So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 1:27

The Scripture relates our origins with a similar matter-of-fact statement as it employed to introduce creation, ‘so God created man….’  Once again there is no attempt at elaborate argument or the setting forth of incontrovertible proofs.  It appears before us as a simple statement of fact.  If our foundational thoughts are:  God is, He has revealed Himself, His Word is one of the places He has revealed Himself and in His Word He has told us of our origins, then this is a very straightforward matter.  What follows is also straightforward of what is to be done when humanity fails.  This failure will give rise to the first presentation of the Person and work of Christ.  If we accept the basic foundational thought that God is, with the other thoughts that follow it, we arrive very quickly at the indispensable Christ.  The following of His Person and His work through the Scripture will lead us to all that follows by way of redemption.  Thus, God brings us to Christ and keeps us there.

Our Glorious Living God,
we rejoice that You are
and that You have revealed Yourself in so many ways.
We praise You that Your revelations lead us to Christ,
at the beginning and all the way through to the end.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

The Bible begins with God.  It does not formulate elaborate arguments to prove that God exists, nor does it express any doubt regarding His existence.  It simply begins, ‘in the beginning God.’  It goes on to state that this God reveals Himself in the creation.  Beyond that, it shows God revealing Himself by His word.  All this leads us to understand Christ, because later, The Apostle John will say, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.’  Herein lie the foundations of our thinking.  God is; God has revealed Himself, God has revealed Himself in creation and by His Word, Christ is the living embodiment of the Word of God.  These foundations form the basis for all the rest of the conclusions we reach about our origins, our purpose for being, and our ultimate destination.  They bring us to Christ at the beginning, keep us connected to Christ throughout the course of life, and bring us into the Presence of Christ at the end of our earthly sojourn.  The alternative is unthinkable because it lands us in chaos, despair, and hopelessness   If we are going to think, let us begin where the Scripture begins with these foundations of thought.  They will inevitably lead us to Christ in Whom we have real hope.  He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.

Our Wise and Wonderful God,
we rejoice that You have
laid the foundations for our thinking.
We praise You that these foundations
lead us inevitably to Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning