“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1
The Hebrew word for God in this passage is Elohim. This word is plural, suggesting the presence and active involvement of the Trinity during creation.
It’s easy to think of God the Father as the Creator and Jesus showing up in the New Testament. But the presence of Jesus at creation is confirmed by Colossians 1:16, “For by him all things were created…”
And John 1:1 intentionally mirrors Genesis 1:1 language, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”
Genesis 1:2 confirms the presence of the Holy Spirit: “…the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
The use of the plural Elohim confirms the presence and active involvement of all three members of the Godhead in creation. Our great God is three-in-one.
The Bible begins from the get-go with foundational truth that God always existed. He was the creator — not the created. He existed before time and is outside of time. He is eternal. He did not evolve or begin; He always was.
The Hebrew word translated “create” in Genesis 1:1 is the word, bara. It carries the meaning of creating something from nothing. This is more than shaping, arranging, or combining. When you and I bake a cake, we begin with ingredients. While the combination of those ingredients results in a cake, we really cannot use the word “create” in the Biblical sense!
Only God can come up with His own ingredients. When a tag reads “man-made materials,” we should chuckle and remind ourselves that man-arranged is a better description.
While scientists and engineers may have figured out how to split atoms, synthesize chemicals, melt and combine metal to fabricate new alloys, and a myriad of other products, human beings cannot bara anything.
Creation testifies to the power and creativity of our amazing God — almighty, all-powerful, majestic, brilliant. He had the creativity to think it all up and the power to speak it into existence.
As we behold creation, it should prompt us to worship the Creator, the great Elohim, who existed before the beginning and will still be on His throne after the end.
Let’s praise, thank, and worship Elohim as the one and only God … powerful enough to create (bara) everything from nothing!
We’re studying the names of God in this month’s Write The WORD.
We hope you’ll download the free verse list, and read and write along with us!
(Free printable S.O.A.P. study pages are also available.)
