Creation

What it means

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The sentence assumes God and explains everything else, which is the opposite order from most ancient accounts of the world's origin.

Why every Christian should know it

It is the first foundation. If God made everything, then nothing you meet today is outside his ownership, including you.

Cross references

• John 1:1-3
• Hebrews 11:3
• Colossians 1:16

Pray it back

Lord, you made all things. Let me live today as a creature and not as an owner.

What it means

God created man in his own image, male and female. The image is stated twice in one verse, and it is given to both together, before any work has been done or any law given.

Why every Christian should know it

Human worth in the Bible is granted, not earned. This is the verse behind every command about how to treat people.

Cross references

• Genesis 9:6
• Psalms 8:4-5
• James 3:9

Pray it back

Father, you made every person in your image. Correct the way I look at people.

What it means

Speaking to the serpent in the hearing of the fallen couple, God promises that the offspring of the woman will crush the serpent's head, while the serpent strikes his heel. Judgment on the deceiver contains the first promise of a deliverer, given before any sentence is spoken over Adam or Eve.

Why every Christian should know it

It shows the gospel is older than the law. Before God addressed human guilt he announced a human victory over evil, and the rest of Scripture reads as the keeping of this word until Christ.

Cross references

• Romans 16:20
• Galatians 4:4
• Revelation 12:9
• Isaiah 7:14

Pray it back

Father, you spoke hope before you spoke sentence. Thank you that the crushing of the serpent was your idea and not ours.

What it means

The heavens declare God's glory and the expanse shows his handiwork. David treats creation as a witness that speaks without words, and the psalm goes on to set God's law beside it.

Why every Christian should know it

It teaches you to read the world as testimony rather than scenery, while still needing Scripture to know God by name.

Cross references

• Psalms 19:7-8
• Romans 1:20
• Acts 14:17

Pray it back

Lord, the sky says something about you. Give me eyes to notice and a heart to answer.