The Living Word From The Beginning - Part 2

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

At this point, after looking at what it meant for God to actually create, I have to pause and ask the 5 W questions that any diligent researcher would. Who, What, When, Where, & Why? I think the first 4 are pretty self explanatory. (who)God (what)created (the divine capacity of carving, or cutting out; creation by bringing into existence and creation by fashioning existing matter into something new) the (what)heavens, and the earth (when)in the beginning (where) <everywhere>.

But why? Isn't this truly the question at the heart of every human being? Why am I hear? What is all of this for? What's the point? 

If you stumbled upon a machine that no one had ever seen before, you'd want to know what it did and what it was invented for. The best place to start would be with the inventor. By learning about him you could find out why he made it and then you'd understand what it was designed to do. 

We can't tell from Genesis 1:1 alone why God chose to create. We will have to dig deeper. Take a look at John 1:1. This New Testament text was written thousands of years after the passage in Genesis, but it the continuation, or rather the missing pieces, of the original.

"In the beginning was the Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God."

The Word was in the beginning. The Word was not only with God, The Word was God. Now, if the written bible was written down by man, then obviously John is not talking about your KJV bible here. Revelation 19:13 tells us exactly who The Word is.

"He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God."

It is Jesus Christ who wears that blood soaked robe riding on a white horse at the 2nd coming. It is His name that is called The Word. It is Him in Revelation; It is Him in John 1:1; and it is Him in Genesis.

So often we think of Jesus as coming onto the scene in the New Testament, sent to redeem the human race, and ransom them back to their Father in heaven. While this is completely and profoundly true, it is not the whole story, it is not the beginning. And to start in the middle of any story is to risk being totally lost the rest of the way. 

"In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:1-5

Jesus was there, with God, as God, at the beginning moment of creation. When the first proton attached to the first neutron forming a nucleus, attracting electrons and holding them in orbit, making the first atom (6 days before the first Adam) Jesus was there, He was in the lab, He was the Lab, and the scientist and the particles themselves. 

Genesis 1 only specifically mentions God and The Spirit, but from reading John 1, we see the completed picture of the Trinity.

We, as Christians, believe that God is 3 in 1. The Holy Trinity, as it's called, is made up of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They have always been together.

In other religions, like Greek and Roman mythology, we see this idea of the "gods" making people to have something to worship them. The Greeks even go so far as to depict their "gods" as needing the praise and worship of the people to sustain their existence and strength. Our God, The Trinity, does not. They existed together in perfect harmony and unity before the creation of even the first atom. If God somehow "needed"  or selfishly desired our worship to sustain his strength and power then it would stand to reason that He would not have given us the gift of free will. He would have made a little army of drones set on autopilot who had only one pre-programmed agenda, which would be to "love the Lord their God with all their heart, mind, and soul."
So I think it's safe to say that we can cross this one off our list of possibilities.

If God didn't create us out of necessity, or selfish desire, then what's left? Unselfish desire, which is, at base, Love.  

One early mystic said that "we were created out of the laughter of the Trinity." Our story begins in Genesis with "In the beginning" just as all great fairy tails begin with "Once upon a time". We find ourselves in the middle of a great story. Its the story that God is telling throughout all of creation. The "why" of creation tells us that we are not in the middle of just any story, but we have been written into a Great Romance.

Our story doesn't begin with God alone, sitting at a desk with pen and paper, longing for love. The Great Author is already in relationship, intimacy beyond our wildest imagination. The Trinity is at the very center of the entire universe's creation and so perfect relationship is the heart of all reality. If God is love, then the Trinity is love in motion. Father loves Son, loves Holy Spirit, loves Father and on and on. We love, because He loves and we are created in His image.

Why do couples desire to have children? Children are born out of the abundance of love flowing between a man and a woman, just as we were born out of the abundance of love already flowing between the Trinity.

It's important to understand this amazing truth because it sets the stage for everything else. It's the basis for your existence. It's the why behind who you are and why your here. It's the reason, the why behind everything else that happens in the story. Keep this in the front of your mind as we move through the rest of Genesis Chapter 1. 

"God does not need creation in order to have something to love because within Himself love happens."  (Frederick Buechner)

In John 17 Jesus says "Father, I want those you gave to me to be with me, right where I am. I want them to be one heart and mind with us."

Overflowing with the generosity that comes from the abundance of real love, He creates us to share in the joy of this intimacy.

The heavens and the earth and all the rest of creation (the first 5 days of creation) were all done for us. We were the subject of all of God's creating. ALL of it is for us. A place to inhabit, beauty to behold, wonder and amazement, plants and animals and seasons and rain and snow.... all of it for our benefit.

"The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:2

I could write a novel on the treasure chest of truth and mystery contained in this one verse, but for now I will stick to how it pertains to the topic at hand. Just to recap, the 5 W's here are as follows: God created everything for us, because He loves us, because He is love.

When creation started, we are told here in verse 2 that it was "without form and void". We are talking 'heavens and earth' and the Trinity. Raw matter shaped into the universe and the earth. The two Hebrew words used here for "without form, and void" are tohu and bohu. Tohu is translated as "in vain" a worthless thing; a waste; a formless chaotic mess; confusion, unreality. Bohu translates as "void" emptiness; waste.

This is a very unique Hebrew phrase. Not only do these words seem like catchy rhyme, they are only found 2 other times in all of scripture. Hebrew is a very unique language in and of itself, which is why I look to the original words so much to gain a deeper understanding. There are more than twice as many words in the Hebrew language than in English, so it would naturally stand to reason that it is much more descriptive and exact. It is also the language that God chose to give to His people to communicate. If you've never looked at the Hebrew definitions I suggest that you investigate it for yourself. (Strong's concordance is an excellent source and can be accessed via "blueletterbible.org")

This words "tohu and bohu" are synonyms coupled to describe a scene of disorder, confusion, and lack of arrangement. They suggest "sheer emptiness" as opposed to order and balance. The heavens and earth described in Genesis 1:1-2 was lacking the order and beauty that characterize our planet today. 

(Just for the sake of expounding on the ability of the mind to perceive the things of God, think for a moment what tohu and bohu suggest scientifically. Our planet sustains our life. Food, shelter, oxygen etc. There are at least 40 different variables that make life on earth possible. Without just one of these factors, we, and everything around us, would not continue to exist. I'm going to list just a few to give you a general idea.

• Our atmosphere: it has exactly the right combination of gases to make it breathable for us. It has a filter called the ozone layer that blocks the harmful rays from the sun, and lets through the good rays that we need to survive. 
• Water: 3/4 of the planet is water. Water is the only substance found on earth in all 3 forms (solid, liquid, gas). Our water is clean and without toxins. The different layers of rock and sediment that water seeps through act as a natural filtration process, and rain (via evaporation and condensation) filters and cleans the air we breathe.
• Moon: controls the tides. The gravitational force of the moon on the waters (i.e. the tide) pulls the impurities from the shorelines, rivers, and streams into the deep sea where microbes feed on them.
• Non-Sterile ground: because our ground is non-sterile it contains microbes which support plant life. Without plants we'd have no food source as many animals eat plants (which we eat) an so do we. Plants are also vital to the breath ability of our atmosphere.
• Seasons: The 4 seasons provide the cycle plant life requires to exist (grow, produce, die, hibernate etc.) fun fact: we have a lot of 4's. 4 seasons; 4 regions (N.S.E.W); 4 elements (earth,wind,fire,water); 4 kingdoms (mineral, veg., animal, spiritual); 4 winds (N.S.E.W); 4 divisions of our day (morning, noon, evening, night); 4 phases of the moon (1st 1/4, new, last 1/4, full).
• Earth's spin: 24 hours. If it were even half that time, the days would be too hot and the nights too cold...killing most plat life.
• Earth tilt on it's axis: This allows the 4 seasons. It is cause by the orbit of the moon. The moon controls the ties, but it also holds the earth's tilt to maintain the 4 seasons required for plant life.
• Earth's orbit: 365 days to orbit the sun. Just enough time for all 4 seasons.
• Distance from the sun: If we were 1 degree closer or further.....just 1 degree......life could not exist.
• Distance from moon: 1 degree closer would raise the tides so high that every 24hours it would totally flood the earth and pull upon the earth's crust so hard that we'd have constant earthquakes. Further away and it could not hold earth on it's tilt, also it couldn't effectively pull the impurities in the tides away from shore out into the ocean.
• Moon's orbit: Th moon's rotation is synced or locked to be the same as it's orbit, which is the reason we can only see one side of the moon. It's orbit is so precise that it holds earth on a 23 degree tilt, which does many things for the sustainability of life.
• Earth's gravity: It is calculated down to an inconceivable decimal point....the exact force of which is the ONLY one on the spectrum of gravity that allows for life. Our gravity also allows the moon to stay where it is.
• Sun's gravity: It is stable....a sable sun is required for life on earth.
• Sun's consistent temperature: If the temperature of the sun rose or decreased by just 5% it would be catastrophic to life on earth.
• Magnetic Field: Our planet is the exact right size, thus having the exact right magnetic field to protect our atmosphere from solar winds. not so fun fact: our magnetic field is weakening  

These facts I listed above where the exact things missing when the writer of Genesis said tohu and bohu. I also think there are some spiritual implications surrounding this description, which I won't fully go into depth about (yet). To give you  a general idea of what I mean.... We know from the bible that the angels were present at creation. We also know from the story of Adam and Eve that satan was already cast out of heaven by the time the garden of Eden comes on the scene. Because of the literal meaning of the words used in vs. 2 I feel pretty confident in saying that the "darkness" over the face of the deep is referring to the "abyss" which is a word used throughout the bible in reference to the place of the fallen angels and evil spirits, which is something I'll revisit at a later date.

This earth and heavens were not yet inhabitable for man, God's crown of creation. (remember, it's all for us).

What happens next is really simply amazing. The Holy Godhead, as if taking a breath, swells with energy.

"and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

Like a conductor standing upon a platform before a massive rapt orchestra with all eyes on Him, instruments lifted and pressed to pursed lips. The white conductors wand is raised, The Holy Spirit is hovering, literally fluttering over the face of the waters, peeking with potential energy like a race horse yearning eagerly from behind the gate.

"Then.....God......Said"

With 3 small words, our lives are made possible. God, as if slicing the conductor's wand through the darkness, releases the Word into action.

Remember that John 1:1 and Revelation 19:13 declare Jesus as The Living Word of God, the Living Logos. Logos is the Greek word used in the New Testament for The Word. It is defined as a transmission of thought, a communication, a word of explanation, a divine decree, promise, doctrine and declaration. Jesus is God's divine declaration . He is a living communication to us of all that God wishes to tell us, and He is God's divine promise.

Now, God is 3 persons in one. Man is also 3 in one, in a different way. We are a spirit (1), who lives in a body (2) and has a soul (3). I'm not insinuating that God is spirit, body, and soul like us, I'm merely pointing out that all of God's creation displays great layered depth and sing the praise and wonder of the unity of the trinity.

God's Word is also this way. There are 3 distinct parts to the Word or Logos of God. And as with the Trinity, each part of the Word is distinct, and also wholly united so seamlessly that they are one.

Jesus is the Living Word (John 1:1) The Bible is the written word (Hebrews 4:12) take note of the lower case "w" here. That connotes that the bible is not as Christ is, the Living Word in the flesh, but rather Christ poured out on the pages, as God's written word. The Word is also the 2nd person in the Holy Trinity as the Son. This facet of Jesus is the one we encounter in Genesis 1. Let's go back to where we left off to find the truth about the Son within the story of creation.

"Then...God.....Said"

God is about to speak for the first time in our human record. This is bound to be an important phrase.

"Let there be light."

And there was light. I can almost here it now. The symphony begins with the powerful harmony of singing instruments, the conductor has begun the sonnet, and we are amazed. But....I bet you've missed something. God said, let there be light, and there was light.... but the sun and moon and stars that separate the day from the night weren't created until the 4th day in Genesis 1:14-18. So then what is the "light" spoken into existence in vs. 3?

Hebrews 11:3 - "The world was framed by the Word of God." the word framed here is the Greek word katartizo . It means to arrange, set in order, adjust, complete what is lacking, make fully ready, repair, prepare. Jesus Christ, The Word of God who was in the beginning with God, framed the world, set it in order, and completed all that was lacking.

When we speak a word, what are we doing? We are simply releasing the word from our mind action. We are transferring energy to manifest the word and all that it means and represents, into the physical realm. I can have a thought in my head, but until I transfer energy to my mouth and speak it, it is not yet in the physical realm.

"Then....God.....Said"

Then.....God.......released the Word into action. Transferring the energy of the Trinity to manifest the Word and all that He represents into the physical realm.

"Let there be light"

This.....The Light......is the physical manifestation of all that Jesus is and represents. John 1:4-5 says "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in he darkness, and the darkness did not overwhelm it." Genesis 1:3 is the Father's grand declaration and introduction of The Son to the world. Christ's life exploding forth from the center of the Trinity is what framed the earth, setting all things in order, completing all things that were lacking. His life was the light of men. It is Christ's life that shines in the darkness, and the darkness could not overwhelm it. Christ has been giving His life for us, standing in the gap of what is lacking, separating light from darkness, shinning brightly for all men, since the beginning of the beginning. With this first utterance of the Trinity, Once upon a time, God brings complete and perfect order out of the chaos of the formless, void and dark.

Jesus, The Word, going yet further to reach us, became flesh, died on a cross, and rose from the grave to do the same thing inside of each of us. To this very day, very second in time, Jesus is giving Himself to frame our heart and minds. He is about the business of setting things into perfect order, confounding the darkness, yesterday, today and for eternity.