God is the Creator
God created everything from nothing.
“1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
Genesis 1:1-2 (NIV)
Genesis 1:3-31 - The creation story. God created:
Day 1: Light and separated light from darkness... it was good.
Day 2: Separated the water from water and formed the sky and land.... it was good.
Day 3: Vegetation “all kinds of plants”... it was good.
Day 4: Sun, moon and stars... it was good.
Day 5: All living creatures in the sea, fish and birds, all according to its kind... it was good.
Day 6: All living creatures on land. “Animals” according to its kind.... it was good.
Day 6: God created man in His image, His likeness... it was very good.
Day 7: God rested from all His work.
“Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was very good!”
Genesis 1:31 (NLT)
Reading through the creation story, God as Creator, clearly reveals His intention and motive by what He has made. If you look at a work of art you can see the expression of the artist reflected in what he has created.
In the same way, creation echoes out the character and nature of the Creator. All that was made was marked by His nature - “it was very good.” God's intention with all of creation from the beginning was good.
God created man for His glory.
“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 (NIV)
Humankind and all of creation have their origin in God, nothing that exists, exists without God our Creator's direct involvement. Any theory or idea that claims a different creation plan is in direct conflict with the Creator's nature, plan and purpose.
God the all-powerful Creator of the universe, created everything to reflect and reveal His glory. As Creator and rightful owner of everyone and everything, He is the most qualified to instruct, protect and provide for us.
“1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.’
John 1:1-3
It is very important that we understand that we are a product of a loving Creator and not some unproven lucky chance without the Creator's involvement. This lays the foundation for the next important question: If I was created, then why was I created?
God created for a purpose.
“For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love 5He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will 6to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. 7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.”
Ephesians 1:4-7
Mankind was not just part of the creation, we were created in our Creator's image. His character and nature gave us, the created, the ability and potential to rule over what He has created for a higher purpose! What higher purpose?
“9The LORD is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. 10All You have made will praise You, O LORD; Your saints will extol you. 11They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your might, 12so that all men may know of Your mighty Acts and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom. 13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations.”
Psalm 145:9-13
The golden thread throughout the whole Bible has always been, the Glory of God reflected in all of His creation. Everything was created by God, for God, to bring glory to God alone.
Man’s highest call is to have the image of God formed in himself and manifested through man over and in all of creation, establishing and reflecting God's glory.
All Creation testifies of God.
“18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
Romans 1:18-20
The old famous question; what about the people who have never heard about God? Without taking away the responsibility that we have to take the Gospel to them, the Bible tells us that creation is already a testimony of God to them.
All of Creation will be accountable to God.
“12For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
Hebrews 4:12-13
Our creation purpose is to become the image of God on earth, bringing Him glory by reflecting His Character and Nature, to govern the earth as His delegated authority, and reveal His will and ways in all of creation. Therefore, all of mankind will stand accountable to Him for their lives.
We were created to become like God in spirit.
“..,and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:24 (NIV)
This does not mean that we will become small gods like God; He is the only eternal God. This Scripture reveals the true nature and desire of God for us as His creation. Through salvation He restores us back into His original intent, to become like Him in nature.
This transformation is only possible through Christ alone. Knowing who God is, will cause us to submit and surrender to Him as our God. Our submission to Him activates His work, in us and through us, according to His will.
If this is the case then we need to discover more about God and His nature in order to become like Him.
God is Love
“9This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins... 16God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”
1 John 4:9-10,16b (NIV)
We are the primary recipients of God’s love. The Bible views love as the sacrificial desire to place the well being of another above one’s own. Love can be defined as a passionate desire to be relationally intimate with another, committed to do what is best for them.
Love is at the core of all healthy relationships and God desires to express His love to us, and through us, to others.
God is Holy
“But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.”
1 Peter 1:15 (NIV)
Sin, unrighteousness and impurity cannot exist in God. To be holy is to be morally pure, blameless, perfect, complete, and without blemish or defect. God is holy, and will not allow any sin, unrighteousness or impurity to enter His presence.
This is why God withdrew from sinful man (Adam), as seen in the Garden of Eden. Mankind was created to live eternally in God's presence, but our sin caused a separation between Him and us.
God is Righteous and Just
“He will judge the world in righteousness; He will govern the peoples with justice.”
Psalm 9:8 (NIV)
“The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love.”
Psalm 33:5 (NIV)
Jesus became our righteousness. God's justice demanded that there be a penalty for sin, which means death and eternal separation from God. Because of His love for us He graciously reversed the separation and satisfied the demand for justice, by placing the punishment for all our sin on Jesus Christ.
God is Merciful
“...God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
2 Corinthians 5:19 (NIV)
God's mercy, extends forgiveness to us through Jesus Christ. Mercy can be explained as not getting what we deserve. Jesus taking the punishment that we deserved on Himself, was an act of God's mercy.
Mercy means that God does not count our sins against us, but instead forgives and reconciles us to Himself, when we put our faith in Christ. Understanding God’s mercy motivates us to live for God from a heart of thankfulness and not compulsion or obligation.
God is Gracious
“But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”
Psalm 86:15 (NIV)
Through God's grace we are given a new nature.
“... I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”
Ezekiel 11:19 (NIV)
Grace can be explained as getting what we do not deserve. This attribute of God being good to us, is called grace. When we accept Christ's salvation extended to us, we receive a new nature that is directed towards righteousness, this is God’s grace in action. He empowers us with His favour and power so that we can enjoy and live for Him forever.
God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit
“For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one...”
1 John 5:7 (NKJV)
God is three persons in one, living in perfect love and harmony. There is only one God, who consists of three persons: God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. They live in perfect relational unity with each other. God the Father is the King of His Kingdom, and governs it as a father leading his family. He revealed Himself to the world through His Son, Jesus Christ and guides and empowers us on a daily basis through the Holy Spirit.
Through the Godhead we see that God highly values relationship and wants our relationship with Him to be healthy and constantly growing. He desires healthy relationships between His children and gave His life on the cross to restore broken relationships.
Love and trust are at the core of any healthy relationship and the building blocks for healthy societies and nations, are healthy families.
What Have you Discovered About who God is?
1. God is __________
2. God is __________
3. God is __________
4. God is __________
5. God is __________
6. God is __________
Believing that we are all a product of a loving Creator who fearfully and wonderfully made us to reflect His image is critical to our perspective of life and death, wrong and right. This foundation plays a crucial role in all our values and decision making.
If we look at the goodness of God reflected in creation and the current state of mankind, we can immediately see that something is wrong. What went wrong? We will look at this in the next chapter.
QUESTIONS
• Genesis 1:1 states that “in the beginning God created..." This means that God existed before anything else was created. God therefore initiated everything. Name a few things that God initiated:
What has changed in your understanding of who God is while studying this chapter?
In what area of your life do you feel the Holy Spirit's conviction to surrender and allow God to change you into His likeness?
• Are you at peace with God in your heart; do you love, trust and obey Him with your life? Why?
• Do you believe that the God of the Bible is the only true god?
This Week:
• I will apply
• I will share with.