The Theological Context:

From a theological, or doctrinal standpoint these words mean absolutely everything. Our entire Bible is written under the authority and inspiration of God.

2 Timothy 3:16 says “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…”

God, through the Holy Spirit inspired the authorship of the Bible. So if God wrote the Bible then we must first understand that before the Bible existed, God existed. God predates all things, history, time, theology, and the Bible. Our theology is based on God. Our doctrine is founded upon God. Without first understanding that God is the author of all things, our study of Scripture, theology, and doctrine is worthless.

We have to understand that the entire Bible is God’s story. It is a story of history, time, creation, sin, fall, grace, redemption and eternity. It is a story that leads to an incredible climax when God comes down to earth and takes on human flesh. But since Jesus is also God we have to understand that He too existed, in the beginning.

John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

The Word is Jesus Christ and He was with God “in the beginning.” (See also Colossians 1:14-17)

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is when Jesus is being blasted by some Jews for His teachings. Jesus explains that anyone who keeps His sayings will never see death. The Jews argue that Abraham was faithful but is dead so Jesus must be demon possessed. Jesus first gives a reminder that eternal life is real by telling the Jews that “Abraham rejoiced to see my day,” or, in other words, Abraham lives eternally because of his faith and was glad to see the day Christ was born to fulfill the plan of redemption. This angered the Jews and they shot back saying you aren’t even 50 years old, how could you even know Abraham.

Jesus answers with one of the most incredible verse in the Bible. You’ve probably read it before and moved on without understanding the incredible context and implications of the verse. But we have to stop and look at what Jesus said.

In John 8:58 Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I am.”

Don’t gloss over that. Linger there for a moment and let it sink in. Jesus said “before Abraham was.” Jesus gave Abraham a time. Jesus said that Abraham had a specific beginning and ending in time and history on the earth. The word “was” denotes past. It is not a present word, it can only mean “in the past.” And Jesus reminded the Jews that Abraham “was.”

Then Jesus says one of the most amazing things in the Gospels about Himself, He says that even before Abraham was (past), “I Am.”

WOW! With two little words Jesus equates himself with God and tells the people that He is eternal and has no time constraints. How did Jesus know Abraham, because Jesus was there when Abraham walked the earth! Why? Because Jesus, the Word, was “in the beginning” with God.

Now we understand that “in the beginning” God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit existed in perfect triune harmony. Before anything else, before time, history, space, anything, God was there with His Son, and the Holy Spirit.

This brings us to the doctrine of the Trinity and a discussion of the economic and ontological Trinity. We don’t have time to get into that right now, but once again we see that these four words, “in the beginning God” are critical to our understanding of that foundational doctrine of our faith. If God doesn’t exist in the beginning, neither does the Son, nor the Holy Spirit or the Trinity.

If God doesn’t exist “in the beginning” then our foundational doctrines crumble and our faith is worthless. We can’t believe in a Savior that is not eternal and above time. We can’t support and advance a church that is founded on a God that is not eternal. We can’t pray to a God that is not eternal. We can’t live in the power of a Holy Spirit that has not existed before time. And we certainly cannot hope for an eternity in Heaven if God is not eternal.

Now we can see just how foundational, how absolutely critical these four little words that are so well known and so overlooked really are.

“In the beginning God…”

The Personal Context:

The fact is, nothing else matters if these four words don’t exist. But because these four words do exist all the other words of Scripture are faithful and true and can be trusted.

For each of us personally, today, these four words carry the hope we desperately need. The one that is struggling with his marriage and not sure if he’s going to make it. There’s hope because “in the beginning God.”

The one that is fighting off thoughts of suicide and hopelessness, take courage because “in the beginning God.”

The one that is dealing with addiction and wondering if you will ever overcome, be encouraged because “in the beginning God.”

The one unsure of how to pay the bills this month have faith because “in the beginning God.”

The person fighting against his own body due to age, illness or disease, be comforted because “in the beginning God.”

For all of us that long for a better place, a place with no sin, no death, no pain, no suffering, no cancer, no AIDS, no hunger, no loneliness, we can know for sure that Heaven is real and we can go there because “in the beginning God.”

You see, these four little words that are so well known and so overlooked are the foundation to all of Scripture. Without them there is no hope for anything beyond this life. With them, we have every hope and assurance that every word of Scripture is true and faithful and that we are loved by an Almighty God. All of history rests on these words. All of doctrine and theology rests on these words. All hope is found within these four little words.

“In the beginning God…”

Now and only now that we have a better understanding of these critical words can we begin to study the rest of the Bible, verse by verse, book by book.