In the beginning God... (Genesis 1:1)...
God said, ....God saw that the light was good; ...
and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. ....
The earth brought forth vegetation, ...;
and God saw that it was good. ...
God made the two great lights, ...;
He made the stars also. ...; and God saw that it was good.
God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, ...;
and God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: ...;
and God saw that it was good. God created man in His own image, ....
God saw all that He had made, and behold,
it was very good. ...”
(Genesis 1:4–31, NASB95)
In the first two installments of this series we explored God's steadfast ‘love’ and righteous judgments over creation. In Part 1 , "God's ‘Love’ Revealed," we explored Genesis 1:4 and learned how God 'saw' and this act of "seeing" conveys a deep relationship with and ‘love’ for His creation. Next, "Seeing and Goodness: Part 2 - Here Comes the Judge," we continued our journey by examining God's declarations of 'good'-ness and their implications for understanding God as the divine 'judge' and His purpose for all things.
Now in Part 3, "Unveiling God's Amazing Grace," we will uncover 'grace' as revealed in the opening lines of Genesis. As God spoke into the void, so He speaks into our emptiness, partnering with us to walk in His purposes.
The Path
What can we learn from this? Why does this matter? Here is the treasure I found.
The prophetic pronouncement that creation was 'good' is, perhaps, the first revelation of grace. The earth was not created and then left to itself. It was created, something new that did not exist before, and the new was 'good': It suits God's intent and purpose and aligned with Him in form and function.
It was not declared ’good’ because it pre-existed and was 'good' on its own merits. It was 'good' because it had been made so and declared so by its creator. For it to remain 'good' it must continue to align with the Creator and His purposes. That is the battle recorded throughout the rest of scripture — this is the solution toward which all scripture leads.
An Ancient Story, Ever New
So it is with us according to this F-SP of grace in creation. Humanity, created in God's image, was initially declared 'good.' But, with the "fruit fiasco," perpetrated by Adam and Eve, the alignment for which we were created was interrupted.
Redeemed and Realigned with the 'Good'
Even so, God's mercy was not content to judge us so that we were cut off. He 'judged' us as His. As we follow this story through scripture we find that, just as at the beginning, we were re-created in the image of God in Christ, and in that re-creation, we were re-declared 'good' again.
Word Made "Good": Our Journey from Emptiness to Purpose
It is by God's words spoken over us and in us that we are re-aligned with Him in all things, agreeing with Him about the 'good' that He has re-created in us. Reflect on Paul's words:
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for 'good' works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10 (emphasis is mine)
This is a narrative of mercy, redemption, and our Creator's commitment to His masterpiece. Being re-created in Christ, we are again judged as 'good' and appointed to 'good' works just as when we were first created in His image.
This First-Sentence Perspective (F-SP) principle focuses us on God's character in Genesis 1:1. It's the foundational perspective for comprehending grace and God's intentions for creation. By this, we reflect Heaven's will into the earth through 'good' works according to His grace.
Paul reminds us we are, by His grace and re-created through Christ, new creations:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Co 5:17
'Good' from Darkness and Emptiness
The darkness and emptiness within us have been separated and the 'good' has been revealed. The 'good' is that which was ascribed to us when we were first created in God's image. Having been drawn back into emptiness, we are now re-created in Christ to again reveal and proclaim God's image. This is a powerful First-Sentence Perspective based on the character of God revealed in this fourth verse of scripture — Our exploration finds grace revealed already in the opening lines of Scripture.
God calls into being that which is formless and empty, speaking goodness and purpose over the void. Through Christ, He does the same for us: reshaping and redeeming our emptiness into something "good."
Finally, in Part 4, we will consider what this grace perspective means for our lives today. As God's workmanship - His poetry - how might we lean into this identity? Finding purpose and meaning as we walk in the goodness He has prepared.
