Once Upon A Time
Every story has to start somewhere. While “once upon a time” is without question the most recognizable opening line, it is a rather overused one that no longer catches the attention of the reader. Readers generally decide to read a book or put it back on the shelf after only reading a few sentences, making the opening paragraph essential to a book’s readability. The first sentence of a book says a lot about where the author is taking the reader, and sets a specific tone for the book. Consider, for example, the opening words of Edith Hamilton’s classic work, Mythology: “The Greeks did not believe that the gods created the universe. It was the other way about: the universe created the gods. Before there were gods, heaven and earth had been formed. They were the first parents. The Titans were their children, and the gods were their grandchildren. The Titans, often called the Elder Gods, were for untold ages supreme in the universe.”[1] There is a lot packed into this opening paragraph; it informs the reader as to what the book is going to discuss. As far as opening lines go, it’s a rather effective one.
Compare Hamilton’s words now with the opening lines of the Bible. It only takes a few seconds to realize that the book Mythology and the Bible are profoundly dissimilar, and will take the reader on a very different journey. The first line of the Bible, recorded in Genesis 1:1, establishes a much different view of the world than Hamilton’s work. Scripture begins with the familiar words, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” These words immediately inform the reader that the Bible’s storyline is primarily about God and His glorious work in this world.
Moses is the commonly accepted author of the book of Genesis. Interestingly, Genesis does not begin with “in the beginning Moses.” Nor does it begin with “in the beginning man” or “in the beginning the world.” It boldly begins with “in the beginning God”! Rather than opening with ten proofs that God exists, the Bible simply pronounces God as the sovereign initiator of creation. The verb created is from the Hebrew word bara', meaning “to create, shape, fashion, or form.” Bara' teaches us that God took purposeful and intelligent action when He crafted the world and all that lives in it. While there are other verbs used to describe God’s bringing creation into existence, bara' distinguishes itself by being used only of God. The verb is used exclusively in Scripture for the activity of God. Humans may make (from asa), form (from yasar), or build (from bana), but in Scripture God alone creates (bara').[2] It is also important that God created ex nihilo (Latin for “out of nothing”). God spoke the universe into being out of absolutely nothing. He did not take eternally preexisting matter or substance and reshape or reconfigure it into the present world. God’s creative activity is nothing like that of a human artist who require preexisting material to create—He alone can speak and create something out of nothing.
It is important to remember that the canon of Scripture is not randomly arranged. The book of Genesis (Latin for “origin” or “beginning”) is where the storyline of the Bible begins. It is certainly no accident that God is the subject of the Bible’s very first sentence. Scripture begins with God because He is the central figure throughout. Genesis 1:1 is a precise sentence and one that is beyond simple human composition.
In the Old Testament, we read about God’s covenants and dealings with humanity before the birth of Jesus. The Old Testament explains the origins of humankind, the sinfulness of people, humanity’s need for a redeemer, and it looks forward to the coming of the Messiah. The New Testament documents the life and ministry of Jesus and presents an account of the early days of the church. It teaches the importance of Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, and offers teaching on what is to come. The New Testament writers explain the importance of the gospel and offer divine instruction on how the church is to conduct itself.
While some parts of the Bible are hard to understand, the essential teachings and message of Scripture leaves little room for confusion. As Mark Twain once quipped, “It’s not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that disturb me; rather it’s the parts of the Bible that I do understand that disturb me.” Millions of people today have little regard for the Bible and prefer to see the world through a mystical lens much like the one found in Greek mythology. Rather than seeing the world as a place that depends on God, most people prefer the illusion that we are all in perfect control of our destinies. Culture has tried for thousands of years to erase God from its vocabulary, but it will never overcome the reality that “there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Corinthians 8:6).
Every worldview must have an explanation of how the world came about, why it is here, and where it is going. Think about this reality in more personal terms: Where did you come from? Why are you here? Where are you going? Without Genesis and the rest of Scripture, we would not know the who, the why, and the what of this world.
According to the inspired Word of God, nothing happens by accident. The careful and intricate design of the world reveals a creator. The complex details found on Earth indicates a magnificently intelligent and powerful creator. This world was created by God and carefully crafted to allow humans to live and flourish here.
This bold declaration of time’s inauguration recorded in Genesis 1:1 captures the essence and urgency of the entire biblical narrative as God invites the reader into His story. The beginning described in the Bible’s opening sentence does not record the beginning of God but rather the creation of the world, heavens, animals, and humanity. Unlike the universe, God has always existed. In Psalm 90:2 we read, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” God exists outside of time and is not bound it by as we are. In Genesis, Moses, writing under the inspiration of God, describes the beginning of time, the universe, and the necessary structure of creation; the opening chapters of Genesis record the beginning to time and space as we know it. As finite beings, we define ourselves in terms of our beginning and ending. God, however, does not fit in such a structure. Our Creator is not a philosophical idea. He is an eternal being who is not limited by time stamps.
What is so striking about Genesis 1:1 is that it simply declares elohiym (i.e., God) as the one who eternally existed prior to anything in our universe. God’s name underscores His transcendence over creation. The plural form elohiym denotes the magnificence of God’s majesty and accentuates His sovereign control and power. The intensive plural is thoroughly characterized by the character of the noun. Israel’s God, the one who is the only God, fully partakes of the character of deity. Unlike humanity, God is without beginning or end and possesses unlimited power and dominion over creation.
God is the Creator of all things and the ruler over the cosmos. He created the world, which serves as the stage on which humankind’s drama has played out over the course of history. God is the maker of all that exists, including time and space; He alone shapes the life of His world to achieve His ends for the earth and its inhabitants. Our Creator transcends His physical creation—He is not bound to it or subservient to anything or anyone in this world. God alone is divine and capable of creating the world in which we leave. As God asked Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?” (Job 38:4-5). Like Job, we all should be humbled by these questions. Over the course of history, humanity has invented many wonderful inventions that have improved the lives of millions, but none of them has come close to what God created by His spoken word. God’s creative act is truly unprecedented.
Our heavenly Father used His immeasurable power, His splendid creativity and unparalleled transcendence to create the heavens, the earth, and everything in it. This includes you. Understanding this simple truth answers the three questions presented earlier: Where did you come from? You are a creation of almighty God. Why are you here? To bring glory to your Creator. Where are you going? Well, the answer to this question depends on your response to the gospel. If you have believed in Jesus and placed your faith in Him, you are redeemed from your sin and destined for God’s kingdom. If you have rejected the gospel, you are destined for an eternity separated from your Creator. As we read in 1 John 5:11-12, “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” God created you, and made a way for you to know him personally through faith in Jesus. The Bible’s opening line succinctly teaches that there is a Creator God who created time, the universe, the heavens, the earth, and you. His creation declares His glory, and informs us of His majesty. The Creator of this world loves you, and sent His Son to the cross to pay the penalty for your sin. Enjoy the world God has created, and find comfort in the glorious salvation made available through Jesus.
[1] Edith Hamilton, Mythology (New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing, 1942), 17.
[2] Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), 59.
Compare Hamilton’s words now with the opening lines of the Bible. It only takes a few seconds to realize that the book Mythology and the Bible are profoundly dissimilar, and will take the reader on a very different journey. The first line of the Bible, recorded in Genesis 1:1, establishes a much different view of the world than Hamilton’s work. Scripture begins with the familiar words, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” These words immediately inform the reader that the Bible’s storyline is primarily about God and His glorious work in this world.
Moses is the commonly accepted author of the book of Genesis. Interestingly, Genesis does not begin with “in the beginning Moses.” Nor does it begin with “in the beginning man” or “in the beginning the world.” It boldly begins with “in the beginning God”! Rather than opening with ten proofs that God exists, the Bible simply pronounces God as the sovereign initiator of creation. The verb created is from the Hebrew word bara', meaning “to create, shape, fashion, or form.” Bara' teaches us that God took purposeful and intelligent action when He crafted the world and all that lives in it. While there are other verbs used to describe God’s bringing creation into existence, bara' distinguishes itself by being used only of God. The verb is used exclusively in Scripture for the activity of God. Humans may make (from asa), form (from yasar), or build (from bana), but in Scripture God alone creates (bara').[2] It is also important that God created ex nihilo (Latin for “out of nothing”). God spoke the universe into being out of absolutely nothing. He did not take eternally preexisting matter or substance and reshape or reconfigure it into the present world. God’s creative activity is nothing like that of a human artist who require preexisting material to create—He alone can speak and create something out of nothing.
It is important to remember that the canon of Scripture is not randomly arranged. The book of Genesis (Latin for “origin” or “beginning”) is where the storyline of the Bible begins. It is certainly no accident that God is the subject of the Bible’s very first sentence. Scripture begins with God because He is the central figure throughout. Genesis 1:1 is a precise sentence and one that is beyond simple human composition.
In the Old Testament, we read about God’s covenants and dealings with humanity before the birth of Jesus. The Old Testament explains the origins of humankind, the sinfulness of people, humanity’s need for a redeemer, and it looks forward to the coming of the Messiah. The New Testament documents the life and ministry of Jesus and presents an account of the early days of the church. It teaches the importance of Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, and offers teaching on what is to come. The New Testament writers explain the importance of the gospel and offer divine instruction on how the church is to conduct itself.
While some parts of the Bible are hard to understand, the essential teachings and message of Scripture leaves little room for confusion. As Mark Twain once quipped, “It’s not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that disturb me; rather it’s the parts of the Bible that I do understand that disturb me.” Millions of people today have little regard for the Bible and prefer to see the world through a mystical lens much like the one found in Greek mythology. Rather than seeing the world as a place that depends on God, most people prefer the illusion that we are all in perfect control of our destinies. Culture has tried for thousands of years to erase God from its vocabulary, but it will never overcome the reality that “there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Corinthians 8:6).
Every worldview must have an explanation of how the world came about, why it is here, and where it is going. Think about this reality in more personal terms: Where did you come from? Why are you here? Where are you going? Without Genesis and the rest of Scripture, we would not know the who, the why, and the what of this world.
According to the inspired Word of God, nothing happens by accident. The careful and intricate design of the world reveals a creator. The complex details found on Earth indicates a magnificently intelligent and powerful creator. This world was created by God and carefully crafted to allow humans to live and flourish here.
This bold declaration of time’s inauguration recorded in Genesis 1:1 captures the essence and urgency of the entire biblical narrative as God invites the reader into His story. The beginning described in the Bible’s opening sentence does not record the beginning of God but rather the creation of the world, heavens, animals, and humanity. Unlike the universe, God has always existed. In Psalm 90:2 we read, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” God exists outside of time and is not bound it by as we are. In Genesis, Moses, writing under the inspiration of God, describes the beginning of time, the universe, and the necessary structure of creation; the opening chapters of Genesis record the beginning to time and space as we know it. As finite beings, we define ourselves in terms of our beginning and ending. God, however, does not fit in such a structure. Our Creator is not a philosophical idea. He is an eternal being who is not limited by time stamps.
What is so striking about Genesis 1:1 is that it simply declares elohiym (i.e., God) as the one who eternally existed prior to anything in our universe. God’s name underscores His transcendence over creation. The plural form elohiym denotes the magnificence of God’s majesty and accentuates His sovereign control and power. The intensive plural is thoroughly characterized by the character of the noun. Israel’s God, the one who is the only God, fully partakes of the character of deity. Unlike humanity, God is without beginning or end and possesses unlimited power and dominion over creation.
God is the Creator of all things and the ruler over the cosmos. He created the world, which serves as the stage on which humankind’s drama has played out over the course of history. God is the maker of all that exists, including time and space; He alone shapes the life of His world to achieve His ends for the earth and its inhabitants. Our Creator transcends His physical creation—He is not bound to it or subservient to anything or anyone in this world. God alone is divine and capable of creating the world in which we leave. As God asked Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?” (Job 38:4-5). Like Job, we all should be humbled by these questions. Over the course of history, humanity has invented many wonderful inventions that have improved the lives of millions, but none of them has come close to what God created by His spoken word. God’s creative act is truly unprecedented.
Our heavenly Father used His immeasurable power, His splendid creativity and unparalleled transcendence to create the heavens, the earth, and everything in it. This includes you. Understanding this simple truth answers the three questions presented earlier: Where did you come from? You are a creation of almighty God. Why are you here? To bring glory to your Creator. Where are you going? Well, the answer to this question depends on your response to the gospel. If you have believed in Jesus and placed your faith in Him, you are redeemed from your sin and destined for God’s kingdom. If you have rejected the gospel, you are destined for an eternity separated from your Creator. As we read in 1 John 5:11-12, “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” God created you, and made a way for you to know him personally through faith in Jesus. The Bible’s opening line succinctly teaches that there is a Creator God who created time, the universe, the heavens, the earth, and you. His creation declares His glory, and informs us of His majesty. The Creator of this world loves you, and sent His Son to the cross to pay the penalty for your sin. Enjoy the world God has created, and find comfort in the glorious salvation made available through Jesus.
[1] Edith Hamilton, Mythology (New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing, 1942), 17.
[2] Bruce K. Waltke, Genesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), 59.
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