Bible Beginnings

In order to get anything going we must first begin. This month begins my work with the church here at Samaria, which Susan and I have looked forward to with great anticipation. The Bible speaks of a number of beginnings. Consider…

The Beginning of the Earth. At the doorway of divine revelation, God’s word states: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). There are many who, considering themselves wise, assert that the earth and all we see was born of chance and consequence. This is not wisdom but rather foolishness as, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Ps. 14:1). The wise will open their eyes and see that “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Ps. 19:1). Proponents of the big bang and evolutionary theories accept those things by faith as they are just that — theories, not fact. Christians accept by faith that an all-powerful God spoke the heavens and earth into existence in six days, and that evidence of this fact surrounds us everywhere.

The Beginning of the Home. The home is a divine institution of God, not some idea that originated with man. God began the home in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:18-25). Jesus referenced this beginning of the home as an example for us today. In Matthew 19:4-9, as Jesus spoke of actions in the past, He said, “from the beginning it was not so.” Jesus used the beginning of the home to teach that the home as God began and demands consists of one man and one woman for life. Let us always seek to have homes that follow the divine pattern God manifested when He first instituted the home.

The Beginning of the Church. Peter stated, in reference to the events surrounding the conversion of Cornelius, “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning” (Ac. 11:15). Of what beginning was he speaking? In Acts 2:1-4 we find the Holy Spirit being poured out on the apostles — this is the beginning that Peter is referencing. What began on the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2? The church! Everything prior to Acts 2 looked forward to the coming church, while everything after Acts 2 viewed the church as already being in existence. In Acts 2:47, it is recorded, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” The church began on this day so long ago. It would be good to note that any church that cannot trace its beginning to the day of Pentecost you read of in Acts 2 is not the church of Christ which you read about in the Bible.

Let us never forget these Bible beginnings and their significance.

David Eldridge