Creation Ex Nihilo is in the Bible

Michie

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“Scripture bears witness to faith in creation ‘out of nothing’ as a truth full of promise and hope.” (CCC 297)


Ex nihilo is Latin for “from nothing.” It was stated by an atheist with whom I have had extensive interactions, that the Bible does not teach “creation from nothing.” As usual, he is mistaken, and greatly so.

Let’s see what the Bible actually teaches about this. There are many verses in support of creatio ex nihilo. I found almost all of them way back in 1981, when I was just starting out in apologetics. Here they are:

  • Psalms 33:6 (RSV) By the word of the LORD [i.e., not by existing matter] the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
  • Isaiah 44:24 . . . “I am the LORD, who madeall things . . . “
  • Wisdom 1:14 For he created all things that they might exist, . . .
  • John 1:3 all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
  • Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. . . .
  • 1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
  • Ephesians 3:9 . . . God who created all things;
  • Colossians 1:16 for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities — all things were created through him and for him.
  • Hebrews 2:10 . . . he, for whom and by whom all things exist . . .
  • 2 Peter 3:5 . . . by the word of God [i.e., not by existing matter] heavens existed long ago . . .
  • Revelation 4:11 “. . . our Lord and God, . . . didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created.”
If God created all “things” then he must have created ex nihilo because no thing (nothing) existed initially if there was no thing that he did not create. How much clearer could it be made? After all, “nothing” according to Merriam-Webster online, means “not any thing: no thing.” Therefore, creating “all things” means the same thing as “creating from nothing”; that is, creation ex nihilo.

And of course modern Big Bang cosmology agrees with this. Christian philosopher William Lane Craig sums up the current state of knowledge in his paper, “Creation ex nihilo: Theology and Science”:

Continued below.
Creation Ex Nihilo is in the Bible
 
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Dansiph

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“Scripture bears witness to faith in creation ‘out of nothing’ as a truth full of promise and hope.” (CCC 297)


Ex nihilo is Latin for “from nothing.” It was stated by an atheist with whom I have had extensive interactions, that the Bible does not teach “creation from nothing.” As usual, he is mistaken, and greatly so.

Let’s see what the Bible actually teaches about this. There are many verses in support of creatio ex nihilo. I found almost all of them way back in 1981, when I was just starting out in apologetics. Here they are:

  • Psalms 33:6 (RSV) By the word of the LORD [i.e., not by existing matter] the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
  • Isaiah 44:24 . . . “I am the LORD, who madeall things . . . “
  • Wisdom 1:14 For he created all things that they might exist, . . .
  • John 1:3 all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
  • Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. . . .
  • 1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
  • Ephesians 3:9 . . . God who created all things;
  • Colossians 1:16 for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities — all things were created through him and for him.
  • Hebrews 2:10 . . . he, for whom and by whom all things exist . . .
  • 2 Peter 3:5 . . . by the word of God [i.e., not by existing matter] heavens existed long ago . . .
  • Revelation 4:11 “. . . our Lord and God, . . . didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created.”
If God created all “things” then he must have created ex nihilo because no thing (nothing) existed initially if there was no thing that he did not create. How much clearer could it be made? After all, “nothing” according to Merriam-Webster online, means “not any thing: no thing.” Therefore, creating “all things” means the same thing as “creating from nothing”; that is, creation ex nihilo.

And of course modern Big Bang cosmology agrees with this. Christian philosopher William Lane Craig sums up the current state of knowledge in his paper, “Creation ex nihilo: Theology and Science”:

Continued below.
Creation Ex Nihilo is in the Bible
I was reading part of Job 38 before I saw this thread:


Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
Job 38:5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
Job 38:6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

That's God talking about creating Earth.
 
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Dansiph

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I was reading part of Job 38 before I saw this thread:


Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
Job 38:5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
Job 38:6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

That's God talking about creating Earth.
Someone can correct me but I think Job 38:5 is talking about something similar to this:

It's so cool when methods last so long.
 
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public hermit

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“Scripture bears witness to faith in creation ‘out of nothing’ as a truth full of promise and hope.” (CCC 297)


Ex nihilo is Latin for “from nothing.” It was stated by an atheist with whom I have had extensive interactions, that the Bible does not teach “creation from nothing.” As usual, he is mistaken, and greatly so.

Let’s see what the Bible actually teaches about this. There are many verses in support of creatio ex nihilo. I found almost all of them way back in 1981, when I was just starting out in apologetics. Here they are:

  • Psalms 33:6 (RSV) By the word of the LORD [i.e., not by existing matter] the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
  • Isaiah 44:24 . . . “I am the LORD, who madeall things . . . “
  • Wisdom 1:14 For he created all things that they might exist, . . .
  • John 1:3 all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
  • Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. . . .
  • 1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
  • Ephesians 3:9 . . . God who created all things;
  • Colossians 1:16 for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities — all things were created through him and for him.
  • Hebrews 2:10 . . . he, for whom and by whom all things exist . . .
  • 2 Peter 3:5 . . . by the word of God [i.e., not by existing matter] heavens existed long ago . . .
  • Revelation 4:11 “. . . our Lord and God, . . . didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created.”
If God created all “things” then he must have created ex nihilo because no thing (nothing) existed initially if there was no thing that he did not create. How much clearer could it be made? After all, “nothing” according to Merriam-Webster online, means “not any thing: no thing.” Therefore, creating “all things” means the same thing as “creating from nothing”; that is, creation ex nihilo.

And of course modern Big Bang cosmology agrees with this. Christian philosopher William Lane Craig sums up the current state of knowledge in his paper, “Creation ex nihilo: Theology and Science”:

Continued below.
Creation Ex Nihilo is in the Bible

I've never thought about "all things" in terms of ex nihilo, but it makes good sense. Thanks for the post!
 
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Bob Crowley

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I probably sound like a broken record, since I've said this so often on this forum, but this universe still adds up to nothing.

Key in "Sum Zero Energy Universe" in your search engine, and you'll get scientific blogs and publications asserting the fact.

What's the Total Energy In the Universe? | Live Science

Likewise it will go back to nothing when God has finished with it and it has served its purpose.

2 Peter 3:10 "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."

It was made from nothing "Ex Nihilo", adds up to nothing "Addit ad nihilum"; and will return to nothing "Hoc nihil ad te" if we're going to use fancy Latin terms ... er... assuming the computer generated text was correct...:scratch::sigh:
 
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public hermit

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I probably sound like a broken record, since I've said this so often on this forum, but this universe still adds up to nothing.

Key in "Sum Zero Energy Universe" in your search engine, and you'll get scientific blogs and publications asserting the fact.

What's the Total Energy In the Universe? | Live Science

Likewise it will go back to nothing when God has finished with it and it has served its purpose.

2 Peter 3:10 "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."

It was made from nothing "Ex Nihilo", adds up to nothing "Addit ad nihilum"; and will return to nothing "Hoc nihil ad te" if we're going to use fancy Latin terms ... er... assuming the computer generated text was correct...:scratch::sigh:

That's really interesting, if I understood it. Is there any reason, scientifically speaking, to think it only happens once. Or, is it possible that if it happened once, it could happen again? You won't hurt my feelings if you tell me those questions don't make sense, lol.
 
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Bob Crowley

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That's really interesting, if I understood it. Is there any reason, scientifically speaking, to think it only happens once. Or, is it possible that if it happened once, it could happen again? You won't hurt my feelings if you tell me those questions don't make sense, lol.

You'd have to ask God if He wants to start the whole ball rolling again.

There'd be a lot more to it than the fact the universe's total energy is zero. He had to design very tight parameters in the physical constants, and work out how He was going to create life, and ultimately the equivalent of human life.

The universe is finely tuned for life - creation.com

I don't think He'll bother. Once this show is over, I think He'll move on to whatever He's got planned as the next stage.

Another way to look at it is to say that if the universe started from some sort of single quantum fluctuation, involving an infinitely small amount of energy, then since energy is neither created nor destroyed (although it can be "stored" as matter), then that's all the energy the universe could ever have.
 
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