The bible story of creation stands as one of the most profound and foundational accounts in all of human history. Found primarily in Genesis chapters 1 and 2, this narrative reveals how God brought everything into existence from absolutely nothing, a concept theologians call "ex nihilo." When you read these opening chapters of Old Testament Scripture, you're not encountering ancient poetry, allegory or mythology; you're discovering the historical record of how our universe began. Genesis chapters 1 through 11 are historical documents that provide the framework for understanding God's character, our origins, our purpose, and God's incredibly intelligent design of the universe.
Before we dive deeper, it's important to understand what existed before the six days of creation: absolutely nothing except God; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Genesis 1:1 declares, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." This simple yet powerful statement establishes that God existed before time, space, and matter. He didn't need raw materials or a blueprint from somewhere else. The Hebrew word "bara" used here specifically means to create something new, something that didn't exist before. This sets the bible story of creation apart from other ancient creation myths where gods simply rearrange existing materials. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob spoke, and reality itself came into being.
Genesis 1:1-5 English Standard Version
The Creation of the World
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
The first day of the Bible story of creation addresses the darkness and formless void. Into this chaos and darkness, God spoke His first creative command: "Let there be light: and there was light". Notice that God created light before He created the sun, moon, and stars on day 4. This light source was God Himself, demonstrating His power and presence. God then separated the light from darkness, calling the light Day and the darkness Night. This established the first evening and morning, the first day. This pattern of evening and morning would continue throughout the creation week, showing us that these were six literal 24-hour days, not long ages.
Genesis 1:6-8 English Standard Version
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
On the second day of creation, God created the sky and heaven to separate waters below from waters above. The "firmament" or "expanse" refers to the sky, atmosphere and heaven and that surrounds our planet earth.
Genesis 1:9-13 English Standard Version
9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
The third day of creation brought dramatic changes as God gathered the waters and caused dry land to appear. God called the dry land Earth and the gathered waters Seas. But the third day wasn't finished. God then commanded the earth to bring forth vegetation. Notice the phrase "according to its kind"—this means each plant was designed to reproduce according to its own kind, not to evolve into something different. This evidence for a young earth shows that plants were fully formed and functional from day three, ready to provide food and oxygen for the animals and humans that would soon arrive.
Genesis 1:14-19 English Standard Version
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
The fourth day of creation, is when God created the sun, moon, and stars, the celestial bodies that would govern time and seasons. Think about this, God created billions of stars as an afterthought, "and the stars." This shows His power and creativity. These heavenly bodies weren't created for worship (as pagan cultures believed) but as tools to benefit humanity: to mark time, enable navigation, and provide light and warmth.
Genesis 1:20-23 English Standard Version
20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
The fifth day brought the first animal life as God filled the waters and skies with living creatures. God created great sea creatures (including what we might call dinosaurs or sea monsters) and every kind of bird. Each creature was designed perfectly for its environment—fish with gills for water, birds with wings for flight. This wasn't random chance but intentional design by an intelligent Creator.
Genesis 1:24- English Standard Version
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Day six of creation week. God first created land animals of every kind. Again, we see, "according to their kind." God created everything from tiny insects to massive dinosaurs (yes, dinosaurs lived alongside humans in the beginning). Every animal had a purpose in God's ecosystem. Some would become companions to humans, others would help maintain balance in nature, and all would display God's creativity and glory.
Then came the pinnacle of creation—humanity, mankind. Notice several crucial details here. First, God said "us" and "our," hinting at His created spiritual beings, angels, that make up His divine council. Second, humans alone were made in God's image, meaning we have qualities that reflect God: creativity, morality, reason, and the capacity for relationship with Him. Third, God gave humans dominion—responsible authority—over all the earth, sky and all the plants and animals therin.
God also provided food for both humans and animals. Genesis 1:29-30 reveals, "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. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so." Originally, both humans and animals were vegetarian. There was no death, no predation, no bloodshed in God's original creation. Lions didn't hunt zebras; wolves didn't attack sheep, but the Bible story of creation shows us God's original design, a world without violence or death.
When did the six days of creation happen?