The Prequel

A prequel by definition is "the earlier part of the story." Although Genesis means the beginning, it is not the beginning of everything. Genesis is the beiginning of God's revelation to us, but what was happening before us? As we begin to read God's story to us, it is appropriate to understand the prequel for it tells us more about God and ourselves. There are two important things for us to understand in the prequel to the story.

1. God's existance was perfect. God is an eternal being, self-sufficient and complete, with no beginning nor ending. As a result, God did not create us because he was deficient in any way. Psalms 90:2 says "Before the mountains were born you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." God was pefectly complete in Himself, independent of us. This also dismisses any idea that God is evolving. This idea is consistent with "Process Theology" and it is inconsistent with the eternal and immutable (unchanging) nature of God. Furthermore, God was complete in community with Himself. In other words, God exists as one God, yet made up of three persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This is a perfect relationship God has with Himself, yet it is not narcisistic because God is not motivated by selfish-gain, but for our own good. God reveals to us in Genesis how He exists in this community. (Gen. 1:26, 3:22, 11:7)

2. God's story was planned. God's planned His story of redemption before creation. If we think about it, of course God would and could do this. Who would plan to create or even write a story without a plan? God's story was planned before creation. As part of God's plan, God chose us, and He knew we would not choose God, yet God knew He would in humility become human and sacrificially die for our rebellion in order to satisfy His justice. A. W. Tozer once said, "God has a voluntary relationship to everything God has made." This means God was not obligated to create us, yet did so, despite our rebellion against God; and this was voluntary on God's part, yet it results in God's glory and our own good.

Knowing these aspects of the prequel, may only serve to create more questions, such as "Why did God create us knowing we would rebel?" "If God knew this and will judge those who refuse God, then why would God create some to have a redeemed life and others not to?" We must be careful to avoid three things in answering these questions. First, we must avoid entitlement. God does not owe us an answer and we, as the created, are not entitled to anything by the Creator. Second, we must avoid pride. By asking certain questions, we believe we are capable of understanding the answers. In other words, as finite beings we cannot assume we would understand everything about an infinite God. Lastly, we must avoid living without faith. God calls us in response to his loving creation of us, to love God in return. God's love language, much like our own, is trust and grace. Yet God demonstrates He is fully trustworthy because He demonstrates in his own love, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. In other words, when we were at our worst, God gave us His very best, Himself slaughtered on a cross.

Given, God's demonstration of love to us by creating us and dying to redeem us, what is our demonstration of love towards God. The words of Moses are wise for us to remember. In Deuteronomy 29:29 he says, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." Given the prequel of God, the sequel to God's story lies not in asking more questions but in surrendering our lives to Christ our Lord.