NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from The Gospel Project curriculum.
Bible Passages: Genesis 1:1-13, Colossians 1:15-20
Discussion Questions:
— What are some of your favorite movie or book beginnings, and what did they introduce that was so memorable?
— God created the universe, including people, for a purpose. Why is this important for us to know and remember?
Food for Thought:
Every story has a beginning. And the story of the Bible begins with four astounding words: “In the beginning, God….” God wasn’t just there at the beginning; He was there before the beginning. What this means is that everyone and everything has an origin, except God.
God created everything (Genesis 1:1-2). Every world religion has an origin story of how the world began. In ancient times, creation accounts like the one we find in Genesis 1 were common.
The creation account in the Bible is very unique in one major way: God created everything out of nothing. God took a formless, void world and created something beautiful and unique. He created with purpose. In a similar way, He can take our formless, void lives and shape them into something beautiful. His Word reveals Him to us as the Creator-God who can bring peace, beauty, and order.
God created everything good (Genesis 1:3-13). Not only does the author of Genesis want us to see the greatness of God’s creation, he wants us to see the goodness of it too. The goodness of creation is an overflow of the goodness of God because He made it. A much repeated phrase throughout Genesis 1 is, “God saw that it was good.”
Because God’s creation is good, how should the intrinsic goodness of that creation impact how we live in it?
God created everything for His Son (Colossians 1:15-18) Although the creation story begins in Genesis 1, you can find other references to it in the New Testament. One of those references is in the book of Colossians.
Here we continue to learn that creation has always been about Jesus; He is the center of it all. He is the Word who was with God in the beginning, spinning galaxies into existence. Since Jesus is the center, Lord and goal of all creation, it only follows that life works best when He is at the center of it too.
What kinds of things, people, or ideas might we put at the center of our lives in place of Christ? How can we challenge and help one another place Christ at the center of our lives?
The Gospel Project
The Gospel Project is a chronological, Christ-centered study for kids, students and adults. The Bible is not a collection of stories. It is one story of God’s plan to rescue His people from sin and death. It is the story of redemption, the gospel message of Jesus Christ. More information can be found at LifeWay.com/gospelproject.
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool or ordered at LifeWay Christian Stores.