The Beginning

I’ve tried to imagine the beginning but always come up with the question: What was there before the beginning? My puny mind cannot deal with always, eternal, forever. I love clocks and the passing of time, a new day, the start of a project, a mark on the calendar. The past comes before the present yet the idea of a beginning somewhere way back in time still begs the question — what happened prior to that?

The Bible does not try to explain eternity to mortals. We don’t have the capacity to understand it, only believe it is a reality, the realm of Almighty God who has always existed. He says of Himself and of Jesus Christ . . .

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

“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)

This time of year we celebrate that the Word of God became flesh, that God Himself took on a body and lived among us. Emmanuel. We sing the carols and we know this story . . .

“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’” (Luke 2:8–14)

And I read this and slow down from baking, making, wrapping and answering the phone, texts and email to think about how the shepherds must have felt. The Jews, including these sheep-watchers, were waiting for Messiah, the fulfilment of God’s promise to deliver them. They didn’t know when, just that He was the long-expected Christ. Then in the night an angel brought the news.

If they had pondered my question about the beginning, it suddenly didn’t matter. The Messiah had come. God in human flesh, born in a manger no less, but here, with them, with us. They would leave the sheep (shepherds never do that) and run (Jewish men were dignified and usually did not run) and find the babe, the promised one.

I don’t care about the things I cannot figure out. God came down to be with us, to love us, to take us into His family, to be His lambs, to save us from our sin and folly and give us eternal life. It too has a beginning? How can that be if it is eternal? I don’t know how that works either except I know eternal life is in the One who came to live in the hearts of those who put their faith in Him. He brought the beginning, the eternal into me — and because I am His, I have no more questions, just the joy of knowing that I live — and I live forever because of this Baby born in a manger.

^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, God with us, Savior and blessed Friend, faith in You is more than enough. I’m satisfied that all You say is true. I don’t need to understand realities that are beyond my grasp. I only need to love and enjoy You!

Merry Christmas!

Everlasting life cannot be destroyed

Today’s topic is the enduring power of the Word of God, so I went online to check out “attempts to destroy the Bible.” The results had me laughing and crying. The average answers were often far from historical truth. Most showed ignorance of the Bible and its history. 
 

Some talked of ripping up their copy, or putting a Bible in a bonfire, as if that “destroyed” the Word of God. Others said the Bible has destroyed those who believe it, making the question flawed. A few wrote about historical efforts to get rid of the book. Others mentioned philosophical ideas that mock it and attempt to destroy its teaching, but most didn’t seem to have any grasp of what it actually teaches. Obviously, many who tried to affirm that the Word of God could be destroyed had never read the Bible for themselves. 

Peter and John had firsthand experience with Jesus Christ. John wrote this about His identity…

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, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… 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 1:1–5, 14)

This man understood, as do all who put their faith in Christ, that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. In my imagination, I try to picture God speaking and the word that comes out of His mouth (even though He is Spirit and does not have a mouth) is a Living creature, God the Son. This sounds like science fiction, but this is what the Bible declares, and because I believe in a God who can do whatever He decides to do, I’ve no problem with this. 

Nor do I have difficulty with the events that followed. God sent that Word to earth to be a man, to save us from our sin. He lived a sinless life, was crucified and buried, then rose from the dead to live forever, interceding on behalf of those who believe in Him.

With God, all this is possible. The Bible affirms it and also says that those who repent and believe in Jesus are given new life, actually the life of this Living Word. When we believe in Him, His everlasting life becomes our life and everything changes.

There are many who say they follow Jesus, and many religious people seem sincere. I know some of these people, and as nice as they may be, not all that claim they are Christian are genuine. The Bible says, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12) Without the life of Christ, there is no eternal life, no matter how “religious” a person seems. This can explain many horrid things and is the answer to those who think the Word of God destroys people. Apart from the life of Christ, sinful hearts are free to do sinful things, even the hearts of those who claim to be Christians. 

The notion of destroying the Word of God is not as much about the book as it is about its main character and all attempts to destroy Him. Sinners do not want anything that Jesus offers or represents. To them, He marks the end of their “freedom” to do whatever their hearts desire. They would get rid of the Word, Living or Written, and thus get rid of all restraint, or so they suppose. 

However, they do not know what they are up against. The Word is everlasting. Even death cannot stop it, never mind mere bonfires and book banning.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:22–25)

Those who believe in Jesus have new life, imperishable and abiding, living in them. It is this Life that produces obedience, sincere love, and purity of heart. It is this life that never withers or falls, but remains forever. It is the resounding voice of God in the human heart. Because of God’s grace, as long as man sins and as long as God lives, His Word will keep on speaking, bidding sinful people to believe in Jesus Christ and live forever.

To Live is Christ — is not a passing fad

Last week a woman told me that when she became a Christian her relatives and friends told her that it was just a fad. She would soon “give it up” and return to her normal life. She added, “They just did not understand.”

Fads abound in every realm. Clothing styles, hair styles, popular music, architecture, best places to vacation, automobiles, movies, and even philosophies. Fads come and go. What was once popular becomes passé. Sometimes the passé becomes popular again. The human heart is fickle and satisfied only a short time.

Actually, interest in Jesus Christ can be a fad. I’ve known people who jumped on the bandwagon because their friends did or because it was the thing to do when at a Christian camp. It didn’t last because their hearts were not in it and their lives were not changed. They did not have genuine faith, only a temporary interest.

Fads are like that. They are about popularity and temporary likes and dislikes. On the other hand, salvation is about eternity. It is based on eternal truth and the reality that, never mind our likes and dislikes, we come and go — only once. In fact, life is a mere blink, at least this life here on earth.

“All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:24–25)

Peter quotes a passage from Isaiah about the brevity of life and the longevity of God’s Word. Think of it. I speak and my words last as long as someone remembers them. I write something and depending on where those words are recorded and on whatever safeguards them, they might last longer than I do, but they are not eternal.

Yet God has no beginning or end. I cannot wrap my mind around that concept. However, I do understand that when He speaks, what He says is good for all time. His Word is powerful. He spoke the world and all of creation into existence. His Word became flesh (morphing at its finest?) and lived among us. His Word has been recorded into the all-time best-selling book, the Bible.

This Word of God is far from being a popular and passing fad. At times it has been banned and burned. It has been smuggled into countries that forbid it. In those places, one precious copy has been divided into pages, hidden and shared by those who believe it. Despite the attacks on it, the Bible remains and continues to speak the Word of God to those who read it.

When I was thirteen, I began reading the Bible every day. I did not believe it or understand it and my reading was a ritual, a duty and a habit. Sixteen years of this did not alter my life. However, one day one verse leaped off the page and forever changed me. At that moment I became keenly aware of the presence of Jesus Christ, the Living Word, and that He is God in human flesh. I don’t remember the verse, but I do remember that the Spirit of God made the identity of the Word of God emphatically clear.

The Word of the Lord endures forever, and it is by this Word that I finally heard and understood the gospel. Jesus Christ came to earth to save sinners. He died for my sin, was buried and rose again the third day. He is alive. He is real and He is eternal. After that revelation, there is no going back. Once a person knows Jesus, it is impossible to forget His person and His identity. Knowing Him is not a fad because He satisfies all the longings of the human heart and never becomes passé.