Before and After

The first definition of the word "time" in Webster's Dictionary is the measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues, or a nonspatial continuum that is measured in terms of events which succeed one another from past through present to future. In other words, our concept of time is relative. We measure time as the interval between tangible events – typically the beginning and the end – or before and after.

Genesis 1 (NIV)
¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

These ten words are among the most debated in the world of science and religion. The major stumbling block boils down to the words, "In the beginning." Our minds have been filled with the concept of relativity – the fact that measurement of time and space must relate to something. Everything must happen after something else. Our finite minds tell us that, if God created the heavens and the earth at a specific point in time, something must have preceded this act. We take the these words and analyze them without taking into account the next word in the phrase – God.

God! Without understanding the infinite nature of the Creator, we cannot understand the finite nature of His creation. Time is a concept that God gave man to come to grips with the fact that there is a beginning and an end to everything in this universe. In one of Bill Cosby's comedy routines, he describes a very frustrating encounter with his son. At the end of his patience, Cosby tells the boy, "I brought you into this world and I can take you out." Just like life as we know it started at conception and ends when God calls us home - time started "in the beginning" and will end when we no longer need it to separate events in our lives.

I cannot explain the concept of infinity. Even though my life's work has been in various fields of science, my brain does not compute the meaning of infinite – and it doesn't bother me. Over the years, one thing has become clear to me – there are things that I will not and do not need to be able to explain. These things are God's. I have come to the conclusion that it is easier for me to wrap my brain around the concept of a Creator God having chosen to speak this universe into existence than it is to accept the concept of the accidental evolution of a glob of primordial ooze.

Try as we might, we will never separate ourselves from our "point in time" mentality. Creation is not a point in time – it is the beginning of time itself. God is infinite. He does not need time – we do. We must accept by faith this concept of creation. Why? Because it is the first step in accepting the fact of "recreation" – being born again. God did not create the heavens and the earth on a whim. He has a plan and mankind is a part of that plan. In fact, if you read the account of the creation in Genesis, you will find that it took only twenty-five verses – five days – to craft the universe and all the animals and plants. The rest of the account is dedicated to the real reason God made the earth. In verse twenty-six of Genesis 1, man comes on the scene. The rest of the Bible is God's testament to His love for all mankind.

Genesis means origins. In His infinite love, God created the heavens and the earth. In His infinite mercy, He created a way for us to have a relationship with Him. The ten words in this verse start a love story that every man, woman, and child will have to deal with. We can analyze it and try to squeeze the message into our little boxes of time and space – or we can exercise our measure of faith and follow Him instead of trying to explain Him.

The choice is ours.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!