Q3. What did God make?

A. God spoke everything into being, by His own free choice, and it was very good. (Hebrews 11:3)

● Discussion Question: Have different people each look up and read Genesis 1:1–5 and John 1:1–5

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, which has a word, “ruach,” that means spirit, wind, and/or breath. That is the word in Genesis 1 that we read in verse 2. In John, the Greek word for Spirit is “pneuma,” which means spirit, wind, and breath as well. What do these two passages tell us about what the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are doing in the work of creation?

● Discussion Question: God decide to create out of His own free will. That includes time and space. Why do you think God decided to create the universe?

● Discussion Question: When Christians claim that God created everything, atheists are fond of responding with the question of “who created God?” How do we respond to the question of who created God? Did He create Himself? Or did God just always exist? If something has to always exist, which is more likely to be always existent, God or the universe?

● Discussion Question: God has given us a very good gift by giving us creation, and our natural response is gratitude. What are the ways you normally show gratitude to someone who gives you a good gift? Is it just a feeling in our hearts? How do we show that to God? What is the wrong way to show gratitude? Is there a way that we can be well-meaning and desire to show gratitude but do it in the wrong way?

● Discussion Question: If God is best, then does He always necessarily do what’s best? Does this mean God’s decision to create—and all other decisions—aren’t free?

● Discussion Question: What was the most important idea you learned from this lesson? Is there anything you still don’t understand?

● Application Question: You heard about God bringing life simply through speaking. Do we have the ability to bring life, or take life, through our words? How?