Genesis 1:1 Simple Explanation

In the previous post, we have already covered and explained Genesis 1:1. However, many are still getting confused with my explanation. So on this post, I wrote a much simpler explanation that anyone could easily understand.

So let’s start with the Bible’s Genesis 1:1 below;

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

In the beginning

The beginning that is being referred here on Genesis 1:1 was the “start of everything” but with the exception of God. You have to know that God Has no beginning where He was the only one that exists in the very beginning composed of a world with complete emptiness. Until, He had finally decided to start creating everything.

God

God is the one Who has created everything out of nothing. Thus, He is also known as the “Creator”. With such kind of amazing power, He is the One and Only true Almighty God worthy of being served. In Hebrew, God is also referred to as “Elohim”.

Creation

Our Almighty God or Elohim had demonstrated His power through His creations and that includes you.

The Heaven and the Earth

In this exact verse of Genesis, God had created heaven and earth but they were yet to be redesigned or arranged by God. He simply prepared the platform or foundation in order to begin his wonderful creations.

What it means when God said “Let there be Light”?

Can you just imagine the world we live today without light? Everybody would be living a life of being blind that we can’t do so much for ourselves.

The existence of light is very important for us which allows us to grow and harvest our food to eat. Yes, other living things especially plants do need light to survive. So without plants, it will be impossible for us to live on this world.

On the Bible’s Old Testament, the word “light” was first mentioned on Genesis 1 verse 3.

Some individuals interpret what God said about “Let there be light” as a form of metaphor. This means, it has a deeper meaning. The reason why is because of the very first verse Genesis 1:1 which stated that God created the universe.

When God created the universe, everything had already came into existence including light. The rest was more about redesigning it particularly earth.

On the other hand, some individuals do have an understanding that light only began to exist on Genesis 1:3 when God commanded it.

If you are going to read the succeeding Holy Scriptures about God’s creation of the world, God had commanded all things to come into their rightful places.

Now, when it comes to my own understanding. Both interpretations are correct.

When God created the universe, it means that He already created everything. This means that physical form of light may already exist somewhere else in the universe. However, earth remains undeveloped at that time which is described on Genesis 1:2. So at this point, God started renovating earth for us human to live.

God commanding the light to appear on Genesis 1:3 was God’s creation of light specifically for earth.

Metaphorical Meaning of Light

The Holy Bible mentions more about light but with metaphorical meaning.

One of the best Scripture that I like most is John 8:12 where Jesus said that he is the “light of the world”.

This Scripture is actually so easy to interpret where Jesus was speaking in metaphor and not the physical form of light. We will discussing more about the meaning of this Scripture on another separate post.

Another Scripture found on the Holy Bible about light which has connection between God and Jesus Christ can be read at 1 Corinthians 4:6.

On this Scripture, God’s creation of light from the very beginning is mentioned. And as a Christian, He is the same God who made his light shine into our hearts which means that we are able to understand and interpret His glory through the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

In the Old Testament, when God spoke of the words “Let there be light”, it was a form of creation where physical form of light appeared.

But in the New Testament, light is more often used as a metaphor especially when light is referred to Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ being the light of the world means that he brought enlightenment to this world. So anyone who follows his teachings will never be lead astray and get salvation with eternal life. In short, light can be interpreted as the truth or guidance towards our salvation.

How God Created Man?

In the First Testament of the Holy Bible, "how God created mankind" starts on Genesis 1:26-27 where He created the first man and women "in His own image" or "making them to be like himself". Does this means that we look pretty much the same as our Creator since we are a copy of His image? Many individuals are actually confused about what this exactly mean so let's uncover the answer.

God had created the first human beings on the sixth day of His creation. This was after preparing Earth as a perfect habitation for all living creatures. On Genesis 1:27, the Holy scripture clearly states that God created both male and female "to be like himself". So here comes another intriguing question.

How can God be a male and female?

It is indeed conflicting if we are going to think that God is referring to His physical likeness. Well, it is not because God is spirit (John 4:24) where He does not have a physical body like man.

The meaning behind the creation of human beings based on God's own image are based on this following criteria:

1. Higher Form of Mental Capacity

What makes us completely separate from the other living creatures or animals is our mental capacity to think. We are capable of solving problems, invent machines, artistic and so many other skills that allowed us to advanced our life styles towards technological age.

God had even mentioned on Genesis 1:28 that Earth will be under man's full control.

Through our mental capabilities, we are able to occupy the world and become superior to all other living creatures here on Earth.

2. Good Moral Value

Everyone of us are created by God from the very start that we breathe life on this world with righteousness and perfect innocence. This is the image of God's holiness. We also know what is right and wrong. If we are about to do a certain bad thing, our conscience often tell us not to it because it's wrong.

3. Fellowship and Social Interaction

God's main purpose about the creation of man is to "Glorify Him" (Isaiah 43:7).

How do we glorify God? The answer into this question is best explained at Psalm 100:2-3

On Psalm 100:3, the Bible mentions again the word "people". We are God's people where we do rightfully belong to Him. So in return, we have to acknowledge him as our only God which can be done through worshiping Him with great joy.

As a part of worshiping God, it is actually best done by a group of people or more commonly known as a "fellowship".

On Genesis 2:18, God created the first female companion of the man because living alone is not good. This is probably where the famous quote, "No man is an island" has been derived.

As a result, we need to socially interact with someone. We do often make friends, marry our long time partner in life, have children and etc... All of these social interactions are made in the likeness of God.

4. Free Will

God had created each of us with our own "Free Will". This is our freedom to make our own choices and act on our own decisions. Unfortunately, the first man used his free will to commit the first sin by rebelling against God.

On Romans 5:12, due to Adam and Eve's sin, God brought death as punishment which they also passed down into their descendants. This is the reason why everyone has to die someday particularly due to old age.

James 3:9 actually speaks about the human tongue where no one is yet able to tame it. We do use it to give thanks to Him but also, we do use it to curse other people especially our enemies or individuals that we do not like. And that sad part is that, we use it to curse such individual who is created in the likeness of God.

Thus, James 3:9 proves that we still bear the image of God but also the scars of sin that we inherited from the first man.

Creation of Adam and Eve

God's creation of the first man is actually more described in clear detail on Genesis 2:7, the creation of Adam.

God used soil that He took from the ground and molded it into a human figure. And to make it alive, He gave a "life-giving breath" into his nostrils. This first man was a male named, "Adam".

The second human was a female named, "Eve" (Genesis 2:21-22).

Unlike Adam, God created the women Eve out from Adam's ribs.

Overall, the Bible teachings about God's creation of the man and the entire world shows the Greatness of His Power. Thus, He is the only God worthy of being acknowledge as the true Lord and God to be glorified by all of us.

The Bible Teachings about Christianity

Christian religions' "Bible teachings" is actually everything about life. It teaches us the best guidance of our life by sharing incomparable wisdom, enlightenment, salvation and etc... The Bible is generally full of advises which is the key that allows us to enter into the Kingdom of God. This is the main reason why the Bible is also referred as "The Words of God".

Almighty God would really wanted to save us all from our sins allowing us to enter His Kingdom particularly when the "End of Times" comes. So through His Prophets, God's words were written and compiled. It then became the Holy Book which is the Bible.

The most unfortunate event known to the history of the Bible was the countless numbers of individuals who were persecuted and murdered just because of reading the Holy Scriptures. Most believers in the past were hunted down like criminals and murdered by blood thirsty men without remorse. Despite of the danger involved, many Christians in the past had sacrificed and risked their lives to preserved copies of the Holy Scriptures to ensure that they get passed down into the next generations. It's really a huge thanks to them that through their effort, the Holy Bible has been preserved. And now, we are lucky enough to read it for free and without getting persecuted by the unbelievers or the anti-Christians.

Bible Teachings About the Ten Commandments

In the Bible, Almighty God had given the "Ten Commandments" that every one of us must follow in order to have a better way of life and the best possible ways to please God of our doings. You have to know that by pleasing God, you are also earning your rights of entering His promised Kingdom.

God had given the Ten Commandments to Moses who wrote His words in Exodus 20:2-17 and in Deuteronomy 5:6-21.

The Bible Describes the Creation of the World

The first written set of scripture from the Bible is Genesis which describes the creation of our world at the very beginning of our time. From that time, only God exists and out of nothing, He created the entire world. This is what made Him the "Creator" of everything.

From the start, the Bible is already teaching us about how powerful our Almighty God who created everything out of nothing. Thus, He is the only One God who deserve to be served by us in return of all the blessings that He has given to us all.

The first humans that walked on the surface of the Earth were Adam and Eve. They were both created by God blessing them with their own "Free Will" or the freedom to do things that they want except to defy God. Eve was actually the last creation of God that satisfied Adam's boredom of being alone. However, both Adam and Eve had chosen to defy God by eating fruit from the Forbidden Tree committing the very first sin of mankind.

The Bible Teaches About Faith

When it comes to Science, people on this field of industry only believes on something that has scientific proof particularly in the form of physical objects that can either be touched or seen. Unfortunately, the existence of God cannot be proven by any scientific means. Based on the Bible, the only proof that God exists is "Faith".

Through Faith in God, there's no need for any tangible proofs it's because you know for sure that God exists and he's always there watching you on your day-to-day life activities. The majority of the contents in the Bible are actually about Faith. With strong Faith in God, people could perform miracles and wonders such as Moses.

Bible Scriptures Reveals the End of Times

This physical world of ours is not meant to last forever. The End of Times has been foretold in the Bible where everyone will receive their judgment. Those who are Faithful and remained righteous until death will be rewarded with Eternal Life. As for those who does not, they will remain dead for eternity.

Although, the Bible never mentioned any exact date and time about the End of Times but signs. Some of the signs are natural calamities such as Earth Quakes, Super Typhoons, Tsunamis and etc... Aside from these natural calamities are conflicts that could result into wars. And, illnesses or diseases without cures that will suddenly wipe out a large human population. If these signs are already being observed then it only means that the End of Times is near.

The reason why the Bible didn't gave the exact date and time of the Judgment Day is to teach everyone to be prepared at all possible times. Always be prepared in a way that you have a strong Faith in God, follow the Ten Commandments and so as all the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ's Teachings in the Bible's New Testament

We are so lucky to be in the generation where Jesus Christ teachings are on the Bible which is the New Testament. His teachings are a lot more clear and easy to understand particularly by anyone who believes in Christianity.

The Bible's New Testament is actually like the revision of the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, believers can directly communicate to God by giving Him sacrificial offerings. But in the New Testament, there's no need for any sacrificial offerings because through Jesus Christ, we can now communicate directly to God by prayers.

Jesus Christ is actually the Man who changed a lot of the old traditions in the Old Testament. Those that were changed are no longer applicable to us such as the one mentioned above. Today, Christian believers now follow the teachings of Jesus Christ it's because he is "The Truth, The Way and The Life".

The Truth refers to all of Jesus Christ's teachings written on the Bible. Since its the whole Truth, there's no room for you to doubt about it. Instead, you should believe his teachings because it's the key to strengthen your Faith and remain a righteous individual.

The Way means your guidance. Jesus Christ's teachings found in the Bible are full of advises that guides you on the right path. So through his guidance, you will never go astray.

The Life refers to your reward which is an Eternal Life provided that you followed all of Jesus Christ's teachings until your physical death.

Moreover, the Bible teachings are the most valuable knowledge that everyone of us must clearly and solemnly understand. It actually teaches us how to draw ourselves closer to God Our Almighty Creator.