Genesis 1:1-5

Genesis 1:1–5

1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 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.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Today we turn our attention to the opening verses of God's word, Genesis 1:1–5. These verses form the foundation upon which all of Scripture and indeed all of life is built. They describe the beginning of all things, the sovereign act of a Creator who spoke the universe into being, and the theological truths that shape our understanding of God, creation, and our place within His divine plan.

In Hebrew the name of Genesis is bereshit, which means “in the beginning.” It is the Latin Vulgate that gives us the name Genesis, or book of origins. This first book is God’s account of the beginning of the universe and human history supernaturally given to Moses by divine inspiration… or simply put, God gave these words to Moses and Moses wrote them down.

The themes and ideas that we find in Genesis form the foundational basis of the Christian Worldview. Everything that the bible teaches hinges upon the first things being rightly understood. If we truly want to understand the world, the meaning of life, our own natures, the full hope of salvation, and the final things awaiting us at the end… then we must start with the origin of all these things recorded in Genesis.

Vv. 1

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

“In the beginning.” The statement of all statements. In the 1950s there was an academic push to state that the world has either always been here or that there was such a vast amount of time from the beginning to now that it is almost imperceptible. The bible opens up with the first truth of all things… there was a beginning. Almost instantly there arises a question that is then immediately answered… “In the beginning, God…” What was before the beginning… God was.

John’s gospel records a similar starting point.

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Christianity does not begin with Christ in the New Testament… John rightly connects it all the way back to before there was. Before creation there was God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Before the Redeemer there was the Creator.

We must rightly place the Triune God in the timeline for us to be able to truly know who He is. God made all things and as such all things are under him. This truth was behind Moses’ Psalm of worship.

Psalm 90:2

2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” In theology we have a term, ex nihilo, or out of nothing. This does not mean something from nothing, rather, that God created everything out of nothing. Christians believe that God, who has always been, created all things, where there had previously been nothing except for Him. This is critical is the understanding of creation because only God can create this way… nothing in all of creation can do this. Not man… not other matter… not enough time… only God. When we create we only reorder the things that have already been created. If you build a chair you only reorder the timber that already is and use materials that have been refined to serve another purpose. If you pain a beautiful sunset you are only reordering materials on a canvas to depict something… truly creating something in the way that God creates would require you to pull the necessary things out of thin air. We cannot do that only the word of God has that power.

Hebrews 11:3

3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

This has been the historical view of the church even stated as far back as the 4^th century in the Nicene Creed.

“We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.”

As Genesis 1 builds out the framework that God created we must not allow the temptation of sorting this out in a way that is not explicitly revealed by God to us. We must let the Word of God speak for itself and trust in His words and not our understanding. We must also not look at these things as an excuse not to dive into the study of creation. The nature of the inquisitive minds that God gave us is to search out the things that God has concealed.

Proverbs 25:2

It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.

God has purposed us to search out understanding. He is not so far from creation that He doesn’t bother with us. The profound simplicity of this opening verse reminds us that God is not a distant force but a personal being who acts intentionally. He is not bound by the created order; rather, He transcends it. Calvin, in his commentaries, marvels at the fact that God is revealed here as both transcendent (above creation) and immanent (interacts with creation).

Vv. 2

2 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.

"The earth was without form and void…” The imagery here speaks of disorder and emptiness. God set out to create and looked upon the materials he had to work from and they were barren and unoccupied. When Michelangelo carved the statue of King David he is remembered as saying that he stared at the block of marble and imagined the form of David inside it, it was then when he began to work to bring the image out of the block. God looked at the primeval mass of creation and intentioned to bring from it a lush world with blessed people.

The third part of the state of material was that is was covered in darkness. This is not darkness as it relates with evil but instead darkness because God had not yet created light to counter the darkness.

Pre-creation was chaos and disorder… yet, even in this chaos, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. This tells us something essential about God: He is a God who brings order out of disorder, fullness out of emptiness, and light out of darkness.

The Spirit hovers, not as a passive observer but as the energizing, life-giving force of God. This sets the stage for what is to come—a God who is not only Creator but also Sustainer. It is this same Spirit who later breathes life into humanity and who regenerates the hearts of sinners, bringing spiritual order to lives marred by chaos.

Vv. 3

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

If you have been keeping count we have been introduced to God the Father as Creator and God the Spirit as he is hovering over the deep. Verse 3 is where we are introduced to Jesus. Remember that John opens his gospel by connecting creation with Jesus. This connection is by Christ being the Word of God and here we have the first words spoken. “Let there be light.” Not only do the words create but they have in themselves personhood as Christ. This is the first proof against the heresy of modalism. There is not 3 versions of the same God but rather 3 distinct persons of the same essence… unified in purpose, unique in function.

"And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light." These words demonstrate the powerful efficacy of God’s word. He speaks, and creation responds. His word does not return void; it accomplishes precisely what He wills. This is foundational to our understanding of Scripture as the very word of God—authoritative, infallible, and transformative.

The light that God brings into the world is not merely physical; it is also symbolic of His nature as the source of all goodness and truth. John’s Gospel echoes this when it says,

John 1:5

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

For us, the light points forward to the redemptive work of Christ—the true Light of the World—who dispels the darkness of sin and death.

Vv. 4-5

4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

God separates the light from the darkness. A foreshadowing to the hearts of man. God has set a division between the light and the darkness. No matter how much we try to form any sort of union with light and dark we cannot ultimately go against the created order. There will always be division between the light and darkness.

He names the light "Day" and the darkness "Night," establishing the rhythm of time with evening and morning. This act of separation demonstrates God’s sovereignty in bringing order to creation. Nothing is random; every aspect of creation is carefully ordered and named by God.

This ordering is vital to our understanding of the world. In Reformed theology, we affirm that the cosmos reflects the wisdom and order of its Creator. The natural laws that govern the universe are not accidental but are expressions of God’s will and purpose. Likewise, our lives are called to reflect this divine order. We are to live in obedience to God’s commands, aligning ourselves with His will and walking in the light of His Word.

Finally, we arrive at the culmination of these verses: "And there was evening and there was morning, the first day." Here, we see the establishment of time itself, a gift from God that frames our existence. Time is not an enemy; it is a canvas upon which God's redemptive story unfolds. The creation of light and the demarcation of day and night remind us that our lives are lived in cycles ordained by God.

As believers, we understand that each day is a gift, an opportunity to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The first day of creation sets a precedent for all time—it is a pattern of divine work followed by rest, a rhythm that culminates in the Sabbath, where we find our ultimate rest in God.

As we strive to understand this text we should:

• Recognize God’s Sovereignty: In a world often marked by uncertainty and chaos, we are called to rest in the knowledge that God is sovereign over all creation. Nothing happens apart from His divine will.

• Reflect the Order of Creation: Just as God brought order to the chaos, we too are called to live disciplined lives that reflect His order. This means honoring God in our work, our relationships, and our worship.

• Walk in the Light: The light that God created is both physical and spiritual. As followers of Christ, we are called to walk in His light, rejecting the darkness of sin and embracing the truth of His Word.

• Celebrate the Gift of Time: Each day is a new opportunity to serve God and to marvel at His creation. Let us use our time wisely, always seeking to glorify Him in all that we do.

Genesis 1:1–5 is more than a historical account of creation; it is a theological treasure trove that reveals the nature and character of our Creator. It shows us a God who is sovereign, purposeful, and good—a God who brings light out of darkness and order out of chaos. As we reflect on these truths, may we be moved to worship Him, to live lives that glorify Him, and to proclaim His light to a world still shrouded in shadows.

Soli Deo Gloria!