II. God created . . . (vv.1b-5)
God existed, lacking nothing in Himself, and yet chose to create the world and everything in it. The Hebrew word for “create” is bara(overscores)’ – meaning “to create something new” and used only in conjunction with God. God’s creative acts, both in terms of what and how He created, inform us about His character and nature. Passages such as Psalm 19 provide insight into God’s rationale for creating, indicating that, at least in part, God created in a way to demonstrate His glory through the things He made. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1, HCSB).
A. Order
One aspect of God’s nature we see in creation is His work to bring order out of chaos. God took that which was without form and empty and gave it both form and substance. It is important to remember, however, that God is distinct from what He has made. Contrary to the pantheist, everything is not God. Contrary to the panentheist, the universe is not part of God.
Though God is distinct from what He has made, He is intimately involved with His creation. Contrary to the Deist, God did not simply create the world, wind it up, start it spinning, and walk away. Again, God is intimately involved with His creation, as we clearly see in His relationship with the first man and woman, walking with them in the Garden.
B. Power
Another thing we clearly see in God’s creative acts is His divine power on display. God spoke . . . and creation was. He did not labor or toil, as if it were some arduous task. He simply spoke the world into being. By His powerful Word He created the world, and by that same Word He holds all things together.
C. Holiness
The final aspect of God’s nature we see in creation is His holiness and goodness, seen in His creation of light and its distinction from darkness. The contrast of light and darkness appears throughout Scripture to symbolize good and evil. We see this word picture taken up by the Apostle John in his first epistle: “Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him” (1 John 1:5, HCSB).
Application: How do God’s power, His intimate involvement with creation, and His goodness motivate you to glorify this awesome Creator and to live in submission and obedience to Him?
Conclusion
The awesome God who exists and who created has made it possible to know Him personally. While we can see and understand things about Him through His creation, we can only know Him personally through a faith relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ.
MANAGING YOURSELF 