Genesis chapter -1

In the beginning before the beginning was God - Father, Son and Spirit, all in perfect unity and accord. They had a plan that would change everything for ever. This is Genesis chapter -1.

So what exactly was going on before ‘In the beginning God’? What was God doing before Genesis Chapter 1? Does the bible say anything about God before the creation of the world? 

The bible does show us some very significant things about the bit before creation. I call this Genesis chapter -1. 

The bible starts, as all good books do, in the beginning. It kicks off with a pretty clear statement, that in the beginning was God. Before all of creation, before time began, in the very beginning, God. Before dinosaurs, before 7 literal or non literal days, before evolution by design or creation by divine, God. It doesn’t matter if you think that the earth was created 10 million years or 5000 years, before all of that, God. In the beginning God. 

So what was God doing before ‘in the beginning God’? Well, the scriptures have quite a bit to say on this:

John 1: “1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Genesis 1: “1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

Rev 13:8 “And all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”

Eph 1: “3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will”

2 Tim 1: “8Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began”

In the beginning was God, and with God was Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In perfect unity at the outset of the creation of the world was the Trinity. Then Revelation tells us that before the foundation of the world there was a lamb who was slain. Throw Ephesians into the mix and we find out that we were chosen in him, the lamb that was slain, before the foundation of the world. And by what means was this possible? Through God’s purpose and grace which he gave us in Christ before the ages began.

Isn’t that astounding? That before time began there was a lamb that was slain in whom we were chosen by God’s purpose and grace. 

Now put that in the context of Genesis chapter 3 and the fall in the garden of Eden. God in his sovereignty knew that in creating the world man would sin, and in sinning would need his salvation. So before the ages began, a plan and purpose of God’s grace was set in place that his only son would be slain for the sins of man that were yet to be committed. God sending Jesus Christ was not a reaction to what happened in the garden - it was part of his plan.  He created the world in the full knowledge that man would fail the test in the garden and that he would have to send his one and only son who would not fail the test in his garden, but bear the cup of his father’s wrath and go to the cross.

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