In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
Like the blast of a cannon, the book begins. There is no long preamble, with no introductory comments. Instead, we are thrust into the story, and the story starts with God, which immediately throws us into the metaphysical realm. We live in the physical, but God is above and beyond the physical realm, though He is present within it.
And this first verse, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (1), tells us quite a bit about who God is. Deism believes God is beyond the universe but not active in the world. Atheism believes there is no God. Pantheism believes God is everything. Polytheism believes many gods are in the universe, but finite or limited in power. But this first line of Scripture refutes each belief and introduces theism, which says there is an infinite God beyond the universe.
He Is Infinite
He is infinite because He created (1), meaning He made all we know by His own will and desire. He did not create the way an artist or a builder might, by taking existing materials and fashioning them the way He desired. No, the word created here means to make something out of nothing. It is the Hebrew word bārā’, and it is found 44 times in the Old Testament. It is used only of God and His "production of something fundamentally new" (G.von Rad).
He Is Creator
The inference here is that God is the creator of everything. Genesis 1-2 focuses on the creation of the physical dimension, human experience, and activity, but the implication is that everything, such as angelic beings, was created by God. This might even be why it is said God created both the heavens and the earth (1), meaning not only the heavens of outer space but ethereal or immaterial heaven as well, the spiritual world.
He Is Eternal
And, while He created, He made time, which is why there is the beginning (1). It is pointless to ask what God was doing before creation. There is no time before time. God is timeless. He lives outside of time and space, yet interacts with us in it.
He Is Wise
And, though we will spend some time thinking about Genesis 1 and its compatibility with science, we should not allow that discussion to sidetrack us from the glory of God found in this first chapter of the Bible. This is a triumphant declaration of God and His power and wisdom. He made the world! And it is wonderful! And, quite obviously, a gift to us, a home for us to inhabit!
He Is Good
God must be good since His creation is filled with goodness. It is custom made for us to inhabit, a perfect residence for humanity. And the goodness and beauty of creation is a mere reflection of God's goodness and beauty.
He Is Unequaled
But, in Genesis 1, we also learn there is no one and nothing equal to God. He is infinite, while everything else is finite. He is the only necessary being. He is eternal. At the beginning, He existed, for it is impossible for Him not to exist.
He Is Love
And we will also learn about God's thoughts towards humanity. He made us distinct, special in His sight. We are unlike the rest of creation but made in His image. Our place is not as gods, but we are still higher than the rest of creation. We are crowned by God.
Through all this, we learn of God's love. You see, it is the only good explanation for creation. Why did God create everything? It was not for any deficiency in Himself, such as loneliness, for God is perfect and in need of nothing. But God is love (1 John 1:5), and His love drove Him to make a place for us so we could enjoy His creation, but also enjoy Him. This is the story of the Bible, and this first chapter sets the scene for the long story of our relationship together. In short, God wanted to create, so He did, for us.
This is why we are continually encouraged throughout the whole Bible to worship God. To honor Him is that for which we were designed; our highest purpose is fulfilled when we live for Him. We are created for His glory; He formed and made us so we might discover how awesome our God is (Isaiah 43:7).
Allow the Bible to be God's story.
"In the beginning, God created..." He was active. He moved first, in creation, but also in the gospel. The story isn't humans famous, but Jesus Famous. Let the Bible be what it is, the truth of God's glorious work and nature.
