Friday, August 17, 2018

EmmDev 2018-08-17 [Celebrating Creation] Ex Nihilo but out of God


Ex Nihilo but out of God

I wish I knew Latin better and if I did, I'd hope that "Out of God" or "Out of a loving God" would rhyme with "Ex Nihilo". (Any budding Latin scholars out there?)

When John wrote his gospel he wrote a beautiful prologue to the gospel. He starts like Genesis 1 does - "In the beginning..." and goes on to tell, not only of Creation but re-creation and new birth.

What I love about John's account is that He gives us a stunning insight about the WHO of Creation...

In the Beginning, there was nothing but God. But God is revealed as God and the Word (Jesus) and Genesis 1:2 reminds us that the Spirit of God was also present. So we have God (the Father), the Word (Jesus) and the Spirit present in the moment of creation.

But John tells us more... "The Word was WITH God and the Word WAS God." Distinct beings, yet in such perfect relationship that they are ONE. People bend over backwards to try and use analogies for the Trinity, but I've settled on imagining a family whose love for each other is so perfect that nothing comes between them. The lovely example of this is how John indicates that Jesus had the "front seat" in the creation process: "Through Him (the Word - who is one with God and the Spirit) all things were made - without Him nothing (no thing) was made that has been made.

Sentimentalists say that God created the world because He was lonely and needed someone to love. They'd imply that God had nothing. But John makes it clear. God was not lonely. He had everything in the loving relationship of Father, Son and Spirit.
This love is incredible. Almost every tv soapie revolves around the chaos that love triangles cause. When there are three, then one is bound to be loved more than the other. But Father, Son and Spirit love each other equally and without jealousy and insecurity. It is beautiful, majestic and holy.

Creation ex nihilo does not mean that we were created by a needy God, but but a God who enjoyed perfect love within the Trinity and shares that love out of the great abundance of love and majesty!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.      (John1:1-3)