All That God Created Is Good

Without explaining who He is or where He came from, Genesis 1 provides a power packed summary of God's creative genius. God speaks and creates out of His own power. With wisdom not known to man, He created the time, space, and matter in this great universe. All that God created was good -- light, sky, air, land, vegetation, stars, sea creatures, bird creatures, land creatures, and, finally, human creatures. With each day's creative work, God pronounced it good. But when He created the first humans, Adam and Eve, blessed them and gave them their marching orders, God pronounced it all "very good."

Main Thought: God created everything and everything God created is good.

From nothing to everything in six days.

The pinnacle of God's creation -- humans.

God's original design for humanity.

The importance of the seventh day.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now 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)

1. From nothing to everything in six days.

God began with nothingness and out of His sheer will, wisdom, and power created time and space. At one time there was no time but when it was time God created time -- and space and matter. These are the three things necessary for the physical reality in which we live. So before your Timex watch could run down its battery, God envisioned and created from nothingness the entire universe. The earth was a formless mass of water -- perhaps there was not yet gravity -- in an empty universe. No stars, no Sun, no moon, no galaxies, no comets, no black holes -- no nothing except the watery earth.

In an orderly progression, God created life from lifelessness. If we could examine God's diary, it would not read any better than this account in Genesis 1. So here is a brief excerpt from it:

Scripture Passage: Genesis 1:1-25

Creation Day God's Diary

Day One
"And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness." (Gen. 1:3-4 NIV) God created time, space, and a formless mass of water called "earth." Then, with the Spirit of God hovering over the waters -- literally energizing the waters -- God creates light. Light occurs in many different forms as we know today -- Ultraviolet light, infrared light, lasers, fire, and many more. Basically, it is a form of energy. In a prophetic note, the account of beginnings in Genesis 1:3 notes that God used light to dispel the darkness. The light of His word, even today, dispels the darkness of evil and false teachings. Through the application of light, or energy, to the earth it begins to take shape into a whirling ball. From the source of light, the spinning earth completes its first turn and, thus, "...there was evening, and there was morning -- the first day" (Gen. 1:5, NIV). God declared it "good."

Day Two
"And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water...God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day." (Gen. 1:6,8 NIV) God's creative power is applied to the waters as He creates a great expanse. Basically, He gathers water from around the earth and lifts it up into the heavens as He creates the atmosphere we call "sky." So, in this early time, earth was primarily a watery ball surrounded by air and enveloped in a water or mist canopy. God desired to protect what He was working to create.

Day Three
"And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so... Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so."(Gen. 1:9,11 NIV) God created land and established the boundary of the seas upon it. One huge land mass was then made to produce all kinds of vegetation -- seed-bearing plants and trees all over the earth. Food for thought or thoughtful food was established for yet another kind of life. And God declared that it was "good" as well.

Day Four
"And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so." (Gen. 1:14-15 NIV) God decided to create a glorious universe filled with galaxies of stars and other celestial bodies. God stretched out and scattered the light (ref. Isaiah 42:5) He had previously created into millions of stars to light the evening sky. He also created the Sun to light our days and the Moon to light our night. God's desire is that we walk in the light rather than in darkness. God declared this "good."

Day Five
"So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." (Gen. 1:21 NIV) God must have giggled as He thought of and created the multiplicity of creatures in the sea. The fish, the shark, the whale, the octopus, the sea horse, the starfish, the crab and all their kinds were created to fill the seas. All of the winged creatures He created swooped, floated, glided, and climbed into the air which was rich with oxygen and totally devoid of pollution. Each He created "according to their kinds" indicating that one was not made from the other. God did not "use evolution" to create the living creatures. The fossil record bears this out -- all creatures appear fully formed. And all of these creatures, God declared "good."

Day Six
"And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so." (Gen. 1:24 NIV) God delighted to create the land animals -- both general livestock, wild animals, and all the creepy things, that is creeping things, or "bugs." Every animal that moves on the ground was created to complement the vast array of sea and air life. God saw that this too was "good." (Later in the day, God created the first humans -- Adam and Eve. More on this in section 2)

God's creative plan grows from nothing to a universe and world teeming with life. Consider how it was:

Close your eyes and imagine...nothing. Let's not stay there too long

Consider the brilliance of light after coming out of a movie theater in the daytime.

Next, think of the pungent smell of a morning shower. (Just as God moved from nothing to everything, we are moving with our senses through the creation week)

It is time for the firm pounding of footsteps through the dirt path. With a deep breath, we encounter the smell of fresh grass, the fragrance of fruit trees, and the perfume of flowers.

Not to be denied is the sky now bursting with the fireworks of stars, comets, and galaxies.

Suddenly, the still water of the pond is violently interrupted by a large bass that jumps up high, then splashes into the water with wild abandon.

At the shoreline, a crazy orangutan imitates Ed Sullivan to the gleeful delight of his audience.

The chirping of the birds seems to calm the water as the waves slowly die out and the pond resumes its peaceful demeanor.

From nothing to a world teeming with life, full of everything good. God created it all, and all was good.

"Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,
and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air,
over the livestock, over all the earth,
and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:26-27 NIV)

2. The pinnacle of God's creation -- humans.

God created man different from all the rest because He made man "in His image." God created all the various forms of life, each "according to its kind" indicating the species did NOT arise from one another but were each created on their own. The biblical word "kind" is the same as the word "species" used today to indicate a specific type of plant or animal. None of these life forms were created "in His image." God uses this very encouraging phrase only of the humans He created.

Both male and female were created in the image of God. All of the communicable attributes of God -- that is, those that are not infinite -- were created in humans at the beginning. His ability to think, reason, act, choose, feel were all given to the humans. His morality was also given to humans, further differentiating them from the beasts of the field and creatures of the sea. Humans were created uniquely different from all other creatures, blessed with the fingerprint and blessing of God Himself.

After creating Adam & Eve, God blessed them and pronounced it all "very good." Six times earlier, God declared His work to be "good." But after creating Adam & Eve, God says it was "very good." The significance of this is seen in His blessing of the first couple and His subsequent commands to them.

This is the high point of creation -- God had created creatures that could actually relate to Him one-on-one. While the fish could only gurgle and the chimpanzees climb trees, the humans could actually speak and communicate. They could exercise love. They could run with abandon to the wind or slowly walk the clear shoreline in the evening. It was a beautiful, perfect environment -- but with the humans there it was complete. And it was very good.

"Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (29) And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. (30) "Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so. (31) Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day." (Gen 1:28-31 NKJV)

3. God's original design for humanity.

God offered us His blessing in a perfect world. While the world was new and perfect -- no stain of sickness or suffering or death -- God added His blessing to Adam & Eve. As if the world itself were not enough, God blessed them on top of it. God's precious provisions for all our needs often pale before His blessings which overflow in our lap. I'll never forget watching a squirrel gobble up a spoonful of peanut butter -- extra crunchy of course. A few bytes would have been enough for the day. In his case, he struggled mightily to open and close his little mouth filled with the huge, glue-like ball of peanut butter. God's provisions are based on the greatness of His love for us.

God offered us His bounty in a perfect greenhouse. The water canopy God created on day two served to capture the warmth of the sun while shielding the earth from all harmful radiation. No need for PF30 on the beach -- Adam & Eve could frolic without care for their Creator God had made a temperate environment perfectly suited for life of all kinds. The weather was always warm but mild. There was no rain for the land was watered by a vast underground spring. In the midst of this worldwide "greenhouse," the vegetation and animal life flourished and filled the earth. Man had freedom, food and pets -- what more could you want?

God offered us His purpose in a perfect command. How about meaning and purpose? God did not desire an aimless existence on this special creation. He gave the man and woman some specific instructions including:

Eat your vegetables -- all the plants and trees were given to them for food.
Have a large family -- they were told to be fruitful and fill the earth with humans.
Work the earth -- the earth was given to them to be subdued by them. This required them to understand all its inner workings and manage the multitude of resources in it.

Thus, mankind was given a meaningful and purposeful existence here on the earth. As stewards of God's creation, mankind was uniquely assigned to care for the land, the sea, the plants, the trees, and all of His creatures from birds to bees.

"Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. " (Gen. 2:1-3, NIV)

4. The importance of the seventh day.

The amazing God finished His amazing work. As the sixth power-packed day of creation draws to a close, one has to wonder, "Why did it take so long?" I mean, God was able to speak and create all things from nothingness. Certainly He could have thought it all into existence all at once. Why did He proceed in this fashion? He did it this way to give us a pattern for our own work as His stewards of the earth.

"Work six days and rest for one" is the pattern for us to follow. When I need a key made, I give the hardware store the original key. It is placed into a machine that knows how to trace the entire key and use this tracing as the pattern for a new key, which it also cuts and shapes. The original is the pattern for the new key (don't ask me how they make the original key...). Likewise, God went through this, for Him, rather laborious procedure simply to give us a pattern for how we should work. Our work should be with the same dedication, faithfulness, and creativity, and sense of purpose that God used. But we must also, as God did, rest every seventh day. This gives our bodies time to refresh, renew, and recharge. of course, God required no rest but upon completing His work gave a day of rest to us as the pattern for us to follow.

God blesses the seventh day, declaring it holy. A brilliant car mechanic designed a new engine that would drive a car at a breakthrough speed of three hundred miles and hour. Unfortunately, the fuel intake got stuck and the engine ran non-stop until the gasoline was spent. The engine became a molten heap of metal. It was not designed to be run at break-neck speed non-stop. Were we to work steadily seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, we would burn out our "engine of flesh." The seventh day is an appropriate time for rest and renewal for us because it is how God designed us to operate.

The word for Sabbath in Scripture is derived from the Hebrew word for rest. God established this day as 'holy' or set apart for us. We were not made for a perfect day of rest but, rather, the perfect rest was made for us. So what more appropriate activity could we undertake on such a day of rest than to sit back and reflect upon the glory and majesty of God's perfect creation!