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If you have had any experience with elementary mathematics, you are familiar with the concept
of a simple line or a line segment. A line segment contains all of the points in space
between two defined points. The difference between a line and a segment is that a line
goes on forever in two directions.
One way we can use a line segment is to represent dates. You’re no doubt familiar with this.
It is what is called a timeline.
For example, on this line segment we could establish a point called 1492 which represents
the year the explorer Christopher Columbus reached the new world. We could establish
another point on our line and call it 1607 to represent the establishment of the first
settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. Similarly we could establish a number in the other direction
on the line and call it 800 to represent the year Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
An important question for us to consider is: Where should a timeline start? Scientists,
historians and philosophers have long argued about the origin of mankind and the world.
But whatever point various men may argue was the “beginning” the simple truth is that
there was a time, somewhere in the past, when the earth, humanity and the whole universe
got its start.
Bible believing Christians have a clear statement about the beginning from the book of Genesis.
The very first verse of the Bible tells us, “In the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth.” That is our marker. Whether we can agree precisely on how many years ago
that event occurred, we believe that it marks the beginning of world time.
But it’s not actually that easy. For in another sense the events of Genesis 1:1 do
not represent an ultimate beginning at all. You see, by saying, “In the beginning God...”
we acknowledge that God already existed even before “the beginning.”
If God already existed before the beginning when he created the heaven and the earth,
does that mean the beginning is not really the beginning?
There is no mention of God’s having been created, for God is eternal. In fact, Psalm
90 verse two tells us, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed
the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”
Does this mean that our timeline should extend infinitely into the past to account for the
eternal existence of God? You might be surprised to learn that some secular scientists over
the past decade have been arguing for just that conclusion.
However, it doesn’t really work that way. You see, God does not exist on the timeline.
He is infinite and not bound by time. God exists today as much as he still exists in
1492, 1607, 800 or any other date we can propose.
To understand this, let’s think of the history of the world for a moment as though it were
a story written down in a novel. In a book written long before you were born, do the
characters exist before you, a reader, ever knew about them? Sure they did.
When you read about them, you may experience their time with them for a brief period, but
if you put your book down only to pick up a day later, the characters in your book aren’t
aware of your waiting a day to continue their story. As the reader of a book you can jump
back or ahead in the character’s time at your pleasure.
Though this is a very imperfect analogy, it should help us understand how God is free
from the restrictions of time as we face them in creation.
The beginning of time marked in Genesis chapter one is actually the beginning of our time,
as though we were characters in God’s book. “In the beginning” marks the point at
which our clock of the world started ticking. Before that time there was no creation and
there was no time.
God, who created all that is, has always existed, but not before our timeline. God exists outside
of our timeline. God exists in eternity. And even though nothing happened which we can
comprehend before “in the beginning,” God already existed when “in the beginning”
came to be for us.
It’s a concept a little too broad for our finite minds to truly grasp. But, if we know
where to look, we find that the Bible actually gives us plenty of information about this
“time outside of time” when all that existed was God.
Look with me at another passage of Scripture which starts off with words remarkably similar
to the Genesis 1:1 passage we have already considered.
In the gospel of John chapter one and verse one we read, “In the beginning was the Word.”
Do those words sound familiar? They are very similar to the words we saw in Genesis 1:1.
But they are actually very different from what we read in Genesis for one particular
reason. Let’s look at them side by side.
In Genesis we read about what happened “in the beginning,” namely that God created
the heavens and the earth.
But in John’s gospel we don’t read about what was done in the beginning. Rather, we
read about what already was!
Genesis 1:1 tells us that in the beginning God already existed. And John 1:1 tells us
that in the beginning the Word already existed.
So what did John mean when he used the word “word”?
When we think of Word we must be careful not to limit ourselves to the idea of a few characters
printed on a page. Word here in the Bible indicates an expression of what something
is.
We use words to communicate ideas. In the first verses of John’s gospel “Word”
refers to an expression of who God is.
The phrase “Word of God” actually has two primary associations in the Bible. Sometimes
we use the phrase to describe the Bible itself. The Bible is God’s written account of who
he is, of who we are as the people he created and of how he governs our relationship with
him.
But we also speak of Jesus as the Word of God, because Jesus is also the expression
of who God is, of who we are as his creation and of how our relationship with him is governed.
Here in John 1:1 when the apostle tells us, “In the beginning was the Word,” it is
this second sense that must guide our understanding. The “Word” refers to Jesus. In the beginning
was Jesus, who is the expression of God.
And this is where our consideration of human history must truly begin. We must consider
the existence of Jesus Christ outside of what we know as the beginning of time.
Let’s take a few moments to consider what these first verses of John’s gospel tell
us about Jesus and the beginning.
We have already established from the first verse that Jesus, here called the Word, already
existed in the beginning. This confirms for us that Jesus is not a created being. Jesus
did not come into existence when the world was created, nor was he created when he was
born with a baby’s body in Bethlehem. He has always been.
But the first verse here also reminds us that as Jesus always existed, he has also always
been God. He is described here both as being with God and also being God. Though the Holy
Spirit is not mentioned here, what we see here is an expression of the concept of the
trinity. There is one God, but in that one God there are three eternally existing persons
whom we call the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
This passage also teaches us that Jesus is the creator of everything that is. Genesis
one tells us that God created the world and everything in it, but John one specifically
tells us that it was the second person of the trinity, Jesus, who did the creating work.
This passage in John also confirms for us that all life originates in Jesus.
And, finally these verses express the truth that Jesus is the light of the world and that
the world has rejected that truth.
In coming studies, as we explore the creation and fall of man we will see how initially
the human race was made to be in fellowship with God.
We will see how in Adam we lost that fellowship.
We will see that before there was time God knew what would happen to mankind and that
Jesus was sent to redeem his people from the wrath of God due to us for our sin.
This is what the history of the Word and the World is all about. The focal point of our
study is the role of Jesus Christ in human history. It is our goal to demonstrate that
human history on this earth revolves around the person of Jesus Christ, as both God and
man, and our obligation to him as his created beings.
We welcome your questions and your comments. I hope you will follow along with us as we
explore the history of humanity from a divine perspective.