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After having looked at the fullness of the Trinity in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now I want to turn our attention to the beginning of our Bibles. Creation.
We all know the first couple of words of the Bible. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” Genesis 1:1. However, while it’s easy for us to say that God created everything, biblical theology helps to answer deeper questions that we will look at this week like, “Why did God create?” “How did God create?” and “When did God create?”
You might be asking, “Why did God create?” why do I care? I’m just glad he did. But I hope you’ll listen because I think the way you answer this question greatly affects your view of God, yourself, and your relationships with others. The farther you feel God is from the act of creation, the farther you tend to feel from God. I want you to see that you are a personal creation of a loving God.
God Created For His Own Sake
Every once and a while, you might hear the false idea that God created everything because he was lonely or because he needed to in some way. But I want to make it clear that God didn’t have to create. He wanted to create. He chose to create and he did it for himself.
Have you ever baked a cake, drew a picture, wrote a poem, hummed a new tune, or concocted a story, not thinking about who would eat it, see it or hear it but just for the joy of creating? This should give you a clue as to what it means for God to create for his own sake.
Our memory verse for the week is Colossians 1:16.
Notice those last two words, “for him.” All things were created not just by God but for God. Because of this, he is ultimately in charge. That is what we mean when we say that God is sovereign. This world is God’s. He owns everything you see, including you.
God Created to Reflect His Character
We are made in the image of God. What does it mean to be made in his image? It means that we image in the same way that a portrait or a sculpture does. Watch the video below and think about the ways in which all of creation reveals the glory of God.
Look at the verses below and consider how God’s creation is an expression of God’s character, namely his glory.
- Nehemiah 9:5-6
- Psalm 19:1-4
- Psalm 104:30-32
- Isaiah 43:7
- Amos 4:13
- Romans 1:20
- 2 Corinthians 4:6
In addition to God’s glory, we also see the deep wisdom of God in his creation. Think of the way that the earth rotates as it revolves around the sun to give us night and day and seasons and years. Go outside and stick your finger in an ant pile and then observe the persistent diligence and strength of these tiny creatures that we regard as little more than a nuisance.
As you are stuck at home for a good chunk of time this week, I hope you will reflect on God’s creation. The sky, the clouds, grass, trees, flowers, insects, birds, animals, and even your own heart, and recognize that it was all made by God and for God. You are His.
Please complete the reading quiz below and leave a comment in the box at the bottom of the page sharing one way that you see God’s character in how he made the universe and you.
I learned that our existence is to show God’s existence.
oh, I can see God’s Character in how he made us with emotions, so it shows how he has emotions
Our existence is to show Gods existence or specifically its to show Gods glory
I love this idea that we are created in his image and our big purpose is to show that image to others.
God made us to enjoy us. He shaped us with his hands and wants to know us.
I learned that God made us to show a little of what he’s like. For example God doesn’t want us to be alone in worshipping him he wants all of us to spread the word and worship him.
Nice thought especially when the world is telling us to separate from one another.
Our existence is to uplift and reveal God’s glory and power through showing the world just how much we hold his kingdom over our worldly one.
We are citizens of a heavenly kingdom and that supersedes our physical reality. Feels like the Matrix.
I saw that God created for his own sake, not because he was lonely, but just to create.
This is a big idea because if he created for us then that makes him less important and less glorious.
We see his mercy through the cultural or creation mandate and how he gave us dominion over the Earth.
We were made to show Gods glory to the world. we are here to be lights to those around us and want to draw attention to Gods manifold perfections.
God created us to reflect him and be his image. We portray him so that we can shine his light to others.
Some have said that we are like the moon. We have no light of our own but reflect the sun (son).
We are created to show Gods Existence. As well, a we should be an example to others around to show what God created us to do.
i learned that God didn’t need to make us but he decided to anyway because of his love.
i learned that all the things that God created by him and For him
We were created to help each other glorify God. He made us to show the world how much he loves us.
All things were created not just by God but for God. Because of this, he is ultimately in charge.
us being here shows gods existence
I learned that god created because he wanted to create. I very much agree with this part of wanting to make something, not because I was doing it for someone, but because I love doing it.
In this message I see that God created us as workers. Not like slaves because slaves don’t have freedom. We are sent to work with freedom. God wants us to work for him by spreading the gospel and serving him.
God most definitely created us with freedom in perfection, but we sold ourselves into slavery to sin when we disobeyed him. And the reality is that once we become Christians, Jesus redeems us and pays our debt, so we are freed from sin’s power but not its influence and presence. As we live out our Christian life we fight every day to shake off the chains of slavery, and we will finally be totally freed when we see Jesus face to face.
Our existence is only to spread the word and glorify God. He shaped and made us in his image, honestly God does need us, but he wants us. So our job is to spread the word until all have heard of him