How Did the World Begin?

In the beginning…the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the
watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
Genesis 1:1-2

The Genesis account of creation starts with the presupposition that God exists. It does not argue for His existence but simply assumes He is there in the beginning.

So, that is where I am coming from.

Although I believe in a young earth and a literal six days (24 hours), I am not arguing for the meaning of the word “day” at this time.

I’m also not trying to convince you that God makes more sense than evolution, though I believe that is true.

Here, we will look at how the world began according to Genesis 1:1-2:3.

Table of Contents

According to the Bible, the world began with God. He already existed and was all-powerful. He created the world out of nothing by speaking it into existence. He created it in six days and brought order out of chaos. He said everything He made was good. The Genesis account differs from other creation stories, which always involve a battle among the gods.

Before Creation

Before creation, God was there. He is eternal (Ps 90:2) and self-existent (Ex 3:14) in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt 3:16-17; 28:19; John 15:26; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 Pet 1:2).

We know very little about what God was doing before creation, but the Bible gives us a few clues.

John 17:5 Jesus asks the Father to bring Him into the glory They shared together before the world began.

Ephesians 1:4-5 Before God made the world, He loved us and chose us in Him to be holy and blameless in His eyes. He predestined us to be adopted as His children through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:20 God chose Jesus to be the ransom for our sins long before the world began (also see Acts 2:23).

Proverbs 8:22 The Lord possessed wisdom before He created anything.

So, as you can see, the Godhead (Trinity) shared glory together. They possessed wisdom, thought about us, and decided the plan of redemption before creation.

The Bible doesn’t say much about God in eternity past. However, throughout Scripture, you learn much about who God is. It teaches that God doesn’t change meaning He is the same throughout eternity.

God Created the World in 6 Days

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God first began by creating time (in the beginning), space, and matter (the heavens and the earth). He spoke it into existence.

When God created the earth, it was formless and empty, and darkness covered the waters. So, obviously, God created the water at the same time he made the earth.

On days 1-3, God brought form to the earth that was formless. And on days 4-6, He filled the empty domains He had structured on the first three days.

Day 1: God separated the light from the darkness after He said, “Let there be light.” He called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”

At this point, the earth was still formless and empty, but now there is light (day) and dark (night).

Day 2: God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” The space He called ‘sky,’ the waters below, God called ‘earth,’ and the waters above, He called the heavens.

The earth is beginning to take shape. Now, a sky separates the earth and the waters below from the heavens and the waters above. There is only light and dark, and water-space-water.

Day 3: Next, God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear. God called the dry ground, ‘land’ and the water, ‘seas.’ Let the land sprout with vegetation–every sort of seed-bearing plant and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit.”

Imagine now an earth with a sky, seas, and land with plants and trees, nothing more.

Day 4: Now God turns to the heavens and says, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let the lights shine down on the earth.”

God made two great lights; the larger light was the sun to govern the day, and the smaller was the moon to govern the night. He also made the stars, all of which testify to God’s creative power and proclaim His glory (Ps 19:1; 148:3).

The word “stars” in Genesis 1:16 also includes planets, asteroids, comets, constellations, and other celestial bodies in the universe (see Job 9:9; 38:31-33; Amos 5:8).

The heavens were no longer empty. They now had the sun, moon, and stars to help distinguish between day and night and to tell time. Although time began in the beginning (Gen 1:1), day 4 gave us a way of measuring it with the governing lights. However, telling time using the sun, moon, and stars was much more common before clocks.

Additionally, an obvious question is raised: If the sun, moon, and stars were created on Day 4, what is the light on Day 1? The short answer is we don’t know, but you can read some various theories in Light Before the Sun (AIG).

Day 5: God turns back to the earth and populates the sky with birds and the seas with fish and other sea life, including the great sea monsters. Each life would produce offspring of the same kind. He blessed them and told them to “be fruitful and multiply.”

His directives to the birds to fill the air and the fish to fill the seas define the blessing. In other words, God gives these creatures the ability to procreate, which is a blessing.

Day 6: Now, it’s time to fill the land. God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind–livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.”

Next, God created human beings. There is a subtle change in the wording. Up to this point, God said, “Let there be…” but now He says, “Let Us make in Our image.”

Human beings are distinctly different from the rest of God’s creation in that we were made to enjoy a relationship with our Creator. We were also made to rule over the rest of the living creatures and represent Him as His ambassadors and administrators on the earth (Gen 1:28).

Notice, too, that God uses the plural form “Us” when referring to Himself. In Hebrew, the word is Elohim.

Finally, God blessed mankind and told them to be fruitful and multiply. He gave them authority to rule and govern the birds, fish, and land animals. They (and the animals) could eat any from any seed-bearing plant or tree.

Nothing is said in this creation account about not eating from the tree in the center of the garden. However, you do find it in the more detailed account of the beginnings of man and woman (Genesis 2:4-25).

Day 7: God had completed His creation of the heavens and earth, so He rested. He also blessed the seventh day and declared it holy.

God wasn’t tired; He never grows weary or tired (Is 40:28). But He was finished creating. Later, the Bible talks about the seventh day as the Sabbath, the day God’s people were to rest and cease all normal activities (Exodus 16:29; 20:10-11).

God Brought Order Out of Chaos

Every worldview attempts to explain how the world began, what’s wrong with it, and how it can be made right again.

Most creation stories involve a battle between the gods, a creation that was chaotic and messy. You can read a number of them in the book Ancient Near Eastern Text Relating to the Old Testament.

But the Genesis account found in the Bible is different. We learn that God created the heavens and the earth from nothing, ex-nihilo. The world was dark, formless, and empty except for the water that was everywhere.

But within six days, God had structured and ordered a perfect world where He declared everything “very good.” Nothing needed to be made right again. God’s creation was:

Harmonious – everything worked together with constant peace and unity
Balanced – everything worked with precision, and nothing was out of whack
Complete – everything was whole and lacked nothing
Perfect – everything was flawless and didn’t need anything to make it better
Beautiful – everything was pleasing to the eye

Humans had unbroken fellowship with God and were at peace with all living creatures. God made the world perfect, and there was nothing wrong with it.

I am in awe when I read God talking about His creation in Job 38-39. Or consider Psalms 8, 19, and 139.

RELATED > > > > > How Does the Bible Support God Creating the World Ex-Nihilo? – Out of Nothing

Final Thoughts

As you can see, the Genesis account of creation tells us how the world began. God created it in six days and rested on the seventh.

God is eternal, all-powerful, and self-existent. He lives outside of time and space and, therefore, is not bound by them.

He created the world out of nothing and spoke it into existence.

The Genesis creation account is unique because it’s the only one that claims one God who made a perfect and orderly world. And declared it very good.

What do you like or question about the Genesis creation account?

How Did the World Begin? – Genesis 1:1-2:3