The Battle Over Origins: Is It Worth the Fight? Part 2

God’s Existence

Let’s look at the creation account itself provided in the first chapter of the book of Genesis and see what the Biblical text actually teaches. Genesis 1 starts with “In the beginning God ”. There is no explanation or justification of the existence of God—it is just stated and it is expected that the reader will accept it as truth. God has provided many, many evidences of His existence including the intricate design of the universe around us; the universal and invariant laws of science, logic, and morality; the historical accuracy of the specific peoples, nations, and events recorded in His Holy Word which have been independently verified by extra-biblical history and archaeological findings; and the fulfillment of specific Old Testament prophecies, especially in light of the coming of Jesus Christ the Messiah, including His birth, life, death, and resurrection. However, the initial phrase in the book of Genesis does not attempt to provide any details justifying the existence of God—it is simply reported using historical narrative. God exists outside of time and He is the One that created time! The existence of God is the first fact that we see in the opening chapter of the book of beginnings and this truth is central to the proper understanding of the remainder of the creation account given to us in God’s special revelation.

Let us review some of the key words and phrases that are provided in the description of creation to see what insight we can gain about creation.

The Power of God’s Spoken Word

On seven separate occasions, the phrase “God said” occurs in relation to God speaking things into existence. What an incredible demonstration of the power of the Word of the Holy and Perfect Creator God. In Genesis 1, we see that the following was created by the spoken Word of the Almighty:

• Light (v.3)
• Firmament (v. 6)
• Dry land and the gathering together of waters, later called seas (v. 9)
• Plants (v. 11)
• Lights in the firmament, including the sun, moon, and stars (v. 14)
• Sea creatures and fowl of the air (v. 20)
• Land creatures (v. 24)

Also, God spoke of the intention of creating man in His own image (v.26), who was then fashioned by Jehovah from the dust of the ground.

The authority of the spoken Word of God should cause us to have a great sense of awe and appreciation for the glory and majesty of the God of this world. In addition, the power of God’s Word should drive us to our knees in awe of the gift that the Lord has given to us through the Scriptures as revealed in the Old and New Testaments. As Christians, we are in need of the cleansing power of the Word of God, which serves to purify us. However, in order to receive the great benefits of the washing of the Word, we must be students of the Bible. I encourage you to be reading, studying, meditating on, and memorizing the perfect counsel that God has given to us in what He has written in His Word.