"In The Beginning"

 By Mike Crisswell

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In the first book of the Bible, we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2).  

What a way to begin the most influential collection of books in the history of mankind. What a wonderful summation of how it all began! What a beautiful display both of life without God and life with God. 

Let’s look at the preamble of the incredible book of Genesis. First, the word “Genesis” means “beginnings.” In this book, we have our first introduction to God. We have the beginning of the earth, the beginning of humanity, the beginning of sin, the beginning of a tribe of people, the beginning of a remedial system of forgiveness, and the beginning of a path back to God. 

Let’s look at the two verses cited above. The first verse starts with not only the declaration that there was a beginning but that before there was a beginning, there was “God.” God supersedes and precedes all other persons and events. 

The question often arises as to where God came from. Here, my friend is where we begin with faith! Every belief system must, by necessity, begin with faith. Whether one is an Atheist, Agnostic, or Deist or chooses to believe in a more personal Supreme Being, we ALL (without exception) begin by accepting certain premises.  

Even long before God developed a relationship with mankind, He put certain makers in His creation that pointed us to Him. In fact, isn’t it wonderful that God created all that man needed (earth, land, sky, plants, animals etc.) before he created man? God had it all planned, and He set it up for us from the beginning. 

It’s interesting that scripture doesn’t spend time trying to explain the origin of God. That’s because it doesn’t matter. Man is bound in a finite matrix. God is unbounded. By definition, He is infinite. We either accept that He exists, or, despite the evidence, we refuse. It’s up to us.  

The second thing we immediately see is that God “created.” God is many things but foremost in scripture, God is Creator. He is pure energy. He never sleeps. His eyes constantly watch over His creation. Paul reminded the Athenians of this when he said that it was within God that we live, move, and have our very being (Acts 17). God creates and sustains all things. Period! 

Nothing is outside God. He IS! Our verses go on to tell us that God created ALL things: heavens, earth, order out of chaos, etc. Everything is attributable to God. Everything! Scientists have long known that there are four necessary elements for the universe: Time, Energy, Space, Matter.  Well, here you have it. In the beginning (Time), God created (Energy), the heavens (Space), and the earth (Matter). 

God is indeed the “IS” behind what “is.” He is truly stands behind ALL else that matters in the mind of man.