In the Beginning

The purpose of this series of articles is to demonstrate the centrality and supremacy of Christ as given to us in the Scriptures. The first part of this series I’m calling “In the Beginning.” The first verse in the Bible tells us, “In the beginning God …” Obviously this means that in the beginning, God was there before anything else existed. In John 1:1 the Bible tells us “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.” Before anything else existed, God was there, as was the Word, and the Bible says that the Word was God. We also know from Genesis 1:2 that the Holy Spirit was also present at creation hovering over the waters. These verses lay the foundation for the Christian worldview and philosophy. We are going to discover that “The Word” is none other than the Son of God and the man Jesus Christ, and He is the center of everything.

What we can see from this is that the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were all present at creation. In John 17:24, Jesus testifies that God the Father loved Him before the foundation of the world. Earlier in that same chapter Jesus looks forward to the day when He will share again in the glory He had with the Father before the world began. What we know, then, is that within the Trinity there was love, communication, and glory before anything else had been created. Should we be surprised then that we as human beings, who have been created in the image of God, have personalities that include love and communication as part of our nature?

These truths lay the foundation for what comes next. In Genesis 1:1 we learn that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In John 1:1-3 we learn that the Word, that was in the beginning with God, and was God, created all things, and there’s nothing that’s been created that He did not create. Therefore, as we look around, everything we see around us has been created by the Word, the Son of God. Furthermore, according to John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

He (speaking of Jesus Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:15–17, NKJV)

“[God] has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” (Hebrews 1:2–3, NKJV)

What do we learn from these passages? Jesus Christ the Son of God created all things including thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers. We further learn that He made everything for Himself. Just as we sometimes create artwork or a piece of furniture for our own use and enjoyment, Jesus Christ did the same with all of creation. In addition, we learn that He holds everything together. Why is it important to consider the centrality and supremacy of Christ? Because He is the foundation of all of creation, and He supports and holds it together for His own pleasure and glory.

Let’s think about these ideas in a different way. In the beginning all that existed was a 3-person God who existed in a spiritual form, that is, He did not have a body. And yet there was communication and love among the members of this Trinity. At some point before time began, this triune God decided to create the universe. All of the atoms and molecules that make up our universe, our world , and our bodies, were created out of nothing through the Word of this God. And what John tells us in John chapter one is that this Word, that created all things, is God himself, and that He is currently holding all things together. If that’s not amazing to you, I don’t know what it would take to amaze you!

I think what we need to do as Christians is to try to put aside the conception of these things as being religion or religious teaching. The Bible is saying, and we as Christians believe, that these statements are actually true. This truth is at the core of all science and all history and, in fact, all knowledge. There actually is a God who exists in three persons, and who created all things by His word. I would go so far as to say that if you do not believe this to be true, then it is likely that you are not actually a Christian, because these statements in the Bible, are the foundation and the core of all the rest that follows.

Link to video on youtube: https://youtu.be/7979yF2hm6s

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