The Spirit of Christ Over the Fall
2/6 Reading Portions: Genesis 39; Mark 9; Job 5; Romans 9
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2/6 Reading Portions: Genesis 39; Mark 9; Job 5; Romans 9
Genesis 1:2
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
HOPE
As mentioned on the first day of this Genesis devotional series, the Bible is a prophetic book. This verse is prophetic of the fall that would take place recorded in Genesis 3, as mentioned yesterday. The first sentence of this verse is a verse of despair and sorrow. The depth of man’s sin cursed the earth and made it to be without a true form of worship for God because mankind had become void of love toward God by his faithlessness unto disobedience. The darkness of man’s sin, therefore, was upon the depth of his depravity (and darkness was over the face of the deep).
Nevertheless, the second sentence of this verse is a statement of hope because the Spirit of God, the רוח אלהים (ROO-ach el-ō-HEEYM), brooded upon the entire situation with His gospel presence (hovering over the face of the waters). Grasping the depth of this verse actually helps us understand why New Testament baptism exists; but that’s a devotional or a lesson for another time.
Wherein is the hope? Because, as Genesis will bear out, just as the entire Bible does, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ was God’s plan from before there was time. Everything exists for the sake of Christ’s gospel unto God’s ultimate glory.
The second verse, like the first, as stand-alone statements, will both be explained in every chapter, every verse, and every line to follow. A good and holy God creates (Gen 1:1). Mankind, created in the image and after the likeness of God (Gen 1:27), apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, can and will only foul things up (Gen 1:2a). But there is hope (Gen 1:2b). The Spirit of God empowers by the gospel of Christ (John 14:12), abides in us with the gospel of Christ (John 14:16-17), teaches us and reminds us about the gospel of Christ (John 14:26), bears witness about Jesus Christ and His gospel (John 15:26), convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment through the truth of Christ’s gospel (John 16:7-11), guides us into the truth of Christ’s gospel (John 16:13), and glorifies the Lord Jesus with the truth of Christ’s gospel (John 16:14-15). Hallelujah! What a Savior! Hallelujah! What a Spirit!