God’s Primacy over His People

(Posted by Joel Beeke)

“And God said, Let us make man….” ―Genesis 1:26

Thoughts on this passage: We often come to Genesis 1 with a kind of inquisitiveness about creation. Instead, we ought to come in a spirit of worship, bowing before the glorious majesty of the God who has created the universe and given us life and breath and all things. Then we will recognize that He has revealed Himself so that He might practically affect our lives.

The first practical effect Genesis 1 ought to have on us is to help us recognize the primacy of God over all of life. If God is the subject of creation, that is, if He occupies a place of primacy in the universe, then the simple logical corollary is that He must occupy the same place in our lives, both individually and corporately. That, indeed, is how God intends us to live. Jesus put it this way: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33a).

We run into all kinds of trouble when we don’t embrace this practical principle of bowing before the primacy of God over all of life. For example, think of the primacy of God in our planning. Too often we first decide what we want to do, then approach God for confirmation, hoping that our desires will be acceptable to Him. But the biblical principle is “In the beginning God.” That means before we make any plans, we should recognize the right of God over all of our lives. If we truly believe that God’s initiative is the foundation of all of our plans, we will understand that our position is to seek grace to discern His will and good pleasure, then to do it, no matter what self-denial that calls for.

When God becomes primary in our plans, situations often change. Difficulties, even seeming impossibilities, are overcome. Doubts are dissipated; deliverance is received.

For those that are reading this, are you seeking to bow to the primacy of God in every sphere of your life? Are you surrendering your limited time, your limited money, your limited energy to the will of God? Do you really want to live by the principle, “In the beginning God”?