The First Verse of the Bible

Introductory Thoughts

Building on the wrong foundation almost always gives bad results

Our search for truth needs to begin at the right place – Proverbs 9:10

No coincidence that the Bible begins where it does

The first verse is the fundamental truth upon which the rest of God’s revelation to mankind depends

God is Real

It is plain that the world exists –

There is something rather than nothing

But why is there something rather than nothing?

Two answered questions help us understand

God is Real

Who is responsible for the fact that we exist?

This is the most practical question man ever asks

Life is unexplainable if God did not create the world and we simply cannot live without a basic explanation for life

It is in God that we live and move and have our being

Acts 17:28

Hebrews 1:3 – Hebrews 11:1-3

God is Real

What shall be our response to this person?

Paul speaks of many who knew God but refused

to honor Him as such – Romans 1:20-21

The truth that God made the world has vast implications

We are accountable to God

He has authority over us

He will determine our destiny

God is Real – Right Now

Difference between knowing a thing theoretically and knowing it is true through experience

God becomes very “real” to us when we lie upon our deathbeds

The challenge is to live right now in such a way that God is real to us

Romans 1:19-20

Two Things Will Help Keep God Real to Us

God is Real – Right Now

We need to spend more time with God’s world

Our move away from an agricultural society has

not been all “progress”

We need more significant contact with things God has made and less with things man has made

In our industrial / technological society, it takes effort to keep in touch with the world that God has made

God is Real – Right Now

We need to spend more time in God’s word

God’s reality confronts us on every page of the scriptures

Bible study is about coming to know God Himself

We need to learn and consider what we learn about God

We need to practice the art of reflection, meditation, and serious thought

Concluding Admonitions

The first verse in the Bible teaches us that we came from God – it is also true that we

will return to God

Considering our eventual return to God, we ought to live each day in practical recognitionof our accountability to Him – we ought

to live life for God