And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. – Genesis 1:2
Between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2…there’s a gap.
That’s the essence of the Gap Theory, one used as a framework by some to make sense of dinosaurs, fossils, the fall of Lucifer and the existence of “waters” in Genesis 1:2 before they were created.
Stephen Armstrong does a good job dissecting some of these issues over on the Verse by Verse podcast series on Genesis.
But the real ‘gap’ in these verses – and others – is found in us forgetting two crucial things that Jesus told us.
God is a Spirit. (John 4:24)
And:
The words I speak to you are Spirit and they are life. (John 6:63)
Genesis 1 is the account of a Spirit-Being called God, transforming invisible elements into physical manifestations.
It’s why John 1 tells us that in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God.
It’s also why Colossians 1:16 shows us that:
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
So in Genesis 1, we’re not simply witnessing a physical Entity speaking words and creating things.
It’s the invisible Godhead at work – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – bringing about the existence of Creation.
Yes, by His own account, God created “heaven and earth” in literally 6 days (Exodus 20:11).
Why He took so long – instead of just doing it all within a nanosecond –is a great question that’s been explored in detail over here.
But how God did it is what Genesis 1:2 gives us insight into.
The interplay of the invisible realm with the visible realm.
The tango of Spirit and Word.
Transformation of formless chaos into tangible purpose.
Worlds being framed by the Word of God.
Things which are seen not being made of things which do appear.
Truths that those stuck operating on the level of natural senses can never perceive, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)
You are a Spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body.
The gaps in Scripture, and in your experience of Scripture, are just areas where you’ve forgotten or don’t know who you really are and who God really is.