Buried in the Great Deep. The earth was initially swallowed up, enveloped in water. And the word for “waters” indicates chaos, the great abyss, a watery grave.
Again this is the condition of all people by birth.
Ephesians 2:1-2 NLT Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. (2) You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
Often times when people discover they are alive physically but dead spiritually, they begin looking in religion, somehow sensing that God is the answer. So they will go on a spiritual quest, try to obey God in an attempt to win His favor, try to become religious. Some people carry this to extremes, doing all they can to find life. I sure did.
Other times they turn to “human spirituality”, the New Age movement, “finding myself”, or to one of the cults, learning about end-times events, studying the “Spirit of Prophecy” and learn to “read the newspaper as a Bible commentary”, and many other ways people look for life.
And after all of this “doing” and “looking” and “searching and seeking” we discover we’re no better off; we feel ourselves at a distance from God and without life. Though perhaps we’ve now become knowledgeable, we know ourselves to still be separated from God, which is the epitome of “death”.
So the earth in its initial stages of creation mirrors and pictures all human beings, exactly, as we are born into this world.
So what is the solution for our dark and dreadful condition?
Notice two things in our passage as we look at it again:
Genesis 1:1-3 NLT In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (2) The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. (3) Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Notice, “the Spirit of God was hovering” and the Word of God brought light (and God said, “Let there be light”). That which was empty was about to be filled. That which was in darkness would be filled with light. That which was dead and buried was about to experience resurrection life!
The Spirit and the Word are the very instruments God used to bring light and life to the original creation, and are the exact solution to our problem as well.
Consider this statement from Jesus:
John 6:63 NLT The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
Question 4. According to John 6:63 please contrast human effort with the Word and the Spirit.
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Tori writes, "Wow, this is the first time I have seen this in the Bible (or have noticed this phrase) and it makes 100% sense. It is the truth. We try and try to fix ourselves, to find others to fix us or things to fix us and fill us of that empty feeling, yet it is all fruitless. The truth is it is only God who can fill us. That is where we will find bounty, life and completion, in His Word, in the gift of the Spirit, and in Christ who is His Word in flesh."