The Power and Preeminence of God (Gen. 1:1-2:3)

Introduction

Bereshit, in the beginning, the first of the five books of Moses. Genesis is a book of beginnings, the beginning of time, space and matter. the beginning of man, sin, and the promise of redemption. The beginning of human government and the nations. The beginning of Israel through whom we received both the Messiah and the Word of God.

Arthur W. Pink, in his book Gleanings in Genesis, wrote, Appropriately has Genesis been termed “the seed plot of the Bible,” for in it we have, in germ form, almost all of the great doctrines which are afterwards fully developed in the books of Scripture which follow.

If we desire to understand all of the Word of God and the great truths that it teaches, we must begin here. Genesis gives us a dramatic account of the origins of mankind and the universe, the intrusion of sin into the world, the catastrophic effects of the curse of sin upon man and all of creation, and the beginnings of God’s plan to bless the nations through the seed of Abraham.

Genesis begins with a premise, In the beginning God… (Gen. 1:1), and ends with a promise, …God will surely visit you, and bring you out… (Gen. 50:24) What is between the premise and the promise is God at work in the world of man, God bringing man out of bondage into a promised place.

We begin our study with the account of creation, Genesis 1:1-2:3. The creation account is brief and without detail, God spoke and things happened, why did God give this narrative, why not simply say, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, period. Genesis 1:1-2:3 proclaims the power and preeminence of God in all of creation. God is above all because He created all.

I) A Proclaimed Premise (Genesis 1:1)

Genesis 1:1 begins with a declaration of who God is and what God has done. It does not argue for the existence of God; it simply states that everything exists because of God. We begin our Bible by faith, faith that God is and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. The writer of Hebrews understood that the very beginning of knowing God is faith, Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Heb. 11:3)

The premise set forth in the very first book of your Bible is, In the beginning God… When Moses asked God’s name God replied, I AM THAT I AM: (Exodus 3:14). Jesus also responded to the peoples skepticism when He proclaimed, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:58)

The fact that God is an eternal God is set out very plainly throughout all of Scripture. In Deut. 33:27 He is called The eternal God. In Isa. 57:15 He is known as the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity… The Psalmist wrote in Psa. 90:2, Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

God is an eternal God. The prophecy of Messiah being born in Bethlehem also carried with it the eternality of God. Micah 5:2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (emphasis added)

The premise set forth, the proclamation given is that God is over all because God is before all. But, what was God doing before the beginning, before time began, in eternity past what was God doing?

First of all we need to understand that in eternity past God existed in glory. The God of the Bible is an eternal God; He has neither beginning nor ending. God is totally self-sufficient and does not need anything more than Himself to exist or act. A. W. Tozer once wrote, God has a voluntary relation to everything He has made, but He has no necessary relation to anything outside of Himself. In other words, God needs nothing, neither creation or the creature, but He created both. God did not need man, but in His infinite wisdom He created man. God exists outside of all bounds of time and space, In the beginning God…

The God of the Bible knows no beginning. He is infinite and knows no limitations in either time or space. He is perfect and cannot “improve.” He is immutable and cannot change. Abraham knew God as the eternal God as the Bible tells us in Genesis 21:33 And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God. And in Deut. 33:27 Moses declared to Israel The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms:… Paul also recognized God as eternal as he wrote in Romans 16:26 of the everlasting God.

So before time was, God had always been. Before creation, God existed in glory.

Before the beginning, the Trinity was in loving communion. The Bible begins with these words, In the beginning God… The word God used in this opening statement is Elohim, plural, not gods many, but the triune God. The God of the Bible is a triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost and each had a part in creation and redemption.

This doctrine of the trinity does not mean that one God manifests Himself in three different forms or that there are three gods; what it does mean is that there is one God who exists in three Persons who are equal in their attributes but they are individual and distinct in their offices and ministries.

I don’t understand this. Men have tried for centuries to explain the trinity, I don’t think it can be done. The important thing to understand is God exists in three Persons all equal in their nature and attributes but individual in their ministries. We will see this more clearly in the trinities work in salvation.

Although the Old Testament does not expressly teach this doctrine of the trinity, it does elude to it on several occasions. The “let us” statements in Genesis (Gen. 1:26; 3:22; 11:7) as well as in Isaiah 6:8 suggest that the Persons of the Godhead are working together in conference. We also have many times when the Son of God appeared in the Old Testament as “the angel of the Lord.”

Although the word “trinity” is not used anywhere in the Word of God, the teachings are certainly there, hidden in the Old Testament and revealed in the New Testament.

Last, before the beginning, The Trinity Planned Redemption. Redemption of man was not an afterthought for God, it was His plan before the worlds were formed. God chose us in Christ “before the foundation of the world.” (Eph. 1:4; Rev. 17:8). Even heaven, the kingdom of God was prepared for mankind before the foundation of the world, (Matt. 25:34). The sacrificial death of Jesus was not an accident or plan b, it was an appointment made before the very foundations of the world were laid (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28); because He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Rev. 13:8).

In eternity past God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit determined to create a world that would include mankind, made in the image of God. This act of creation was not because God needed anything, but that He might share His love with creatures, who unlike the angels, are made in the image of God and can respond willingly to His love.

This act of creation included all three persons of the Godhead. The Father was involved in creation (Gen. 1:1; 2 Kings 19:15; Acts 4:24). The Son was involved in creation (John 1:1-3, 10; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2). And the Holy Spirit was involved in creation (Gen. 1:2; Psa. 104:30).

It was also determined in eternity past that the Son would come to earth and die for the sins of the world. Ephesians 1:3-14 tells us that the plan of Salvation includes all three persons of the Godhead. We are chosen by the Father (Eph. 1:3-6); purchased by the Son (Eph. 1:7-12); and sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14). And all of this is to the praise of God’s glory. (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14). All of this was planned before the foundation of the world.

In the beginning God… The God of the Bible has no beginning and no ending, He is Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. He existed before time, space and matter and out of nothing He created all things. God did not create out of necessity, but because He wanted to share His love with those who would voluntarily love Him back. God gave man free will so man could voluntarily love and obey Him, God wanted fellowship not conformity. But knowing that man would disobey Him, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit met together in counsel and determined the redemption of man. The Father chose man, the Son purchased man, and the Holy Spirit seals man. All of this was determined from eternity past. Your salvation is not an afterthought, it is not plan b. Your salvation was predetermined before God laid the foundation of this world. Just to think that the God who placed the stars in the sky, who knows the names of each one, looked out through eternity past and saw you, saw your need for a Savior and even before the first word of creation was spoken He had already made the plan to redeem you. What a great God we serve.

II) Creation Overview (Gen. 1:2-31)

The days of Creation begin with Genesis 1:2 and continue through Genesis 1:31. These verses give us a very brief overview of the creation account from start to finish, it appears that God did not see a need to explain how He created, but simply that He did create. The only details that we are given is that God spoke and creation happened, and each days creation act was good. Even the account of the creation of man in this section is brief and without much detail. So, here in this beginning chapter of Genesis we do not have a detailed description of God’s creative acts during the six days of creation, but an overview of God’s creative acts during the six days of creation.

Man has done much to reconcile the Word of God with Science (so-called). Many preachers and teachers have tried to make the Word of God conform to man’s theories concerning the origins of the universe. We must begin with this one predetermined fact, God’s Word is the sole authority on all things. When science and the Word of God disagree, science is wrong. Too many preachers and teachers have fallen victim to the attempt to reconcile science and the Word of God with various theories including the Gap theory and theistic evolution in order to add millions of years to the creation account. The creation account given in Genesis one and evolution are irreconcilable, they do not work together and according to Hebrews 11:3 it is Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. This does not mean that we simply stick our heads in the sand and believe in blind faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb. 11:1 emphasis added). It is not a matter of proving one and disproving the other, it is about how you interpret the evidence, the facts. We all have a worldview, how we see things. If our worldview does not include God, what option do we have except to believe that we are all a product of random chance happenings. But, if our worldview begins with God then we will view the evidence in light of God and His word.

I have had the opportunity to sit in many court cases due to my job. In every case both sides have the same evidence, their arguments for guilt or innocence is based on how they view that evidence. There is no evidence for one side and evidence for the other, there is only the evidence and how that evidence is interpreted all begins with the presuppositions that are made by the individual viewing the evidence. The creation account and flood can easily explain the geological layers, account for death and disease, and show why we have different people groups around the world. But, when man begins with a voluntary denial of God, he is forced to adopt theories and ideas, as wild and reckless as they may be in order to support his presupposition that there is no creator.

Romans 1:18-23 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

The creation account is taken by faith, but not by blind faith it is taken by faith in God as creator, and based upon that premise, the evidence easily fits into the creation narrative as given in Genesis 1.

Creation by design teaches that man has purpose, that there is a sovereign God who is watching over all and that we are not just a product of chance.

Evolution, on the other hand, teaches that we are all the product of random chance events, an accident. Charles Darwin set forth the theory of evolution in his book, The Origin of the Species or The Preservation of Favored Races by Means of Natural Selection. He further applied his theory to mankind in his book The Descent of Man. Evolutionist believe that man evolved from lower forms, and that man is no more than a highly evolved animal, some men or races, being more evolved than others. Is it any wonder that the belief in evolution has brought about some of the greatest atrocities in history. Men such as Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini among others all held to the theory of evolution and believed that they were advancing the race by killing the inferior.

God’s account of creation begins with these words, Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. There are many theories surrounding verse 2, the most widely held being the ruin/recreation theory that is held by many great preachers and teachers. They propose that between verses one and two a great catastrophic event took place, the fall of Satan, which marred the original creation making it become without form, and void. The reasoning behind this theory is that God is a God of order and the creation in verse two is without order. This is only a brief description of the ruin/recreation theory, between verses one and two Satan fell and beginning in verse three is the reconstruction of the previous creation.

It is my belief that verse two is not talking about a recreation, but instead it is talking about the creation of all matter that will be used in the remaining days of creation. God stepped out on nothing and created everything, all gases, all matter, all atoms were created and by His word God arranged them into those things that are seen today. Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (emphasis added)

Once God had created the matter and energy He wanted, He began to speak the universe into existence. On day one He created light and darkness. On day two He created a firmament. The word firmament simply means an expanse, a space. God divided the waters of the universe and made an expanse an open space in which He would place this earth. The waters above, a vaporous canopy like that of the rain forest, was separated from the waters below which would be set by boundaries and become the seas. This firmament would soon become the skies that surround the earth where man would live.

On day three God gathered the waters under the heavens together into their places and called forth the dry land, and so on day three the earth with dry land and water appeared. God also created the plant life on day three giving us grass, herbs, and fruit trees.

On day four God made lights in the heavens to be used for signs and for seasons, and for days and years. A greater light to rule the day and a lesser light to rule the night, and the stars also. We are told that God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.

Day five saw the the creation of animal life, the fish and fowl; great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly… and every winged fowl after his kind.

On day six God completed His creation work with the creation of all land animals and creeping things and God’s crowning glory in creation, Man.

As we have already said, there is no way to reconcile the events of creation as recorded in the Word of God and the events of evolution. Let’s notice just a few of the discrepancies,

Genesis Evolution

Earth was created before the sun Sun was created before the Earth

The sea came before the dry land Dry land before the sea

Sea before the atmosphere Atmosphere before the sea

Light on earth before the sun Sun before light on earth

Earth before the stars Stars before the earth was formed

Land plants before sea creatures Sea creatures before land plants

Trees before land animals Land animals before trees

Man before death Millions of years of death and disease before man

Birds before reptiles Reptiles before birds

Plants before sun Sun before plants

As you can see, the Bible’s account of creation and man’s theory of evolution are incompatible. But, the presupposition that we begin with is, let God be true, but every man a liar; (Rom. 3:4) But why is it so important to believe the Genesis account of creation at face value? Could it simply be figurative language and not intended to be taken literally as some have supposed?

Without an unwavering belief in the events of Genesis 1-11 a shadow of doubt is placed on all the rest of Scripture. For years our children have been taught millions of years of evolution as fact in school, and this teaching has eroded the faith of countless millions of young people around this world. After all, if the Bible can’t get creation right then how do we know the rest is true? If Genesis is not a literal account of God’s creative work in six literal days, then was there a literal Adam and Eve? A literal fall? Literal sin? Is there a literal heaven and hell? If Genesis is figurative, then maybe salvation is also. The very foundation and fabric of our Christian faith begins here in Genesis one, In the beginning God created...

III) God’s Day of Rest

God’s work of creation ends in Genesis 1:31 where we read, And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. And Genesis 2 begins with God’s rest from His creative works. Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

God did not rest because He was tired, this rest tells us of God’s finished work in creation. God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold it was very good… (Gen. 1:31) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the hosts of them. (Gen. 2:1 emphasis added). The phrase “He rested” simply means that God had created what He wanted to create and His work of creation was complete. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested from all his work which he had made. So God’s rest shows God’s finished work of creation. This idea of the sabbath rest for Israel will be developed more throughout the Old Testament, but it is important for you and I to understand that God’s rest is a cessation from work, it denotes completion.

In Hebrews 4:9 we are told that There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. The writer of Hebrews goes on to define that rest, For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus gives us this invitation, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. The rest that Jesus spoke of was a finished work, just as God rested on day seven because His work of creation was complete, Jesus can give rest to those who come to Him by faith, because His work of Salvation is complete.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all his work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. (Gen. 2:1-3)

John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works,as God did from his. (Heb. 4:9-10)

God’s rest is based upon a finished work. The finished work of the six days of creation in Genesis 1, and the finished work of Salvation in John 19. What a blessing to know that in the very beginning God intended for His people to have rest, to cease from working and striving to follow the law, God in His mercy and grace finished the work and now you and I are allowed to enter into His rest, because He finished it all.

Conclusion

the opening book of our Bible, Genesis, begins with the premise that In the beginning God… In the creation account of Genesis 1:1-2:3 we find the power and preeminence of God set forth, God is over all because He is creator of all, but in it we also find a rest, a cessation from work because it is finished.

We began this book with a premise, In the beginning God… (Gen 1:1) and as we look at the fall of man, the consequences of sin in the flood and the call of Abraham, that premise becomes a promise at the end of the book as we are told, God will surely visit you, and bring you out. (Gen. 1:24)

We begin with the premise of God is, we find man corrupt and in bondage, but then we have the promise of deliverance. What a book, Bereshit, In the Beginning.