Author: Proud Mpofu

By Martin Morrison

Francis Schaeffer taught us that there are no little people. C. S. Lewis taught us that you have never talked to a mere mortal. Moses tells us that anyone reading this page, “is made in the image of God”. Unbelievable!! You have infinite value!! You will live forever!!

I used to tell my very young daughters when putting them to bed, to imagine all the Barbie dolls in the world, all the ballet shoes in the world, all the diamonds in the world, all the gold in the world, all the chocolate in the world. And then I would say, I love you much, much more than all of those!! Well, Moses tells us when he puts us to bed at night, that one human being is worth more than all of those treasures put together and more! In fact, he tells us that there is no comparison! I wonder how many people, would disagree with Moses, when push comes to shove! A ton of gold or the life of your great uncle who has dementia and is bedridden! What would you choose? Your answer would tell us a great deal about your theology! We are all theologians, some good, some bad!

In our last devotion, we started looking at the teaching of Genesis concerning the nature of man, male and female. “Then God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them”, Genesis 1:26 – 27. There at least five possible meanings in Genesis and in Scripture, as to what it means to be made in the image of God. Last time, we looked at the first meaning, that each and every individual is unique.

Secondly, it means that man is a spiritual being. Man is the only creature that prays, apart from the praying mantis! Through the ages, you will find every people, nation, tribe or culture, praying or worshipping. That is apart from a very tiny over educated elite group of white westerners who are so clever to think that there is no God! The Bible calls them fools! “The fool says in his heart, There is no God”, Psalm 14:1. In Biblical terms, a fool is not only an idiot, but morally deficient!

The reason everyone prays or worships, is because everyone made in the image of God is a spiritual being. Solomon teaches us, “…he has put eternity into the man’s heart”, Ecclesiastes 3:11. Because we are made for two worlds, both earth and heaven, we will never be satisfied with the things of this world. We have an inbuilt yearning for eternity. We have a longing for the divine.

You may well say to me that you are not a Methodist or a Muslim or a Baptist, that in fact you have no interest in any form of organised religion, all of which may well be perfectly true. But eternity is not something you believe, it is something you are.

That longing for eternity will be fleshed out in one of three ways. Either in some form of spirituality, or in a real personal relationship with God, or it will be felt in a deep sense of restlessness or emptiness. Remember in the movie, The Matrix, Morpheus says to Neo, “Let me tell you why you are here. It’s because you know something. What you know you can’t explain but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life. There is something wrong with this world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind driving you mad”. The reason for the splinter in your mind is found in Genesis 2:7, “…then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature”.

Unlike every other creature, only man has God breathing into him, the breath of life. Only man has a spirit and a soul. Only man is made in the image of God. And when there is no relationship with God or knowledge of God, it will be like a splinter in your mind driving you mad. You will never understand yourself, you will never understand other people, unless you understand that man, is made of both dust and spirit. Both spiritual and physical. You are made for two worlds and will never be happy with only earth.

Thirdly, being made in the image of God, we are not solitary beings but communal beings. The reason being, that God is a communal being. We previously saw, that God is not a solitary divine being. No, God is Trinity. There is one God, made up of three persons. “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”, Genesis 1:26. God does not say, let me make man in my image, but rather, let us make man in our image. The divine plural. The Royal plural. It is almost as if there was a divine counsel, discussing the creation of man. What that tells us is that God is communal by nature. The Godhead is made of more than one person.

It is therefore perfectly obvious, that we who are made in the image of God will also be communal by nature. That’s why we get lonely or depressed when we spend long periods of time in isolation, it goes against our inherent nature. That is why there is no greater punishment for a human being, than to be in solitary confinement. It is de-humanising. That’s why we find satisfaction and purpose in relationships, in human intimacy, precisely because we are created to live in some kind of community.

Margery Williams wrote a very short book called The Velveteen Rabbit, which contains this delightful quote. “The Velveteen Rabbit turned to the old wise experienced Skin Horse in the nursery, and asked “What is Real?”. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?” The Skin Horse replied, “Real isn’t how you are made. It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real”. “Does it hurt”, asked the Rabbit. “Sometimes”, said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “Does it happen all at once, or bit by bit?” “It doesn’t happen all at once”, said the Skin Horse, “You become. It takes a long time…Generally by the time you are Real most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out, and you get very shabby…but once you are Real, you cannot become unreal again. It lasts for always”. (Without a doubt, I must have become REAL, as most of my hair has been loved off, my eyes are droopy, and I am certainly rather shabby!).

We become real through relationships of love. That is why, we as Christians, need to work so hard at building and maintaining relationships, at building community. It is precisely because we are made in the image of God.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you”, John 15:12.

By Martin Morrison

It is one thing to understand the brokenness of our world post the fall in Genesis 3. It is quite another thing to understand the fall when it affects me personally and painfully.

Even mature Christians who have journeyed a long way with the Lord, sometimes stumble when they face hardship. We either wonder whether it is a sign of God’s anger with us. Alternatively, we wonder whether God has forgotten us. Both perspectives are wrong.

Firstly, those who are in Christ will NEVER, NEVER know the wrath of God. Because of the substitutionary death of Christ on our behalf, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. Romans 8:1. Christ has quenched the wrath of God when He died on the cross and cried, “It is finished”. The cup of God’s wrath we so richly deserve has been drunk to its last drop by God’s Son on our behalf. So, if you are in Christ, you will never ever taste God’s wrath. Christ finished the entire cup. Extraordinary!!

Secondly, God only disciplines His beloved children. “Have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he receives” Hebrews 12:5-6.

There is an argument from the lesser to the greater in this great passage. If our parents disciplined us for our earthly good, how much more will our heavenly Father discipline us for our heavenly good. Some of us endured the discipline and pain of a great sports coach. The result was an earthly sporting trophy. Should we not then understand that our heavenly Father disciplines us in love, in order that we may receive a heavenly trophy.

We often miss out on the key phrase in the entire passage. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it”. Hebrew 12:11.

If we grimly decide to merely get through this time of pain without losing our cool or faith, we have missed the whole point. The point being that we need to see this time of hardship as God’s training ground to make us grow in holiness, to make us more like Jesus.

Now that I understand God’s purpose in my pain, I pray, “Oh Lord, forgive my unbelief. Forgive me for not seeing your loving hand behind this painful training session. Forgive me for desiring more my happiness than my holiness. Thank you for loving me so much that you have taken the trouble to discipline and train me for eternity”.

By Martin Morrison

If only I had more time.
Where did the time go?
Why does no-one have any time today?

Pascal’s answer is brilliant. We want to be busy. We want to complicate our lives. We don’t have to. We want to.

We want to be hustled and harried and busy. Unconsciously, we want the very thing we complain about. For if we had time, we would have to look within ourselves and listen to our hearts and see the great gaping hole in our hearts and be terrified. Because that hole is so big that nothing but God can fill it.

We all know instinctively that in and of ourselves our hearts are empty. We all know instinctively that we will die. So, in order not to think about these fearsome realities, we create diversions. The unconscious fear of a 21-day lockdown is what will I do with all that time? What if the lockdown is extended! Horror upon horror. More time to be filled!

So, we frantically scurry to find new diversions. Of course, our modern technological age will not disappoint us in our hour of greatest need! On the contrary. Without much effort at all, we do not need to spend one waking minute without a diversionary sound, sight or stimulation. Exhausted from the frantic pursuit of diversions we fall asleep, unconsciously thankful that we did not have to spend a moment facing the fearful realities of our own empty hearts and the prospect of death.

David instructs us in Psalm 62 to do one of the most difficult things in life. To be still. To wait in silence. This is not to empty our minds, if that were possible. No, the silence ought to cause us to see our brokenness, our emptiness, our mortality and flee to God.

“For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress;
I shall not be greatly shaken”
Psalm 62: 1 – 2.

Switch off every device.
Close the door.
Open your Bible.
Turn to Psalm 62.
Read. Meditate on each verse. Now talk to God.

By Martin  Morrison

The climax of God’s creative activity was the creation of human beings, and the way in which God expresses this high point is to describe them as having been “created in the image of God”.

 

“Then God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them”, Genesis 1:26 – 27.

“There is more controversy today over the origin of human beings than there is over the origin of the universe”, Professor John Lennox, Oxford University. For centuries, one of the foundations of the western world, was the infinite value of human beings, as they were created in the image of God. Sadly, this concept is being aggressively attacked by the elite in our culture. “We can no longer base our ethics on the idea that human beings are a special form of creation, made in the image of God. Human beings are no more unique than animals”, Professor Peter Singer, Princeton University. “Many people have not given up Christianity’s cardinal error, the belief that humans are radically different from other animals”, Professor John Gray, London School of Economics.

Genesis affirms that man is both dust and spirit. Genesis does not deny what chemistry tells us, that all of life has a common chemical base. It is important to take note of the teaching of Genesis on this point.

“Let the earth sprout vegetation”, Genesis 1:11.
“Let the earth bring forth living creatures”, Genesis 1:24.
“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature”, Genesis 2:7.
“Till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return”, Genesis 3:19.

The point being, that earthly life and human life, have a common chemical base. So in many respects, humans are no different from the animals. We eat, sleep, run, breathe, reproduce, have similar organs and similar diseases. The language of Genesis affirms this commonality, by saying that we are all derived from the earth, from the dust. We should therefore not be surprised when the heart valve of a pig can be used in place of a human heart valve!

However, the absolute uniqueness of man is affirmed, when the Scriptures affirm that we are not only made of dust, but also spirit, “and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature”, Genesis 2:7. That is never said of any animal or creature, only man. Only man has a spirit, a soul. You will never understand yourself, if you don’t understand that you have a dual nature. You are made of dust, you are made for this world. But you are also a creature of another world, you have a spirit, a soul. Which is why you long for something more than this world. Which is why your soul will never be satisfied with merely earthly things.

Just a quick aside. I am trying not to be a male chauvinist! I am using the term “man” in a generic sense, meaning both male and female. I am using it in the sense of Genesis 1:27, “So God created man, male and female he created them”. In Afrikaans, there is a wonderful term used when addressing a group of people, regardless of gender, “julle”. It is impossible to translate, but is similarly generic!! “Man” is the same as “julle!!”

What then does it mean that “man is made in the image of God?” Let me suggest at least 5 possible meanings, taken from Genesis and the rest of Scripture. Today, we look at the first.

Firstly, it means that man is a unique being. If you look at Genesis 1 as a literary unit, there is a steady progression of thought in the first twenty five verses, which comes to a high point in verse 26. In every other act of creation, God merely speaks and things happen. But here in the creation of man, which is the crown of God’s creative work, we have the majestic plural, “Let us make man, in our image”, Genesis 1:26. Unlike the rest of creation, it requires the full attention of the Trinity, to create man, both male and female.

This verse is quite critical in our understanding of ourselves and our self-image. It is an organizing principle for each of us in terms of our personal identity and sense of self-worth. It answers questions such as:

Who am I?
Where do I come from?
Does my life matter?
Do I have any worth?
Do I have any value?
Why am I here?

Evolutionary humanism says that man is merely an animal. No different in principle or essence from other creatures or animals. The human race has arisen by fate, chance or mutation. We have arisen from the primeval slime.

What that means, is that we are nothing more than a chemical equation, the sum total of atoms and molecules. This view is well expounded by Jacob Bronowski author of “The Identity of Man”, who says, “Man is a part of nature in the same sense that a stone is or a cactus or camel”. I would challenge him to hold to the same view, when you threaten to throw his baby granddaughter in a lake, as you throw a stone in a lake! It sounds so clever on paper, but most unlikely in practise!

The problem with this kind of philosophy is that logically, there is no basis why we should treat human beings with any kind of dignity or value or worth. If everything is governed by chance, if we are inherently no different from the animals, then there is no logical reason to treat people any differently than we do chickens or sheep or cows that get slaughtered at an abattoir every day by the thousands. Or Jews by the millions in a German gas chamber! In reality, not an academic paper, I am not sure Bronowski would want his baby granddaughter to be lined up with the cows!!

In total contrast, the Bible says that you are not an accident or a mere chance product of nature. No, you are unique. You are distinct from the rest of creation. You have intrinsic value. Why? Because you are made in the image of God, you bear the characteristics of God.

Perhaps as you are reading this, you may be struggling with a very low self-image. Perhaps you come from a dysfunctional family. Perhaps you have been abused physically or emotionally. Perhaps you have been told all your life that you will not amount to anything, that you’re a mistake, why can’t you be like your brother or sister? Perhaps you feel young and unwanted. Perhaps you feel old and unwanted!

You need to know, that you are no mistake! You are not a nobody! God does not make junk! You are infinitely precious. You have infinite value, infinite worth and infinite dignity. Why because you are made in the very image of God. You are so precious that God sent his only Son to die for you. That is mind-blowing!

“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. While were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son”, Romans 5:8,10.

By Martin Morrison

When it comes to Genesis 1, there are always questions on our lips. Were the seven days of creation seven, 24-hour days? Is there a conflict between science and Christianity? Is this creation account a space-time event or is it mythical language intended to convey spiritual truths?

There has been fierce controversy over Genesis 1. “The atheists hurl stones at the “head-in the- sand” Creationists. The Creationists retaliate by exploiting the gaps in the evolutionary theory. Other Christians distance themselves from the creationists, arguing that the integrity of Genesis can be maintained without a 24-hour-day. And on it goes. Sometimes, we can trade arguments about carbon dating and the latest archaeological finds, and both God and Jesus are lost in a sea of quasi-scientific confusion” Beyond Eden. Philip Jensen and Tony Payne.

Though these questions and issues are certainly legitimate, we must take care that they do not obscure the real message of Genesis. Over the last few devotions, we have started looking at the real message of Genesis which starts with who is God? It continues to answer, who is man? Why are we here? Does life have meaning? Why is there man and woman? What is our relationship to the world? When we get too obsessed with modern controversy over Genesis 1, we may overlook the searching questions that God is asking us in Genesis! These are questions of far greater importance than the details of some primeval chemical reaction!

However, we cannot proceed further, without addressing the perennial question about whether the seven days of creation were in fact seven 24-hour days? Put very simply, some have argued, that the days of Genesis 1 are 24-hour days of one week, and usually then argue that the universe is young or that we have a young earth. Others have argued that the word “day” refers to a period of time, and that the universe could in fact be old and ancient.

I have no scientific background or knowledge whatsoever. After the chemical equation H2O, I have no further knowledge of chemistry or physics. My mathematical knowledge ends with the 12×12 table. Even 12×11 is a stretch for me! My very dear, long-suffering wife will tell you that I need help when changing an electric plug! She is the DIY expert in our home!

However, I do have very limited knowledge of the Hebrew language, the language in which the Old Testament was written. So, I will confine myself to examine the usage of the word “day” in Genesis. In Hebrew, the word “day” is the word “yom”. And the word “yom” occurs repeatedly in the text.

It is important to notice that the word “day” or “yom” in Hebrew is actually used in at least 5 different ways in this passage. Let me show you.
In Genesis 1:5, “God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day”. So it would seem in the same verse, that the word “day” is used for the period of light, and the word “day” is used for the period of light and darkness, the day and night. So ostensibly, the same word,“yom”, is being used for a period of 12 hours, but also used for a period of 24 hours. Much as we use the word “day” for both these meanings in the English language. So immediately we have two separate meanings for the same Hebrew word in the same chapter.

Then notice in Genesis 1:14 – 19 that God creates the sun and the moon, “And God made the two great lights – the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night – and the stars”, Genesis 1:16. That means, quite obviously that days one to three in Genesis 1:3 – 13 are non-solar days, as the sun was only created on day four. If a solar day is 24 hours, then the first three days of Genesis 1 are days of unknown length. Which could mean that they were seconds or years in length. Their length is unknown. That means that the word “day’ is used for both solar and non-solar days. A third possible meaning to the word “day” in Genesis 1.

Also notice in Genesis 2:1 – 3, that at the end of the seventh “day”, there is no mention “…and there was evening and there was morning”, as in all the previous six days. So the seventh day must be different from the other six days. It must mean that God is still resting from his initial creative work and is now sustaining his universe. God has obviously not returned to his initial creative work, because it is completed. Thus ostensibly, the seventh day is an indefinite period of time. From then to now. A fourth possible meaning to the word “day”.

Lastly, notice Genesis 2:4, “…in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens”. Here again, we have the word, “yom”, but here it seems that the word is being used to refer back to the whole of Genesis 1, all seven days. This suggests that Genesis 1, was a period of at least seven days or a period of undetermined time. Just like an old man may say, “In my day, we went by train and not aeroplanes”. Or here in South Africa, we may speak of the “day” of Nelson Mandela, referring to the 1990’s, not to a particular day in particular. (Others argue that Genesis 2:4, is referring to the period between Genesis 2:4 – 4:26. In this case the same principal applies, as Genesis 2:4 – 4:26 covers a significant period of time and certainly not merely one day).

So, what to conclude? If we are Biblical Christians, then we must hold to what the Bible says. There are cogent reasons for arguing that Genesis 1 refers to seven, 24-hour days. I respect those views. However, from my limited knowledge of the Hebrew language, it would seem that Genesis 1 is not clear, as to the specific meaning of the word “day”, but uses the word interchangeably and with at least four or five different meanings in the same passage. If the Bible is not categorical about something, then I think that it would be wise for us not to be categorical either.

What we have in Genesis 1 is possibly not normal history. Normal history is man’s experience of something, and then man’s record of what he has experienced. Genesis 1 is God’s inspired word. Genesis 1 is absolutely true. Genesis 1 is history, but it is not normal history. We could possibly call it proto-history.

You cannot be a Christian and believe in the philosophy of evolution. A Christian believes that God and only God created the world. Period. We categorically believe in a personal, sovereign, creator God. “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible”, Hebrews 11:3.

He could have created in seven seconds, or he could have created over an indeterminate period of time. I have no problem whatsoever with either concept, because I have no problem with both concepts of natural and supernatural. They are not mutually exclusive. Because the Bible isn’t categorical about the timing, perhaps we should be hesitant in being categorical.
“Therefore, we must leave open the exact length of time indicated by day in Genesis”, Francis Schaeffer.

By Martin Morrison

There are very few religions that believe in a speaking God. In fact, for many people it is a strange and uncomfortable concept. Does he understand grammar and metaphors? What language does he speak? Does he speak in words or ideas? Does he have vocal cords or a tongue? Do you hear him speaking by intuition or vibrations? Surely you don’t actually believe in a speaking God? The questions and incredulity are endless. Yet there is almost nothing more central to the Christian faith than the concept of a speaking God. In fact, it would be fair to say that there would be no Christianity without this concept.

To understand the concept, we need to go back to the words of God himself. “So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” Genesis 1: 27. More often than not, we look at this extraordinary verse from the vantage point of man. It tells us that man, both male and female, are uniquely and equally made in the image of God. It tells us that man is inherently different from the animals and all the rest of creation. It is only of man that such a statement is made. Unlike the rest of creation, it gives man infinite and eternal value. Imagine, you have never spoken to a mere human! No, you speak to someone who bears the very image of God!!

However, let’s this time look at this verse from the vantage point of God. If man is able to speak, to communicate, to build relationships, to be intimate and personal, well then surely the one who created him can do the same and more! If man can see and hear and understand the most intricate object, well then surely the one who created him can do the same and more! If the image bearer can do the most sophisticated and complex actions, well surely the image giver can do the same!

You see, this verse not only tells us much about man, it tells us much about God. He can see, hear, understand, relate, communicate and yes, speak! If we, the creature can write, surely so can the creator. There is nothing strange or peculiar in this concept. It is neither irrational nor unreasonable. In fact, nothing could be more reasonable.

In our politically correct culture, it is almost inadmissible to argue for the existence of God. The obvious reason being that if you admit that there is a real God, then you would need to admit the existence of good and evil, right and wrong. We may even be held accountable. Surely, we haven’t sunk that low!

What is heretical in this PC, culturally sensitive world, is to claim that there are no other gods but the God of the Bible! To claim that all other so-called gods are fictional or delusional. To claim that they have no real existence. It is the ultimate heresy. Outrageous says BBC and CNN. Cancel their membership says the United Nations. Surely, that’s hate speech, says the New York Times!

There is only one of him, emerges from Genesis 1 and the rest of the Bible. If God has always existed, the uncaused cause, if God made everything that is not-God, then logically, there is only one of him. “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is One”, Deuteronomy 6:1. “In the beginning God”, Genesis 1:1.

Ancient cultures believed in various gods, the god of fire, the god of fertility, the god of love, the god of war, the god of rain. It was commonplace to worship and sacrifice to different gods, deities and spirits. Today, nothing has changed. There are many cultures in Asia and Africa that worship and sacrifice to the ancestors. Hindus believe in millions of gods. Oprah speaks of “the force of light; the Christ light; Dharma; Rah; Mother of the Universe; Oh, nameless spirit that is not done with us”.

In stark contrast to both ancient and modern cultures, the Bible affirms that there is only one God, one reality, one creator and one judge of all the earth.

“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it; the seas and all that is in them; and the host of heaven worships you”, Nehemiah 9:6

God is the creator of everything that is non-God. God is the creator of all reality. Though there are other physical entities, though there are other spiritual entities, God is in a total class of his own. There is only one of him.

“For I am God, and there is no other. I am God and there is none like me”, Isaiah 46:9.

“I am the Lord and there is no other, beside me there is no God”, Isaiah 45:5.

Paul in the New Testament confirms this Old Testament concept with crystal clear clarity. Paul not only affirms that there is only one God, but that all other gods and idols are nothing. They are vapours, imaginations, fantasies, “We know that an idol has no real existence, and that there is no God but one”, 1 Corinthians 8:4. It is quite probable that demonic forces can use so- called gods to deceive people. I have no doubt that many millions are deceived by Satan, thinking that their god or idol is real. Demonic forces we understand. Demonic forces masquerading in the clothes of gods, spirits and ideologies we understand. But we do not understand or accept that there are alternative gods to the God of the Bible. As Paul says, “We know that an idol has no real existence”. They have no existence in reality. They are no more than a myth, a far-fetched legend, a product of Disney or Netflix! You see, it is not as if the God of the Bible is the strongest or biggest or greatest of all the pantheon of gods. No, he is the only God. There is no other. He is one of a kind. There is only one of him.

Believe this, as I do, and Radio 702 will have you for breakfast and your unbelieving family will cancel lunch!!

The last thing we can learn about God in Genesis 1, is that God is made up of three persons. By the time of the New Testament, there is a clear doctrine of the Trinity. One God made up of three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

It is not yet clear or precise in Genesis, but there are clear hints and whispers of this pivotal truth of the Bible. Yes, even here in the first chapter of Genesis! “Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”, Genesis 1:26. It does not say, let me make man in my image. No, let us make man in our image. Third person plural. This verse doesn’t prove the Trinity, but it clearly indicates that God is more than one person. It indicates a plurality in the Godhead. That God mysteriously, is made up of more than one person.

But even before Genesis 1:26, we see a clear whisper of the plurality of the Godhead in the first three verses of Genesis 1.

Verse 1: “In the beginning God” – most probably a reference to God the Father

Verse 2: “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” – most obviously a reference to the Holy Spirit.

Verse 3: “And God said…” – quite probably a reference to the Son. Confused! This one needs a bit of careful thought!

Remember the Gospel of John. John commences his Gospel in a similar way to Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him”, John 1:1 – 3. Well of course, now that you mention it, the agent of creation in Genesis 1 was in fact God’s voice, God’s word, “And God said…and it was so”, “And God said…and it was so”, “And God said…and it was so”. So the agent of creation in Genesis 1 was the word of God. And then John drops a bombshell, by telling us, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…the only Son from the Father”, John 1:14. Which means, almost unbelievably, that the word “says” in Genesis 1 is in fact a reference to the Son. Jesus, the Word is the means by which God creates in Genesis 1. Jesus the word, is the agent of creation, which is precisely what John tells us in John 1:1 – 3.

So there we have it, in the first three verses of the Bible, Genesis 1:1 – 3, we have a clear hint to the three persons of the Trinity. Our God is one, and he is made up of three persons.

Now is not the time to go into the mysterious and wonderful doctrine of the Trinity, one of the most glorious doctrines in the Bible. But just to encourage you, if you are a follower of Jesus, then miracle of all miracles, all three persons were involved in your salvation. God the Father planned your salvation before the creation of the world. God the Son accomplished your salvation two thousand years ago on the cross. And God the Spirit applied your salvation in the here and now. How extraordinary! What a miracle! All three persons of the Trinity intimately involved in your salvation!!

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth”, John 1: 14.

By Martin Morrison

The atheist Bertrand Russell is reputed to have said, that without God, there can be no point in discussing the purpose of life. How obviously true! If there is no God, there is absolutely no point in any discussions or even living itself. Another atheist, the German Friedrich Nietzsche hugely influential in the “death of God” movement, lived out Russell’s point by spending the last years of his life in total seclusion, before a complete loss of mental health which lead to his early death at age 56. Nietzsche was a huge influence on Adolf Hitler and interestingly Richard Wagner, which explains why I have never enjoyed Wagner’s music in the slightest!

In our last devotion, we started looking at Genesis 1, and in particular what Genesis 1 teaches us about God. The first thing we learnt about God in Genesis 1, is that God simply is. We saw that the Bible does not begin with a long list of arguments to prove the existence of God. It simply begins, “In the beginning God”, Genesis 1:1. Fundamental to the Christian faith is the self-existence of God. God has no beginning and no end. God has always existed. There never has been a time when God did not exist.

The second thing we can learn about God in Genesis 1, is that God made everything that is non-God. The word God dominates Genesis 1, just as he dominates creation. The word God is mentioned thirty-five times in this one chapter, initiating, speaking, working, creating, blessing. God is the subject of all the action in Genesis 1.

I’m told that the second law of thermodynamics is that matter cannot be created or destroyed. We can use it, transfer it, displace it or move it, but we cannot create or destroy matter or energy. Yet God, who is the author of the laws of nature defies that very principle and creates out of nothing. “And God said, Let there be light, and there was light”, Genesis 1:3. I am an employer, a husband and a father. I speak and nothing happens! God speaks and light comes into being! It is beyond our ability to conceive such great power. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host”, Psalm 33:6.

If God made everything that is not God, it affirms the biblical principle that there is a clear distinction between Creator and creation. The two are separate and not to be confused. Pantheism which is at the root of Hinduism and all New Age spirituality, teaches that we are all God. You are God. I am God. Everything is God. There is no creator/creature distinction.

Neil Donald Walsh, a pantheist, was asked, “Are we all gods? Or are we all part of God, or are we collectively God? Yes to all of the above”, he answered. It’s the same as the Hindu priest who wrote, “Kneel to your own self. Worship and honour your own being. God dwells within you as You”. It’s the same as all the new age spirituality books which tell us that the key to life is discovering the divine within yourself, the scared spark trapped in your body. It’s the theme of the book, The Secret Code. It’s the unspoken theme of all our atheistic friends who speak in reverential awe and worship when speaking of nature. Haven’t you noticed! Remember how G K Chesterton taught us, that, “Nature worship inevitably produces things that are against nature”.

The Christian faith says nonsense, the key to reality will never be found in creation or another creature, or even some divine spark within yourself. No, it’s found outside of yourself. It’s found in the Creator. The Bible teaches that there is a clear distinction between God and his creation, God and his creatures. God made everything that is non-God and is distinct from his handiwork.

The third thing we learn about God in Genesis 1, is that God is a personal, talking God. Throughout Genesis 1 and the rest of the Bible, God is seen as a personal, talking God. Genesis 1:3, “And God said, let there be light”. “And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters”… and it was so”, Genesis 1:6 – 7. What that tells us, is that God is not just a distant reality, a sovereign creator and uncaused cause. No, he is a creator God, a personal God, in fact a speaking God.

The concept of a speaking God is not illogical or unreasonable or irrational at all. If we the creatures can speak, communicate, write, share the most intimate details of our lives with others, then it is not illogical for our creator to do the same and more! If the creature can speak, well then surely the creator can speak! Perfectly logical!

The fourth thing we learn about God in Genesis 1, is not only that God created everything, both large and small, but that he created in an orderly and purposeful way. God did not create arbitrarily or on a whim. Nor is he haphazard. He creates an orderly world, in which we can live orderly, purposeful lives.

The prophet Isaiah says, “The Lord who created the heavens, he is God; who formed the earth and made it, he established it; he did not create it to be empty, he formed it to be inhabited”, Isaiah 45:18. The word empty in Isaiah is the same word empty used in Genesis 1:2. And when God sees that his world is habitable, God is pleased. He looks at his world and says that it is good. In fact, it is very good.

As those living after the death and resurrection of Jesus, it is important to remember what Paul teaches us about Jesus in Colossians, “For by him all things were created – all things were created by him and for him”, Colossians 1:15 – 16. So once again we remember the wise men who, “.. fell down and worshiped him”, Matthew 2:11. Go and do likewise!

By Martin Morrison

The United States Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. It has in my opinion a rather strange phrase. The second paragraph of the first article contains the phrase, “….that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights……that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not against happiness. In fact, I’m the last person to discourage any kind of happiness. However, it does seem to be a most peculiar right. It seems as odd as the right to good weather on your birthday. Or as some religious nutcase claimed that they had a right not to catch the virus!! It is odd, because a great deal of our happiness or misery depends on circumstances beyond our control.

Despite the obvious importance of the United States Declaration of Independence, the Bible rarely if ever uses the word happiness. Which probably means that the Bible does not see happiness as an inalienable right. But surely, you say that is the purpose of everyone! Surely, everyone has the right to be happy! Well, let’s see!

The Bible prefers the word joy or blessedness. Which is an entirely different matter. You see if happiness is totally dependent on circumstances outside of human control, then happiness will come and go at best. Life is too fragile, too arbitrary, too fraught with dangers. If you seek lasting happiness in this world you’re a fool. Apart from anything else, it will always elude you. Why? Well because this world is dysfunctional at best.

No, says Jesus in the beatitudes, ”Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” Matthew 5:6. Very simply, “righteousness” is being right with God and living right with God. At first, this also seems rather odd. Jesus says, if you seek to be satisfied, it will elude you. But if you seek to be right with me and live right with me, then satisfaction or blessedness is a bye-product.
What a peculiar paradox. Despite the lofty promises of the US Declaration of Independence, if you seek after happiness, it will always evade your grasp. Like trying to hold water in your

fingers. Life will always be a disappointment. Always surprised by tears. But if you seek after righteousness, then blessedness or joy is the unexpected bonus. And obviously if your joy is not dependent on the circumstances of this world, but Christ, you will never be disappointed. Seek after happiness, and it will evade you. Seek after Jesus and joy cannot avoid you. Once again, the upside down Kingdom of Jesus.

For Further Reading:
Paul David Tripp, Forever: Why you can’t live without it (Amazon Kindle)
C S Lewis, Surpised by Joy. His early life and conversion (Amazon kindle)
Randy Alcorn, Happiness. (Amazon Kindle)