THE CREATION

(EX NIHILO)
 THE CREATION
THE FOUNDATION OF EVERYTHING

• The whole concept and key central issues

that is engaged in controversy where
atheism and secularism has aimed their
assault on Judeo-Christian doctrine of
creation. That if this principle can be
rejected as truth the Christian faith and
worldview collapses.
• Primary to the Christian faith is the
understanding that this world did not
emerged as a result of a cosmic accident
but a direct, supernatural, purposive work
of a Creator.
 THE CREATION
THE FOUNDATION OF EVERYTHING

• There are 3 important points that was set

forth in first sentence in scripture (Gen.1:1)
and all are indisputable;
a. There is a beginning
b. There is a God
c. There is a creation
• If the first point could be established firmly
the other will follow by logical necessity.
If there is a beginning of the universe, there
must be something or someone who is
responsible for it.
“IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED…”
A. THERE WAS A BEGINNING

• Consequently, if there is a beginning– there

must be a creation. Majority of those who
embraced the teaching of the “Big Bang” of
Cosmology the 13B years ago, began as a
result of an explosion.

• Leibniz raised an inquiry; “Why is there

something instead of nothing?” he implies
an inquiry: why did God create an imperfect
world instead of just enjoying his own
perfection?
 THERE WAS A BEGINNING
OPTION OF THE QUESTION OF REALITY

1. THE UNIVERSE IS SELF-EXISTENT AND

ETERNAL
Secularists believe that universe has a
beginning but its not eternal, and there
are those who believe in the existence of
the material world which always claims
that the universe is self-existent and is
eternal and has power within itself to
exist.
 THERE WAS A BEGINNING
OPTION OF THE QUESTION OF REALITY

1. THE UNIVERSE IS SELF-EXISTENT AND

ETERNAL
Secularists believe that universe has a
beginning but its not eternal, and there
are those who believe in the existence of
the material world which always claims
that the universe is self-existent and is
eternal and has power within itself to
exist.
 THERE WAS A BEGINNING
OPTION OF THE QUESTION OF REALITY

2. SELF-CREATION
The universe did not always exist but later
came into being suddenly by its own
power (considered as bad theology,
philosophy, science etc.), this is thoughts
as irrational and unreasonable. This is one
of the aspect of the enlightenment (18th
century) that the “God hypothesis” is no
longer necessary to explain the presence
of the external universe because science
has an explanation without an appeal to
transcendent being.
 THERE WAS A BEGINNING
OPTION OF THE QUESTION OF REALITY

3. THE UNIVERSE WAS CREATED BY

SOMEONE THAT IS SELF-EXISTENT AND
ETERNAL
This view agree and recognize that
something is self-existent and eternal. An
intelligent First Cause- the Transcendent
being.
DIFFERENT INTERPRETATION OF CREATION

a. “Spontaneous Generation”- a concept that

something was generated without any
understating cause-- which is another
impossibility.
b. “Chance Creation”- another fallacy of
equivocation for chance (probability). It’s a
belief that chance have influence over
creation and this is not a person or power
but another concept of “self-creation.”
Creation came from within itself.
DIFFERENT INTERPRETATION OF CREATION

c. Transcendent Being (God)- the term

doesn’t refer to God’s location, but rather it
refers to what is above and beyond the
universe. It describes God in terms of His
being, He is ontologically-transcendent, He
is self-existent and must be distinguished
from any thing that is derived, dependent
and contingent.
“IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED…”
A. THERE WAS A BEGINNING

• God created the world “EX NIHILO” (out of

nothing), which comes form Latin dictum that
“EX NIHILO-- NIHIL FIT” (out of nothing,
nothing comes) because nothing comes from
nothing. Therefore, this something who is the
cause of everything has to be self-existent.
• The Christian view is that, “In the beginning
God…” (and God is not nothing). He created
alone the universe “out of nothing” (EX
NIHILO). God’s creativity doesn’t mean that He
shaped and transformed an already pre-
existing material. God said. Let there be and
there is– that is the Divine imperative.
IN THE BEGINNING
“GOD CREATED…”

• The point of the phrase was simply to

give a brief description of the world as it
was when God began His work. It was
not identified how long it may have been
in that state.
• The verb Heb. BARA – “create” is the
word used by the Bible to designate the
activity that only God can do.
IN THE BEGINNING
“GOD CREATED…”

• The word God Heb. ELOHIM, a general

term who is referred to as the subject of
this unique activity (ie. creating, making,
shaping,) as mentioned in Gen.1.
• The one true God is introduced in the first
sentence of the creation account. He
initiated the event and is sovereign over
creation and as a result, it obeys His will
as it rises to its newly organized states.
The biblical creation account is emphatic
that the sovereign God is the only true
creator.
 IN THE BEGINNING
“GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN AND EARTH”

• The heaven was mentioned in Gen.1 is

not the universe, but rather upon the
“atmospheric heaven” that surrounds
this earth-- the heaven that surrounds
this earth, this is the ones that was
mentioned that divides the firmament on
the 2nd day of creation.
• These were the heaven where the birds
fly after they were created on the 5th day
(v.20). The creation of this heaven shows
the geocentric emphasis of the creation
account.
 THE FIRST DAY
1. LIGHT

“And God said, let there be light: and

there was light. and God saw the light, that
it was good: and God divided the light from
the darkness. And God called the light Day,
and the darkness he called Night.”
-Genesis 1:3-5
 THE FIRST DAY
1. LIGHT

• “Let there be light” (v.3). God spoke light

into existence to penetrate the watery
darkness of the earth (v.2). God created
light without these astronomical
assistance (ie. stars etc.).
• There were two possible answer to this
light; first, the astronomical bodies where
there all the time and providing light. But
those light were hidden when the
firmament were created on the 4th day.
Those were possible but so far, no direct
direct evidence to support it.
 THE FIRST DAY
1. LIGHT

• The second, is that the light in first 3 days

of the creation week came directly from
God Himself. He later delegated the task to
the astronomical bodies which was
identified on the 4th day.
• This has biblical parallel occurrence in
Rev.21:23, where the new Jerusalem will
not need the light of the sun or moon
because God’s presence will provide the
light. This could have been the case in the
first (3)days. This idea made people
worship nature (sun) instead of the creator.
 “God called the light Day, and the
darkness He called Night. So, the evening
and the morning were the first day.”
-Genesis 1:5
IN THE BEGINNING
THE TIME ELEMENT

• The account for the 1st six days of creation

weekends with a dateline that is a standard
formula- “there was evening and the there
was morning…” Some suggested that this
is not a literal 24 hrs. day but a long ages
through which the earth’s evolution. But
there are elements that is involved the
creation process.
• The phrase “to be” or “let it be” was
mentioned twice. Secondly, the word day
Heb. “YOM” means “literal” evening and
morning.
IN THE BEGINNING
THE TIME ELEMENT

• When using the biblical reckoning of a

day— “evening and morning” it is
consistent with the rest of the biblical usage
(Gen 33:13; Ex.12:18; Neh.5:18). There can
be no doubt that Genesis is referring to the
24-hour period of dark and light which
comprises the whole day.
• The word Heb. “YOM” or day give specificity
that denotes limited and local application of
its phrase in time.
THE SECOND DAY
2. FIRMAMENT

“And God said, let there be a firmament in

the midst of the waters, and let it divide the
waters below and the waters above…”
-Genesis 1:6-10
THE SECOND DAY
2. FIRMAMENT

• The watery firmament (envelope around the

earth) already existed before the second
the day of creation (Gen.1:2). On this day
God divided or separate the water above
and the water below.
• The emphasis is on the water above
(firmament) referring to the atmospheric
heaven Heb. “RAQUIYA” which also use for
the word sky (Gen.1:7). It is also referred to
as the space above the earth which collects
water in the clouds.
WHAT HEAVEN DID GOD CREATED DURING
THE TIME OF CREATION?
“And God called the firmament Heaven.
So, the evening and the morning were
the second day.”
-Genesis 1:8
 THE THIRD DAY
3. VEGETATION

“And God said, let the earth bring forth

grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit
tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed
is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so...”
-Genesis 1:11-13
 THE THIRD DAY
3. VEGETATION

• The primordial state of the earth is

originally covered with water (v.2). The first
two days did not change the situation,
since 70% of the earth’s surface is covered
with water. The sea gave way for dry land
and became usable and occupied by
plants, humans and animals.
• Plants that came forth were in 3 categories;
vegetation, plant yielding seeds, fruit
bearing trees (v.11) which propagate after
their own kind.
 THE FOURTH DAY
4. THE HEAVENLY BODIES

“And God said, let there be lights...

to divide the day from the night; and let them
be for signs, and for seasons, and for days,
years: and let them be for lights in the
firmament of the heaven to give light upon
the earth: and it was so.”
-Genesis 1:14-18
 THE FOURTH DAY
4. THE HEAVENLY BODIES

• In the narration of the 4th day, the sun

(greater light) and the moon (lesser light
appeared- as astronomical bodies.
• Though the word sun and moon were not
literally mentioned because these heavenly
bodies were deified during the time of
Moses. However, these astronomical
bodies had no independent existence apart
from its Creator and they serve only
according to His purpose- the marking of
time and seasons for human beings (1:14).
 DIVISION OF THE CREATION WEEK
THEMATIC PATTERN AND RELATIONSHIP

THE FIRST 3 DAYS THE SECOND 3 DAYS

Day 1- light Day 4- heavenly bodies

Day 2- division of the firmament Day 5- birds and fishes

(water above and water below)

Day 3- dry lands and its plants Day 6- animals and humans
(vegetation) filled up the dry lands.
 THE FIFTH DAY
5. BIRDS AND FISHES

“And God said, let the waters bring forth

abundantly the moving creature that hath
life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in
the open firmament of heaven.”
-Genesis 1:20-23
 THE FIFTH DAY
5. BIRDS AND FISHES

• The occupants of the firmament (sky)

were the birds and all of its kinds. The
creation of marine organism were product
of the creator “instantaneous creation.”
 THE SIXTH DAY
6. MAN AND BEASTS

“And God said, Let the earth bring

forth the living creature after his kind,
cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the
earth after his kind: let us make man in our
image, after our likeness.”
-Genesis 1:24-27
 THE SIXTH DAY
6. MAN AND BEASTS

• The third of this portion of the narrative

tells of the creation of land animals
(Gen.1:24-25). Then comes the account of
the creation of human beings.
• The word kinds Heb. “MINAH” (v.24) is
used in a general sense: all kinds of land
animals.
• It is applied to 3 individual groups: the
beast of the earth, the cattle and the
creeping animals. The story point to a large
variety of animals (v.25).
MAN: GOD’S MASTERPIECE

“And the Lord God formed man of the

dust of the ground and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living soul.”
-Genesis 2:7
THE SEVENTH DAY
7. THE SABBATH DAY

“And God rested on the seventh day

from all his work which he had made. And
God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it:
because that in it he had rested from all his
work which God created and made.”
-Genesis 2:1-3
 “Thus, the heavens and the earth,
and all the host of them, were finished. And
on the seventh day God ended His work
which He had done.”
-Genesis 2:1-3
 “...and He rested on the seventh day
from all His work which He had done. Then
God blessed the seventh day and sanctified
it, because in it He rested from all His work
which God had created and made.”
-Genesis 2:1-3
 IN THE BEGINNING
THE CREATION OF THE SABBATH

• The record of the seventh day Sabbath

(Gen.2:1-3) belongs with that of the other six
as part of the whole week. Although the
word Heb. “SHABBATH” is not used in the
verses but the original root meaning
“SABAT” which means “to cease.”
• One can see therefore how this day received
its name- for on this day God rested, He
ceased from all His creative activities. He
did not need the physical rest but His divine
rest serves as an example for human beings
to follow.
 IN THE BEGINNING
THE CREATION OF THE SABBATH

• The second activity on this day was God

blessed to this particular day- He
blessed all creation including man and
beast (1:28). But here another divine
blessing was pronounced on a unit of
time and not on created beings and
objects.
• The third activity is the Heb. QADAS
which means to be “made holy” or
“sanctified,” set apart for for the use of
God and human creatures.
 IN THE BEGINNING
THE CREATION OF THE SABBATH

• The sanctification of Sabbath at creation

is important, to the use of whether the
Sabbath was solely Jewish or belong to
the entire human race.
• Since this activity took place at the end
of the creation week, when the first
member of the human race were place
upon the earth. It was evident that the
Sabbath was given to them. It was set
apart and was consecrated for them. As
representative of the whole humanity
(Mk.2:27).
 “It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn
rest, and you shall afflict your souls;
on the ninth day of the month at evening,
from evening to evening, you shall
celebrate your Sabbath.”
-Leviticus 23:32
THE YEARLY CYCLE
1 YEAR= 365 DAY
THE MONTHLY CYCLE
1 MONTH= 28-31 DAYS
THE WEEKLY CYCLE
1 WEEK= 7 DAYS
THE DATE OF CREATION

• The OT does not give a precise date for

the events of the creation week of
Genesis. Biblical chronology must work
backward from the known to the
unknown. The available known date is
the record approximately 970 BC for the
beginning of the reign of Solomon.
• Adding 480 years in I Kings 6:1 to 970 BC
give an approximate date of Exodus
account (1450 BC).
THE DATE OF CREATION

• Depending on chronological scheme from

the birth of Abraham (1950 BC) using the
400 years of Gen.15:13 and Gal.3:17 it is
estimated to be 2170 BC.
• 430 years of Egyptian sojourn (Exo.12:40) +
Jacob’s age 130 y/o when he went to Egypt
(Gen.47:9) + 60 years to the birth of Isaac
(Gen.25:26) + 100 years to the birth of
Abraham (Gen.21:15).
• From Abraham backward contained in the
genealogies of Gen 5 & 11 (assuming that
no generation were missing) one will arrive
to approximate date of the flood to creation.
THE DATE OF CREATION

• However, the Hebrew texts differ

significantly from the Septuagint or LXX in
genealogies which suggests that the Flood
could have occurred 2500 BC some 1,650
years after the creation.
• Following the LXX, the Flood would have
happened 3400 BC and Creation 5600 BC.
With the difficulty of using genealogies to
compute chronologies, the differences
between Greek and Hebrews recension, one
can confirm the earth’s history probably
began in 5th millennium BC.
CREATION AS A CRUCIAL BIBLICAL THEOLOGY
• The NT term “foundation of world”
identifies the starting point of the world’s
history.
a. “since” or “from” the foundation of
world (Mt.13:35; 25:34; Lk.11:50;
Heb.4:3; 9:26; Rev.17:8).
b. “before” the foundation of the world
(Jn.17:24; Eph.1:4; I Pet.1:20; Rev.13:8).
• NT writers knew creation week as a
definite point in time that divided the time
and events before it, from those that took
place after.
PURPOSE OF CREATION
A. TO REVEAL GOD’S GLORY

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.”
-Psalm 19:1
PURPOSE OF CREATION
B. TO POPULATE THE WORLD

“And the Lord God caused a deep sleep

to fall on Adam… and He took one of his ribs
and closed up the flesh in its place.
Then the rib which the Lord God had taken
from man He made into a woman, and He
brought her to the man.”
-Genesis 2:21-23
PURPOSE OF CREATION
B. TO POPULATE THE WORLD

“And God said unto them, be fruitful,

and multiply, and replenish the earth, and
subdue it: and have dominion over the fish
of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over every living thing that move
upon the earth.”
-Genesis 1:27
 GOD ESTABLISHED
THE INSTITUTION OF SABBATH
 GOD ESTABLISHED
THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE
 “Then I saw another angel flying in
the midst of heaven, having the everlasting
gospel… saying with a loud voice, “fear
God and give glory to Him, for the hour of
His judgment has come; and worship Him
who made heaven and earth, the sea and
springs of water.”
-Revelation 14:7
SIGNIFICANCE OF CREATION
C. THE BASIS OF TRUE SELF WORTH

“Then God said, “let Us make man in Our

image, according to Our likeness;
Let them have dominion over the fish of
the sea… on the earth.”
-Genesis 1:26
SIGNIFICANCE OF CREATION
D. THE BASIS OF TRUE FELLOWSHIP

“Have we not all one Father?

Has not one God created us?”
-Malachi 2:10
SIGNIFICANCE OF CREATION
E. RESPONSIBILITY FOR ENVIRONMENT

“Then God blessed them, and God

said to them; ‘be fruitful and multiply-
fill the earth and subdue it; have
dominion over the fish of the sea, over
the birds of the air, and over every living
thing that moves on the earth.”
-Genesis 1:28
 SIGNIFICANCE OF CREATION
F. REMEDY FOR LONELINESS & MEANINGLESSNESS

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in

Our image, according to Our likeness; let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
over the birds of the air, and over the cattle,
over all the earth and over every creeping
thing that creeps on the earth.”
-Genesis 1:26