Attributes of God: CREATOR
Welcome to the first in a series of posts covering the attributes of God! We want to teach our kids about God’s character as it is articulated in scripture. So let’s jump in and unpack three important things we can teach our children about God’s attribute of being Creator that are clear in the Bible.
“Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.”
- Isaiah 40:28
1. God Made Everything
When we pick up the Bible, the first thing we read is that God created. Before our world began, God already existed, and he alone made everything in the heavens and the earth. It’s not just in the first chapter of Genesis that we see this truth taught. Authors across all of scripture attest that God is Creator. It’s one of the ways Paul introduces God to non-believers, like when he addresses the crowd in Athens and says, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands (Acts 17:24).”
I’ve listed several other scripture references that call God CREATOR. Read through these passages with your children, and see below for suggestions on how to engage them with these passages.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
- Genesis 1:1Psalm 33:6,9 - “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth…For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood forth.”
John 1:1-3 - “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
Response Questions:
Who created the world? (For older kids ready to dialogue more about this, the John 1:1-3 passage above highlights that Jesus was the active agent in creation - this is a cool introduction to the trinity, and to the fact that Jesus was there at the beginning!)
How did God create the world?
Who created YOU?
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Before our world existed, God existed and He made everything! “The heavens and the earth” means God made the entire universe from nothing.
2. God Made Everything for His Glory
In his Systematic Theology text, Wayne Grudem defines the doctrine of creation: “God created the entire universe out of nothing; it was originally very good; and he created it to glorify himself (p. 262).”
I think this can be one of the harder things for people to embrace, but it’s key to who God is. He is worthy of worship and glory, and creating the world for his own glory is good and right. And yet it can rub against our pride. Our sin leads us to want glory for ourselves rather than give it to God.
When we share with our children that God made everything for his glory, we get to paint for them a picture of his goodness, power, and wisdom. This world is glorious, like the God who made it! From the tiniest leaf to the vast ocean, our magnificent world reflects our magnificent God.
When we watch a beautiful sunset with our children, or they witness baby robins poking their heads out of a nest, we can help frame that this beauty and wonder reflects the one who created it.
Let’s look at scripture that reinforces the idea that God’s creation is for his glory:
In Isaiah 43:7, God says that his sons and daughters are “whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Psalm 19:1 - “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Revelation 4:11 -
“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
To receive glory and honor and power,
For you have created all things,
And by your will they existed and were created.”
Response Questions:
What is something you’ve seen in creation that you thought was really wonderful?
How can we give God glory for the things he has made?
KEY TAKEAWAY:
God made everything for his glory to testify to his great worth, so creation should lead us to worship him.
3. If God is Creator, We are Creatures
God made humankind in his image, but we are fundamentally different from God. As the creator, he is ultimately in control of everything he made, including us. And thankfully, he is a good, loving, perfect, and just God, so we can trust him with this control over our lives.
I’ve been part of a children’s ministry that framed it like this:
God created everything, including me.
God is KING of everything, including me.
Remembering that we are God’s creatures - his creation - gives us the right perspective when we interact with our King. Because he created all things, we can go to him for all of our needs. Whether it’s a scraped knee or a wounded heart, God knows and understands our kiddos even better than we do. He knows their bodies, he knows their minds, and he knows what’s best for them.
Genesis 1:27 - “...God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
Job 10:11-12 - You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.
Acts 17:25 - “And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”
Response Questions:
Why might it feel hard that God is in control and not us?
What are some reasons it’s a really good thing God is in control?
KEY TAKEAWAY:
God created everyone and everything, so he is King and rightfully controls all things.
Real Life Application
If your family is in a rhythm of doing some kind of devotional time, I hope this can serve as a helpful outline to dive into God’s attributes with your kids. Or maybe it’s a great time to try a new thing! We love to read a family devotional during dinner - we’re already sitting down together and the kids don’t run away because…food.
However, I didn’t make this with the only goal of having sit-down teaching time. My hope is that as we parents soak in these truths, we can more easily weave them into normal, everyday conversations with our kids.
When you witness something beautiful in creation, point it out to your kids: “I love these trees that God made! They’re so pretty!” When your child gets hurt, tell them you will take their pain and fear to God in prayer because he made them and he loves them. Simple repetition reinforces God’s identity in your kids’ minds.
Maybe your kids ask whether God made cars, because they’re pretty sure people make cars. (Not that my kids have ever done this to me…) First of all, what a great question! When kids start asking questions, they’re engaged! This specific question is a great way to talk about God making people in his image. He made us with the ability to create, like him. So it’s really cool that God didn’t just make us, but he made us with the capacity to think, create, problem-solve, and more. So yes, people make cars. And houses. And stop signs.
But who made the people who built those things? Who puts the breath in their lungs each day? Who gave us the earth with raw materials that allow us to build anything at all? God. Our CREATOR.
Thank God for creating us, for creating our kids, and for creating new opportunities every day for us to teach our children about HIM.
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