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. Hebrews 11:3
The phrase “ex nihilo” is of Latin origin and means “out of nothing.” The doctrine of creation out of nothing has numerous important theological implications.
First, creation ex nihilo emphasizes God’s necessary existence. God is uncreated. He is eternal which means He has no beginning or ending point. He is uncreated and all other things are created. All other things in the universe are contingent upon His existence. Anything and everything is grounded in God’s creative act.
Second, creation ex nihilo highlights the doctrine of divine freedom. God freely chose to create something distinct from Himself. He freely created finite persons in His image to invite them into a loving relationship with Himself.
Third, creation ex nihilo exhibits God’s supreme power. If God desired to create, but could only do so if there happened to be some preexisting matter, then He would not be all-powerful. However, His ability to simply speak the world into existence is a stunning display of His majestic power.
We serve an awesome, glorious, wonderful and powerful God!
