The Wesleyan Church affirms Genesis 1:1-2 as establishing that God is the Creator of all things and that creation is good. This affirmation grounds Wesleyan ethics and theology. Humans are created in God's image, endowed with reason, freedom, and moral responsibility before God.

For the Wesleyans, the affirmation of creation's goodness does not deny the reality of sin and its effects on creation. However, sin is understood as a perversion of the good creation, not as an indication that creation itself is evil. God's redemptive work is aimed at restoring creation to its original goodness and purpose.

Genesis 1:1-2 also establishes the doctrine of prevenient grace — God's grace extended to all humans prior to conscious faith. Just as God is the source of physical life and sustenance, God is the source of the grace that enables human response to the Gospel and progress in sanctification. The affirmation of God as Creator grounds the Wesleyan doctrine of universal grace.