In the Beginning
Devotions for Growing Christians
In the Beginning
The book of Genesis is probably the most well-known book in the Old Testament. Both Christians and non-Christians are familiar with many of the ageless stories in this great book. However, it’s rare to find any mention of the first verse of the Bible in the secular world. Why? Because the first verse of the Bible is in direct opposition to what modern man wants to believe today. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This verse is brushed aside as being unscientific and untrue. Creation is out of the question, and an eternal God who created the universe is an unthinkable concept.
Despite what the critics may think, the first verse of the Bible stands as the most concise and beautiful statement of "how it all began." There’s never been a better or more reasonable explanation than Genesis 1:1. No hypothesis, philosophy, or religion has come up with a more feasible alternative. Throughout history, various ideas have been proposed and pushed as fact. From ancient Babylon's "Enuma Elish" (a polytheistic creation epic characterized by mythological ideas), to modern science's concept of “eternal matter,” man has attempted to explain the nagging question of origins. However, when all the differing theories are compared, no option can claim more evidence--and require less faith to believe--than the simple statement: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
These first ten words of the Bible are priceless in both content and importance. They contain the true doctrine of creation, but they’re also a fortress against all kinds of error and heresy. Many false concepts of God and nature are refuted by the very first statement of Scripture.
Atheism
Atheism, the belief that God does not exist, cannot be true if "In the beginning God" is true. The Bible doesn’t give a philosophical argument for the existence of God. It simply assumes His existence -- right from the start!
Interestingly, most people who deny the existence of God don’t really live consistently with their own belief system. In reality, atheists acknowledge the authority of God every time they judge anything to be “right” or “wrong.” A consistent atheist can’t admit moral values - because if there is no God, then “moral values” don’t exist. An atheist has no real basis to say that you’re morally wrong if you steal his car. The most he can say (and still be consistent with his belief) is that you have broken a law that was set up by a mankind for the purpose of living more conveniently or pleasurably. But when an atheist is wronged in some way, you see how quickly he or she becomes a moralist!
Nihilism
Nihilism is the belief that existence is basically useless and purposeless, because there are no grounds for objective truth. It’s the logical outcome of consistent atheism. What possible meaning and purpose can there be in this universe if there are no ultimate realities or absolutes?
Many people have felt the despair of nihilism after giving up belief in God in a quest for "intellectual respectability." They desperately cling to an existential "do your own thing" philosophy, hoping that life will somehow take on some meaning and purpose. But that's like trying to find fulfilment in playing a board game on the deck of the sinking Titanic!
A simple acceptance of the first verse of the Bible makes a life-changing difference. The words, "God created the heavens and the earth," show us real and objective grounds for truth. They show us that there’s meaning and purpose in the universe. We learn who God is as the biblical narrative unfolds, and we see that He has a plan and purpose for His creation.
Radical Materialism
The theory / philosophy of radical materialism holds that the universes consists of nothing more than matter, and that matter is eternal. There’s nothing spiritual. Man is just a part of a complex machine, and he’s no better than the chair he sits on. He’s just a more complex arrangement of molecules.
The radical materialist is forced to believe in the eternity of matter by the First Law of Thermodynamics. This law states that the amount of energy within the universe stays constant, even though it can vary in form. For example, when we put fuel into our cars, the chemical energy of the gas is converted to heat and noise, but no energy is lost or gained – it’s just changed in form.
Einstein showed that all matter in the universe can be equated to energy. This energy may take various forms, but again, no energy is now being created or destroyed. Applying this law to our universe tells us that the universe cannot have created itself. Either it was created or it’s eternal. Those are the only two rational options. The radical materialist opts for the eternal - but the first words of the Bible permit only one possibility: the heavens and the earth were created.
The second law of thermodynamics states that in any "closed system" there’s always a tendency for disorder and decay. Living things die, machinery wears out, buildings crumble, stars burn up. Yes, there are "events" of increasing order, such as the building of an automobile on the assembly line, but this is an example of an "open system" where "outside help" is being provided. In a closed system, the overall tendency is towards decay.
Our sun is burning up at a certain rate and cannot last forever. The universe will eventually run down. It logically follows, then, that sometime in the past, the material universe was more ordered than it is now. The second law strongly suggests that there was a beginning to this universe. It’s not eternal, and it must have been created.
The first and second laws of thermodynamics are solid scientific statements. They demand a beginning and a Creator for this universe. Far-out ideas such as an eternally cyclic universe are just attempts get around the laws of thermodynamics. Ironically, it takes just as much faith (if not more) to accept these ideas as it does to accept the words of Genesis 1:1.
A host of other "isms" are also put down by the first few words of the Bible. Polytheism, pantheism, dualism and naturalism are just a few of the many concepts of God and nature that are contrary to the teaching of the first verse of the Bible.
There have been many great books written in history, but we must never forget the first words in the greatest Book of all time: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
- Dave Reid
(Updated 2022, Ron Reid)