The following is a Scriptural outline on Creation that largely follows the presentation found in Chapter 5 of Called to Believe: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, edited by Steven P. Mueller.
All things were created by God out of nothing.
Genesis 1:1-2 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
Colossians 1:16-17 – “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Hebrews 11:3 – “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”
Romans 4:17 – “As it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”
God spoke creation into existence through his word.
Read through Genesis 1. How often do you find it written, “And God said”?
John Chapter 1:1-3 – The Word, The Word, The Word, The Word.
Hebrews 11:3 – “created by the word of God.”
The Order of Creation
Order was given to that which had first been “without form and void” (Genesis 1:2)
Proverbs 8:22-31 – ““The Lord possessed me [Wisdom] at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of old.
23 Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth,
26 before he had made the earth with its fields,
or the first of the dust of the world.
27 When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
29 when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
31 rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the children of man.
Isaiah 29:16 – “You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
“He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding”?”
Genesis 2:7 – “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
| First Day Light and darkness separated | Fourth Day Celestial bodies put in place Sun, moon, stars |
| Second Day Water and sky separated | Fifth Day Fish and Birds created |
| Third Day Land and water separated | Sixth Day Land Animals and Humanity created |
The Nature and Condition of Creation at the end of Day 6
What does God see about his Creation in Days 1, 3, 4, and 5?
What does God see about his Creation at the end of Day 6?
The parallelism and repeated phrases within Genesis 1 have led some readers to say the Six-Day Creation Account should not be taken literally. What does the rest of Scripture say?
Old Testament Passages that Affirm the Creation Account
Psalm 121:2 – “My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.”
Zechariah 12:1 – “The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him.”
2 Kings 19:5 – “And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.”
Isaiah 44:24 – “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made all things,
who alone stretched out the heavens,
who spread out the earth by myself.”
Psalm 33:6 – “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”
Psalm 148:5 – “Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.”
Isaiah 45:18 – For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
(he is God!),
who formed the earth and made it
(he established it;
he did not create it empty,
he formed it to be inhabited!):
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.”
Nehemiah 9:6 – ““You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.”
Exodus 20:11 – “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Exodus 31:15-17 – “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”
New Testament Passages that Affirm the Creation Account
Acts 4:24 – “And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.”
Acts 14:15 – ““Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.”
Acts 17:24-26 – “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.”
Matthew 19:4 – “He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female.”
Did God Create in Six Literal Days?
Does day always refer to a 24-hour period in Scripture?
Hebrews 3:8 – “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness.” – Is this referring to a single 24-hour day?
Compare Genesis 1:5 and 2:4. How many different ways is day is used in these two verses within the same book?
Some say that the days of creation were lengthy ages or epochs. Supporters of this position point to Genesis 1:14-19. Why? They also point to Genesis 2:4. How long is this day? They also speak about God’s view of time by pointing to Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8.
There is strong compelling evidence for the 24-hour day in creation:
“God said… and it was…” Does it seem like a long time?
There was morning and there was evening, the first day. There was morning and there was evening, the second day. There was morning, and there was evening, the third day… etc. What else would Moses have known to be a morning and evening? Throughout the whole of Scripture when a number is put with a day, the day is referring to a 24-hour period of time.
Exodus 20:11 – “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Exodus 31:15-17 – “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”
What do these verses suggest? Do they answer the question of why God created in six days?
Important to Remember When Discussing Length of Yom in Genesis
- God created all things out of nothing
- He created all things through his spoken Word (except man)
- Adam was specially formed from dust and God breathed life into him
- Eve came from Adam’s side (one of his ribs)
- Man is distinct from the rest of creation and has been made in the image of God.
6. He created all things visible and invisible
7. Creation was “very good” at the end of Day 6
8. God did not create sin, author sin, or decree sin
9. Death of all men, spiritual, physical, and eternal is result of sin
10. God (F, S, and HS) is not created, nor is he made
What teachings of Scripture are impacted if the teachings of Creation are denied, especially through Darwinian models of evolution?
What does it mean that God rested on the Seventh Day? He rested from ____________. Yet…
Preserving (Nehemiah 9:6)
Upholding (Hebrews 1:3)
Directing (Jeremiah 10:23)
Working in you (Philippians 2:13)
God’s providence – He works to sustain the created order, working in, with, and through it. This is ongoing from the start of creation until now and unto Christ’s return.
Andy Wrasman 