#34 IN THE BEGINNING, GOD 8-25-26
The Bible begins with three words that settle the greatest question of human existence: “In the beginning God.” Before there was a universe, God was. Before there was a sun to shine, God was. Before there was an earth beneath our feet, God was. Before there was a human mind capable of asking where we came from, God was. The world did not begin with chance. It began with God.
Genesis does not present creation as an accident slowly developing without purpose or direction. It presents the deliberate work of a sovereign Creator. Again and again, God speaks, and creation responds. Light appears. The heavens are formed. The seas are gathered. The earth brings forth vegetation. The sun, moon, and stars are appointed. The animals are created. And finally, God creates man in His own image (Genesis 1:3-27). Six times Genesis records the passing of an evening and a morning, identifying the successive days of God’s creative work (Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31).
The question of creation ultimately brings us to the question of origins. We can trace things backward as far as human investigation will allow, but eventually we arrive at the beginning. Where did matter come from? Where did life come from? Where did the order of the universe come from? Where did the human mind, conscience, personality, and capacity for worship come from? We can propose theories about processes, but eventually we must answer the question of who stands at the beginning.
The Bible’s answer is beautifully simple: God.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). God did not discover the universe. He created it. He did not inherit life. He is the source of life. He did not merely observe the development of humanity. He formed humanity according to His own purpose.
That is why the biblical doctrine of creation is so important. If we remove the Creator from the beginning, we eventually lose the foundation for understanding the purpose of everything that follows. If we are merely the product of chance, then life has no ultimate purpose. If humanity is merely the accidental result of natural processes, then there is no higher reason for human dignity, morality, love, sacrifice, or worship.
But Genesis tells us something far greater. We were made on purpose.
Man was not simply another creature. God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). Then the Bible says, “So God created man in His own image” (Genesis 1:27). We possess a unique dignity because our Creator gave us a unique identity. We were made to know God, to love God, to worship God, and to live for the glory of God.
And when anyone wonders what Jesus believed about the beginning, we do not have to guess.
Jesus Himself went back to Genesis.
When questioned about marriage, Jesus said, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female’?” (Matthew 19:4). Notice the words of our Lord. “At the beginning.” He went back to the beginning of humanity and identified God as the One who made them. He spoke of man and woman as God’s creation.
The Christ who stood before the religious leaders was the One who had been there in the beginning. John tells us that “all things were made through Him” and that without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1:3). The One who walked the dusty roads of Galilee was the One through whom the universe itself came into existence.
Think about that.
The One who healed the sick created the human body. The One who calmed the sea created the oceans. The One who spoke of the birds of the air created them. The One who looked upon humanity with compassion was the One who had created humanity in the image of God.
The Bible begins with God because everything begins with God.
Your life began with God. Your purpose begins with God. Your dignity comes from God. Your hope is found in God. And when this life is finished, your eternal destiny will ultimately be determined by your relationship with God.
You are not an accident.
You are not meaningless.
You were created by God, made in His image, and placed in this world for His purposes. The heavens declare His glory. Creation displays His wisdom. Humanity bears His image. And above it all stands the Creator who was there before the beginning and who will remain when everything we know has passed away.
“In the beginning God.”
Those words are not merely the opening sentence of the Bible. They are the foundation of everything.
And if God was there in the beginning, then we can trust Him with everything that comes after.
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Father, thank You for being the Creator of heaven and earth and the giver of life. Help us never to forget that we are here by Your purpose and for Your glory. Strengthen our faith in Your Word and help us see Your wisdom and power throughout Your creation. Since You were there in the beginning, teach us to trust You with our present and our future. May our lives honor the God who created us, loves us, and calls us to Himself. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
BDD
