Genesis 1-2

There is so much in this passage that I hardly know where to begin. I really believe that a proper understanding of these first two chapters of the Bible are key to shaping your overall view of the message of the Bible. Here are some themes that I hope you'll embrace as you read this.

God as Creator

God's creative power is one of my favorite attributes of his. To have the power to create something from nothing is a power that I don't think humans will ever be able to fully understand. And the fact that we live on this beautiful planet that is a constant testament of the awesome power of God...it's a humbling feeling to me! Also, I love that at the end of every day of creation, God proclaims that his work was "good", but after creating humans, it was "very good". We're God's favorite handiwork!

Free Will = Love

It's easy to read the bit about God placing the tree of knowledge of good and evil in Eden and allow ourselves to think that God was setting up some sort of tricky test for us. But the opposite is true. That tree is actually one of the first visible evidences of God's love for us. God could have created us to be mindless followers, forced to do the right thing and forced to do his bidding. But he doesn't. He wants us to CHOOSE loving him...or not. He knows that love is only love if it's freely given and freely chosen. That tree represents God freeing his most valued and loved creation, in hopes that they will return to him!

Men and Women

God clearly shows us that we need each other. Men and women are meant to complete each other, help each other, and so much more. Think about this: a perfect God created the entire universe and proclaimed it all to be good. But when he looks down and sees this lonely man, he says something different. This is the only aspect of his creation that God said wasn't good. Man needed a companion. There was a void in man's life that even God wouldn't fill. We've heard that we all have a God-shaped hole in our lives that only God can fill. But this passage also teaches us that we have a people-shaped hole in us. We need each other, too!