Blog Archives - Created through Him

Created Through Him

And it was so

7/31/2013

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so (Genesis 1:7).

The term ‘and it was so’ is used a number of times during the course of the Creation narrative. God makes things happen. There is no ‘maybe’ with God. God divides and it is divided. God’s actions during the creation week were deliberate, successive and good. The purpose of the design was the support of creation for the good of all creatures and the glory of God.

Division of waters

7/30/2013

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters (Genesis 1:6).

God’s plans for creation were complete from the beginning. He created heaven and earth as distinct places. Water is clearly a sign of life and as such God surrounds life with water. The uses of water as both an agent of life, and as we know from the flood, destruction, is likely thought of in this early verse from Genesis. The division of the waters in this verse is an interesting distinction. Also, this may symbolize the water from heaven that cleanses sin as we are are savewater and the Spirit.

Evening and morning

7/29/2013

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day (Genesis 1:5).

Although much of the Genesis narrative has poetic cadence, the meaning of words are still very important. The Hebrew word for day in the second section of this verse is yom. Yom can mean differing periods of time. However, this is where context and qualifying statements in the text helps assist with meaning. In this verse, yom is qualified by evening and morning. It would seem that the meaning conveyed here then is a standard day. Regardless however of the meaning in context of yom, it is God again that acts, out of eternity into time, to create.

And it was good

7/28/2013

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:4).

The division of light from darkness is both physical and spiritual. There is distinction between light and darkness and this distinction applies to the literal day and night as well as the spiritual condition of us all. From the beginning, God made a distinction between light and darkness, and spiritually this is the distinction between good and evil. The importance of the distinction is really our location; either we are in the light or we are in the darkness. It is to the light that we belong.

And there was light

7/27/2013

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light (Genesis 1:3).

God speaks and it happens. God defines the conditions and then He makes the conditions happen. It is therefore part of God’s nature to be all knowing and all-powerful. He is knowledge and He is power. God’s creation of light, or perhaps His emanating of light is a foreshadowing of Christ’s actions in a dark world. God is indeed the light of the world.

The Spirit of God moved

7/26/2013

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2).

The poetry of Genesis is clear from verse 2. What an amazing verse. God the Creator, in the form of the Spirit, moved. Can you visualize the picture this verse is painting? When I read this verse, I hear sound. Do you? The power of God to create captures all senses. The force is both powerful and yet delicate. This dialectic reveals the complexity of God, simply. At the dawn of creation was God and he moved.

In the beginning

7/25/2013

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1).

Yesterday we completed the final chapter of Revelation and today will begin to study Genesis chapters 1-3 verse by verse. This will be an interesting chance to examine the beginnings after recently studying the end-times. A good reason to do this is that the beginning of history points to and explains the consummation of history. Notice in this first verse of Genesis that it is God that creates. It is part of God’s very nature to create, God is and so He creates. Also too notice that heaven and earth were created. It is God that has no beginning or end. Everything else is created, everything. And so from the beginning there is a distinction between the Creator and the created. This distinction should lead to worship of the Creator by the created. The distinction also should frame our perspective. God is before all things and so He knows. God as creator is therefore also all knowing. So God’s opinion is fact and therefore truth.

Whosoever will

7/24/2013

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17).

The final chapter of the bible reminds us of the offer of salvation. Notice the profound words, “And whosever will…”. The call of the Gospel is the call to repentance and life in Christ Jesus. We can argue till we are blue in the face about theological and ecclesiastical technicalities and nuances, and yet miss the simple call of Gospel. God’s call is gracious, irrevocable, and eternal. God calls people to Himself for their benefit and His ultimate glory. When He calls (the call is open to all), please come, while there is yet time.

The Light

7/23/2013

22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there (Revelation 21:22-25).

The scene pictured in these verses, in my opinion, is hard for us to comprehend. There will be no need for the sun as the light for the new Heaven and the new Earth will proceed from God through Christ. While currently Christ is the light of the world from a spiritual standpoint, there will come a time when He will literally provide the light for the Universe. This is power and this is glory, beyond all our human comprehension.

The blessed first resurrection

7/22/2013

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years (Revelation 20:4-6).

There appear from scripture to be two resurrections. The first is the resurrection of the Just and the second is when all others who have ever lived will rise again. All will once again be alive but it is those that are Christ’s that will have true life. This life will be everlasting and will be in the presence of God Himself. This is the restoration of paradise lost in Genesis chapter 3.

Created Through Him