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Think about the first line of a great book or film. A first line tells you a lot: who the main character is, and what kind of story it's going to be. So what does the Bible's first line tell us?
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)
The main character is God. The Bible doesn't start by arguing that God exists. It starts with God already there, before anything else. This is part 1 of the Bible's big story: Creation (its symbol is a tree). The Bible isn't mainly a story about us. It's God's story, and we get invited into it.
What you'll learn
- Why the Bible's story starts with God, not with us
- The pattern of the six days in Genesis 1
- What it means that people are made in God's image, and the four good relationships God made at the start
Genesis: the book of beginnings
The first book of the Bible is Genesis, which means "beginning" or "origin". Genesis 1 has a pattern that keeps repeating. God speaks, and it happens. God sees that it is good. There is evening and morning, and a numbered day.
Look closely and you'll see the days fit together. On days 1 to 3, God makes the spaces. On days 4 to 6, he fills them.
| Days 1–3: God makes the spaces | Days 4–6: God fills the spaces |
|---|---|
| Day 1: light and dark | Day 4: sun, moon and stars |
| Day 2: sky and waters | Day 5: birds and sea creatures |
| Day 3: land, seas and plants | Day 6: land animals and people |
On day 7, God rests (Genesis 2:1–3). His work is complete.
This tells us a lot about God:
- He makes everything just by speaking. He is powerful, and he is not part of creation; he is above it.
- He makes everything good. The world is a gift, not an accident.
- The world is ordered and beautiful, like a well-built home being made ready for someone to live in.
You might wonder how this fits with what you learn in science. Christians who take the Bible seriously read the "days" in different ways: ordinary days, long ages, or a pattern that shows God's order. But they all agree on the main point: God made everything, and it was good. Genesis is mainly answering who made the world and why. Science asks how and when. Many Christians work as scientists.
At the end of day 6, God looks at everything:
"And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day." (Genesis 1:31)
Made in God's image
On day 6, God makes something special:
"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27)
What does "image" mean? In the ancient world, a king would set up statues of himself all over his kingdom to show who was in charge. People are like living images of God in his world. That means:
- Every person has huge value, whatever they look like or whatever they can do. Your value comes from God, not from how you look or perform.
- We are made to reflect what God is like: his love, creativity, care and truth.
- We have a job: to care for the world and rule over it on God's behalf (Genesis 1:28), not to wreck it.
Genesis 2 zooms in on day 6, like a close-up shot in a film. God forms the man from the dust and breathes life into him. He plants a garden and gives the man work to do. Then he makes the woman as the man's partner.
Four good relationships
At the start, God made four relationships, and every one of them was good:
| Relationship | What it looked like at the start |
|---|---|
| With God | God makes people, speaks to them and gives them everything they need. |
| With each other | The man and woman are partners, equal and together (2:23–25). |
| With the world | People care for the garden and the animals (2:15, 2:19–20). |
| With ourselves | No shame, nothing to hide (2:25). |
Hold on to these four relationships. In the next part of the story, we'll see what happens to every one of them.
Key words
- Genesis: the first book of the Bible; its name means "beginning".
- Create: to make something out of nothing. Only God can do this.
- Image of God: people are made to reflect God and represent him in his world.
- Good: what God says about everything he made.
How this points to Jesus
The Gospel of John starts with the same words as Genesis: "In the beginning". John tells us that Jesus, God the Son, was there at creation, and that everything was made through him:
"Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made." (John 1:3)
The one who made the world is the same one who later came into it to rescue it. And the last part of the Bible's story, New Creation, will bring back a world that is very good, with God living with his people.
Think about it
What does Genesis 1 tell you about what God is like?Show answer
God is powerful (he makes things just by speaking), he is above creation rather than part of it, and he is good, because everything he makes is good and ordered.
If every person is made in God's image, how should that change the way we treat people at school, online or at home?Show answer
Every person has great value because they reflect God, so we should treat everyone with respect and kindness, including people who are different from us or who we don't like.
What is one way people your age can care for God's world?Show answer
Answers will vary, for example: not littering, looking after animals, saving water, or caring for a garden. It's part of the job God gave people in Genesis 1:28 and 2:15.
Take it further
This week, pick one person you find hard to get along with. Remind yourself that they are made in God's image too, and look for one way to treat them with respect. Your worksheet helps you fill in the days of creation and the four good relationships.
If you'd like to, you could pray: Thank you, God, for making this world and making it good. Thank you that every person is made in your image. Help me to care for your world and for other people this week. Amen.