In the Beginning was Love

In the beginning God (Genesis 1:1) was the Word (John 1:1), and the Word was Love (1 John 4:16).

Looking at the first chapters of Scripture, we find a portrait of the God whose unfathomable Love forms the foundation for everything we know.

This is a God who creates a world built around companionship. He creates a man and immediately says that it's not good for the man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). Creating humanity in his own image requires two humans; the image of God is not complete without both male and female (Genesis 1:27).

This is a God who rests immediately after creating his perfect world and his perfect humans (Genesis 2:2-3), creating a holy space in the rhythm of life especially for enjoying companionship with God and each other.

This is a God who takes the time to walk in the garden during the cool part of the day with his creatures and misses them when they don't show up (Genesis 3:8-9).

True, it's backstory we get later, but this is a God "slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8) -- a God who has already planned to sacrifice himself to solve the sin problem he knows his beloved humans are going to cause.

It's a God of Love who built a world around love to lavish Love on people... people like you.

And that's the beginning.