The Son in the Creation of the Cosmos

Here is my feeble attempt at exalting the Son in the creation of the cosmos - while theological in content, it is particularly doxological in form. This is what is said of him who is above all earthly powers -

In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:1-3). For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:16-17). The Father appointed him the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:2-3). The LORD possessed the Wisdom of the Son at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago he was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths he was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, he was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, Wisdom was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then he was beside him, like a master workman, and he was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man (Proverbs 8:22-31).

The Son is the self-expression of the Father - he is both the Logos (i.e. the Word - the divine animating person of the order and knowledge of God cohering, upholding, and authoritatively governing the entire universe) and his radiant Image (meaning, he who perfectly reflects the divine Majesty and glory of the Father to the world). He is the creative medium through which the Father brought forth the cosmos. Even more, he is the very reason for which the Father created it. He is the active agent by which all things cohere, and he continually upholds the universe by his powerful word. He is the unfathomable wisdom of the Father. Most importantly, he is the only, unique Son of the Father, and it is in this deepest and most profound mystery that the key to both our existence and our redemption and eventual consummation into blessedness are found - namely, that the Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father.

SDG

The Chaotic Waters Submit to the Word of Christ

We live during times where professing Christians have become increasingly illiterate in biblical language. Nowadays, it has become necessary to dig deeper into the nuances of Scripture to magnify the God who is there. We do this by concerntrating on the many facets of the nature of the Godhead. For now, I would like to highlight the sovereign power with which Christ speaks. Reading the first few verses of the opening chapters of Genesis, we see the phrase, "...darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2).

This verse reflects the common views of the day in Ancient Near Eastern religion - that the demonic sea monster of the dark primordial abyss struggled against the creator deity. In Babylonian mythology, a battle ensued where the storm god Marduk made war with Tiamat, the ancient dragon of the sea. The heavens and earth are formed from the monster's divided body. But this picture of war and struggle is not what we see painted in the Bible. The Scriptures refer to the Leviathan as Rahab. Rahab and the raging waters submit wholeheartedly to the Word of Christ (Psalm 89:9-11, "You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. You crushed Rahab like a carcass"; see also 2 Peter 3:5, "the earth was formed out of water and through water by the Word of God."). The Son was the agent with which God created the world (Hebrews 1:2). The effectual power with which the Word is carried out is seen in the Spirit, as he hovers over the deep abyss. This community participation of the Triune God leads to God speaking, "Let there be..." - and there was. God formed the world out of and through the waters. The Scriptures detail no record of a battle or struggle of any kind - the waters simply obey.

Throughout Scripture, the sea continues to be a force to be reckoned with for man. But God continually delivers his saints through the waters, for the chaotic waters willfully submit to his Word. Remember in the days of Noah, when God delivered 8 persons in the ark through the flood judgment - we see later that this corresponds to baptism and the ark symbolized the power of the future resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21). Again, look at the Red Sea exodus event, where Israel walks safely on dry ground through the raging waters as the pillar of fire leads them along the way. Paul clarifies that this too symbolized a kind of baptism, where God was delivering his people from judgment (1 Corinthians 10:1-2). The waters would then consume the pagan Egyptians. Baptism in terms of salvation through judgment is a topic I will try to address in a later post.

The last scenario I would like to bring up is the storm event in Matthew 8. The disciples tremble with fear as the chaotic sea waters again present their intimidating waves - the deep abyss that consumes and conquers all who attempt to struggle against it. The disciples invoke the comfort of their Savior. Jesus speaks a word - and the quaking waters stop abruptly and lie still. The Leviathan does not struggle, he does not rage - when the Word speaks, he obeys. The power Christ wields is sovereign and supreme.

SDG