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(click on a study, copy and paste it---and it's yours)The Story of the World (and Us) Part 1: Creation
Part 1 In the beginning…
Notes:
- Genesis 1 was not written to answer scientific questions regarding the physical causes of the various forms of life on earth. Rather, Genesis 1 (and, in fact, the entire biblical story) is meant to answer questions such as, Who are we? Why are we here? How are we supposed to live? What is God like? Why is there so much violence and death? Is there any hope that things will be different in the future?
- Notice how often God blesses what he creates: (Gen 1:22, 28). Notice also that God called on the land to “produce vegetation” (Gen. 1:11) and on the sea to “teem with living creatures” (Gen. 1:20). According to John Goldingay, a blessing is not simply a friendly wish but a bestowal of life. God is the source of life and he gives his life to animals and to human beings. They are not only filled with God’s life but are able to pass it on to next generations. In the Bible a curse is the reduction or the absence of life. For example, not being able to have children (see Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth) is considered a “curse.” Do you remember how God lifted that curse?
- Note, too, that the culmination of God’s creativity is the seventh day rest. On that day, God enjoyed what he had made and all was full of beauty and life. The story of the Bible begins with abundant, spectacular life!
A. Genesis 1:1 – 2:25
About God…
- What do we learn about God according to Genesis 1:1?
a. God _____________ before the heavens and the earth were created.
b. God _____________ the heavens and the earth.
- Therefore, God is:
a. __________
b. __________
c. __________
d. ___________
About the world…
- How is the earth described at the very beginning? -Gen. 1:2
- The earth was created in stages, first light, then water, then land, followed by vegetation, birds, fish and land animals. What did God “do” to the animals and birds according to 1:22?
- What does that mean?
- Finally what was created?
About us human beings…
- What might it mean that we were created “in the image and likeness of God?” —Gen. 1:27
- What did God “do” to us in 1:28? What might that mean?
- What tasks were we given? —Gen. 1:26 & 28
- What did God realize according to Gen. 2:18?
- What does this say about our being human?
- So what did he do? —Gen 2:20-22
- How did the man respond?
B. God’s reaction to all that he made -Gen. 1:31
- Did God like what he had made? -Gen. 1:31
- So what two things did God do on the seventh day? —Gen. 2:2-3
a. He ___________. What might that mean?
b. He ________________. And what might that mean? - Each stage (“day”) ends with what phrase? (Gen. 1: 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, and 31)
- Does the last stage end with that phrase too? Why not?
- So stage/day 7 can be said to be the ____________ of creation.
- Do we live in day 7 today? Will that day ever come back?
[Extra credit: When Jesus was criticized from healing people on the Sabbath day, he responded saying, “My Father is always at his work, to this very day, and I too, am working?” Isn’t God resting anymore?]
C. Look at Revelation 21:1-8 (page 1315 NIrV)
- Who will live with us?
Where? - What will God do?
- What will there be no more of?
D. Read Revelation 22:1-6 What tree will be there?
- Why does God command us to “remember the Sabbath Day” (the “rest” or “seventh day”)?