The Story of Creation

Genesis 1:1 - Genesis 2:7


This world we live in did not always exist. The sky that smiles upon us when days are fair, and frowns and weeps when days are sad, was not always above our earth-home. Long, long ago there was no world at all. There was no sun to shine, there were no stars to twinkle, nor moonbeams to see at night. God was always here, for he has always been and always will be the same unchanging Divine Being.

God made the world. Not as we see it today, for at first water covered everything, and there was darkness everywhere. What a strange world this must have been, for no living creature could live on it! But God planned to make it beautiful, so he caused the light to shine. This light he called Day and the darkness he called Night. He did all this on the first day.

On the second day God made the beautiful blue sky, and placed it above the water-covered earth. He called the sky Heaven.

On the third day he caused the waters to flow together in wide, deep places, and he called them Seas. Dry land then rose up, and this he called Earth. But as yet there were no grasses, flowers, nor trees-the whole earth was barren. So God caused a carpet of grass to grow upon the bare ground and beautiful flowers to spring up from the earth. The trees he made to grow at his will. God saw all these things he saw that they were good.

On the fourth day, God made the great lights that we see in the sky-the sun, the moon, and the stars. These he made to divide the day from the night.

On the fifth day, God began to create living creatures. He made fishes of all kinds and sizes to swim about in the seas and birds of every type to fly about above the water and land, just as we see them doing today. The world continued to become more delightful.

On the sixth day God made all the animals, great and small, and every creeping thing. Now there was life on the earth as well as in the air and in the sea. What a beautiful world! Still what a strange world, for there were no people in it! Not a home anywhere-not a man, woman, nor little child to be seen. What a very strange world indeed!

But God had not yet finished his work of creation, for he wished to have people live in the wonderful world he had made. They could enjoy its beauties and take care of it as no other living creature could do. And more, they could know who had made all these great things, and knowing God they could love and worship him. So it was God made the first man. Out of the dust of the ground he made the man's body, then he breathed into that body with the breath of life and man became a living soul.

This first man God called Adam, and to Adam he gave the power to rule over all the other living creatures. These animals and birds he brought to Adam, and Adam gave each of them a name. But not one of them did Adam find suitable for a helper, and because he needed a helper very much God made for him a woman, Eve. This woman became Adam's wife, and he loved her very much.

When the sixth day ended God had made the world and had placed everything in it just as he wished. On the seventh day he rested from his work.