Created by Him for Him

Sometimes it is good to go back to the beginning to get an idea of the means to the end. In the beginning God created the heavens and earth for a purpose and with a purpose. That purpose was to glorify Him. All things were created by Him for Him.

As we navigate through Genesis 1, understand the ancients did not view the world as we view it. We view existence in terms of material (molecules, energy, and mass). The ancients determined something existed when it had a function. It was more important to them to determine who controlled functions rather than who/what gave its physical form. They would think of the cosmos is less like a machine, more like a kingdom.

Finally, as we move forward let us understand the subject of the 66 books we consider out God’s word is God.

Genesis 1 ESV

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 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. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

What does the text say?

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). This statement is so well known, I do not think I needed to give a biblical reference. Although it is one of the most well-known verses in scripture, I believe it is the most neglected.

“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” (Genesis 1:2). The earth being without form and void designates a situation where positive values such as purpose and worth are lacking. In other words, the earth was without function rather than without form. Nevertheless, the Spirit (ruach) of God was hovering over the face of the waters as an eagle would hover over

“God saw the light was good. . .” (Gen 1:4). The word “good” is used seven times in Genesis 1, after God finishes a day of creation. The phrase “God saw it was good” is used five of the seven times, and “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good,” once. Out of the seven times “good” was used to describe what was created, “light” was the one created thing singled out as God seeing it was good. The ancients did not think of light as having physical properties, meaning coming from the sun. They thought of light as a phenomenon.

Imagine this: If I were to put you into a dark room, a room you never been in before, with no information about the room, you would be apprehensive to move around the room. More likely, you would stand still or take tiny steps to move. But where would you go? You need direction. You need light.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Gen 1:26). All of God’s creation was considered the same thing—good. There was no created thing better than the other because God saw what He created as good and at completion, “very good.” However, humanity has a greater role on earth than all the created things on earth. We know that by the words God used to describe humanity and their role. Humans are made in God’s image, after His likeness. Humanity was created to bring order by subduing and ruling over all the created things on earth. Let us stop and look at these terms closely, so we can identify why God created us. First, the word “image” does not suggest we look like God, Who the Bible testifies is spirit. The word “image” conveys idol or representative. Consider this: majority of the idols fashioned in the Bible and worshipped looked nothing like what they thought the gods looked like. It represented the gods they worshipped. So, we are not gods who look like God. We are images of God or representatives. “Likeness” does not mean we look like Him. Nor does it convey exactness (think about that one). “Likeness” means comparison or model. In order words, God made humans to be His representatives and model His character. Sounds like some familiar passages in the New Testament. Humans are BLESSED (Hebrew: filled with strength) to be FRUITFUL (bear fruit) and MULTIPLY (become numerous) and FILL (replenish) the earth and SUBDUE (have control) and have DOMINION (govern/manage/lead) over all the living creating on earth.

What must we do?

(Gen 1:1) Another familiar verse to us is Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” It goes on to state in verse 2, “This is what the ancients were commended for.” But look at verse 3. Just as, I believe, Genesis 1:1 is often overlooked, Hebrews 11:3 gets overlooked as well. It states, “By faith WE understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (emphasis mine). Genesis 1:1 is not just an argument for the existence of God as the Eternal Creator of all things; it is a statement of our faith in the one true Eternal God, the Creator, Life-Giver, Sovereign Ruler, and Sustainer of all things. Therefore, let us always be reminded it is by faith we understand, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

(Gen 1:2) These verses reminds us of the work of the Godhead in our life. The Bible testifies of our fallen state due to Adam’s sin. In many ways, our fallen state is likened to the earth. We once loved darkness and our lives were void of what God would consider good. Our lives were without any form because we once lived in rebellion towards God and contrary to His law. We looked nothing like the good He created. We were without function! “But God demonstrates his OWN love for us in this: While we were STILL sinners, CHRIST died for US” (Rom 5:8, emphasis added). The activity of God in and over creation is evident in the new creation in Christ we are today. Once without form, we were “predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son (Jesus)” (Rom 8:29). No longer are we full of darkness. We are children of the light because it is Jesus, the Light of the world, who lives in us. And no longer are we void because it is the Spirit of God who lives in us and is with us.

(Gen 1:4) Think about this: “God saw the light was good” is six words. In these six words or one phrase, there is a revelation of Jesus Christ. The apostle John wrote, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world” (John 1:9). Jesus said, “This is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but people love the darkness instead of the light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). And “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Listen and meditate on Genesis 1:4 and the verses I gave you from John’s gospel. You should come to understand this truth: light comes before the creation of life. Jesus, the True Light, came into this world to give life. To give humanity a way out of its darkness. And to us, who believe, we have that new life and, not only does God see it as good; it is good.

(Gen 1:26) Although creation is in a fallen state, Christians are the images of God fulfilling the role God purposed for humanity through childbearing (note: marriage) and discipleship (Matt 28:18-20). I want to end with this: Scripture testifies of only one human who was able to fulfill the role of humanity perfectly. And that was Jesus, who the writer of Hebrews wrote, “He (Jesus) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint (exact representation, not likeness) of His nature. . .” (1:3a).

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