Genesis 1
Gen. 1:1
In the beginning: Children often love to hear the story of their birth. A favorite pastime of some is learning about their ancestry. This world, too, had a beginning. It was not eternally pre-existing. But, God was. God created it with a special purpose in mind.
God: This is the Almighty. He is present everywhere, all-knowing, and all-powerful. An example of His power is here, as in this chapter, we see Him merely speaking, and the world comes into existence. As noted above, this is in sharp contrast to creation stories of other people groups. While they involve the creativity of man, here, we see something simple and wonderful. And, it begins with the Lord choosing to create a perfect world.
The word used often early in Genesis for “God” is “Elohim.” This refers to the Godhead. The Father, Son, and Spirit were all involved in Creation. Jesus states “I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30) it does not mean there are several gods. It only means that He shows Himself in different ways. A man can be a father, a son, and a brother at the same time, but he interacts with members of his family differently. An egg consists of three parts – the yoke, albumin, and shell. They are all “egg,” though. H2O, the formula most know as “water,” exists, at the same time in different places, as a solid, liquid, and gas. These help us to understand the Godhead a little. However, there are many things – like this - where we see through a glass darkly. We can’t understand the many wonders of God; nor should we. We are mere people, and He is so much greater than we are.
It is especially worth noting that He created the Heavens and the earth perfect. He did so with a specific purpose. He knew what choices people would make. But, He gave mankind freedom, so we would not be mindless robots, with no freedom. God gave us freedom, in His love and mercy, so we wouldn’t be forced to serve Him. He gave us freedom to serve Him, if we want to do so. We are free to reject Him, but that has consequences, which He clearly explains. He tells us everything we need to know when we need to know it. It is one aspect of a loving father.
God did not want anyone to be separated from Him forever, for He is willing that none perish, but that all come to repentance. (1 Peter 3:9). So, He had a plan. He Himself would become the ultimate sacrifice. God the Son came to this world as the Lamb of God, which was slain from the foundation of the world. (1 Peter 1:20, et. al.)
At this foundation, when God created the Heavens and the earth, the plan of salvation was already in place. God has never been caught off guard. He has perfect foreknowledge of what will happen. And, He won’t allow anything to happen that goes against His perfect plan to redeem mankind.
So it was that all was created, but we are not told everything right away. Instead, God presents the first two chapters in a way that lets us see something wonderful.
The first two chapters of Genesis show us the world the way it was meant to be, before people chose to sin. It was perfect. There was no pain, no suffering, and no disease. Yes, He created bacteria that cause it now, but at the time of creation, it may have been meant to provide helpful things, just as there are creatures now in relationships where they help each other (symbiotic) now in this world.
The first two chapters of the Bible and the last two chapters describe a world without sin. That’s how God wanted it to be, with no pain or suffering. And yet, He knew that He had to give people freedom.
Still, there is also one common theme. That theme is God’s love, grace, and mercy despite the wickedness of the world.
We will look at that in detail later. For now, let’s continue looking at that perfect world which God created.
