God's book begins with the simple words: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." {Genesis 1:1} These powerful words tell us the God of heaven created all that is in our universe. While many still seek a scientific answer to the origin of life, the honest person understands the only reasonable answer can be found with God. Something does not come from nothing -- we must have a point of origin. Those who oppose the creation account tell us we have no evidence to support our conclusions. Such is not the case. We all have the same evidence; we just have different interpretations of that evidence.
If we question our beginning, we must choose one of two explanations -- natural causes and intelligent design. One is plausible; one is not. Take a good look at our world. One thing we can all see is the order of the world around us. Why is earth just far enough from the sun to receive its warmth -- but not so far away as to cause us to freeze to death? Why does the earth make one complete rotation in a year? How do animals know instinctively to care for their young, and why do their bodies adapt to the environments in which they live? Is all this by chance? I think not! It all points to intelligent design by a Creator; that Creator is God!
What was before the beginning? "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." {John 1:1-3} Before God, there was nothing! According to Genesis, the earth was "dark and without form, with darkness upon the face of the waters." How did God bring it together? Allow the scriptures to tell us.
"God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day." (Genesis 1:5} To begin the creation process, God divided the darkness from the light. He spoke the light into existence.
"Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day." {Genesis 1:7,8} On the second day, God created the atmosphere, the seas, and the heavens above.
"Then God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day." {Genesis 1:11-13} Here, we see the first appearance of dry land and the production of the plant and vegetable kingdom. On the third day, God established a very important principle -- "every thing produces after its own kind." Man cannot change God's procreation law -- not the law of physical procreation, and not the law of spiritual procreation!
"Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day." {Genesis 1:16-19} On the fourth day came the lights to rule each realm -- the sun to rule the day, and the moon and stars to rule the night. If we pay close attention to the progression and order of the creation process, how can we not see its intelligence and order?
"...Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens. So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth. So the evening and the morning were the fifth day." Genesis 1:20-23} On the fifth day, God created the birds of the air and the creatures of the sea.
"...Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." {Genesis 1:24,25} Also created on the fifth day were the cattle and the creatures that move upon the earth.
"...Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 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} God completed His creation with His masterpiece -- mankind -- to whom He gave dominion over all other parts of His creation. Remember this -- God created all things for mankind's use, to make his life better. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
"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. 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. 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." {Genesis 1:28-30} It is important to understand that God expected man to multiply and fill the earth, and then to subdue it. He gave unto man everything he needs to enable his happiness and contentment. If man uses God's gifts in the ways for which He designed them, only good can result. Did God omit anything that man needs? He gave him companionship, dominion over the rest of the earth, avenues for meeting all his needs, and one other very important thing -- direct access to, and fellowship with, the Creator! Man had it all -- or did he?
The Biblical creation account gives man the answers to any origin questions he may have. Is there any other book that gives these answers? Man was made in the image of his Creator. He was given control over all other aspects of the creation that surrounds him. All things made by God were good, and were made for man's good! To allow this wonderful relationship with God to continue, man had but one thing to do--trust God and obey. Did God provide for every need that man might have? He created man with the ability to subdue and exercise dominion over the rest of creation. Not only did God create man with that ability; he also demanded that he use it. Pray tell, what other part of God's creation is able to bend things to suit his will? God gave man work to do -- dressing and keeping the garden. What would man do with all these blessings?