Elohim

The Strong Creator Who is the Source of Everything

Names are not what they used to be. When someone was named in biblical times, the name was given to represent something or to mean something. The same is true with the names of God. People called God specific names because those names meant something to them about who God is. The names given to God reflect his character and his attributes.  Today we are going to look at God’s most common name, “Elohim”.

The very first name the bible uses for God is found in Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth.” Elohim is the most common name used for God in Scripture, appearing 2500 hundred times in the New Testament and over 30 times in the first chapter of Genesis. The first Hebrew root of this name is “El,” meaning “powerful or mighty.” The second Hebrew root is “alah,” meaning “to swear or bind with an oath.” These roots are implied in the meaning of “the strong creator who is the source of everything.”

One very important fact about this name is that it’s plural. Elohim is not singular. This is monumental to our understanding of God because right away in Genesis 1:1, it tells us that God is a single entity that is made up of more than one “person” or “creator.” So for those who argue against the deity of Christ and the existence of the spirit and who argue that God is only one person, they need to look further into Genesis 1:1. This is consistent in these following scriptures:

Spirit in Creation

Gen 1:2           The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Psa 104:30      When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

Psa 104:31      May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works…

Job 33:4          The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Christ in Creation

Col 1:15           He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Col 1:16           For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him.

Col 1:17           And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Col 1:18           And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

Col 1:19           For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

Col 1:20           and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Knowing this, what do you think is the most glorious of all of God’s creations? Is it existence? Is it the Universe? Is it love? Is it free will? Consider the words of Jonathan Edwards.

“GOD has greatly glorified himself in the work of creation and providence. All his works praise him, and his glory shines brightly from them all. But as some stars differ from others in glory, so the glory of God shines brighter in some of his works than in others. And amongst all these, the work of redemption is like the sun in his strength.”

                                                            -Jonathan Edwards, “The Wisdom of God, Sec. II”-

Most of us would say that God creating the Universe was his greatest creation revealed and displayed to mankind. Edwards thought differently. Later in his writing, Edwards proposes an idea that I think is brilliant and true. When God created out of nothing there was no opposition, he just created the universe. But in creating new creations through the cross of Christ, there is opposition and the overcoming of sin and our fallen state. Because of this, Edwards concluded that the cross of Christ is a greater work than the creation of the universe.

God is the strong creator because he has not only created the universe, but he has also overcome sin and death and conquered them in order to create in us new life. Is that not the most amazing thing? He didn’t have to. He didn’t have to create you. He certainly did not have to save you. But he chose to save you from his overflowing love and mercy. He painfully overcame it all knowing every sin you would commit, knowing every time you would ask forgiveness and sin again, knowing every time you would willingly disobey despite how much it cost him. He conquered. He is conquering. He is creating new life where sin has hardened and destroyed our minds and our hearts. He is strong and he is the source of all things while he creates us into new beings and creates in us life.

What is Elohim creating in you? What new life is he making in you? What is he conquering in order to create life in you? If you aren’t sure, press into him in prayer to start moving in your life. If God is the source of all things, are you drawing from the inexhaustible fountain of his mercy and grace? Take time to write down what he is creating in you in order to give you life.