In the Beginning God.
- Whitney Nicole
- Sep 24, 2023
- 4 min read
In the beginning God. This is by far one of the most important truths written down for us to grapple with as mere humans. Because what we believe about God has everything to do with how we choose to live the lives we’ve been entrusted to govern.
In the last blog I shared about that time I applied to Planned Parenthood, I uncovered the foundational question each person must ask themselves in the debate over who decides the fate of life in the womb. And that question is “Who is Lord?” Many have proclaimed that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Yet there’s much about our lives we simply want Him to save us from the consequences of but not inform us how we should avoid those consequences to begin with (Luke 6:46-49). Lordship for us is supposed to start at the cross we finally kneel to. But God’s lordship is not defined by our acknowledgement of it, nor our coming to faith; it simply is. And it simply was and will be for all eternity because in the beginning God.
God is self-existent. This means He needs nothing and no one to exist outside of Himself. He is eternal meaning He has no beginning or end (Psalm 90:2, John 1:1-4, Colossians 1:15-18, Revelation 22:13). So why “in the beginning God” is so profound is because there would be no beginning unless something, and in this case Someone, defined and created that beginning. This means any and everything ever created had a beginning. And God was the one who created it.
We seem to get this concept in a practical sense. The manufacturer of a thing defines it purpose, value, and time of existence. This is why when you open your box of new gadget A, you’ll likely find a piece of paper (sometimes pages) of details about what it is, what it does, how to maintain it, and how best to get it to function properly. This inventor has sole ownership of his creation. The creation does not define itself, price itself, or exist apart from the one who fashioned it into being. Often, these manufacturers will list cautions about their inventions’ improper use, citing warnings such as may cause loss of longevity, injury, or even death. In this same sense God is our manufacturer. And His instructions for our right use He placed in the cannon of text we call the Bible.
I have to start this query of what to do with life in the womb with God’s lordship and why He has it because it reveals who truly will be Lord in our lives – us or Him. There are tons of biblical scholars who can expound upon such a lofty question with Venn diagrams and 12-inch height theses. But today you got me and the sufficiency God’s given me to understand and write from my limited perspective with Word and Truth. This isn’t the place for me to try to prove the validity of Scripture and its inherent infallibility (check out people like Mike Winger and Frank Turek for that argument). We’re starting from the basis that you believe the Bible is God’s Word. Given by Him, written through men, not missing or adding anything He didn’t want or intend to be there. And we’re starting from the foundation that you believe God has revealed Himself, defined Himself, and defined us through what He prescribed to be written within its pages. So, let us turn to what God has said about His Lordship.
For the sake of space, I won’t write all of Genesis 1 here, but I do want you to pause and read it. It starts with “in the beginning God created.” And it goes on in detail to describe what it was He crafted: the heavens and earth; light and sky; land and seas; plants and trees; seasons and days; the sun, moon, and stars; living creatures big and small; and finally, mankind. Dictionary.com defines a lord as a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler. By the sheer nature and work of God, Lord is fitting.
Still, we find ourselves unimpressed and raging against such a lord who created us with just a Word. The last time a man thought to examine God, he was left without one. Turn (or click) with me; we’re going to Job. Again, I do not have space to lay out all 42 chapters of Job for you, but please revisit his story in full after you finish Genesis 1. I just want to draw your attention to one of the most solemn moments in history, when God laid out the basis for why He is Lord and you, me, and Job are not: Job 38:1 – 40:2.
And do you know what Job said after all that: “I am unworthy – how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer – twice, but I will say no more” (Job 40:4-5).
God continues to speak for 52 more verses (Job 40:7 – 41:34).
And do you know Job’s response: “‘I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand; things too wonderful for me to know. You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes’” (Job 42:1-6).
In awe and trembling, Job proclaims to us that God is Lord. The reason that God gets to define the fate of His creations in the womb rather than us. In the coming weeks, I’ll lay out for you what God intends for those tiny humans and what He thinks of their improper handling as He has prescribed them to be treated from His Word.
Resources
I Am the Lord, and Besides Me There is No Savior, John Piper
More Shocking than Christ: Why We Call Jesus Lord, Joe Rigney
Archaeological Evidence for the Bible, Charlie H. Campbell
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