The Creator of the Cosmos

It really goes without saying, but the book of Genesis is profoundly fundamental to the Christian faith. Perhaps this is why the enemy has made Genesis his primary target. In just the past century, alone, we’ve seen an all-out attack on the book of beginnings and the doctrines that are found therein; an intentional, strategic attack aimed at undermining the Bible’s very foundation—for if the foundation of God’s design can be undermined, then like a building, the rest of Christian theology begins to crumble.

It is for this reason that we see the enemy consistently targeting the most basic and fundamental aspects of God’s design for humanity. First it was the family—an attempt to refute male headship in the home and then to justify and normalize divorce, beginning in the twentieth century, both morally and legally. That led to the breakdown of the home. Broken families and split parenting. Homes absent of male leadership. Children being raised in a constant state of uncertainty and inconsistency.

Then it was an attempt to redefine the institution of marriage. Again, both morally and legally, beginning in the late twentieth century and into the early twenty-first century, a concerted, multifaceted effort was waged in our culture against God’s design for the family. And now, today, it is an attack on the individual. No longer is it just an undermining of God’s design for human sexuality, but it is now a comprehensive attack on the concept of gender. And the playbook is the same. Through educational institutions, entertainment venues, which now includes social media, and through the court system, a war has been waged on the simple, basic, and biblical idea that “from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female’” (Gen. 1:27; Mark 10:6). As a culture, we are seeing Romans, chapter 1, playing out before our eyes. And yet, long before we began to witness the effects described in Romans, it started with a rejection of Genesis.

A Divine Introduction

Therefore, if we truly want to defend our families from the attacks that are taking place all around us, it must start by going back to the beginning. And we can’t go back any further than the opening verse of Scripture, Genesis 1:1, which says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” In the original language, these seven Hebrew words come to us, not only as the introduction to Scripture, but as the introduction to the One, true, and living God, Himself. These seven Hebrew words are, without a doubt, the foundation for everything that is found in the totality of the Bible. But as we begin to unpack this verse, make no mistake; we are being brought before an exalted platform, where God, and God alone, is the focus. So within this divine introduction, how has God chosen to reveal Himself?

The Eternality of God

“In the beginning…”

How can the human mind begin to comprehend a time before time began? Yet that is precisely what the Word of God beckons us to do, here, as we begin to read this text, and furthermore, the opening of Scripture, itself. In an instant, with just two Hebrew words, Scripture compels us to realize our own finitude; the realization that we are finite. We can’t even rightly conceive of a moment before human existence came into being. And yet, that is exactly the point. Just as the Lord declared to Job out of the whirlwind, in Job 38, saying:

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Dress for action like a man;
    I will question you, and you make it known to me.
“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?
On what were its bases sunk,
    or who laid its cornerstone,
when the morning stars sang together
    and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (v. 2-7)

The only response suitable to such questions is reverence and awe. And the same is true for the realization that the God who is revealed in Scripture is not bound by time. In fact, time itself is His creation. It’s incredible to fathom that the most brilliant minds our world has ever known have developed theories of time over the years, men like Newton and Einstein, with theoretical models and complicated equations. But as complex as those theories are, they are nothing but playdough in the hands of the eternal God. This God, who is the beginning of all beginnings, but who has, Himself, no beginning. This God whose self-existence stretches back for eternity with no point of origin. This God whose life has infinitely always been.

So this should cause us to stop everything, right here and right now, and express absolute adoration to this God, when we consider the fact that He has condescended to us through these words. Though He is the infinite and eternal One, like a Father to His children, He has graciously chosen to stoop down on our level, and reveal Himself to us in terms that we can understand. Though He is the transcendent One, whose mind is infinitely beyond ours, in His great kindness and mercy, He has reached down, as it were, to speak our language. To speak of beginnings and endings and time and space. Apart from this gracious Word and the knowledge of Himself God has delivered to us, we would still exist in the darkness of our own ignorance. So may we praise Him for the revelation of His eternality.

The Majesty of God

“…God…”

In the Hebrew, this word is “Elohim”. And it is a name for God that is found in the plural form, no doubt pointing us to the triune nature and majestic fullness of the God who is being revealed. The structure of this verse points us to one overarching point of emphasis. There is one entity who is the central focal point. And it is God.

Notice also that Scripture does not seek to prove the existence of God. It simply presupposes it. This is why Psalm 14:1 can say that it is the foolish person who says in his heart that there is no God. Of course there is a God! And deep down inside, no matter how callous or outwardly hardened a person may be, their conscience bears witness to the same reality that Genesis 1:1 declares, because it is inescapable. As Paul says in Romans 1, God’s invisible attributes, His eternal power, and His divine nature have been clearly perceived since the creation of the world. Therefore, no human being will have an excuse (v. 20–21).

This name for God, Elohim, is used almost 40 times in the first two chapters of Genesis, alone. And His activities and actions throughout the creation account point us to the reality that this God is not a distant deity who sets His creation into motion and walks away. But rather, we learn from Scripture that the Creator of the cosmos is a personal, relational being. In contrast to the idols and false gods created in the imagination of sinful humanity, we discover that this infinite God is someone who can be known intimately and who can be experienced relationally. This God seeks to know and to be known.

So it’s worth asking, in light of that reality, do you know Him? And more importantly, does He know you? Genuinely and sincerely, are you in a right relationship with this God? If the answer to that question is no, then that can change today, if you turn from your sins and place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. For the most dreadful thing a person can hear on the day when they meet this God face to face is, “Depart from me, you worker of iniquity, I never knew you” (Matt. 7:23).

The Authority of God

“…created the heavens and the earth.”

Up to this point, we’ve simply begun to see who this God is. But now, we begin to see what this God does. And furthermore, what He can do. The Hebrew word for “created”, here, is distinct, because it is only used in Scripture to refer to the creativity of God. And therefore, packed within this term is the omnipotent power and omniscient wisdom of God.

In addition, the language “heavens and earth”, here, which are the objects of His creative act, refer to the entire ordered universe. This is the cosmos. And therefore, in the very first verse of Scripture, the introduction to the identity of God teaches us that this God not only has the power to create, but that He has created; that He is the sovereign Creator of all things.

So think with me about who this God is:

He is without origination in His existence. He is eternal.

He is without opposition in His plans and purposes. He has no equal.

And He is without limitation in His power and authority. His sovereignty is inexhaustible.

This is why Isaiah 14:27 proclaims, “For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?” The answer is “No one.” No one is more powerful than this God. No one is in greater authority than this God. And no one can stop what this God has planned and purposed to do according to His sovereign will. Whether it is the greatest of galaxies or the most minute of microscopic molecules, all things seen and unseen, visible or invisible, God is the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe.

Contrary to the secular, humanistic wisdom of this world, there is no mindless, powerless, nothingness, which produces a big bang, and then produces everything. But there is a wise, powerful God who has brought all things into existence. And His creation was no accident or mistake. The creation we see when we look at the multitude of stars on a pitch-black cloudless night, or the brilliance of a sunset that looks like it’s been painted by the hand of God, Himself, is indeed, the product and self-expression of a Creator who is demonstrating His glorious creativity.

It’s also worth noting that there is a play on words found, here, in the term “creation”. In the Hebrew, that word begins with the same three letters as “beginning”, pointing us to the reality that this creative act of God, of which we, ourselves, are members, is actually part of something new, which has never previously existed. And, of course, when we consider the implications of that newness; the brand new, never-before existence of our human experience, the question that should come bubbling to the surface is: “Why?” Why has this God created the cosmos and all that is within them?

The Plan of God

To expand our thinking more completely, and to fill our hearts more deeply, the rest of Scripture builds upon this foundation to teach us that this eternal, majestic, sovereign God established a plan before He laid the earth’s foundation (Eph. 1:4). In fact, the entire purpose for the creation of the cosmos is centered upon this plan. In His infinite wisdom, God chose to elect and create a people, whom He would redeem through His Son, all to the praise of His glorious grace.

So, how will you respond to this God who has revealed Himself in Scripture? What should be our response to the Creator of the cosmos? May we be astounded. May we be humbled. May we trust in His perfect plan of salvation. And may we live redeemed lives, reflecting the glory of His grace.