Genesis 1:1-31 | The Way of Scripture

Genesis 1:1-31

The Creation

Berean Standard Bible

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface 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 He 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.
6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.”
And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so. 12 The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years. 15 And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so.
16 God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well.
17 God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, 18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”
27 So God created man in His own image;
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”
29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good.
And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

What is the context?

Genesis begins with God making the world. Before we meet Abraham and his family, we are shown where the world and everyone in it came from. At first the earth is dark and empty. As God speaks, He gives it order and fills it with life. Throughout the chapter, what He commands happens, and He sees that His work is good.

Notice the order. God separates light from darkness before placing the lights that mark day and night. He separates sky and waters before filling them with birds and sea creatures. Dry land and plants appear before land animals and people. Reading the whole chapter lets us see how these parts belong together. Christians differ over what this pattern tells us about the length of the days, but we should notice the pattern before deciding what it means.

Verses 26-30 give special attention to people. Both male and female are made in God's image. God blesses them and gives them responsibility in the world He has made. At the end, He looks at everything together and calls it very good. The account continues into Genesis 2:1-3, where God finishes His work and blesses the seventh day. We need to read those verses too; the chapter break comes before the story of creation is complete.

How is this passage commonly understood?

The churches discussed here agree that God made the world. Their disagreement is about how we should understand the six days described in this chapter.

Are these six days like ours? Some Christians understand them as six ordinary days, one after another. They point to the numbered days, the repeated evening and morning, and the pattern of six days of work followed by rest in Exodus 20:8-11. The Westminster Confession, chapter 4, and the 1689 Baptist Confession, chapter 4, are church statements of belief that describe a six-day creation. These documents speak for the churches that follow them; Presbyterians and Baptists do not all understand the days in the same way.

Some Christians understand each day as a much longer period of time. Others believe the chapter groups God's work to show how He ordered and filled the world, without giving us the exact order in which every event happened.

Another reading sees God's week as the pattern for our working week: we work and then rest because God did, but His days do not have to be the same length as ours. A report from the Orthodox Presbyterian Church explains these different readings. The report describes views discussed within that church; it does not make every view an official church teaching.

The Catholic Church's teaching guide, the Catechism, 337-339, describes the six days as a picture of God's work. It teaches that God really made the world, that everything depends on Him for its existence, and that what He made has its own goodness.

John Wesley's notes on Genesis 1:31 explain the six days as God's chosen way of working and an example for our work and rest. This is Wesley's explanation, rather than a rule about the days that every Methodist must accept. The Methodist Articles of Religion affirm that God made everything, but do not say how long the creation days lasted.

What about the word day itself? The Hebrew word יוֹם (yôm, YOHM) can refer to daylight, a whole day, or a period of time. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew dictionary describes these uses. In Genesis 1:5, the word names the light part of the day and then the whole first day, including evening and morning. So looking up the word helps, but it cannot answer the question on its own. We still need to read how it is used in this passage.

Where does this fit in God's plan?

The New Testament connects creation directly to Jesus. John 1:1-3, 14 tells us that everything was made through the Word who became flesh. In 2 Corinthians 4:6, Paul looks back to God's command for light to explain how God opens our hearts to recognize His glory in Jesus.

Ephesians 1:9-10 tells us that God's purpose is to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ. Genesis shows us the beginning of that world and our place in it. The God who made it is carrying out His purpose for it through Christ.

What is our position?

We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.

Where can I study this further?

No deeper study linked yet.

A Living Study And Exchange

This site is a living study effort. Thoughtful feedback is welcome, and future study may lead to clarification, correction, or revision.

Public comments, when enabled, will be reviewed before appearing on the site so discussion remains respectful and relevant. The goal is to grow in understanding, test everything by Scripture, and remain willing to change where the text requires it.