IN THE BEGINNING

When we consider this word, several scripture verses come to mind. Of course (Gen 1:1) is the first verse in the Bible and tells us that God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing. Then in (John 1:1-14) we see that Jesus took part in creation in the beginning. In (Col 1:15-20) we are given more information about the part Jesus played in creation. Then of course we have (Phil 2:5-11) which tell us clearly that Jesus "gave up His divine privileges" in order to be born into our human race. When we read these 4 passages of holy scripture in sequence, we should appreciate the marvelous creation that we are privileged to be a part of! It seems that in the very beginning, before time began, there was only God. As we understand it, God always existed as a community we call the "Trinity", meaning "Three in one". Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which were simply three separate functions of the one true God! One in essence, in perfect harmony, and yet different in function. No wonder Paul referred to this reality of the Godhead as a "great mystery" that had been revealed to him along with the plan of salvation. (Eph 3:1-7)! Paul was a very special human being, called to be an apostle, or a "sent one", to whom was given the task of telling the Gentiles (non-Jews) the good news of the gospel. He was also given the task of writing nearly half of the New Testament, part of God's revelation to us of His divine plan of creation.

Why is it so important to have a true understanding of the beginning of creation? It is important because there is so much confusion in our world around this topic. Satan, who is the avowed enemy of God, has sown many lies into our human race over the years. Jesus revealed the truth about Satan, as recorded in (John 8:44), "----he is a murderer from the beginning--- "a liar and the father of lies". It is little wonder then that the world is in such a mess, because he has had so many years to spread his lies to the gullible members of the human race! A few verses earlier in this chapter of the Gospel of John, (John 8:31-36) Jesus makes some very clear statements about the value of knowing the truth! The key to these verses is found in verse 31, "---you are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings". A disciple is a follower, and Jesus stated in (Luke 9:23) "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me". This would seem to me to be the simple answer to the world's problems! Let's encourage as many people as we can to become followers of Jesus, who said "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6)! Remember that Jesus was, and will always be, God in a human form. And as we have seen, He played a key role in creation "in the beginning"

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp