In Genesis 1:1-5 we are given creation’s first day: At the writing of this book, there were already several speculations and philosophies as to the origin of the world.
•Materialist: All matter is eternal and that there is an inherent principle in matter that is working all things as they are now over a long period of time.
•Pantheist: All matter emanates from a common divine substance, which is working everywhere in nature.
Here in these 10 words (7 in Hebrew), we have something quite remarkable when compared to all the other opinions as to the origin of the universe. All other philosophies start with what the senses can detect (time, space, and matter) and then attempt to understand how those things might have become what we now sense. For instance, evolution has time, space, and matter existing from nothing and then evolving into complex systems. But it fails to answer the question, “How did it all get here to begin with?”
I remind you that the perspective of Genesis is not to be a text book of science, or as someone well said, “Its purpose is not to tell us how the heavens go but rather how to go to heaven!” This then is the only place in the entire world of religion and philosophy where that question is answered. We are simply told of the existence of these three:
•Time: In the beginning
•Space: The heavens
•Matter:The earth
But before these three things existed, we were told of the existence of the Creator (the singular form of the name Elohim). The “im” in the Hebrew makes the name plural, but its meaning is singular. This name describes God as eternal, existing before the universe as all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere at once. Therefore, nothing is impossible for God! In fact, science affirms specific creation instead of evolution. There is a law in science that states, “That no effect can be greater than its cause.” Simply put, the existence of time, space, and matter is proof of an intelligent, eternal, powerful person, which had to create them to begin with!
“Well, how did He do it?” We are told right here in this verse with the use of the word “created,” which means to “create something out of nothing.” When we create something, we do so by assembling existing materials, but that is not the way that God created. Evolution speaks of the forming of the world by chance or self-generation through random impersonal powers of nature. Yet the Bible speaks of the intelligent design of the world through creation. Based upon that, we can conclude that the creation was not a random chance but rather a special creation by a personal God!