Reflections of Grace - Genesis 1:1

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” — Genesis 1:1

The importance of this first sentence of the Bible cannot be overstated.

It is truly foundational in every way and informs every aspect of knowledge and understanding that we possess. Everything that exists has its source in God as the Divine Creator.

It is for this reason that the Bible teaches us that creation itself testifies to mankind that there is a God (Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:19-20). We were made to know this God. Not only that, but we were made with the knowledge of this God (Colossians 3:10).

However, when mankind fell into sin, this knowledge was corrupted such that man now suppresses the knowledge of the truth by his unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).

What does this have to do with Genesis 1:1? Well, this is where Biblical theology is important. By Biblical theology we mean the study of how each part of the Bible contributes uniquely to the overall unified story of the Bible. Therefore, we presuppose that the story of the Bible is unified from beginning to end across all 66 of its books. This means that Genesis 1:1 and following informs how we understand both sin and salvation.

In terms of sin, it teaches us that God is the absolute and only authority over all of his creatures and that he therefore is the one to whom we, as creatures, owe obedience. In terms of salvation, it teaches us that God re-creates (“renews” or “restores”) in the same way that he created in the first place—by his powerful word.

Granted, that point is not made specifically in Genesis 1:1, but if you continue to read you will find that the entire creation account of Genesis 1 is punctuated with the refrain, “And God said…and there was…” If there is any doubt about the importance of this, one need only turn to John 1 and find in verse 3 that it says of the Word (which is Christ), “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”

This is but a most cursory introduction to the importance of reading the Bible with special attention to Biblical theology. However, I think it shows quite forcefully that the Bible is consistent in its story and its purpose from beginning to end, which means that there is no part of Scripture that is not relevant to our lives. All of it shows us our sin and points us to the Savior, the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ. Through him the world was made, and through him we are renewed to eternal life, when we look to him by faith. Amen.