Origins: The Beginning (Genesis 1–11)Sample

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.’” Genesis 1:29 (NKJV)

There’s a beauty in the way the first chapter of the Bible comes to a close. It began with God doing the miraculous by bringing the material universe into existence through the mighty power of His word. Yet this same chapter ends on a more subtle, but no less astounding, note. It concludes with God giving mankind free reign to eat any fruit over the entire earth (with one exception that we will get to later).

What’s so astounding about that? Think it through; God is doing what God does best, He is extending grace to mankind. Remember, grace is the undeserved favor of God. It’s God giving what is not (and could never be) earned or attained by us. 

The man and woman were brought into existence by God. They didn’t plan their own way into this world. They didn’t have the ability to create themselves, much less the capacity to create what they needed to survive. From the start, they required God’s provision for their lives, which He graciously gave to them. But God’s grace doesn’t end there: “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31 NKJV).

God looked over everything He created and declared it was “very good.” This included the earth along with all that it contained. In other words, earth was perfect for God’s purposes, which is yet another demonstration of His grace. 

A scientific study concluded that 128 parameters are necessary for a planet to sustain life. This includes its distance from the sun, the speed of its rotation, its ratio of water to land, etc. The chance of a planet having all these parameters fulfilled is 1 in 10x166. That’s a ten with 166 zeros after it! 

Despite these impossible odds, that’s exactly what God graciously provided for us when He created earth. It was very good and exactly what we need to exist. This is grace in action, and it sets a pattern that we see throughout the Scriptures that extends into eternity; a pattern of providing what we could never earn or attain on our own.

DIG: What pattern is established at the end of Genesis chapter 1?

DISCOVER: How else is God’s grace demonstrated? 

DO: Is God’s grace relieving pressure in your life right now? If it’s not, spend time in prayer and reflection. There may be something you’re holding on to that you need to give up to Him. Consider fasting for a few days to hear from Him and get His direction as to how you can experience the relief of His grace in a more tangible way.