Press Into The Beginning

Biographical films tend to follow a certain formula. For example, films like Elvis, Hidden Figures, The Greatest Showman, and Ray all contain flashback scenes of the main character as a child. To understand the truth about someone or something we must press into the beginning of that story. By doing so we understand the context surrounding why things are the way they are.

The first book of the Bible, Genesis, starts at the beginning of time with the creation of the universe. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The Six Days of Creation offer us a unique glimpse into what life was like before the fall of man. Several insights can be gained from this age of innocence.  

God as Creator

God created the universe out of nothing and he didn’t do it alone. God created through his Word (Jesus) and by his Spirit. When describing Jesus’ role in creation, the apostle Paul writes, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). God created everything and everyone for his purpose.

Walking with God

Before the fall of man, God was completely knowable to Adam and Eve. Believing in God didn’t require faith because God was right there with them. But after the introduction of sin man was now separated from God. Humans abandoned their original realm and were lost as a result. The Apostle Paul writes, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). It is through Jesus that God became fully knowable again.

Tending the Garden

For Adam and Eve, work existed before sin entered the equation. God tells Adam to tend the garden and take care of it (Genesis 2:15). God also instructs Adam to name every living creature. Work is not a consequence of the fall, it is what God created us to do. We were designed to create just as God creates. For as many days as we walk the earth, there is work to be done.

And like God, we’re not supposed to do this work alone. God wanted a whole planet full of image-bearers. He didn’t want people to be alone in a social sense but designed us to be part of a community. 

As we press into the beginning of the academic year, we’re not so different from the two students in the garden. We are blessed with work to do. This Fall begins a new chapter in the biographical film of your life. As you tend to your work and dive deeper into God’s purpose for your life, you’ll uncover the profound ways you are truly God’s masterpiece.

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