Born of Water and Spirit
“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” – Genesis 1:2
Dear Friends,
The first verse of Genesis was the headline, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Now, in verse two, we begin with the actual story.
The first observation I make is that God begins with the earth. God didn’t first make the sun or moon or some other celestial body, but instead started the creative process with the earth. Why? At this point we are not given an answer though I would suggest the earth is the stage where God will unfold redemptive history. Earth is the focal point of God’s plan for the universe.
Now, some would say that because men wrote the story, they are speaking only of what they know and that is why the story starts with the earth. It is man-centered. But for those of us who believe that God is the true author of Scripture, we are right to observe that the earth is where God starts creation by His own will. Our perspective is God-centered. Remember, presupposition is the foundation of interpretation.
The rest of the verse has two primary characters, the water and the Spirit. When I think of the water and the Spirit, I am reminded of Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus. "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). I understand this verse to say that while water signifies the birth of the natural man, the Spirit signifies the birth of the supernatural man. You must have both to be born-again.
The same is true with creation. The waters are naturally formless, empty and dark. Apart from the Spirit of God, it has no meaning, no substance and no light, very much like all of us before we are born-again of the Spirit.
Yet the Spirit is present, hovering over the waters, over the surface of the deep. There is hope in His presence. Very shortly, we are going to see the Spirit of God take what is formless, empty and dark and by His own power and will bring it into a coherent system and fill it with life and light.
The same is true in our personal salvation. God is the one who acts first to save us. It is not by men’s actions that the process of salvation begins, but by God’s effectual call. Before His call, we too are formless and empty and dark. Shortly, we will see God speak light into the world just as He speaks light into the hearts of men and women when He calls them to be reconciled to Himself.
In Christ,
David
Dear Friends,
The first verse of Genesis was the headline, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Now, in verse two, we begin with the actual story.
The first observation I make is that God begins with the earth. God didn’t first make the sun or moon or some other celestial body, but instead started the creative process with the earth. Why? At this point we are not given an answer though I would suggest the earth is the stage where God will unfold redemptive history. Earth is the focal point of God’s plan for the universe.
Now, some would say that because men wrote the story, they are speaking only of what they know and that is why the story starts with the earth. It is man-centered. But for those of us who believe that God is the true author of Scripture, we are right to observe that the earth is where God starts creation by His own will. Our perspective is God-centered. Remember, presupposition is the foundation of interpretation.
The rest of the verse has two primary characters, the water and the Spirit. When I think of the water and the Spirit, I am reminded of Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus. "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). I understand this verse to say that while water signifies the birth of the natural man, the Spirit signifies the birth of the supernatural man. You must have both to be born-again.
The same is true with creation. The waters are naturally formless, empty and dark. Apart from the Spirit of God, it has no meaning, no substance and no light, very much like all of us before we are born-again of the Spirit.
Yet the Spirit is present, hovering over the waters, over the surface of the deep. There is hope in His presence. Very shortly, we are going to see the Spirit of God take what is formless, empty and dark and by His own power and will bring it into a coherent system and fill it with life and light.
The same is true in our personal salvation. God is the one who acts first to save us. It is not by men’s actions that the process of salvation begins, but by God’s effectual call. Before His call, we too are formless and empty and dark. Shortly, we will see God speak light into the world just as He speaks light into the hearts of men and women when He calls them to be reconciled to Himself.
In Christ,
David
