Genesis 1:1: God is Creator

This was originally written as Day 1 of my Devotionals of Recovery series. But, I'm going to use it here.

by Shonda Ponder
All Bible verses are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible

Genesis 1:1 -- In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth

There are many theories on the origin of Heaven and earth. Our schools teach us that a "Big Bang" created our solar system. But the Bible teaches us that God did it. God, alone. Many schools refuse to let God into the classroom today, because if they did, they'd have to admit that they don't have all the answers.

With a word, God created the heavens and the earth. John 1:1,2 says that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. The Bible tells us that God's creation, itself, was an act of grace. John 1:14 says And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His Glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

God made everything, without question (Hebrews 1:10). When God spoke the world into existence, the promise of Christ was already made, in that God used the word to create the world, and the word was Christ who was made flesh. This is evidenced by the prayer that Jesus prayed in John 17:5: And now, oh Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

We must, therefore, acknowledge, before we can even profess to believe that Christ came to save us from our sins, that He created the world in which we live. David acknowledged this belief when he said "of old has thou laid the foundation of the earth. And the heavens are the work of thy hands." Because, if we can believe God created it, we must also believe he will take care of us. Nehemiah 9:6 says Thou, even thou art God alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts, the earth and all the things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all. And the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

Jesus Christ is Lord. Before the mountains were rought forth, or ever thou hast formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. (Psalm 90:2)

When we concede that God alone created the heaven and earth, we are exercising faith in God as our creator. The world was not made spontaneously out of nothing, unless there was a God to design such an event. By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.(Psalm 33:6) Jesus was the Word made flesh, to save us from ourselves, who would chose to believe that the world's existence can be explained through science. Jesus came to teach us that we don't have all the answers, until we trust God completely. When we put our faith in God, God is our answer, and the only right answer, at that!

It takes what God requires, our faith, to believe that God is the reason for our existence. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Hebrews 11:3) Only by faith can you be saved from your sins, and by believing Jesus is Lord can you obtain eternal life.

When we admit that God created the world, and we confess our faith in Jesus as Lord of our lives, we admit that God, who commanded the light to shine our of darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

What God makes belongs to God. Psalms 74:16 says, The day is thine, the night also is thine; Thou hast prepared the light and the sun. And, God gives a purpose to everything He creates. He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.(Psalm 104:19). If God gave purpose to the Sun and Moon, then surely God gave purpose to you and I. We may not always follow God's purpose for our lives, but God is merciful and just, and He forgave us from the beginning, and Jesus Christ is proof of that! (Psalms 136:5-9) ...his mercy endureth forever. Jesus Christ was that mercy made flesh. His death on the cross was the ultimate act of mercy for the salvation of mankind.

When God created purpose for everything He created, He gave everything in creation rules to live by. Rules are boundaries that, if crossed, exacted punishment from God. When parents set boundaries for their children, they are giving their children rules to live by. When the rules are broken, the parents -- who love their children and want what's best for them -- then have the responsibility to punish them. He hath compasseth the waters with bounds, until day and night come to an end. (Job 26:10) When God makes rules, the rules are permanent. There is no discussion. God is God. God is wisdom.

Man has no wisdom unless God allows him to have it. Solomon knew this when he wrote that wisdom was in the beginning of the world "When he gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not pass His commandment, when He appointed the foundation of the earth." (Proverbs 8:29)

Because God is the creator, we owe Him reverence. We should honour His boundaries, and we should also remember that what God creates, He can also destroy. It is only by His grace that we are allowed to exist. Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? (Jeremiah 5:22). When we live outside of God's laws, we cannot prevail, and God knows this. This is why He gives us free will. He knows that we will return to Him for comfort when we realize we cannot win without Him. Peter knew this when he wrote concerning those who scoff at God, knowing this first, that there shall come in the last day scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the Fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water. (2 Peter 3:3-5)

God also pointed out His authority when He asked Job: "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare if thou hast understanding?" Then He goes on to inform Job how He set the boundaries on the foundations of the earth. (Job 38:1-11) Nothing happens without God, who laid the foundations of the earth that it should not be removed forever. (Psalms 104:5) As a matter of fact, the whole chapter of Psalms 104 rehearses this fact.

There is no God but God. The strength of God surpasses any judgment and there is no proof that can argue to the contrary. He is the God who rulest the raging of the sea.(Psalms 89:9)

The Bible is full of praise for God's grace in His creation. God is omnipotent. He is, was, and always will be. He knows every cell, every ounce of water, every strand of hair on our bodies. He made us who we are.

God always makes everything in abundance. Some of what He makes, He uses now. He saves the rest for later use. While we may, at times, think we have no purpose, we must remember that God has a purpose for all creation, and He uses each creation according to His will when the time is right. God prepares that which He intends to use. We are always a work in progress! And, whatever problems we encounter, God is able to fix for His purposes. The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.(Psalms 93:4)

Even the Prophets of old knew that Christ was Lord. Agur asked, "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in His fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?"(Proverbs 30:4) Agur didn't claim to know everything, nor did he claim to be wise, but he knew god. And this knowledge alone made him wise counsel to Solomon.

When you concede that God is creator, then you open yourself to the wisdom of God. If God can create, then he can use even the seemingly useless to fulfill His purposes. The God, which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people (Psalm 65:7) can quiet the actions of any enemy of His children. The Lord God is in control (Read Psalm 92:8) and no other entity, be they called science or idols, can be compared to His greatness, For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?(Psalm 89:6)

What God creates, God can destroy if it does not serve His intended purpose. when mankind became so wicked that it exacted the wrath of God, who chose to destroy mankind in a flood, God used one righteous man to save what was left of His creation. God wiped the slate clean. He got rid of the evil and kept the good. If He can do that in the world, He can do it for us as individuals.

God uses His own discretion when He creates. He doesn't need our advice, but we need Him. He doesn't do anything He doesn't want to do. He answers to no one. He is God. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. (Jeremiah 10:12) God alone is wise. We are nothing without God's wisdom. O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. (Psalms 104:24).

If God is wise, and if God is just, then doesn't it stand to reason that God will provide for His creation? Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat. (Job 38:41). Behold the fowls of the air: For they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much beter than they? (Matthew 6:26) God created man to rule over His creation (Genesis 1:28). If He will provide for the birds, doesn't He have a greater sense of responsibility for us?

There is nothing God cannot do. He will go to any lengths for those who love Him. And, because God is so good, it is our responsibility to live within the bounds He has given us. We must learn His laws. We must follow His rules. Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes. (Psalms 119:68).

And we must have faith in Him.