Before reading this blog, read Genesis chapter 1 in your Bible or online.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This opening statement is not ambiguous, nor is it metaphorical. The discussion of metaphorical vs. literal interpretation of Creation and following events as described in Genesis is of important further discussion, so please stay with me for a moment before we dive into the interpretation of Genesis 1.

The narrative of the Old Testament flows smoothly and continuously from the moment of creation (which Bible scholars believe occurred sometime before 4,000 BC) all the way up to the post-exilic return of God’s people to the land of Israel, the rebuilding of the temple and walls in Jerusalem, and Malachi’s prophetic writings which culminate around 430 AD.

As this timeline progresses we can see an increasing incidence of individuals, places, events, and even entire people groups mentioned in the Bible that have explicit archaeological evidence for their existence. In other words, the further along you progress through the Bible timeline, the more and more direct evidence you find for what it says.

At no point in that timeline is there a break, or change in how it is written that would indicate that there is a transition from metaphorical to literal (or vice versa). To the contrary, the narrative seamlessly progresses from the story of creation, to the fall of man through disobedience to God, to the flood, to the confusion of languages at the tower of Babel, to the story of Abraham, and then his descendants, to the people of Israel moving to Egypt, being enslaved there, being rescued by God, and their transition from Egypt to Canaan (modern-day Israel), and the continued history from there.

These events really happened. Trying to interpret them solely as an elaborate metaphor denies the very power of the Gospel, which is based on what God has actually done for us through his creation, his people, his law, through his Son, Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16 ESV)

Thanks for humoring me. But there’s just no sense in unpacking Genesis or even the rest of the Bible for that matter if we’re not at least on the same page about whether these things happened or not.

Genesis 1 is awesome. There is a lot of important theological truth packed in this chapter that I want to talk about.

In verses 1-3 we begin to see God creating order out of chaos. Right from the start we bear witness to the character of God and the character of that which is in opposition to God. God is fundamentally a God of order. Darkness, formlessness, void, open and empty waters are all chaotic. Before God acts there is no organization of matter, or energy.

We also get some hints about who God is, some of which the Apostle John helps uncover for us in John 1:1-18. In fact, we see God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ himself in verses 1, 2, and 3 of Genesis chapter 1 respectively. This is the first reference we have to God as a Trinity, though it’s easy to miss.

Then we get to witness as God, step-by-step, makes order out of chaos, starting with light, and covering day and night, heavens and earth, sun, moon, and stars, water and land, birds and fish, plants and animals, and finally on the sixth day he makes Man.

And all of it is very good.

My notes really start to pick up starting in verse 26, in which God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

There’s a lot to unpack there.

First, God makes man (humanity) in his own image. Maybe you’ve heard this term before, but this makes all humans Image Bearers, meaning each of us bears the very image of God. When people talk about the “sanctity of life,” they mean there is something special, holy, super-natural about human life. Frankly, all life is special because it is created by God, but humans have the likeness of God imprinted upon them. They have been given attributes of God. I cannot emphasize enough that all human life has real, intrinsic value, and this should drive how we think about people, how we treat them, how we talk about and to them. It is why we will see later in the Bible that God’s second greatest commandment (after loving God) is to love other people.

Secondly, and furthermore, God goes a step beyond creating us with his image and giving us some of his attributes. He even gives us authority. God gives us dominion, meaning we have power and authority and responsibility for all creatures (and as we’ll see in verse 29, all plants too). Our God is a delegating God. Could God make all things happen all on his own? Yes. Has he chosen to do that? Apparently not.

In keeping with God’s character, as a God of order, it is important to note that delegation is not the same as abdicating responsibility. Delegation creates more order. Delegation allows an individual in leadership to increase effectiveness by empowering subordinates to get the job done. Abdicating responsibility is when an individual in power simply chooses not to do what they are supposed to do, leaving it to their subordinates to make decisions that the leader should be making.

At times in the Bible narrative it may appear that God is abdicating responsibility, but this is not the case. Sometimes God does allow man to experience the results of his sin and rebellion, so God does not immediately swoop in and tell man what his next steps are in light of said sin and rebellion. Ultimately, however, God does show up.

Next I want to look at verse 27, which says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

God not only created humanity in his own image. He also purposefully, specifically, and distinctly created two separate sexes: male and female. To further acknowledge and place importance on this distinction, God follows up in verse 28 by telling them to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…”

We are living in a world where many in society are working very hard to blur the line between the sexes, or to disassociate the roles and purposes of each individual from their respective sexes. This is unfortunate. It is contrary to God’s design, and like all other forms of rebellion, it ends in disaster. By giving specific individuals specific roles, God has increased order, and this increased order has resulted in the establishment of the bedrock of all society, which is the family. It has resulted in the propagation of the species. Without men and women carrying out the reproductive roles of men and women throughout history, humanity would not exist.

There are myriad responses to the growth of LGBTQ+ theology, but at the heart of it is the fact that it is directly contrary to God’s good design for us all. In fact, it’s a blessing.

This leads us to verse 28 and the following verses in which God blesses man and woman, he gives them dominion, and he gives them (and the animals) every plant yielding seed on the face of the earth and every tree for food.

When we ask questions about why God allows evil, or why God lets bad things happen to good people, I believe it’s helpful to look at Genesis 1. God created the heavens and the earth, the plants and the animals, and humanity, and his creation was good. Our delegating God did allow us to make decisions that have indeed resulted in bad, but his design for us was good. Never forget that.

I also want to speak to something I call “The Divine & Created Order.” When you look at Genesis 1 you get a snapshot of all creation, and if you look closely, there is a hierarchy there that is informative for us:

Disclaimer: The above diagram is meant to be helpful, and informative, not necessarily authoritative on all aspects. For instance, God is expressed with Father, then Son, then Holy Spirit. Established Trinitarian theology describes the Trinity as Equal, Unified, and Distinct. So the hierarchy expressed there should not be interpreted to mean that the three distinct persons of the trinity are equal in quality. However, in roles they are distinct, and Jesus subordinates himself to the Father, and the Spirit subordinates himself to the Son. You see the same pattern amongst humans. Men, women, and children are all equal in value, but have their own different roles to play.

Nevertheless, it is important to know the Divine & Created Order. Humans are more valuable and important than animals. Animals are more important and valuable than plants. All of creation is subordinate to God. These truths are elemental and bedrock for our right understanding and interpretation of all things in the Bible, in nature, and what is going on in our minds. In fact, I believe this topic is so important, I’ve written an entirely separate blog post about it. Check it out.

Chapter 1 wraps up in verse 31, in which God saw all he had made, and said it was very good.

What a gift creation is! What a gift life is! Always remember that God is a God of creativity, order, life, love, delegation, and so much more! His design for us and all things was good, and his plans for us now are good. Trust in God and remember his goodness!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about Genesis Chapter 1. If you’ve come away with some insights that you’re not sure about, or you’re wondering if what I’ve talked about is really there, I encourage you to jump back into the text in your Bible and explore for yourself. Whenever you read the Bible take a minute to pray to God that he will help you to understand, that he will show you what he has for you in the word, and that he will use it to change your heart in Jesus name.

Here are a few questions for your consideration (feel free to post your answers in the comments):

1. Do you believe that the Bible is the literal, true, word of God? Why or why not?
2. Do you agree with the Divine & Created Order that I included in this post? Why or why not?
3. What is your biggest takeaway from Genesis 1? Is this a new takeaway, or something that you have believed for a long time?