Genesis Series Part 2: When the Word Came

When the earth was formless, empty, and covered in deep darkness, God transformed it into a world where flowers bloom, birds sing, and beautiful fruits grow. God also wants to transform our hearts in the same way. Even today, God is working in the hearts of many people, turning confusion, emptiness, and darkness into something beautiful.

Let us look at how God changed the darkened earth. Genesis 1:3 says, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” God did not use tools like hammers, saws, or planes to transform the world. He renewed the earth through His Word.

Today, many believers feel guilty because they fall into sin even though they do not want to, or they want to live kindly and purely but fail, or they find themselves hating others without realizing it. These people try to change themselves—through fasting, night-long prayers, and determined effort—but before long, they discover they have returned to their former selves. They do not know how true transformation happens, so they simply struggle on their own.

When God created the heavens and the earth, the earth did not try to change itself. Genesis shows us that the earth changed when God’s Word came upon it. The earth did not try to produce trees or work hard to create beautiful birds. It simply remained as it was. Yet when the almighty Word of God came upon it, light appeared. By His Word, the waters above and below were separated, land and sea were formed, and all kinds of plants bloomed and bore fruit.In the same way, the transformation of our hearts does not come from striving to reach some goal or standard. Our hearts are naturally changed when the Word of God enters them.

In John 4, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at the well in the city of Sychar. She had changed husbands five times and was living with a sixth man. She lived an immoral life and was despised by everyone. But one day, she met Jesus at the well. As she conversed with Him, she was transformed without even realizing it. She left her water jar behind and returned to the town as someone who proclaimed the gospel.

I was very curious—what words did Jesus speak that changed her? So I looked closely at their conversation. Jesus began by asking her for water, and the conversation continued from there. We cannot point to a single phrase that changed her, but through her dialogue with Jesus, she was transformed.

In Luke 19, we see Jesus talking with Zacchaeus, a tax collector. Zacchaeus was obsessed with making money, even if it meant betraying his own people. But as he conversed with Jesus, he changed.

When God’s Word—“Let there be light”—came upon the earth filled with chaos and darkness, light came and drove the darkness away. By the power of His Word, all kinds of plants, trees, and animals were created, and emptiness vanished. By His Word, order was established, day and night were formed, and seasons and years followed. Disorder and confusion disappeared.

The earth did not try to fill its emptiness. It did not work to overcome the darkness—yet the darkness fled. Likewise, when the Word of Jesus came, the Samaritan woman was changed, and Zacchaeus was transformed. Even today, when God’s Word enters our confused and empty hearts, we are beautifully changed.

Many people do not know this and try to change themselves. They try hard, succeed for a while, but soon fall back into darkness. But when you accept God’s Word into your heart by faith, you cannot help but be changed. When you open your heart and receive the Word, you become renewed and transformed.

We are not changed by determination or effort. I, too, once lived a filthy and evil life, suffering because of my sin. I tried to wash away my sins and keep myself from sinning. But in October 1962, the Word of God came into my heart. I realized that the dirty sins I could never cleanse by my own efforts had already been washed away by the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. From that moment, I was freed from sin.

When God’s Word came into my heart, the sins I could not remove by any means were washed clean. My heart became white as snow. From then on, every time the Word of Jesus came into my heart, my heart—which had been full of hatred and impure thoughts—began to change, becoming filled with Jesus Christ.

Do you want to live a bright, clean, and orderly life? Do you want beautiful flowers to bloom in your heart and for your life to bear good fruit? Have you failed in your spiritual life because you tried to do it by your own effort? Are you filled with wounds, resentment, or bitterness because of others?

I hope true change will occur in your heart through God’s power. This change does not happen by human effort. Just as the earth was transformed when God’s Word entered the darkness, your heart will change when God’s Word enters and takes residence there.

One day Jesus said to the Jews, “You seek to kill me because my word has no place in you.” (John 8:37)If God’s Word does not dwell in our hearts, thoughts that oppose God arise within us.

Do you want God to work for you today? Do you want to live with true faith? Then right now, empty your heart and receive God’s Word into it. When God’s Word enters and remains in your heart, your heart—unchanged despite all your efforts—will blossom with beautiful flowers and bear fruit. People who meet you will sense fragrance, sweetness, peace, and joy coming from your heart.