In this course the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible is used in all references.

Introduction

Do you ever wonder how the earth came to be? Why is it that you exist? Is there a Creator, or was the origin of life an accident? The Bible offers clear answers to these questions.

All God had to do was speak

The first verse of the Bible reveals that God is the Creator of everything: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God only needed to speak to create light, the sun, moon and stars, trees and vegetation, birds, fish and wild animals.

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

This is how God created everything: by speaking his word. He did not need anything else at all!

God created man in his image

God created everything in six days. On the sixth day, he decided to create man. Listen to what the Bible says:

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

God created human beings in his own image. All human beings, men and women alike, have the stamp of God’s image on them. This is very important. It means that they are different from animals. Being created in God’s image means that they are created to have a relationship with God: they have a spirit so they are able to relate to God, who is a spiritual Being. It also means they have a moral sense, so they have been given the capability to discern evil from good. They are capable of love and can think in a rational way. All these things cannot come to full fruition outside of a relationship with God.

It also means that they received wisdom and strength from God to rule over and care for the earth and all its living creatures. God gave them a special responsibility to carry out a good job. They were accountable for it to God. To no other creature did God give such a task.

In Genesis 2:5-25 we read that God created Adam of the dust from the earth and then formed Eve out of one of Adam’s ribs. God gave them the task to care for the garden of Eden. In the next lesson we learn how the first human couple did this.

All that God created was good

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Then,

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Everything that God made was very good in his eyes. This is because God is good and pure; there is no evil in Him. God created a wonderful world with a man and woman to rule over it. He rested on the seventh day from all his work and made this day into a holy day, one that was to be set apart to rest and receive new strength. It was a wholesome world in which the man and his wife lived, a life in which they enjoyed a daily relationship with the God who created them.

How come there is so much evil?

God created no bad things, yet there is so much evil in this world. We read about horrible things in the papers and see them on TV, and we also see them happening around us. Murder, stealing, adultery, greed; it seems there is no end to the list of evil and sin. Where does evil come from if God did not create it? The Bible gives an answer to this question, too. You will learn about it in the next lesson.

Main Points

1. God created by speaking: he is almighty.

2. God created only good things.

3. Men were created in God’s own image: they have wisdom and they were created to have a relationship with God.

Read more

Would you like to read more about the topic of being created in the image of God? Read our article ‘What Does it Mean to be Created in the Image of God?’