In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” Genesis 1: 1-3
Look at the stars. Try to count them. Impossible – right? Scientists believe the universe is made up of 27 million parts, EACH part having at least one galaxy. The number of stars? That would be over 300 sextillions – 300 with 23 zeros. Can you wrap you brain around the vastness and immensity of the universe? Probably not. In the same way, understanding the greatness of God is equally challenging. Yet, to begin to grasp the full picture of God, the true picture of God, we must look at this one God in three persons. The God who was at the beginning of it all.
“In the beginning, God.” These four words introduce us to God. No four words could be more important than these. God who has no beginning. God who always is, always was, and always will be. This concept is understandably difficult. After all, our world revolves around beginnings and endings.
Genesis, the first book of the Bible, is all about beginnings - things being created, things starting. The beginning of Israel, the Jewish people, the new beginning after the flood, and the beginning of mankind. Yet, before all of this, was God.
Then God created. God is described “in the beginning” as one God – three persons. We can see all three persons too. The earth was formless and void, chaotic. Imagine an artist in the early stages of a painting. The artist sees the final painting, but to the untrained eye it’s just a mess. We read that the Spirit of God was in the midst of this “chaos,” the original artist. Like the wind, we can’t see the Holy Spirit, but we can feel it.
Then there’s Jesus. “And God said, “Let there be light.” Look at the words: Then. God. Said. The Word of God, Jesus, creates. Jesus is called both the Word of God (John 1:1-3) and the Light of the world (John 8:12).
Jesus always is, was and will be. The Holy Spirit always is, was and will be. God the Father always is, was and will be. God always is. Everything else begins. The greatness of God. It boggles the mind.
