John 1:1
But what happened before creation? What was
going on before the “Big Shout”? We get the beginning of an answer in the first
few verses of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. We get a glimpse into
the character and nature of God. The Word, whom we learn in verse 14 is Jesus,
is with God in the beginning. We also learn that He is God. Does this mean
multiple gods? NO! I like to picture it this way. There is one Being whose
nature matches all the attributes of God. The list is too long to spell out
here, but here is a link
to an imperfect list.
Jesus possesses all these unique qualities
and is therefore God. But He is not alone in possessing these qualities. Here
in John another is named, God. Jesus and “God” are both present before time
began, and are not bound by time. They are of the same essence, but they are separate
persons. I know this gets a little heady, so let me see if I can state it the
way I tell small children.
Think of a lump of clay that is so special
there is only one lump of clay like it. This lump of clay has always been just
like this, and it will always be just like this. We can break it into three
lumps and that doesn’t change the fact that all three of these parts are made
of the same clay. And these three lumps are always connected to each other,
relating to each as the closest family. Each lump does some unique things, but
all the parts are always there when any one part is working.
I know those of you who have done any
theological reading are jumping out of your skin right now. “God is not a lump
of clay.” No matter how we try to spell out in human language the mystery of
the nature of God we will always fall short. Human language is incapable of
expressing infinite ideas with complete clarity. It would be like trying to
describe an IPhone to someone from 1800. They have never seen a phone, let
alone any computer. They would think you mad when you touch a small shiny box
in your hand, hold it up to your ear and talk to someone. You would get thrown
in a lunatic asylum.
We have a choice to make at this moment. We
can believe Scripture when it speaks on these grand topics, or we can choose to
not believe what is written. And the choice we make sets us on two very different
roads. When we choose to not believe, we become the ultimate authority in our
lives. We choose what we want to believe about life, death, heaven, hell, God,
man, salvation, good works…. We generally will pick a believe system that fits
comfortably into our current lifestyle and activity. We won’t make our god too
radical.
But being a Jesus-follower is extremely
radical. He tells us that we must die in order to live. We have a
responsibility to our fellow human beings; we can’t live in isolation.
Following will make us uncomfortable. We will have to change our attitude and
behaviors. There are things that are always right and always wrong regardless
of time, culture or circumstance.