Beginning
Welcome to “Beginning” the first part of the story of how to become a Christian using shapes. Through the shapes of a heart and a circle , we are going to be exploring what it was like in the beginning and how God created the heavens and the earth.
a. God is love
Why a heart?
The first shape is a golden “heart” and represents God. Why use a heart? In the bible it says “God is love” (1 John 4:16). Most people understand a heart as a symbol of love. Here in the beginning there was a divine, pure love, and that’s why the heart is gold.
Perfect unity and love
Even before the world was created, God was there loving. You might ask how can that be if God was all alone. Christians believe that even though God is one, there are three aspects of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So even in the beginning of time all three were there in a relationship of perfect unity and love. (John 1:1; Genesis 1:2)
Our second shape is a circle or a globe. It represents the earth but also humanity or people. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). God made the day and night, the water and land, the plants and trees, the birds and animals. It was all good. And finally God made people to be like him, in his image, both male and female (Genesis 1:27). God blessed people to have a unique place on the earth, to be fruitful and multiply and to rule over and care for the earth. ( Genesis 1:28)
b. God created the earth (Genesis 1)
c. Harmony with God, one another and the earth. (Genesis 2)
Heavenly Provision
After God created the man called Adam from the dust, he put him in a wonderful garden called Eden. This garden was beautiful but also it had all the plants and rivers that Adam needed for nourishment. The only tree from which Adam couldn’t eat was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil..
God makes Eve
God saw that Adam was alone in the garden and needed a helper, a partner. So he first made the animals and called Adam to name them but they weren’t right to be the partner Adam needed. So he put Adam to sleep and made a woman from his rib. Adam was filled with joy when he saw her and called her Eve. He called her bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. Right there in the garden they became one, the first husband and wife, and they had no shame.
Peace and love reigns
Adam and Eve were one with each other and the earth. But they were also one with God. God would walk with them in the garden in the cool of the evening (Gen 3:8). Peace and love reigned upon the earth. In our next lesson we are going to learn about the SEPARATION that occurred between God and humanity.
