For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory” (Romans 11:36).
Over the next 49 chapters in Genesis, centuries of human history took place. It tells of how sin entered the world and of its catastrophic effects, and of God’s plan to restore blessing to the world through His chosen people.
Genesis lays the foundation for Jesus to come and provide the way for us to experience new life in Him. You’ll find the book quoted more than 165 times in the New Testament.
Bible teacher Ray Stedman wrote: “The thread that runs throughout all fifty chapters of Genesis is that there is a secret to living . . . The secret of life is a personal, daily relationship with the living God who was in the beginning, who made the heavens and the earth, who created the human race in His own image, and who wants to have fellowship and a living relationship with the people He has so lovingly created.”
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18
More:
Read Revelation 21:1–22:21 to learn the future of our life on the new earth.
Next:
Have you found the secret of life? Do you have a living and vibrant relationship with your Creator? What needs to change for you to follow Him better?
tom felten on December 10, 2013 at 10:16 am
It might seem strange to be thinking about creation during December—a month where we focus on Jesus’ birth. But, as Paul wrote, “through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth” (Colossians 1:16). Christmas points to the new life of a Savior who came as a baby, the physical life He brought about at the dawn of creation, and the spiritual life and peace He has brought to those who receive Him (Colossians 1:20).
mike wittmer on December 11, 2013 at 5:00 pm
This is encouraging. I spent yesterday reading articles from skeptics, and it’s refreshing to be reminded of what Scripture says we already know about God.