1. An initial statement of creation 1:1

There are three major views concerning the relationship of 1:1 to the rest of the creation account.

1. Verse 1 describes an original creation of the universe. God began fashioning the earth as we know it in verse 2 or verse 3. This view may or may not involve a gap in time between verses 1 and 2.²²Some advocates of this view believe that the original creation became chaotic as a result of divine judgment.²³

2. Verse 1 describes part of what God did on the first day of creation (1:1-5). It is a general statement followed by specific details.²⁴

3. Verse 1 describes what God did on the six days of creation (1:2-31). It is a topic sentence that introduces the whole creation account that follows.²⁵

The "beginning"is the beginning of the creation of the cosmos, not the beginning of all things (cf. Mark 1:1; John 1:1). This appears to be clear from the context.

The "heavens and earth"refer to the universe as we know it (i.e., the sky above with all that is in it and the earth below). There is no one word in Hebrew for "universe."This is a figure of speech (merism) for totality. God created everything. The translators often rendered the Hebrew word eres(earth) as "land."By translating it this way here we can see that Moses wanted his readers to realize that God created and therefore owned all land (cf. 12:7 and all subsequent references to the Promised Land; Ps. 24:1).²⁶

This verse is important because it contradicts six popular philosophies:

1. Atheism--God does exist.

2. Pantheism--God is distinct from His creation.

3. Polytheism--"Created"is singular in the text.²⁷

4. Radical materialism (matter is eternal)--Matter had a supernatural origin (emphasis on origin).

5. Naturalism (evolutionism)--Creation took place when someone outside nature intervened (emphasis on process).

6. Fatalism--A personal God freely chose to create.

God created the universe from nothing (Latin ex nihilo). While the text does not state this fact per se, the reader can deduce it from the following evidence. The phrase "in the beginning"implies it as do the Hebrew word for "create"(bara) and the expression "formless and void."New Testament passages also support this conclusion (e.g., John 1:3; Rom. 4:17; and Heb. 11:3).²⁸

The emphasis in this verse is on the origin of the universe. God created it.²⁹He alone is eternal, and everything else owes its origin and existence to Him.³⁰