Creation is the act of God
by which He brought the universe
and all life into existence
out of nothing.
Scripture opens with the declaration that
in the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth.
Creation is the foundation of
the biblical worldview,
establishing God as
the sovereign Owner and Ruler
of all things.
It affirms that the universe is not eternal,
that it has purpose,
and that humanity holds a unique place
as the image-bearers of God.
The doctrine of creation teaches that everything that exists — space, time, matter, energy, and life — owes its origin to the free and powerful word of God. Creation is not a necessary emanation from God’s being, nor is it the product of chance; it is the purposeful work of the triune God. The biblical account presents God as speaking the world into existence, ordering it in successive stages, and declaring it good. Humanity is the climax of the creative work, made in God’s image and given dominion over the earth. The doctrine of creation undergirds every other biblical teaching: the character of God, the dignity of human life, the reality of the Fall, the need for redemption, and the hope of a new creation.
- God created all things ex nihilo — out of nothing — by the power of His word.
- The work of creation is attributed to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- Creation is distinct from God; the universe is not divine, nor is God part of the universe.
- Everything God made was originally good; evil entered later through the rebellion of creatures.
- Humanity is the special creation of God, formed in His image and given responsibility to rule and care for the earth.
- The biblical doctrine of creation stands against both atheistic naturalism and pantheistic views that blur the distinction between Creator and creation.
- The same God who created the world continues to sustain it by His power and will one day renew it.
- Origin of the Universe – God alone is eternal; everything else had a beginning.
- Method – God created by His word; He spoke, and it was so.
- Order and Design – The creation account shows structure, purpose, and progressive ordering.
- Goodness of Creation – God repeatedly declares what He has made to be good.
- Humanity’s Place – Made in the image of God, male and female, with the mandate to fill and subdue the earth.
- Ongoing Providence – Creation is not abandoned; God continues to uphold and govern all things.
- New Creation – The story of redemption culminates in a new heaven and a new earth.
- Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
- Genesis 1:3 – “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
- Genesis 1:26-27 – “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… male and female he created them.”
- Genesis 2:7 – “The Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”
- Psalm 33:6, 9 – “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made… For he spoke, and it came to be.”
- Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
- John 1:1-3 – “In the beginning was the Word… All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
- Colossians 1:16-17 – “For by him all things were created… and in him all things hold together.”
- Hebrews 11:3 – “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.”
- Revelation 4:11 – “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 21:1, 5 – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’”
The doctrine of creation is the starting point of the Christian worldview. It tells us that the universe is not an accident, that it belongs to God, and that we are not our own. Everything that exists was made by Him and for Him. The same word that brought light out of darkness has spoken again in Jesus Christ to bring new creation out of the ruin of sin. To confess God as Creator is to acknowledge His ownership, His wisdom, and His right to rule — and it is to find our true identity and purpose as those made in His image and redeemed for His glory.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.