Genesis 1:1-3

Hebrew Key Terms:

• H1254 בָּרָא (bara) - to create, shape, form (always with God as subject; used of heaven and earth, individual humanity, new conditions)
• H8064 שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) - heavens, sky
• H776 אֶרֶץ (erets) - earth, land
• H216 אוֹר (or) - light

Context: Genesis 1:1-3 opens Scripture with God's sovereign creation of the heavens and earth ex nihilo. The earth begins in formless chaos (tohu wabohu), darkness covers the deep, and the Spirit hovers over the waters. Then God speaks the first creative fiat: "Let there be light," and light comes into existence. This establishes the pattern of creation by divine speech and the separation of light from darkness—foundational themes that reappear throughout Scripture's redemptive narrative.

OT-to-OT Development:

• Isaiah 43:1-2, 7, 14-21 - Isaiah uses creation language ("He who created you, O Jacob") to describe Israel's redemption, connecting creation and new creation
• Isaiah 65:17-18 - Isaiah explicitly prophesies "new heavens and a new earth" using the same verb (bara) as Genesis 1:1
• Psalm 33:6, 9 - "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made... For he spoke, and it came to be"
• Psalm 104:29-30 - God's Spirit gives life and renews creation

Connections:

• TO:
• None (foundational creation account)
• FROM OT:
• Isaiah 43:18-19 - ; 65:17; 66:22 (new creation prophecies); Psalm 104 (creation sustained
• Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 - creation futility
• FROM NT:
• 2 Corinthians 4:6 - God who said "Let there be light" shines in hearts
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 - new creation in Christ
• Hebrews 11:3 - by faith we understand worlds were created by God's word
• Revelation 21:1-5 - new heavens and new earth consummated

Christological Connection: Christ is the eternal Word through whom all things were created (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17). The light that God spoke into existence in Genesis 1:3 prefigures Christ as "the light of the world" (John 8:12) and the gospel illumination that shines "in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). Just as God created the first heavens and earth, so He creates "new heavens and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1) through Christ's redemptive work. The original creation was "very good"; the new creation in Christ is glorified and eternal. This demonstrates Fairbairn's principle of escalation: the antitype (new creation) infinitely surpasses the type (original creation).

Connection Method(s): Typology (Providential, Forward-Looking), Longitudinal Theme — Original creation by divine speech typologically prefigures new creation in Christ, while the light-from-darkness pattern traces the longitudinal theme of creation and new creation from Genesis through 2 Corinthians 4:6 to Revelation 21.

Trajectory Table: 107 - New Creation (Cosmic Redemption)