[2] “In the beginning” (1:1) This is a period of remote and unknown antiquity, hid in the depths of eternal ages. The phrase is used else where in the Scriptures, for example: “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. From everlasting I was established, From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.” (Proverbs 8:22–23, NASB95)
[3] Who is the God? (1:1). The word “God” is the name of “the Supreme Being, signifying in Hebrew, “Strong,” “Mighty.” It is expressive of omnipotent power; and by its use here in the plural form, is obscurely taught at the opening of the Bible, a doctrine clearly revealed in other parts of it, namely, that though God is one, there is a plurality of persons in the Godhead—Father, Son, and Spirit, who were engaged in the creative work (Pr 8:27; Jn 1:3, 10; Eph 3:9; Heb 1:2; Job 26:13)” – (Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, p. 17).
[4] The phrase “the heavens and the earth” implies what? (1:1) The entirety of creation, the universe.
[5] Who is the Spirit of God? (1:2)-- “In harmony with Scriptural usage, the Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead. From this place onward, throughout the whole Scripture, the Spirit of God has the role of the divine agent of God in all creative acts, whether of the earth, of nature, of the church, of the new life, or of the new man.” –(The Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary, p. 209).
[6] By what power did God create the world? By His word?
A. “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psalm 33:6–9, NKJV)
B. “Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” (Hebrews 1:3, NKJV)
C. “For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,” (2 Peter 3:5, NKJV)
[7] Who is called the Word of God? Jesus Christ. – “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, NKJV)
[8] How do we know that Jesus Christ was with God in the creation?
A. “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, NKJV)
B. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:15–16, NKJV)
[9] Why did the Spirit of God hover over the dark waters of the earth? (1:2) -- “To preserve what had been created up to this point and to prepare it for the further activity of God. This verse acknowledges the Holy Spirit’s role in the creation process.” –(NIV Quest Study Bible).
[10] Summarize God’s working schedule in Genesis 1-2:
Day 1 — God created light (Gen. 1:3–5).
Day 2 — God created the firmament (the atmosphere and air space right above the earth, Gen. 1:6–8).
Day 3 — God created the waters (seas, lakes, rivers) and dry land (continents and islands) (Gen. 1:9–10).
Day 4 — God created plant life or vegetation (Gen. 1:11–13).
Day 5 — God created lights –(Sun, Moon, Stars), (Gen. 1:14–19).
Day 6 — God created aquatic and air animals/ birds (Gen. 1:20–23); living creatures: livestock, creeping things, and wild beasts, (24-26); finally, Man, ‘male and female’ (26–31).
Day 7 — God created a Day for Rest and Worship, namely the Sabbath Day.
[11] For what six separate reasons were the Lights created? (1:18-20) — (a) to separate day from night; (b) as signs; (c) for the seasons; (d) for the days; (e) for the years; (6) to provide light upon the earth.
[12] What was the last thing created? Man. Man is said to have been created in God’s image (1:26, 27).
[13] What does this image of God consist of? First, natural likeness to God, or personality; secondly, moral likeness to God, or holiness.
[14] What about the meaning of “Our likeness” (1:26) –(not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness, AMP).
“Man was to bear God’s image, both in outward resemblance and in character” (PP 45). That image was most evident in terms of his spiritual nature. He became a “living soul,” or rather living being, endowed with a free will, a self-conscious personality…. This nature reflected the divine holiness of its Maker until sin shattered the divine likeness. It is only through Christ, the brightness of the glory of God and the “express image of his person” (Heb. 1:3), that our nature is transformed into the image of God again (Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24).” – (The Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary, 1:216).
[15] Over what things did God tell man to have dominion? (1:26) -- the Fish of the sea, the Birds of the air, the Cattle, and over the entire Earth, and over Everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.” (AMP)
[16] How did God describe His creation when He saw everything that He had made? (1:31) – “It was very good and He validated it completely,” (AMP)