III. THE CONTENTS
Now we come to the contents of Genesis.
A. God’s Desire and Purpose—
1:1—2:3
God’s creation not only fulfills His desire and accomplishes His purpose, but also reveals His desire in the universe and manifests His purpose in eternity. Anything we make expresses our desire. Although we may not say much, the thing we make manifests our purpose. When God created the heavens, the earth with so many items, and eventually man in His own image and with authority over all created things, He surely had a purpose. By His creation we can see that God had a desire and a purpose.
1. God’s Original Creation—1:1
a. Motive
According to Ephesians 1:5 and 9, the motive of God’s original creation was His desire and pleasure. God carried out the original creation to fulfill His desire and to satisfy His pleasure. He desired and liked to create; so He did it to please Himself.
b. Purpose
There are two aspects of God’s purpose in His creation. Firstly, God’s purpose in His creation is to glorify the Son of God (Col. 1:15-19). Although we do not find the term the Son of God or the name Christ in Genesis 1 and 2, we learn from Romans 5:14 that Adam was a pre-figure of Christ. Adam, created in the image of God, was a type of Christ. In Adam we can see something of Christ. God’s purpose in His creation is to glorify His Son, Jesus Christ.
Secondly, creation manifests God Himself. By the heavens and the earth we can realize something of God and by man we can see something of God. God is manifested in man, especially through His Son, Christ. Christ is the embodiment of God (Col. 2:9). When Christ is glorified in man in the midst of God’s creation, God is also manifested.
Why did God create the heavens? What was His purpose? If we read the Bible well, we can see that the heavens are for the earth. Even the scientists can prove this. So many things from the heavens are for the earth: the sunshine, the water, and the expanse are all for the earth. Then what is the earth for? According to the Bible, the earth is for man. Zechariah 12:1 says that God stretched forth the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man. The heavens are for the earth, the earth is for man, and man is for God. God created man as a corporate entity to contain Him, express Him, and glorify Him.
(Life-Study of Genesis, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)
