Genesis 1:1 (WEB)

Passage

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Nearby Context

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:2 The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Genesis 1:3 God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "created", "beginning", "heavens", and "earth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "created" and "beginning", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "The earth was formless and empty Darkness...", so "created" and "beginning" should be read forward into that movement. In Creation Begins, the local focus is creation, God's sovereignty, the Spirit's presence, and light.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "created" and "beginning" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.