12th July 2022
And God said
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
(Hebrews 1:1-2 NIVUK)
The Bible is an epic story with a history that spans both the original creation and the new creation. It opens in Genesis chapter 1 with the beginning of the physical creation. In this account the phrase ‘and God said’ is deliberately used several times in relation to creation. This expression is used solely to establish agency: who is ultimately responsible for creation. It is not about mechanisms: how the universe was created.
This chapter continues in this vein when it goes on to reveal the uniqueness of human beings, with the statement: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth…’ ” (Genesis 1:28, emphasis mine). Humanity alone received God’s blessing and the fact that God spoke only to them reveals that from the very beginning God had a unique personal relationship with humanity and they with him.
The New Testament begins, in the gospel of John, with the beginning of the new creation. In this beginning, God gave humanity the greatest blessing he can give: he gave himself, in the form of the creative Word, the Son made flesh, Jesus Christ. (John 1:1-3,14). As the opening scripture states God has now spoken to us through his Son, Jesus Christ. God has given, in and through him, spiritual blessings including forgiveness of sins, salvation, and eternal life.
Adam and Eve did not earn the right to be created and placed in a beautiful garden as physical children of God; they existed solely because God is love and willed it to be so. Similarly, we cannot earn the right to be in God’s kingdom or contribute to or maintain our own salvation and status as spiritual children of God; we are his spiritual children, again, solely because God is love and willed it to be so through our acceptance of Jesus Christ.
God’s message to his spiritual children, the church, includes the same message he gave to the first human beings: be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. Each of us has a role to play participating in Jesus’ work as he accomplishes this goal.
Prayer
Father, we pray for wisdom and understanding to be able to express the gospel message in a way that an increasingly cynical and secular world can readily understand. In Jeus’ name, Amen.
Study by Eddie Marsh
About the writer:
Eddie Marsh attends the Sheffield congregation of Grace Communion International.
Local congregation:
Please email the local congregational contact (see below) for information about the Sheffield congregation’s meeting venue and time.
Local congregational contact:
Email: sheffield@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church