Scripture
The Account of Creation
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[1] 2The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”
And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
6Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” 7And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. 8God called the space “sky.”
And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.
9Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. 10God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. 12The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
13And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.
14Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. 15Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. 16God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.
20Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” 21So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. 22Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
23And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.
24Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. 25God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
26Then God said, “Let us make human beings[2] in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,[3] and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
27So God created human beings[4] in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Translation notes (4)
- 1:1 Or In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, . . . Or When God began to create the heavens and the earth, . . .
- 1:26a Or man; Hebrew reads adam.
- 1:26b As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads all the earth.
- 1:27 Or the man; Hebrew reads ha-adam.
2The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
There is often so much misunderstanding about the Holy Spirit. Depending upon your church background, you could have grown up in an environment that talked about the Holy Spirit every weekend. It could have been though that you grew up in a church that only treated the Holy Spirit like a distant relative that showed up rarely in their midst. Our hope over the next few weeks at Sagebrush is to cut through the confusion about the Holy Spirit.
Where we have to start is an understanding that the Holy Spirit is God. From the very beginning of creation, the Spirit was present and active in forming the world will live in and establishing human life. If you are really into grammar, you might notice that all the personal possessive pronouns are used in the plural form. If it has been a long time since you were in an English class, here is the thing you might want to notice: God could have used the words, "Let Me make man in My own image," but instead, the Hebrew writes it this way, "Let us make man in our own image." This is important because from the very beginning, we see that God was functioning in relationship. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were present forming and creating all of humanity.
The same God who formed the earth is working in the hearts of those who have trusted in Jesus Christ. He continues to mold and shape us, just as He did in creating the earth and all that we see around us. As we begin this series, why not commit today to learn more about the Holy Spirit? Ask God to open your eyes so He can continue to shape you to become more like Jesus.
Moving Toward Action
Your church background often shapes what you know and believe about the Holy Spirit. Take some time to write out what you learned about the Holy Spirit growing up and the misconceptions that you have had. If you didn't grow up in the church take some time to write out what you are hoping to learn over the next five weeks.
Going Deeper
Read Genesis 1:1-27 (NLT)
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