The End From the Beginning ~ In the beginning God gives us the end . . . Redemption in Jesus Christ!
How clever is our God?!
We don’t even get past the first few words of the first sentence before God gives us a clue to the end of the Bible.
Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning…”
To recognize the clue, though, we have to jump forward to the first few words of the first sentence in the Gospel of John in the New Testament.
In the beginning was the Word — Jesus Christ.
John 1:1—“In the beginning…”
The purpose of Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 is not only to record the history of the beginning, but also to point us to Christ.
“In the beginning,” God gives us the end. (Isaiah 46:9-11)
What is the end?
Redemption!
I believe it’s why God gave us the Bible. God wants us to know Him, but we can’t know Him until we’re restored to Him. We can’t be restored to Him apart from His Son, Jesus Christ. (John 14:6)
Through Christ alone, all things are redeemed and restored to God. (Colossians 1:15-20)
Thus, everything starts and ends with Christ.
Everything.
Not even our personal testimony starts with us!
My testimony isn’t, “When I was in junior high, this happened . . . and then I gave my life to Christ.”
Instead, my testimony is, “God began to work in my heart when I was in junior high when
. . . and then Christ saved me.”
In the first testimony, I’m the central figure.
In the second, Christ is.
I didn’t reach out to Christ. He reached out to me, and I responded.
I didn’t draw Christ to myself. He drew me to Himself, and I responded.
I didn’t save myself. Christ saved me.
Christ gives us life abundant. (John 10:10)
So, why does it matter that we understand that the Bible starts with Christ?
The more we understand why something matters, the more the truth moves from our head to our heart.
The truth moves from knowledge to experience, and becomes a part of us.
There’s no better place for God’s truth to be than as a part of us. It’s the best part of us!
If
we wake up in the morning
and put our eyes on Jesus before
we put our feet on the floor,
we’ll see life as it should be seen
“…so that He [Christ] Himself will come to have first place in everything.” (Colossians 1:18)
What we might be tempted to view as a hopeless situation, we’ll now see as part of God’s good plan in our lives.
God’s plans always end with Him receiving glory, and that always blesses us.
What we might be tempted to view as a hopeless situation, we’ll now see as it really is — part of God’s good plan in our lives. God’s plans always end with Him receiving glory — and that blesses us.
We can’t see the end from the beginning, but because God does, we can live as though we do.
From beginning to end, it’s always been about Christ, and that’s why “In the beginning” God gives us the end — Redemption in Jesus Christ!
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End.”
~ Revelation 22:13
(Join the Journey of The Red Thread with me, starting with the first post in The Red Thread series: How is the Bible Like a Magic Eye?)
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Dear Sweet Jean,
Your post today regarding the “beginning” and the “end” of God’s Word was remarkable. I was reminded that the whole purpose behind God’s Word, and of Christ’s work on Calvary, is to bring “redemption” into our lives…our very souls. How awesome is that? I am so excited for you as you learn, share, and together we grow in stature and spirit as a result of your God-breathed and -inspired writings on The Red Thread of Jesus”! Thank you, thank you for all you are doing in the name of, and to the glory and praise of, our heavenly Father, the Most High God.
With gratitude, love, and prayers,
Linda.
Thank you so much, Linda!
Your words are such an encouragement to me. I’m having the best time studying the Red Thread and have been blown away by the intentionality of God in His Word. It will be a fun journey for us together. Thanks so much for joining me! 🙂