Seeds of Faith Podcast

The text for this lesson is Genesis 1:1-2:3

Key Points

• God made the world in six days by the power of His Word. All of creation is God’s blessing to us.
• Law: Do not worry about anything. Trust the Lord for all things.
• Gospel: God richly and daily provides me with all things for this body and life, including the gift of His Son, who died for all my sins.
• Law: God requires that I believe that He is the only true God, the Creator and Sustainer of the world.
• Gospel: God in Christ gives me faith to believe that He created the earth and heavens and sustains them by His wisdom and power.

Download the podcast mp3!

Discussion Points

1. What is a “genesis”? Why is important for us to study Genesis 1–3 carefully?
2. “I just can’t believe that God could create the world in six twenty-four-hour days! How could that be possible? The Genesis story simply couldn’t be true.” How would you respond to a friend who said that?
3. Compare Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1–4. Was “the Word” in existence at the time of creation? Who is “the Word” that John refers to (see John 1:14)? In Genesis 1:3, we learn that God said, “Let there be light,” and there was. Who spoke those words? Read John 8:12. What kind of light was given through Him (see John 1:4)?
4. In Genesis 2:2, we learn that God rested from His work, setting apart the seventh day of the week as a Sabbath, a day of rest. Does this mean that God’s participation in the goings-on of creation ceased (see Genesis 2:3)? Read John 5:17–18. In what ways does God continue to work in the creation to this very day? How could Jesus violate the Sabbath requirements without breaking God’s Law?
5. In Genesis 1:29–30, God gives seed-bearing plants and fruit to humans to eat, and He gives every green plant to the animals to eat. What clearly was not to be eaten? Why not? When did God give permission for humankind to change their diet? See Genesis 9:3.
6. Moses tells us five times that what God made was “good.” In Genesis 1:31, the whole creation is described as “very good.” What does “very good” mean? What must life in the unspoiled creation have been like? Read Revelation 21:1–5. When will Christians be restored to the “very good” life?
7. When we say that someone is “creative,” what do we usually mean? Is creativity necessarily a good thing? Think about how you use the creativity God has given you. Do you always use it in a God-pleasing way?
8. The Hebrew word used in Genesis for “create” is used only when referring to God. It means “to make out of nothing.” What is the difference between humankind’s creativity and God’s? Read Romans 4:17. How does God express His creativity to us?
9. Luther says in the Small Catechism that God “richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.” How, then, do we account for the times in our lives when it doesn’t feel like we have everything that we need? Read Matthew 6:8.
10. The doctrine of vocation teaches us that God provides for us through various callings, or work, of our neighbors, both those known and unknown by us. How does God work through your vocation (work) to provide for your neighbor’s needs?