January 3 Daily Devotional

Questions about Human Origins

Peter G. Feenstra

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:1–2, 26–28)

Bible Reading

Genesis 1:1–2, 26–28

Devotional

There comes a time in every child’s life when he or she asks many questions. Young children will follow their mom or dad around the house bombarding them with “why”, “who” and “how” questions. They start to wonder about origins and they will ask questions like, “Who made the sky, the trees and the rocks? How did the sun get up in the sky? Why do birds fly? Who made me?”

Christian parents have a responsibility to teach their children about human origins and to give them clear instruction and guidance in what the Scripture teaches. We are making a huge and serious mistake if we imagine that science can speak more authoritatively than Scripture on the subject of human origins. The Bible is the ultimate test of all truth in every area of life.

In answer to the question of origins we should turn to the first verse of the Bible, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This is where God left His first footprints! He made everything from nothing. Hebrews 11:3 says something similar, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” The word the Old Testament uses for “create” means that through God’s command something comes into being that did not exist before.

Little children ask in their own simple way, “Why did God make the earth? Why did He make me? What is the purpose and function of creation?” We don’t have to give complicated answers to such questions. Everything was created for service. People like to think they were created for their own pleasure. But we know better—we live for the glory of God. May we as adults and children serve God with the time and talents He has entrusted to us. Praise God for giving us the Holy Spirit, through whom we are taught to pay attention to God’s creative acts. When your children ask you questions, remember to direct them to the unseen footprints God has left all over human origins, including their own.

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