"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Genesis 1:1)
Who was in the beginning? What did God do? Who created? When did God create? When were the heaven and the earth created? From the texts in the preceding lesson recall and state the reason why the story of creation was written. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him; and without Him was not anything made that has been made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men." (John 1:1-4) "By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. ... Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was [done]; He commanded, and it stood fast." (Psalm 33:6,8-9) "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life: (for the Life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal Life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us); That which we have seen and heard, we declare unto you." (1 John 1:1-3)
1. The Gospel of John, which is wholly devoted to telling us how we obtain life through Jesus, (John 20:31) begins just where the story of creation begins: "In the beginning God--the Word --created all things."
2. The Word was in the beginning.
3. Life was in the Word, and the Word itself was life,--the Word of Life,--that eternal life which was with God in the beginning. That which was in the beginning was Life.
4. All things came from this Word, that is, from the Life.
5. We are saved by the Life,(Romans 5:10) that same Word of life which was in the beginning, and by which all things were created.
6. The Word, without which not one thing was created, "was made flesh, and dwelt among us"; (John 1:14) "and this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you." (1 Peter 1:25)
7. By the Word were all things created, and by the same Word of power are all things still upheld. (Hebrews 1:3) But this eternal power, --the power of an endless life,--that is manifested in the things that are made, is the power which God uses to save believers.
So the story of creation is the preaching of the Gospel. The power that we see working in all nature is the Gospel in visible form. "In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; For in Him were all things created, in the heavens, and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things have been created through Him, and unto Him; And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning." (Colossians 1:14-18,RV, margin)
1. We have redemption through Christ's blood, that is, through His life, (Leviticus 17:11) the same life that was in the beginning, and from which all things proceeded.
2. Not only was Christ in the beginning, but He is the Beginning. He is "the Beginning of the creation of God." (Revelation 3:14) All things originate in Him.
3. Christ is "the image of the invisible God." (Colossians 1:15) But the invisible things of God are seen in the things that have been made. (Romans 1:20) Therefore in everything that has been made, Christ is to be seen.
There is a worldwide difference between this truth and pantheism. The truth is that every created thing reveals God's power; the men of old "changed the truth of God into a lie" (Romans 1:25) by saying that every created thing is God. So they worshiped and served the creature instead of the Creator. (Romans 1:25)
4. The fact that Christ is to be seen in every created thing is also shown by the truth already learned, that Christ is "the power of God," (1 Corinthians 1:24) and the eternal power of God is seen in "the things that have been made." (Romans 1:20)
5. We have redemption in Christ, because in Him all things were created. Thus we see that the power of redemption is the power of creation. The work of redemption is indeed nothing less than creation.
6. In Christ all things hold together; every tangible thing is held in permanent form by Him, and in Him alone men are complete.
7. The Head of creation is the Head of the church.
8. Christ is the Beginning and the end. Nothing can be begun or completed without Him. "In the beginning God." (Genesis 1:1) Christ is "the Beginning." (Revelation 1:8)
This is the story which every created thing tells us. Let these words be so deeply engraved in the mind, that it will be impossible to think of undertaking anything apart from Him. Let Him have His rightful place as the Projector and the Accomplisher,-- the One who "works ... both to will and to do." (Philippians 2:13)--Present Truth, June 30, 1898.