Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jan 1st, 2024 Not Finished Yet

Today’s Passage – Genesis 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 1 – 2; Proverbs 1; Psalms 1 – 5)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Deuteronomy 32:4

Read the “0101 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from today’s reading – “In the Beginning;” “He Is Still Creating Me;” “Let There Be Light;” “Just Don’t Do It;” “Subdue and Replenish;“ and “Two Became One.”

“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2)

Before I share my thoughts from the Scripture reading from today, let me say how excited I am about starting a new journey this year through the Bible along with you. I want to encourage you to “tune in” everyday, read and listen to the passages, and then leave a comment. You can share your own thoughts from the passage or perhaps, make an encouraging remark about the blog post. In addition to posts written  by me on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, and the Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Stahl, I have also invited various guests writers this year to share some thoughts with us on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you are interested in writing a guest post, please contact me via the comment feature or email me at pastorphil@jerseyshorebaptist.com.

Now for my thought from today’s reading. Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the heavens and the earth, but in verse 2, the Scripture states that the earth was “without form and void.” There are many opinions as to exactly what this somewhat mysterious terminology means, including some who have promoted a “Gap Theory,” which basically states that God’s original creation became corrupted due to the fall of Satan but was then recreated by God in verses three and following. This theory does offer an answer for the billions of years taught by the evolutionists as well as an explanation for the fossil record.

Personally, I am not a fan of the Gap Theory. I believe that the earth is very young, possibly created with apparent age, just as Adam was created as an adult, not a baby. I also believe that the dinosaurs and the other strange creatures found in the layers of the earth all existed prior to the great Flood recorded in Genesis 6 – 8.

So, what did God mean when He said that the earth was “without form and void.” It means that when God first started the creation process, it was not complete. As we have read here in Genesis 1, God took six days to complete the earth. On Day 1, it was incomplete and required additional work on days two and following. God did not have to take six days to complete it. He could have spoken it all into existence in a millisecond. He probably chose to use the six days of work and one day of rest as a pattern for us.

In this creation story, I see a wonderful picture of sanctification, and the new life that God imparts to believers. When we first get saved we are new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), but on day one we are not yet what God has planned for us. We are predestination to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), meaning that what we are when we first trust Christ is not who we will be someday. God is still working, and He will continue to work on us until His creation of us is complete, which really will not happen until He takes us to Heaven.

I am greatly encouraged by this verse:

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Philippians 1:6)

If you are like me, you get a little frustrated with yourself at times because you are not all that you think you should be as a Christian. Maybe you are a little like the earth on Day One – “without form and void.” Be encouraged. God is not finished creating you yet. He is still working on you.