God's Love In Creation
God’s Love In Creation
A 10 point study
1. What are the three characteristics of God that helps the reader of the Bible trust in Him?
a. Cannot lie -
Titus 1:2 ‘In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;’
Deuteronomy 32:4 ‘He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.’
b. Does not change -
Malachi 3:6 ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’
Hebrews 13:8 ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.’
c. Is Love -
1st John 4:8 ‘He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.’
Jeremiah 31:3 ‘The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.’
2. How is love described in the Bible?
1 John 4:8 – God is Love
What can we take from this?
· Love has divine origin
· God is the very embodiment of love
· God and love are inseparable
· We can truly know what love is, when we know who God is
- 1st John 4:7 ‘Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.’
3. What does this mean to us when we look into the Bible?
If God is love itself, then everything that God says and does is love being demonstrated.
4. Why did God create the earth?
Isaiah 45:18 ‘For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.’
· “he created it not in vain”. The word ‘vain’ means pointless, useless or worthless. This means that there was a purpose for why God created the earth - He created it for a reason.
· What is that reason?
For earth to be ‘inhabited’, which means to be lived in or occupied.
· If everything God says or does is love in action, does this verse reveal to us the love of God?
5. What do we tend to live in or occupy?
A house or home.
In creating earth, God made a home.
But was this home for Himself or someone else? Let us take a look.
Genesis 1:1 ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’
· For 5 days, God made the earth and the things in it
· On the 6th day God made the land animals
· He also made something else on the 6th day
Genesis 1:26-29
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
God made the earth for humankind to live in, and gave them ‘dominion’ or rule over His creation. This was a massive responsibility.
6. God made humankind in His own ‘image’ and ‘likeness’.
What does this actually mean?
· ‘Image’ means the internal and external characteristics. So, before the fall, man (humankind) reflected the characteristics of God.
· ‘Likeness’ points to the original after which a thing is patterned or modelled i.e. humankind being made in God’s image.
- This is the greatest privilege given to any of God’s creation.
7. The hands of God formed man.
Genesis 2:7 ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’
· This shows the intimate care God exhibited in His work of creation. Like a potter and his clay, God formed and moulded man from a perfect idea into a perfect living being.
8. God created a beautiful environment for His creation and gave man useful work.
· Genesis 2:8, 9, 15:
8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
9. The greatest power was given to Adam and Eve, which we still possess today.
That power is free will or choice.
Genesis 2:16, 17 says:
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
What happened in these verses?
– God said that Adam could eat of every tree except for one
What was the name of the tree?
– The tree of the knowledge of good and evil
What would be the consequence?
– Death
· The fact that God gave this warning is proof that Adam and Eve had the power of choice.
How do these 2 verses show us the Love of God? (Remember: all that God does is out of Love)
· Free will or the power of choice is given to humankind because God did not want robots, He desired free moral agents; intelligent, fully consensual followers. This was His purpose.
· This shows the great level of trust God had for the creation that was made in His very own image. Reminiscent of the parental trust bestowed upon a maturing child.
· Love does not use force, it cannot.
– Jesus says in Revelation 3:20:
‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.’
This verse shows that the Lord gives everyone an opportunity to allow Him into their lives. He is not kicking down the door of our hearts and taking us captive, but instead, He is ‘knocking’ and waiting patiently for you and me to recognise the love He has shown to us and respond accordingly.
· God gave Adam and Eve the power to choose to obey Him or not.
10. God created Adam and Eve an opportunity to experience love with a fellow human being.
Genesis 2:18-24
18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
What happened?
God created Eve and brought her to Adam so they could be united in the very first marriage, providing them both with a lover and companion.
· How does this show the love of God?
God gave humans the opportunity to experience love one with another, knowing that this would be a union that would elevate and satisfy the needs of people.
In conclusion, we can see that love motivated God’s act of creation. There is so much more that could be said in regards to the love shown in creation. Why not go beyond this study and spend time reading the first two chapters of Genesis and ask God to reveal the precious lessons contained there? We hope you enjoyed this study.
by LetterBox Bible
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