In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5)

God Is

There is something intrinsic about the manner the Holy Spirit begins the revelation of the mind of God. Everything that follows the first day of creation defines the nature and character of who God is, what He is, and how He will interact with His creation. There are no bold assertions requiring proof or evidentiary discussion. At the beginning of the world, God existed, and the world as it is known to man did not exist. God spoke, and light was created. That is all that happened on day one. From the first day of creation until the final day of the existence of the universe, the words of God creating light define the nature of the Divine. Every word recorded in the Bible speaks to a single thought and remains constant to one idea. John will conclude the revelation of God with the light of the eternal glory of God, filling the city of God with His glory. As the Finger of God transcribes the Creator’s words throughout the ages of man’s history, two words are repeatedly confirmed and explained: God is.

The contrast between God and man is without measure. When the Lord created the world, He spoke it into existence. Nothing man has done or ever will be able to do can match the nature of God’s power. Sin destroyed the character of men and highlighted the heart of a forgiving Father. When the wisdom of men failed, God destroyed the world in a flood, saving eight souls by His mercy and grace. A man named Abram was called to establish a seed promise that would require many generations of failed attempts by humanity to save itself. God raised up a nation to be His special people, and they failed to keep His commandments. The world was spiraling into an abyss of self-destruction until a child was born in the city of Bethlehem. Thirty years later, the Son of God appeared before men to show the will of the Father and the love of a forgiving Creator. Envy led the Jews to kill the Son of God. Three days later, God raised His Son from the dead, and the world has never been the same. Hope fills the earth with the promises of forgiveness and mercy. The wisdom of man fails, and the wisdom of God saves. Man is hopeless because of two words: God is.

One thing separates God and man. God is and man is not. The failing of human wisdom comes from man’s refusal to believe that God is not a man. God has spoken and His word remains unchanged, unmovable, and eternal. God is a consuming fire, the God of gods, and righteous when men are not. The promises of God are always kept, He is love, He is just, and He is good. God has promised to always be with His people because God is a Father. He is a Spirit that must be worship as Spirit and should not be mocked or treated contemptuously. God knows all things, and He cares about every man, woman, and child dwelling on the face of the earth. Through His word, God promises to be the strength and power for His people as a God who is able and who is faithful. There is a steel and velvet character of a wrathful God with consuming fire but a God of love who forgives and forgets the failings of His children. Two words define the character of the Holy One: God is.

When Moses asked the Lord His name to tell the Hebrew people, God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” The name of God is I AM because everything about the Lord God is that GOD IS. He was not nor will be but He is I AM and HE IS. The nature of man thinks that he is something when he is nothing. Only by knowing the fullness of God as HE IS can man come to know how small his boat is in the vast ocean of God’s universe and power. Man is nothing. GOD IS.