In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth; Genesis 1

Genesis 1:1-25
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over every living creature that moves on the ground.
Genesis title means 'beginnings - the beginning of the world and the beginning of the a nation. It is important to appreciate the early chapters especially as story: concern with truth and meaning at the deepest level; delighting in pictures and patterns.
There are many heavens but only one earth.
How the books reaches their present form may be a matter of debate, but what is clear is that these stories express the deepest convictions of God's people that this world is the work of the one Creator-God, who is utterly good and who loves and cares for his creation. They had no need to argue for God's existence: they knew him for themselves.
The story, styled and shaped to a conscious pattern, make it clear that
1. The origin of the world and of life was no accident; there is a Creator - God
2. God made everything there is
3. All that God made was good
4. Of all God's marvellous creation, people are special; they alone are made in God's likeness and given charge over everything.
5. God's six days of creative activity, followed by a day of rest, sets the pattern for working life.
How?
God is the creator of everything, and man is God's special creation, they alone are made in God's likeness.