Beginning with Moses and the Prophets
Part III - Creation of the World - Foundation of Foundations
Genesis 1: 1 - 2
Introduction
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth - (v.1)-
A)- Genesis is the foundational book, the book of beginnings, the book of foundation - In the first eleven chapters we see, they constitute the foundation of all of Genesis & the greatest influence on the New Testament - by the same token, the first chapter of Genesis is the foundation of the first eleven chapters of this book, in that it puts in summary form the creation of the earth & everything therein -
If you can follow me, we have that the first verse of the first chapter is foundational to the foundational chapter, the primeval history of the creation of the universe.
Verse one (1) is the foundation of all foundations & so it is the most important verse, sentence, in the Bible, Holy Scripture.
It has been said that is a person really, truly, believes Genesis 1:1, that person won’t have any difficulty in believing anything else recorded in the Bible.
And that is, God created all things & controls all things.
This one single verse refutes all of man’s philosophies that concern the origin & the meaning of the world.
You have seven (7) of these issues listed in your bulletin inserts.
All these philosophies, in reality, are only different ways of expressing, saying, the same unbelief.
Each one proposes that there is no personal transcendent God - No God that is far beyond, way above the range of normal human experience - no God that exists apart from & isn’t subject to the limitations of the material universe. Each one these philosophies, state that reality is only found in the eternal cosmos, the eternal universe.
Each one of these philosophies embraces all the others; they are all intertwined - [read from bulletin insert]
Also in the bulletin are listed other philosophical ideas that are incorporated into this structure - [read bulletin] -
The thing is, all of these are diametrically opposed to the great truth.
It’s amazingly simple and understandable to a child; even though it does state something of infinite wisdom, wisdom with no limit - Listen closely; In the beginning, God created . . .
The book never ever makes an attempt to prove that God exists. The first verse so matter of factly states it; it takes the fact that God exists as though only a moron could say, there is no God. (Psalm 14:1).
This is amazing, especially when you consider the countless anti-theistic philosophies both ancient & modern that attempt to disprove the existence of what these sages say doesn’t exist -
That is, trying to prove non-existence of “nothing”.
All of these ancient & modern religious systems & books & philosophies begin, not with God, but with a pre-existing matter or energy in some form or another.
They say that in the earliest stages of the void that did exist, the forces of nature began to bring about the changes in the cosmos that developed the world into the form it has now.
Even though that all these evolutionary, pantheistic theories of the origin were prevalent among the nations, & still are -here just as much, the inspired account in Genesis doesn’t try to refute them, nor does it attempts to prove the existence of the True God.
It could be because the Genesis account was circulated verbally or written before any of these other systems, religious beliefs developed - The other were developed for the purpose of combating & replacing the true account in Genesis - all spread by the enemy of God.
It may be that God Himself gave this information verbally or written, soon after creation, setting forward in a simple narrative form the actual events of Creation Week.
At that very point in time, there wasn’t any need to argue about the reality of God & the creation since nobody doubted it then.
B)- God & the Beginning -
If we are to fully, totally understand anything in the Bible, even in the world in general, it is very important that we first understand the teaching the teaching of Genesis 1:1.
Let’s consider the following declaration in verse one (1); In the beginning, God created the heavens & the earth -
(1)- God - Derek Kidner, British Old Testament scholar has pointed out that it isn’t any accident that God is the subject of the first sentence of the Bible because His name in the Hebrew Scripture here is Elohim, and dominates the whole chapter, It, Elohim, occurs, by my count in the Hebrew - English interlinear, is thirty (30). Some commentators say 31, others 33.
Whichever of the two it is, the readers can’t fail to catch it with their eyes. Kidners point is, that this section, this chapter - inclusive the entire book of Genesis is about God from start to finish.
God, Elohim, the Divine name in Hebrew, stresses His majesty & omnipotence, His all-powerfulness.
The ‘im’ ending is the Hebrew plural ending; Elohim can actually mean “gods”, that is how it’s translated in various passages referring to the gods of the heathen, (Psalm 96:5).
In verse 1, though, it is clearly used in the singular, as the mighty name of God the creator. The name Elohim is used over two thousand times in the singular, as it is here. Elohim is a plural name with a singular meaning, defined as a “uni-plural” noun. So it suggests the uni-plurality of the Godhead.
God is one, yet more than one.
The grand mystery of the Holy Trinity is well encased in the first three Hebrew words of Genesis - Beresheeth bara Elohim - because the name God -Elohim - is in the plural and the verb ‘created - bara - is in the singular, so that God (plural) created (singular).
On the one hand, the Bible teaches that God is a unity - Deuteronomy 6:4, Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 1 Corinthians 8:5-6, even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
And on the other hand it explicit and equally clear that God is three persons. Matthew 28:19, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 2 Corinthians 13:14, grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. And all three were active in creation -Gen. 1:1,2- God & the Spirit; John 1:1-3,10- God & the Son; the Son in Colossians 1:15-17- He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him; & Hebrews 1: 1-3- God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
So it is that we meet the breathtaking, awe-inspiring, overwhelming Triune God in the first three words of Biblical revelation.
(2)- Created, bara! Used always only of the work of God. Only God can create - to create, call into existence that which had no existence.
The verb ‘bara’ contains the idea both of complete effortlessness, dong something with no effort whatsoever - and to create something out of nothing, just saying it into existence.
Romans 4:17, in part -even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.
The use of the word create here in this first verse informs us that at this point, the physical universe was spoken into existence. I underscore the word ‘physical’. Prior to this creative act of God, the universe had no existence.
It is impossible, for me at least, to fully understand, to comprehend, the concept of an eternal transcendent God, but I don’t feel bad about it, nor ashamed because God Himself has said in Ecclesiastes 8:17- and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover.
Of course, the only alternative is the concept of an eternal, self-existing universe; and that also is incomprehensible!
Eternal God or eternal non-living matter are the only choice.
If you take into consideration the discovered laws of ‘cause & effect - that is, there can’t be an effect (something happening) without having a cause, (something that makes the effect happen).
In still calm water in a pond, you can’t have any ripples unless something causes those ripples; something kind of outside force, the ground moves, a thrown pebble into the pond to disturb the water. It’s not rocket science.
With the law of cause & effect, it is impossible for random particles, taken by themselves, generate a complex, orderly, intelligible universe, let alone living beings capable of applying intelligence to understanding the complex order of the universe
Even Aaron tried to snow his brother Moses when he said, he told the people, Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf. (Ex. 32:24).
Only a personal God is the acceptable, adequate cause to produce such effects --- In the beginning, God created.
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