The Family Unity of God as Elohim
1. Family Name of God as Elohim: Genesis 1:1-5
Genesis 1:1: 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.
Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. Matthew 28:19. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in(to) the (family) name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit….
2. Firstborn Heir as Mashiach, the Son of God: Genesis 1:6-8.
Genesis 1:6-8. 6And God said, “Let there be an expanse (that is, atmosphere) in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters (outer space) from the waters (of earth).”7 And (so) 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.
Genesis 1:20-25. And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds[g] 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. 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 (so) 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.
Colossians 1:15-16. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, 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. Hebrews 1:1-3. Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
3.Firstborn of Family: Genesis 1:26-28, 31.
Genesis 1:26-38, 31. 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.
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.
Rom. 8:28-29. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. John 1:9-13. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Q1. What did you learn about "God" from Genesis 1? How would you describe him?
What does it mean that God “created the heavens and the earth” in the “beginning”?
What was the “earth” like before God’s creative work? What was the earth like after His work? Would you describe all this work as “good” too? Why?
Q2. How does “God” relate to others in this passage?
When God commands “Let there be” and so God “made” and “created” in response to this command, how does God relate to God?
How does God relate to humans? Is this good? Why or why not?
Q3. What does life look like with God and under his blessing?
Why do we need God in order to be “blessed”?
QA. What was the original life that God created? How did he plan to relate with his creature “man” as male and female? Do you want to remain orphaned from God or come back home to God and His blessings?
[ ] Will you deny God your Creator and live orphaned from him in the world?
[ ] Are you ready to return home to your Creator and His Family? Will you glorify God as your Father, and honor His Firstborn Son as your Mashiach and Lord?