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How did God create the world? (the Genesis creation account)

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Short answer

The Bible opens with it: 'In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth' (Genesis 1:1). Genesis 1 describes God creating in six days by His word, 'and God said… and it was so', then resting on the seventh:

  • Day 1 light; Day 2 sky and waters; Day 3 land, seas, and plants; Day 4 sun, moon, and stars; Day 5 sea creatures and birds; Day 6 land animals and, finally, humans made 'in the image of God' (Genesis 1:26; Genesis 1:27); Day 7 God rests (Genesis 2:2).
  • God pronounces it all 'very good' (Genesis 1:31).

The Bible's central claims are about who and why, not a scientific mechanism: God (not chance) created everything, out of nothing, by His word (Psalms 33:6; Hebrews 11:3), and human beings uniquely bear His image. How and when in physical terms (the age of the earth, the length of the 'days') is a point sincere Christians read differently, a seam noted below.

Question

How did God create the world? (the Genesis creation account)

Analysis

What the account emphasizes

Genesis presents creation as the deliberate work of a personal God who speaks the world into being: repeatedly 'God said… and it was so' (Genesis 1:3), giving order to what was 'formless and empty.' Other passages echo it, 'by the word of the LORD the heavens were made' (Psalms 33:6), what is seen was 'not made out of what was visible' (BSB, Hebrews 11:3), the classic idea of creation out of nothing (ex nihilo). The New Testament adds that this happened through Christ, the Word: 'all things were made through him' (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Two emphases stand out: humanity alone is made in God's image (Genesis 1:27), giving every person dignity; and creation is good (Genesis 1:31), the work of a good God. Creation also testifies to God, 'the heavens declare the glory of God' (Psalms 19:1; Romans 1:20).

A seam: the age of the earth and the 'days'

The Bible states clearly that God created; Christians hold several views on the how/when:

ViewPosition
Young-earth creationThe six 'days' are literal 24-hour days; the earth is relatively young (thousands of years).
Old-earth / day-ageThe 'days' represent long ages; creation unfolded over vast time under God's direction.
Framework / literaryGenesis 1 is arranged thematically (forming, then filling) to teach who and why, not to date the earth.

These differ on the mechanism and timescale, not on the core convictions all affirm: God created deliberately, humans bear His image, and creation is good. Genesis' own aim is theological, establishing the Creator and humanity's place, more than answering modern scientific questions. (For the flat-earth question specifically, see the Bible-and-science answer.)

Sources, trace every one

Every cited verse, in full. Tap any reference to open it in the reader.

  • Genesis 1:1bsb

    In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

  • Genesis 1:26bsb

    Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”

  • Genesis 1:27bsb

    So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

  • Genesis 2:2bsb

    And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work.

  • Genesis 1:31bsb

    And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning — the sixth day.

  • Psalms 33:6bsb

    By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.

  • Hebrews 11:3bsb

    By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

  • Genesis 1:3bsb

    And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

  • John 1:3bsb

    Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.

  • Colossians 1:16bsb

    For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.

  • Psalms 19:1bsb

    For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

  • Romans 1:20bsb

    For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.

On contested questions we show every major view, attributed and cited, and pick no winner. Answers are synthesized from primary sources, truth you can trace, not opinion.

How did God create the world? (the Genesis creation account) · Bubble Bible