THE LAW OF FIRST MENTION: GOD

The Law of First Mention is a tool used by Bible students to explore the rich meaning and message of God’s Word. This law, principle or rule, suggests that the first mention of a word of doctrine is often a revealing and fruitful course of study.

In the next several installments of the Pastor's Blog, I'd like to explore some of the theologically important first mentions found in the Book of Genesis ... the Book of Beginnings.

In the first verse of the first chapter, we find the first mention of God. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Let’s learn three things.

He is “in the beginning.”  He is the Always-Existing-One. He wasn’t created. He always was and always will be… God.

He is the Creator of all things. He didn’t create stuff out of other stuff. He created things from nothing. Planets and stars, mountains and oceans, rivers and forests, He simply spoke into existence. “All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created” (John 1:3).

Notice too, that the Bible doesn’t try to prove the existence of God. It boldly states the obvious. “In the beginning God…”A sculpture requires a sculptor. A painting requires a painter, and creation requires a Creator.

“God.”

The law of first mention doesn’t suggest that we learn everything about a word or doctrine from its first mention. Elohim is the Hebrew word for God, and we can find that word more than two-thousand, six-hundred times in the Old Testament. There is much that God reveals about Himself on the pages of Holy Scripture, not all found in the first verse of Genesis.

But we do learn this… He is the Always-Existing-One, the Creator, and there is no denying His presence and power!

“… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV).