Introduction

In this article, we move from God’s internal act of decree to His first external act of creation. Specifically, we will consider creation in general, and next time, we will look at the creation of man.

Question

Q. 12. What is the work of creation?
A. 12. The work of creation is God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good (Gen. 1 throughout; Heb. 11:3).

Exposition

A. The work of creation is God making all things.

God alone creates in a manner where He brings into existence that which was before nothing. He limits existence in given essences. He brings together form and matter. In a word, the Triune God is the creator of all things outside of Himself, and there are none like him.

Consider what John sees and hears from the twenty-four elders in the book of Revelation. They say, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will, they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:11; Acts 17:24). For examples of God making all things consider how:

1.   He made the soul of man (Zechariah 12:1).

2.   He made the body of man (Psalm 139:16).

3.   He made the angels (Colossians 1:16).

4.   He made all creeping things (Genesis 1:25).

In other words, God made all things that exist, from the ant we smash under our shoes to the person we see in the mirror every day. He made the animals and the angels.

Furthermore, the Triune God created all things; creation does not originate from a generic unitarian God. The Father (Genesis 1:1) created all things through the Son (John 1:1-3), by the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Psalm 104:30), inseparably for the glory of the Triune God.

B. The work of creation is God making all things out of nothing.

In the beginning, God did not create out of matter that is co-eternal with His being. By His own infinite power, and in accord with His infinite wisdom, God created all things out of nothing.

Hebrews 11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”

Moses writes, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 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” (Genesis 1:1-2). The initial creation was out of nothing, and following the initial creation, God gave form to—and filled—what He had created out of nothing (Genesis 1:3-31). One clear example of this is the creation of man. Moses records, “Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7). In other words, the body or material component of man was formed out of things already created. In contrast, the soul of man was created out of nothing and united to the body.

C. The work of creation is God making all things by His powerful word.

Though it is true that God the Father created all things outside of Himself through God the Son, by God the Holy Spirit—and that the Son is called God the Word—the catechism is not talking about the inseparable operations of the Godhead in creation. Instead, by saying that all things were made by God’s powerful word, the catechism acknowledges the simple and biblical truth that the Triune God produced all things by “an act of his own power and sovereign will” (Thomas Ridgley, A Body of Divinity, V1. 330).

Consider Hebrews 11:3, as previously mentioned. By faith, we know that God made all things by His powerful word. Also, ponder what the Psalmist sings, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, by the breath of his mouth all their host” (Psalm 33:6). After charging all to fear the LORD, the Psalmist gives his reason, “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded and it stood” (Psalm 33:9).

D. The work of creation is God making all things in six days.

To put it lightly, the debate over the age of the universe has been heated in the modern era. Indeed, the advent of the theory of evolution coupled with the assertions of modern geological science and astronomy have raised challenges to a six-day account of creation. Bearing this in mind, it is important to note that a person’s view of the age of the earth—or the nature of the days in Genesis 1—is not determinative of their salvation. That said, denying a historical Adam and/or a belief in naturalistic evolution leads to a host of theological problems that impact matters of salvation and ethics. Moreover, I’m not content with the work of many Christians who play fast and loose with the Genesis account of creation to accommodate the ever-changing paradigms of scientists. Nevertheless, I’m not saying that the findings of scientists should be altogether ignored.

Though there is a history of reading the account in Genesis 1 figuratively, the catechism takes the account at face value. Modern attempts to reconcile the Genesis account of creation with the theories of the day are many. Some ascribe to the day-age theory, meaning that the word translated day in Genesis should be understood as indefinite periods (i.e., not literal days). Others argue that Genesis 1-11 is a type of poetic prose. I agree with the catechism’s answer. Three reasons lead me to this conclusion:

1.   The text of Genesis 1 has all the grammatical and syntactical markers of other historical narrative texts. The Waw consecutive is a textbook marker in Hebrew that we are reading a narrative portion of Scripture. Moreover, the repeated refrain of “And there was evening, and there was morning” in Genesis 1:4, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31 lends credibility to six twenty-four hours days.

2.   The rest of Genesis (and the Bible) seems to assume the historicity of the earlier chapters (Matthew 19:4-6; 24:37-39; Mark 2:27, 28; 10:6; Luke 3:23-28; 17:26-32; John 8:44; Romans 5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:7-12; 15:21-22, 44-49; Ephesians 2:3; 5:31; 1 Timothy 2:13-14; Hebrews 11:3-7; James 3:9; 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5; 3:5-6; 1 John 3:8, 12; Jude 14-15). 

3.   The rationale behind the Sabbath command in Exodus 20:11 and Exodus 31:15-17 is the belief that God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Consider what Moses writes, “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11). This is the rationale for why the seventh day is to be kept holy within the Mosaic Covenant.

Now, I will not pretend to answer all possible questions related to this issue. In fact, it is important to remember that the Bible tells us not all that could be known but what needs to be known. However, some specialize in this subject and attempt to answer many of the questions that arise from this subject. My point is simple; the Bible states that God created the world in six days. The literary structure and context suggest that it was six literal days. The rest of the Scriptures see Genesis 1-11 as a literal, though not exhaustive, history. The basis of the Sabbath command is a literal six-day creation. Thus, it seems that is how God made the world and all things, putting within those things that he made the potential for reproduction and adaptation.

E. The work of creation is God making all things very good.

God made everything in such a way that they were able to meet the end for which they were created. They were desirable and met their desired end. This is so because the one who made all things is Himself good (Psalm 136:1). God saw His creative work was good in Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 24. After completing His creative activity, Moses states that “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

Uses

1. Marvel at the power of the One who made all things out of nothing.

2. Take comfort in the fact that this God who made all things is for all who are in Christ.

3. Consider the beauties of the creation and how the Cause of it must be superior to them.

4. Observe God’s works in creation and how you are a part of it. Give credit where credit is due, worship and obey Him.

5. Notice how what was created good is now defaced by sin, including you. Humble yourself and take hold of the salvation God has accomplished in Christ.

Conclusion

Q. 12. What is the work of creation?
A. 12. The work of creation is God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good (Gen. 1 throughout; Heb. 11:3). Hebrews 11:3).