Read Genesis Chapter One
Let’s highlight the 6 days.
1. Light /darkness 4. Stars/sun/moon
2. Arrangement of water and sky 5. Fish and birds from waters
3. Dry land, vegetation 6. Animals, human beings
Q: What themes stand out in this opening chapter?
God said… it was so.
God said it (everything) was good.
All living creatures – the fish, the birds, then animals, then humans – Be fruitful and multiply.
Q: Significance of the 1st one?
A: God speaks and creation happens. God’s “word” is all that is needed to bring order our of chaos, or the abyss. God’s word has the force or power to produce existence. To go from nothing to something.
Q: Significance of the 2nd one?
Everything created was good. And good cannot come from evil. If God created all things good, it is because God is good.
Things that were created good have that as part of their nature. Particularly the living things and most especially humans. This God desires that human beings share in this goodness. It also means we are inclined towards good. And we are created that way because the Creator is that way.
Q: Significance of the 3rd one?
A: Life! Life was different than anything else. It was living! It also had creative powers to enable living to not end, but to continue. Without this gift, we would not be here. The first humans would have been and one off; one and done!
Q: What’s the oddest thing that stands out?
A: Light was created in the first day yet the sun and moon were created in the 3rd day after the vegetation!
Q: What might be the explanation for this?
1) It is obviously not a literal description of creation; obvious to anyone reading it and obvious to those who wrote it.
2) That being said, one could also make the argument that light came before the Sun and Moon, correct?
3) More likely was the fact that the sun and moon were the #1 choice for pagan gods. And the people of God would be tempted to follow the pagan gods. So what is the One God, the God of Genesis, doing? He is treating their gods like Christmas ornaments, hanging them in the sky like it was nothing. A small reminder that they are not to be worshipped.
The Trinity
I think we can agree God is present in Chapter One.
Where is The Holy Spirit?
Genesis 1:1:
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth (land/universe) was formless and empty, darkness was over the abyss, and the Spirit of God was moved over the waters (primordial matter, molten form).
We would have no reason to recognize this “Spirit” of God as The Holy Spirit until God visits earth and we are introduced to him via the Annunciation to Mary and Jesus’ Baptism.
We have since come to see the Holy Spirit as the source, or formative cause, of all life in the creative order of the world, whether physical or spiritual. Note is his presence at Creation; he caused the existence of Jesus in Mary’s womb; he gives his own spirit (Trinitarian life) to humans at Baptism, initiated at Jesus’ baptism and finalized at Pentecost.
3. Where is the Word/Logos à 2nd Person à Jesus Christ?
Everything that was created: “Then God said…”
In a small way, we are like God. Think of how our own ideas become reality. We have them in our minds first, but then they don’t exist in reality until we speak them or act on them.
God does the same thing, except His is more significant since existence (as we know it) is coming from his Mind.
“Then God said…” is the first connection we have to God’s Word, in Greek called “Logos” which also translates as “Logic” and “Reason.” God’s “Word” originated in His Mind and then it’s reality was produced possessing complete order and logic.
Although this stretches our mind to truly understand this, we are blown away even more to read John 1 after the incarnation:
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 came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.
And the word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Discovering who the 2nd person of the Trinity is quite an adventure. In this story, God’s idea of creation becomes reality by through his “Word.”
The reason that all of creation is so logical and thus can be understood by sentient beings like us is because it is based on the reason and mind of God. Little did we know – until the incarnation – that the Word/Logos would possess its own identity.
I think even more stunning than this realization is that this Word/ Logos would enter into humanity as one of us.
4. We are not done with the Trinity. Let’s return to Day Six. After the animals, God said…
“Let us make human beings in our image and after our likeness.”
Q: Who is “us” and “our”?
A: The Trinity, although it doesn’t seem very hidden does it? Yet God says everywhere that He is One!
Q: What is the translation?
A: The Hebrew uses “Elohim" for God, which is plural. Yahweh (singular) is used most often in the Old Testament (6,800 times). However, Elohim (plural) is also used fairly often (2,600 times).
Q: What do the Jewish scholars teach about this?
A: Most Jewish scholars teach that the plural form is used for the One True God “because He is greater than all other so-called gods.” I suppose you can make sense of that if you think about it hard enough.
Conclusion:
The Creation story is not a science or history book. It is a poetic description of a God of Reason who loves, creates good, and invites humans to participate in that good.
Until we had the end of the story (the incarnation of the 2nd Person of the Trinity), we could not look backwards and see what was always there: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were present from the beginning.
One thing seems sure: nobody in their right mind would make this Trinity stuff up. Waaaay too hard.
Next:
So far, everything has been poetic, beautiful, and enlightening. Now come human beings. This is where all the trouble begins!
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