The creation of the universe was the beginning of the creation of life. Genesis 1 is a record of the creation of life. In Genesis 1 the Spirit came in and began to do many marvelous things. First, God said, "Let there be light" (vv. 3-4). This light was not just for the creation of the earth; it was for life. Second, God divided the waters above from the waters beneath by inserting an expanse (vv. 6-8). The air, which is needed by every living thing, was in this expanse. Third, God divided the land from the water (vv. 9-10).

The most important thing on the earth is the different forms of life. I appreciate the grass, the flowers, and the trees. The plants and the trees are beautiful. Genesis 2:9 says that the trees were pleasant to the sight and good for food. Among the trees that were pleasant to the sight and good for food was the tree of life. This tree of life signifies Christ, who is both pleasant to the sight and good for food.

After the creation of the plants in Genesis 1:11-12, God said, "Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven" (v. 20). Next, God created the cattle, the creeping things, and the beasts of the earth, such as the dogs, cats, lions, leopards, tigers, and bears (v. 24). In New Zealand one of the most impressive things is the countless flocks of sheep. In Brazil there are many different kinds of beautiful birds. The living creatures in the air, on the land, and in the water make the earth beautiful.

After the creation of the plants and animals, God said, "Let us make man" (Gen. 1:26). Man is the highest of all the created life. Yet the highest level of life is the divine life, signified by the tree of life (2:9). The record in Genesis progresses from the plant life to the animal life to the human life to the divine life. In the creation of the plants and animals, God began from the lower forms and went to the higher forms. The record of creation in Genesis is a record of life. The entire Bible is a book of life.

Many Christians speak of God's creation of the heavens and the earth in the first two chapters of Genesis, but they neglect the matter of life. God did not tell us how He created the planets or the stars, but He spent a great deal of time in Genesis 2 to give us a detailed picture. First, this picture portrays how God made a man from the dust (v. 7), similar to the way in which a child might make a doll out of clay. He then described in detail the tree of life with the river flowing beside it (vv. 9-14). At the flow of that river, which parted into four heads, there were three precious materials: gold, bdellium, and onyx (v. 12). God used many words to describe these things, but He gave no details concerning the things that scientists study today. This is because Genesis 1 and 2 are a record of life.