In the beginning God created ... Genesis 1:1
We see it everywhere: "Stuff Happens!" We hear the same sentiment daily--if not hourly: "I couldn't help it!" "It wasn't my fault!" "I can't explain it, it just happened that way." Our children learn our ways quickly, as reflected in their oft repeated, "I don't know how it happened," and "Nobody did it, I guess." We act as though we live in a world where the inexplicable is the norm, where the impossible routinely happens, and where the improbable is accepted as a matter of course.
It's really no wonder that people are so willing to proclaim happenstance as the ruling force in their lives and to accept chance as the ultimate principle of the universe. In a world that disavows the reality of God and consistently refuses to acknowledge His orderly ways, the only alternate first cause is chance and the only certain principle is random occurrence. The world would have us believe that no One is responsible for the universe around us; but that a random series of unrepeatable and highly improbable events just happened--not once, but again and again, ultimately producing a world without plan or cause, where the best is the result of accident, and where you and I are freaks of nature without value or purpose.
In juxtaposition to the world's impotent proclamation of chance and futility is an incredibly rich statement of purpose; a statement depicting order, value, meaning, and rationality. The first 5 words of the Bible, "In the beginning God created..." are the antidote to man's confusion and frustration. In this simple introduction to God's written record of His progressive revelation to all mankind is the seed of all that follows. It stands as the eye of a furious tornado or an island of rock amidst a violent flood of chaos and confusion. To depart from this bedrock of all other revealed truth is a wild ride to despair. To stand firm here is to know security in every storm. A firm conviction of the truthfulness of this statement is a basis for peace and confidence; doubt at this point undermines all of life.
In these five words can be found 5 simple statements calculated to produce a profound effect in each of our lives. It is impossible to understand the impact of this phrase without it having a deep and lasting effect in our lives. But it is impossible to find value and meaning in life apart from the truth of this simple phrase.
First, the phrase "In the beginning God created..." assures us there is a God. There is a first cause. There is a source. There is a reason. Rather than existing in an accidental universe, we live in a world where Someone is responsible.
Every successful businessman knows that companies don't just happen. Every competent manufacturer knows that products don't just appear. Every honest scientist knows that every effect has a cause. Cars aren't constructed or propelled by chance. Bits of wood don't form tables and chairs by random occurrence. Fibers don't combine to form garments of intricate patterns by happenstance. Such practical knowledge is important in helping us understand our universe and our value.
God's revelation of Himself begins at a point consistent with every man's experience. God is not putting us in a position to deny our experience or reject the conclusions of the intellectual abilities He gave us. Before God asks us to accept His Word just because it is His Word, He demonstrates the truthfulness and reliability of His Word in a way that we can understand. Certainly, there are many spiritual truths that are beyond our ability to understand; truths that we must accept on the basis of the reliability of the One Who reveals them. But here, in His introduction to men who are spiritually blind and relational dead, He appears as One Whose reality cannot be rationally denied. We KNOW, innately and experiencially, that every event has a cause, every object a creator. And we KNOW that the world in which we live is beyond our ability to create. When God reveals Himself as its designer and creator, every honest fiber within us must respond, "It has to be." We cannot deny the existence of a First Cause. To accept the fact of a First Cause for the world around me is not an act of blind faith, but the simple application to the spiritual that truth that is irrefutable in the physical. Conversely, to deny a First Cause in creation is to reject the validity of observable truth precisely in that area where we need it most--where it cannot be tested.
It is imperative to know there is a God. Before we can proceed to any further comprehension of the world around us, this issue must be finally and resolutely settled. Our stand on this point has no effect on God, but affects every thought and action throughout every minute of the days of our lives.
The initial phrase of Genesis then gives us a brief but potent description of this God--this Being Who is responsible for the world around us. Having established that He is, we are then told four things about Him.
The God of Genesis 1:1 is a rational Being. Nothing was begun until a comprehensive plan was determined. What is obvious in this statement is restated throughout Scripture. Jesus is described as a "Lamb slain before the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). God's people are called to a purpose given in Christ Jesus "before the foundation of the world" (2 Timothy 1:9). Wisdom is personified as being present with God "From the beginning, before there was ever an earth" (Proverbs 8:23). The apostle James succinctly stated this concept to the leaders of the Jerusalem church, "Known to God from eternity are all His works" (Acts 15:18).
The God of creation is not some ethereal mist or mystic wonder. He is a Being of sufficient intellectual ability to conceive, plan, and intricately design the world in which we live.
The God of Genesis 1:1 is a volitional Being. After conceiving of this universe, He chose to create it. The choice was entirely His. There was no coercion, no need, no duty. He could have as easily chosen not to create. Everything that came into existence is a direct result of the will of God--His volition. Again, this theme is repeated often throughout Scripture. Paul wrote of God "who works all things according to the counsel of His will" (Ephesians 1:11). David wrote of himself and prophetically of Jesus Christ, "I delight to do Your will, O my God" (Psalm 40:8). Jesus Himself lived His life in complete submission to the will of God, as demonstrated in His anguished prayer, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39).
The God of creation is neither a passive entity or fanciful deity; He neither reacts to external causes nor flits away eternity in meaningless nothings. He is a Being with determination and motivation; a God of sufficient volition to create a world of wonder and majesty.
The God of Genesis 1:1 is a God of power. It is this quality that is most pronounced in the account of creation, but His power is only exercised in perfect harmony with His intelligence and volition. God is not limited to merely designing a world and wishing that it could become reality. He has no frustration of willing into existence something that can never be. But neither is His power a force beyond His control. He never hits too hard, speaks too loud, nor stops too suddenly. The God introduced to us in this phrase is a God Who exercises a power far greater than the fusion of atoms, but with a precision far beyond that of a skilled surgeon. No language of man can describe a power that creates from nothing. As we begin to comprehend the power of this God, we can identify with the Psalmist who wrote:
Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
Psalm 33:8
The God of creation is not a cosmic bully who indiscriminately throws His power around to impress or create gut-wrenching fear. He is a God Who, quite simply, can accomplish whatever He plans and desires.
Finally, the God of Genesis 1:1 is a God Who accomplishes. It would be little consolation to us to know that somewhere there was a God of great intelligence, with a transcendent purpose, and sufficient power to do whatever He desires, if such a God never acted. But our God created. Into this single activity was focused all the knowledge of One Supreme Omniscient Being, all the volition and desire of The Eternal I AM, all the power of The Majestic Omnipotent Creator--and the product was a creation.
The God of Creation is not an idle dreamer or frustrated visionary. He need not create countless models to perfect His design. His purpose isn't fickle, necessitating annual revisions and model upgrades. His power is not drained by His every effort, nor does it require constant refueling. His creation suffers no design defects, no obsolescence of purpose, no compromise due to ability. His creation is His product; the culminating effort of a God able to create.
This phrase, "In the beginning God created..." has assured us of these five statements:
1. There is a God responsible for the world in which we live.
2. This God is a rational God.
3. This God is a volitional God.
4. This God is a powerful God.
5. This God is an achieving God.
But what is the practical import of this truth concerning God?
First, we need not succumb to the frustration of those who reject God. Life is not chance. The world is not chaos. We live in a rational, orderly world.
Second, we have value. Not chance combinations of swamp gases and gutter muck; we are products of intelligent design, of eternal purpose, and limitless power.
Third, we have hope. The same God who successfully created this universe for purposes of His own will fulfill those purposes in bringing it to a successful conclusion.
Fourth, we have individual attention. In focusing our attention on the magnificence of God and the awesomeness of His creation, we must remember that he planned, willed, and created its individual parts. Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind. Each orange has an even number of segments. Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains. Our God notes the fall of each sparrow throughout His creation. He knows the number of hairs on the head of each person. He knows where you are this very moment. He knows your concerns, burdens, needs, desires, and hopes. And this great God Who created it all is interested in the minutiae of your life with the same intensity and character.
Fifth, we have the assurance that this God desires that we know Him. He speaks to us in our experience, through our senses, through His creation, through His written Word, through the historical life and work of Jesus Christ, and through His Holy Spirit. It is impossible for men not to know this God--the Creator--but for the willful blindness of sin and rebellion. But for those who desire to know Him, He permeates this creation with marvelous demonstrations of His character and personality.
Do you know this God I've been describing? Do you know this One Whose intelligence designed you, Whose purpose gave you meaning, Whose power gave you life? Have you settled that God is in control; that "stuff" doesn't just happen; that life has meaning; and that you have worth? Or have you accepted the lies of the world and fallen prey to its frustration and aimlessness?
I pray that today you will look with renewed interest at the world around you and be impressed with its evidence of its Creator. If you don't know Him, call upon Him today! If you do know Him, be enamored again with a sense of His greatness, His ability, and His concern for you--as part of His world of purpose.
Michael G. Parham 4/7/91