Creator Uncreated

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…” -(John 1:1). He was there before the existence of the first blade of grass and before the presence of the first mountain. He was there before the land and the sea, and He was there before the surface of the earth came into being. He was present before the foundation of the world, and before the creation of the universe. He was there before the sun showed off its light to the galaxies, because He was there before the sun and the galaxies themselves. He was there before everything because He created everything. “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made…” (1:3). He is the Creator Uncreated.

The Lord, in His triune sovereignty, fashioned all things out of the passionate depths of His heart and the incomprehensible chambers of His imagination. Depths which I crave to know, spending my life searching out, only to find myself in a place of increasing and consistent adoration of Him as my tiny childlike fingers try to grasp the visibly tangible, yet physically distant clouds of His power and desires put into action. But no matter how outstretched my arms will go, they simply cannot take my hands to the clouds. The laws of nature do not bend for human emotion. But unlike nature, we move Jesus and He makes Himself known, no longer as an external figure, but an internal beloved, dwelling not only among us, but also within us. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son, from the Father, full of grace and truth” (1:14). The Greek word used in this verse for dwelt (eskēnōsen) actually refers to dwelling in a tent, which is a very similar concept to the tabernacle of the Old Testament. John is saying that greater than in the days of Moses and David when the presence of the Lord rested in their tabernacles, through the New Covenant, we as believers have become the tabernacles of the Lord and He now makes His dwelling place among us. The Creator Uncreated now resides inside of us, His creation. Additionally interesting, the Greek word used for beginning (arché) in John 1:1, originates from the Greek word archó, which means to rule, as if even linguistically John testifies and glorifies the triumph of the Lord in a way that the English language fails to capture. In the beginning He has already won and His victory has already gone forth. In the beginning His rulership has already been enforced with every fabric, every fiber, every molecule, every creature, and every creation. “Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord…” (Psalm 96:11-13a). The Psalms are heavily composed of commands to worship because His rulership has already been, and always has been, established. All of creation groans over the glory of its Creator.

There is a whole new level of intimacy developed with our Creator in us, instead of only among us. In John 1:38, Jesus asks His disciples what they are seeking. They answer by asking Him where He is staying. His disciples are seeking more than His presence, they are seeking His residence. When we are marked by the Lord, the cry of our hearts becomes to be with Him always. He now resides within us, as our lives of worship build a den and a nest for the Lion and the Dove.

The Creator lives within us like a carpenter lives within his cabin. Every part of that cabin has been fashioned specifically for the resident’s use. It functions best when whoever lives within it uses every area of it. A cave in Alaska may not be appreciated by a California surfer, but it could be adored by a band of hunters in love with the mountains. We were designed as a temple for the Lord and by the Lord, and we receive the most use and love when we host who was created to live inside of us. Not one thing was made without a purpose. Who are we as creation, to doubt our Creator? What is the cabin to question the carpenter?

When I read the final verse of this chapter (John 1:51), my mind trails and swirls with infinite possibility as I wonder what it looks like to see in the heaven opened in the natural. What would it look like to see the Son of Man ascending and descending? What would it look like to see angels of God ascending and descending on Him? I am undone and overcome the images of potential for such a scene. I know that my limited mind cannot comprehend the Unlimited. How can we even grasp the edges of someone who has no edges? Even the galaxies are limited in size and the cells in our blood have been numbered. Of the potential for a scene of heaven invading earth!

I think of the omniscient omnipotence of God… I think of how in the beginning in Genesis when the Lord sent the flood, Noah sent out a dove in search for land. When the dove returned, it had an olive branch, signifying the recession of the water, resulting in life. Later, so many highlights of Jesus’ life took place on the Mount of Olives. New life was first brought to man as a branch from a dove. It was later delivered to man the same way, with Jesus on the cross and the rains of his blood covering the sins of man. He is before everything and after. He is before sin and after salvation. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God…” (1:1-2). He was there before everything because He created everything. “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made…” (1:3). He is the Creator Uncreated.