Genesis 1:1-2 — "In the Beginning"

The Church of God (Anderson) affirms that God is the Creator of all things and that humanity is made in God's image (imago Dei), as Genesis 1:1–2 establishes. However, the denomination does not impose a specific interpretation of the creation mechanism or the age of the earth. The holiness emphasis of the Church of God (Anderson) is more concerned with the moral and spiritual implications of creation—that God made a good creation, that humans bear God's image and are accountable to him, and that sin has corrupted God's design.

Whether one understands creation as occurring in six literal days or interprets the creation account more symbolically is not treated as a test of fellowship or orthodoxy within the Church of God (Anderson). The essential conviction is that God created all things and sustains them by his power. This allows members to hold various positions on origins—young-earth creationism, old-earth creationism, or even theistic evolution—provided they maintain belief in God's creative power and ultimate authority. The focus is on obedience to God the Creator rather than on specifying the precise mechanisms of creation.