Creation from Nothing
A fundamental doctrine of creation holds that
God created the universe ex nihilo,
or from nothing. This doctrine has significant theological implications, the
most important of which is the distinction between creation and Creator. The
doctrine asserts that God is separate from His creation, not part of it.
Additionally, the doctrine implies that since creation has its origin in God’s
creative action, matter cannot be eternal; therefore, all of creation is
dependent upon God for its existence.
The account of creation in Gen 1 depicts God
bringing order to the chaos of a primordial earth. While Genesis 1:1 and
Hebrews 11:3 support the idea that in the very beginning, God created matter
out of nothing, the concept of creatio ex
nihilo is not explicitly stated in the Bible. Given this, the potential
ambiguity of interpretation in Gen 1:1–2 is often used to suggest that God was
working with pre-existing raw materials. However, the emphasis on God alone
acting to create the cosmos makes a powerful assertion about the nature of
creation and the uniqueness of God. The biblical writers were not concerned
with the question of where matter ultimately came from. Their appeal to God as
creator was designed to enhance His sovereignty, not explain the origin of the
universe. The explicit doctrine of creation from nothing developed in early
Christianity in opposition to philosophical ideas about the eternal nature of
matter. (Douglas Mangum, Miles Custis, and Wendy Widder, Genesis
1-11 [Lexham Research Commentaries; Bellingham, Wash.: Lexham Press, 2012],
Logos ed.)
Tohu
wabohu, “Formless and Void.” Genesis 1:2 is sometimes
read as undermining the idea of creation ex
nihilo because it seems to describe the chaotic condition of unformed
matter awaiting the intervention of God. The Hebrew phrase tohu wabohu, often translated as “formless and void,” contributes
to this understanding because the verse describes an earth that exists but is “formless and void.” What
does it mean that the earth was formless and void? Did God’s creative action
consist of shaping pre-existent matter, or did He create the matter first?
Other uses of these Hebrew words throughout the ot suggest that we are asking
the wrong question.
The phrase tohu wabohu is used to symbolize the chaotic forces of the natural
world. The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah used these terms to emphasize God’s
absolute power to both bring order from chaos and to unleash chaos in judgment
on a rebellious world (Isa 34:11; Jer 4:23). The words tohu and bohu simply
refer to an empty and lifeless wasteland. The passages that invoke this chaotic
imagery focus on God and His uniqueness, not the pre-existent state of creation
(e.g., Isa 45:18). God brought form, function, and order to His creation. His
blessing is symbolized by order; His judgment by chaos. (Ibid.)
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