Genesis 1:1-2
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form [tohu] and void [bohu]. and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Matthew Henry gives 4 things for us to observe from this text: 1). The effect produced. 2). The Author and Cause of this great effect. 3). The manner which this work was effected. 4). When this work produced.
I have covered the first three in the previous three posts on this subject. I go back and forth between two studies so if interested in those posts look back to the 23rd, 25th and 27th of January 2010. Today we will look at the fourth observation.
Matthew Henry: “(4) When this work was produced: In the beginning, that is, in the beginning of time, when that clock was first set a-going: time began with the production of those beings that are measured by time. Before the beginning of time there was none but that infinite Being that inhabits eternity. But to us it is enough to say, ‘In the beginning was the Word”, John 1:1.”
I love the concept of eternity. It is mind boggling yet reasonable. It is incomprehensible for we finite beings, but necessary to our finite minds. It is explainable but we cannot fully grasp it. I had a Unitarian confront me on the Trinity when he visited my doorstep one time. Before I surprised him with a reasonable explanation of the Trinity wherein there is no contradiction, he chuckled at me and sort of condescendingly said to me, “Let me guess, God is one and God is three and it’s a ‘mystery’ right?” He emphasized the word mystery. He was insinuating to me, and admitted as much, that if you cannot comprehend it, it cannot be true (for a brief explanation of the Trinity see my January 10th 2010 post: Jesus is God). At that point I asked him to give me a comprehensive explanation of eternity…how can that be? He said he believed God was eternal but could not fully grasp the implications of it. At least he was honest. If we could comprehend God fully, we would be God.
This eternal God existed eternally in three Persons and therefore was never alone. He was always, and always will be a perfectly satisfied being. His eternality is very difficult to ponder. To try to think of a Being with no beginning can “fry the brain”. I love a God that can short circuit my thoughts. Because it makes me realize how great and utterly other He is than we are. I do not want a god who is too small. Most of what is passed off today in the churches is a small unsovereign (my new word) god. God had been un-godded (another word that needs to be added to the dictionary). The eternality of God is a doctrine that immediately eliminates many religions, especially ones with gods who have beginnings.
Another great thought is that time is a creation. Eternality is a dimension that I cannot grasp. Time is manageable. Eternity, that is something outside of time. When Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning” it is referring to the beginning of time, the beginning of something existing other than God. These truths are designed to glorify Him as we consider His infinite nature. What an awesome God.
