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

起初上帝创造天地。－创世记1章1节

God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. . . . And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:9–10

上帝说：“天下的水要聚在一处，使旱地露出来。”事就这样成了。……上帝看着是好的。-创世记1章9-10节

While orbiting the moon in 1968, Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders described the crew’s close-up view of the moonscape. He called it “a foreboding horizon . . . a stark and unappetizing-looking place.” Then the crew took turns reading to a watching world from Genesis 1:1–10. After Commander Frank Borman finished verse 10, “And God saw that it was good,” he signed off with, “God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.”

在1968年，当阿波罗8号环绕月球飞行时，机组人员拍摄到月球的特写，太空人威廉．安德斯如此描述月球：“一个阴森……苍茫荒芜的地方。”接着，三位太空人对全球电视机前的观众，轮流朗读创世记1章1-10节。指挥官弗兰克．博尔曼读完第10节：“上帝看着是好的。”之后，他总结道：“愿上帝赐福与你们，所有住在美好地球上的人们。”

The opening chapter of the Bible insists on two facts:

创世记1章强调两个事实：

Creation is God’s work. The phrase “and God said . . .” beats in cadence all the way through the chapter. The entire magnificent world we live in is the product of His creative work. All that follows in the Bible reinforces the message of Genesis 1: Behind all of history, there is God.

创造是上帝之工。整章以“上帝说”贯穿全文。我们所居住的浩瀚世界，是祂以无限的巧思所创造的。接下来，整本圣经都不断强调创世记1章的信息：在历史的背后确实有一位上帝。

Creation is good. Another sentence tolls softly, like a bell, throughout this chapter. “And God saw that it was good.” Much has changed since that first moment of creation. Genesis 1 describes the world as God wanted it, before any spoiling. Whatever beauty we sense in nature today is a faint echo of the pristine state God created.

受造物是美好的。“上帝看着是好的”这句话贯彻全章。创世记1章所描述的世界是未经任何破坏，上帝原本创造的风貌。但世事变迁，沧海桑田。今日我们所欣赏的美丽大自然，只能稍微反映出上帝原始的完美创造。

The Apollo 8 astronauts saw Earth as a brightly colored ball hanging alone in space. It looked at once awesomely beautiful and fragile. It looked like the view from Genesis 1.

阿波罗8号太空人看到的地球，是光辉灿烂、多彩多姿，悬挂在太空中的星球。它看起来璀璨夺目且美丽精致，这正是创世记1章描写的景象。

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace, whose robe is the light, whose canopy space; His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form, and dark is His path on the wings of the storm. Robert Grant

主权能慈爱，我们当颂赞，光辉是主袍，
穹苍是主幔，满布雷电密云，当作主车乘，
弥漫暴雨风狂，深藏主路径。

Genesis 1:1-10New International Version (NIV)

The Beginning

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place,and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

创世记 1:1-10Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified) (CUVMPS)

神创造天地

1 起初，神创造天地。 2 地是空虚混沌，渊面黑暗，神的灵运行在水面上。 3 神说：“要有光。”就有了光。 4 神看光是好的，就把光暗分开了。 5 神称光为昼，称暗为夜。有晚上，有早晨，这是头一日。

6 神说：“诸水之间要有空气，将水分为上下。” 7 神就造出空气，将空气以下的水、空气以上的水分开了。事就这样成了。 8 神称空气为天。有晚上，有早晨，是第二日。

9 神说：“天下的水要聚在一处，使旱地露出来。”事就这样成了。 10 神称旱地为地，称水的聚处为海。神看着是好的。

INSIGHT

Comparing Genesis 1 with John 1, we see all three members of the Godhead engaged in the work of creation. The Bible begins with a bold declaration in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In verse 2, the author continues to paint the picture of creation, telling us that the Spirit of God was “hovering over the waters.” John illuminates the involvement of Christ in creation: “Through [Christ] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3).

As you reflect on the beauty of creation, what does it tell you about God’s character?

灵粮透视

对照创世记1章与约翰福音1章，我们会看到上帝的三个位格都参与了创造大工。圣经一开始就在创世记1章1节清楚宣告说：“起初上帝创造天地。”第2节继续描绘创造的情景：“上帝的灵运行在水面上。”约翰阐明基督参与创造之工时说：“万物是藉着[基督]造的；凡被造的，没有一样不是藉着祂造的。”（约翰福音1章3节）

当你思想美丽的创造时，你看见上帝的什么属性呢？

整理：于姊妹