But what happened before creation? What was going on before the “Big Shout”? We get the beginning of an answer in the first few verses of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. We get a glimpse into the character and nature of God. The Word, whom we learn in verse 14 is Jesus, is with God in the beginning. We also learn that He is God. Does this mean multiple gods? NO! I like to picture it this way. There is one Being whose nature matches all the attributes of God. The list is too long to spell out here, but here is a linkto an imperfect list.
Jesus possesses all these unique qualities and is therefore God. But He is not alone in possessing these qualities. Here in John another is named, God. Jesus and “God” are both present before time began, and are not bound by time. They are of the same essence, but they are separate persons. I know this gets a little heady, so let me see if I can state it the way I tell small children.
Think of a lump of clay that is so special there is only one lump of clay like it. This lump of clay has always been just like this, and it will always be just like this. We can break it into three lumps and that doesn’t change the fact that all three of these parts are made of the same clay. And these three lumps are always connected to each other, relating to each as the closest family. Each lump does some unique things, but all the parts are always there when any one part is working.
I know those of you who have done any theological reading are jumping out of your skin right now. “God is not a lump of clay.” No matter how we try to spell out in human language the mystery of the nature of God we will always fall short. Human language is incapable of expressing infinite ideas with complete clarity. It would be like trying to describe an IPhone to someone from 1800. They have never seen a phone, let alone any computer. They would think you mad when you touch a small shiny box in your hand, hold it up to your ear and talk to someone. You would get thrown in a lunatic asylum.
We have a choice to make at this moment. We can believe Scripture when it speaks on these grand topics, or we can choose to not believe what is written. And the choice we make sets us on two very different roads. When we choose to not believe, we become the ultimate authority in our lives. We choose what we want to believe about life, death, heaven, hell, God, man, salvation, good works…. We generally will pick a believe system that fits comfortably into our current lifestyle and activity. We won’t make our god too radical.
But being a Jesus-follower is extremely radical. He tells us that we must die in order to live. We have a responsibility to our fellow human beings; we can’t live in isolation. Following will make us uncomfortable. We will have to change our attitude and behaviors. There are things that are always right and always wrong regardless of time, culture or circumstance.
The Arnold Journey 