The Important Question of God's Method of Creation

The Question

 

In reference to Genesis 1, did God create the world out of nothing (ex nihilo), or did He create it from existing matter and organize it?

 

Why this Matters

 

What’s at stake is much more than meets the eye.  Important theological doctrine lives or dies with the answer to this question.  The nature of God, the role of Jesus Christ and His relationship to God and us, our relationship to Him, our own value, and keys to understanding difficult questions, such as The Problem of Evil.

 

The Changing Answer Through the Ages

 

Most theologians today insist the word create in Genesis 1, or "bara" in Hebrew is understood to mean “to make something out of nothing" (ex nihilo).  This must be so in their minds or the very sanctity of God is at stake.  In other words, if God did not create out of nothing, then it is possible for matter, or even man, to be coeternal with God.  This is blasphemy in their minds as it demeans the power and majesty of God.  It also opens the door to other doctrine they cannot fathom to even be possible, such as the extremely prevalent doctrine in early Christianity of human deification.

 

But creation out of nothing has not always been the orthodox belief.  Contrary to most of todays theologians' claims, their belief in ex nihilo creation was not shared by the first Christians.  

According to Gerhard May, in Schoepfung Aus Dem Nichts, the concept of creation ex nihilo “began to be adumbrated in Christian circles shortly before Galen's time. The first Christian thinker to articulate the rudiments of a doctrine of creation ex nihilo was the Gnostic theologian, Basilides, who flourished in the second quarter of the second century. Basilides worked out an elaborate cosmogony as he sought to think through the implications of Christian teaching in light of the platonic cosmogony. He rejected the analogy of the human maker; the craftsman who carves a piece of wood, as an anthropomorphism that severely limited the power of God. God, unlike mortals, created the world out of ‘non-existing’ matter. He first brought matter into being through the creation of ‘seeds’, and it is this created stuff that is fashioned, according to His will, into the cosmos.”  

Thus, the doctrine of creation out of nothing was first advanced by a Gnostic (a heretical branch of Christianity), and even then it did not appear until more than a century after the birth of Christ.

However, the idea of God using pre-existing material in creation was common belief shared by many of the early Church Fathers, confirming that beliefs about the mechanism of creation altered over time.  

Justin Martyr (A.D. 110-165) said: “And we have been taught that He in the beginning did of His goodness, for man's sake, create all things out of unformed matter; and if men by their works show themselves worthy of this His design, they are deemed worthy, and so we have received-of reigning in company with Him, being delivered from corruption and suffering.”

Clement of Alexandria (c.150-215) said in his "Hymn to the Paedagogus", “Out of a confused heap who didst create this ordered sphere, and from the shapeless mass of matter didst the universe adorn...”

As was the case in many cherished doctrine among the early Christians, Greek philosophical ideas intruded on Christian doctrine, often changing it altogether. 

What we see in all texts from about 165 A.D. and after is that Platonic philosophy, both Middle and Neo, have infiltrated Christian thought and became a basis for major innovations in doctrine. To promote a restorationists view, we clearly see an apostasy in action here. The personal God of the Bible known through revelation and personal encounter is suddenly too far removed from the human sphere of existence to be involved in such things with humans. The notion that humans are created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1: 26) must be reinterpreted to fit the Platonic view, that God is utterly unique and entirely unlike humans.

The adoption of the doctrine of creation ex nihilo had other far reaching implications for the history and form of Christian theology even to our own day. The doctrine of creation out of nothing led inevitably to what came from the council of Chalcedon, which put in stone the idea that Christ was one person having two natures, consubstantial with the Father in his deity. This two-nature theory of Christology assured that the Platonic view of natures and substance would be essential to make sense (at least to the Greek mind) of the doctrine of God within the new creedal tradition.  This way of thinking gave rise to what became todays popular doctrine of the Trinity--that God is three in substance.

 

The doctrine of creation out of nothing also leads to incorrect arguments in which everything that occurs must be caused by God, for if he didn’t cause each substance to exist anew in each moment, it would cease to exist.  By definition, this must include both good and evil creations--even Satan himself.

 

Well-known author Edwin Hatch noted the influence of some Greek philosophical ideas in the change to the now orthodox belief in creation ex nihilo:

“With Basilides [a second century Gnostic philosopher], the conception of matter was raised to a higher plane. The distinction of subject and object was preserved, so that the action of the Transcendent God was still that of creation and not of evolution; but it was "out of that which was not" that He made things to be . . . . The basis of the theory was Platonic, though some of the terms were borrowed from both Aristotle and the Stoics. It became itself the basis for the theory which ultimately prevailed in the Church.” The transition appears in Tatian, ca. A.D. 170.

Evaluation only from the Scriptures, “sola scriptura” 

The definition of the word bara in Hebrew is an abstract concept with no apparent concrete foundation.  The English translation we conceive is therefore not a Hebrew concept, and as we shall see, the translated word can and does change throughout the scriptures.  But a simple view of its use through hermeneutics can help.  In Genesis 2:7 it states that the Almighty “formed” man.  The Hebrew word here translated as “formed” is the verb “yatsar” and is best understood as the process of pressing clay together to form an object such as a figurine.  We can plainly see from this verse that man was made from something; however, in Genesis 1:27 we read, according to most translators, “God created (“bara”) man”, and it is said this means from nothing.  However, as we have discovered, man was made from something.  In fact in Genesis 2:7 it states that God formed man out of dust.  Therefore the word “create” or “bara” in Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:27 cannot mean to make something out of nothing.  By examining other passages where this word appears, we can begin to see its true meaning more clearly.

“‘Why do you kick at My slaughtering and My offering which I have commanded in My Dwelling Place, and esteem your sons above Me, to make yourselves fat (bara) with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?” (1 Sam 2:29).

 

Believe it or not, the word “bara” is translated as “fat” in the verse above and is the original concrete meaning of this word. With this translation in mind, what would it mean in Genesis 1:1 when it says, “Elohim fattened the heavens and the earth”? When an animal is chosen for the slaughter, it is placed in a pen and fed grain so that it can be fattened, or “filled up.” This idea of “filling up” is now more relevant to the next verse.

 

    “And the earth became formless and empty (unfilled)…” (Genesis 1:2)

 

The New Testament does not teach creation ex nihilo. To the contrary, 2 Peter 3:5 expressly teaches that God created out of the already existing chaotic waters, Hebrews 11:3 expressly teaches that God created the visible world from the already existing invisible world, and Romans 4:17 teaches that God created from an already existing substrate.

 

   Numbers 16:30 describes a miracle, but not technically an ex nihilo event. There are several similar uses in the book of Ezekiel.  In the well-known petition of king David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalms 51:10), he uses the word, bara.

   Thinking of God organizing or filling in the creation process simply makes more sense in English and is more true to the word, bara.

 

Let’s consider 2 Corinthians 4:18.  “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal", suggesting that aspects of the created "unseen world" are eternal, despite the exercise of God's creative power upon them.

 

Further, Michael L.T. Griffith in One Lord, One Faith, clarifies the Greek portion of the puzzle.  “The Greek text translated from Hebrew does not teach ex nihilo, but creation out of pre-existing raw materials, since the verb “ktidzo" carried an architectural connotation...as in 'to build' or 'establish' a city.... Thus, the verb presupposes the presence of already existing material.”

 

Conclusion

 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who support the view of creation ex materia, are often held up as the "bad" example when this topic is criticized.  Critics of the LDS church in their stance on this issue claim Joseph Smith’s theology to be Pagan, false and recently contrived.

 

Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb wrote:

“Far from reverting to paganism or simply falling into sloppy thinking, Smith was carrying his confidence in Christ to its fullest possible expression....All things are possible not only for us but also for God, in that this universe does not exhaust the divine creativity. The universe is not big enough to hold the majesty of God’s ingenuity. Rather than reacting negatively to the apparently infinite expansiveness of the universe, Smith called astronomy’s bluff and multiplied the universe by the same expansive factor. Smith was wiping the theological slate clean of the Neo-Platonic metaphysics that had so influenced Augustine.”

 

Doctrine and Covenants 93: 29 is a verse that can be easily read through without much notice, but it literally explodes millennia of debate and error and opens up this issue in wonder and simplicity, “Man was also in the beginning with God.  Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.”  

 

Among other important doctrine, it blew apart The Problem of Evil, at least in part.  This is a philosophical and theological problem that basically states; If God is good, and God is omnipotent, why does evil exist?  Either He can’t or won’t eliminate it. This dilemma drives people to atheism more than any other issue. Probably the biggest “evil” here is man and his evil works.  Why would God create this evil being in the first place?  Answer:  He didn’t—at least not the inner part with the predisposition to choose good or evil.  But He is trying His best to change that evil part into good.  He is literally our Heavenly Father as He is the Father of our spirits, but we have always existed.

 

 

Joseph Smith’s theology is simple, yet vast as the multiverse.  It eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine’s part therein.  It reestablishes the belief that we are a whole universe more personal with God and significantly elevates our potential—that we really were made in the image and likeness of God.  It is my conviction that his theology was revealed to him from God himself.  Given his lack of education, this is by far the most logical conclusion.  Man’s medaling with theology, even by well-educated theologians and philosophers, without God’s help too often leads down a road to more and more error and misunderstanding, and it is no different in this case.

 

See here for further reading, or a video here

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Power of Covenants

When Joseph Smith was first visited by The Father and Jesus Christ, he was told that the professors of religion of the day had “a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”  They did have some godliness, but what about this power?  2 Tim 3:5 councils us of those, “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”  How do they have godliness but deny its' power?  The mystery is solved in D&C 84:21, “Without the ordinances thereof, and the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh.”  These ordinances spoken of here go hand in hand with making covenants.

According to Merriam-Webster, a covenant is 1) usually a formal, solemn, and binding agreement.  2) a written agreement or promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action.  

But is the meaning of covenant the same biblically?  According to bibleproject.com, biblically, “A covenant is a relationship between two partners who make binding promises to each other and work together to reach a common goal.  They’re often accompanied by oaths, signs, and ceremonies.”  This sounds very close to Webster and aligns well with LDS beliefs.  However, according to Pastor John Giarizzo of Grace Covenant Church, “covenants in the Bible do not create a relationship that did not exist before, but formalize a relationship that is already in place… while we have an ongoing, personal relationship with God, we don't make covenants with Him, but live out the implications of the covenants that have been made and are still in force.”  He comments that this way of thinking is "tradition", and claims this to be, "historic and orthodox Christianity."

To make things even more muddy, biblestudytools.com states, “In religious and theological circles there has not been agreement on precisely what is to be understood by the biblical term (covenant).”

As much as I have learned about and practiced making and keeping covenants, its meaning and importance can still be somewhat allusive.  We know that God has worked with man through covenants from the beginning, so they must be important.  In fact, what we know as the Old and New Testaments were anciently known as the Old and New Covenants.  The word "covenant" is used almost 300 times in the King James Bible.

President Russell M. Nelson taught, "The covenant path is all about our relationship with God."  We understand that covenants we make with God bind us to Him, helps us rely on Him, and more fully allows Him to bless us, just as we would our own children.   

There are several covenants we make as members of the church.  The baptismal covenant is the first.  We covenant to take upon us His name and always remember Him.  You might say we promise to become a Christian and all that it entails (Gal 3:27).  We are then given the Holy Ghost as our constant companion.  Even though I’m sure I was taught that, it was years before I really understood it to any degree.  But going even further to understand the reason and nature of covenants helps as well.

 

When I was still young in Primary, I remember one Sunday we were all being very rambunctious—more than usual.  Besides being loud, we were taking turns sneaking to the light switch and turning the lights off and on.  There were no windows in the room, so it got pretty dark.  Each time the lights came back on, we would look to see who the culprit was and laugh it off.  Then one time the lights went off and on as usual, but as we all turned to see who did it, there was nobody even close to that light switch.  We immediately all became very quiet.  I’m sure you could have heard a pin drop.  We all slowly and instinctively went to our seats, sat down and looked to the front towards our teacher.  The teacher asked us what we thought just happened.  One boy raised his hand and said, “Heavenly Father told us to be reverent.”  The class then proceeded in that manner to the end.

 

I tell this story, not to underline the importance of reverence in the Lords house, or of how thin the veil can be (though they can be important lessons), but to pose the question; how did the relationship between the teacher and the students change at that moment?  Obviously the teacher lacked the ability to control her class, but after the light phenomenon she had complete control.  We looked to her for guidance, which she gave, but also she could look to us as humble and obedient in every respect.  She could trust us to do whatever she asked, whether it be to retrieve something, or to simply listen and learn.  In fact I think we could say that her power as a teacher increased in that she had many that would obey her word and she knew it.  We not only looked to her for guidance, but we had faith in her words and even honored her and her wisdom.   At that moment, we were completely loyal and one with that teacher.  This is the type of relationship that our Heavenly Father wants with His children, and it is often through covenants that this is achieved.  In this state of humility, loyalty and respect, we are more receptive and progress at a much faster rate.

 

Loyalty is power in any respect.  As we make covenants, we are extended trust that we will be obedient to that covenant.  A form of loyalty, which not only elevates us, but in a sense increases power to the one extending it.  As more become one in purpose, the greater the force to promote that purpose.  This power can be shared with all parties, sometimes sooner and sometimes later, depending on the level of trust.  

In some respects, the very moment we make a covenant, we begin to reap the blessings of that covenant as if we always had and always will keep it.  To make a common comparison, when we make a promise to make mortgage payments, we then have the power to live in and improve our house any way we please—as if it was paid off.

 

I think anyone would agree that power is an essential attribute of deity.  Understanding better the source of that power can help us to more effectively become more like Them.

 

In Doctrine and Covenants 29:36 we read, “…behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power.”

 

Here we learn that His honor is his power, at least in part.  Where does He get honor?  There are many ways, but as we have faith in, and follow the will of God, this in fact honors Him and in a sense increases His power, which He then shares with us.  

 

As we engage in this process and continually repent, we eventually become a being that is incapable of sin and worthy of all the trust the universe has to offer.  Although our sinful past does not qualify us for that trust, the law is satisfied through Christ’s atonement that we qualify for through our obedience to ordinances and covenants.  Our sinful past is replaced with Christ’s and trust in us grows as we continue to honor our covenants.*

 

As we established, the source of His power, at least in part, is in the honor and loyalty given Him by His creations.  We are told that all things that are created obey His word—all except for man.  Man must learn obedience.

 

In Mark 4: 37-39 we read, “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him and say unto him, Master carest thou not that we perish?  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, peace, be still.  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm… And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

 

What is it that gave Him power in this situation?  It surely was not obedient men.  The implication here is that even the very elements obey Him, which could also imply the honor, faith, and love that even the elements have for Him.

Obedience to covenants can give us help in ways we may not have considered.  I love the comments on this subject at the April 2021 conference by D. Todd Christopherson.

"The ordinances of the temple and the covenants you make there are key to strengthening your life, your marriage and family, and your ability to resist the attacks of the adversary... 

 

When we are diligently pursuing the covenant path, we quite naturally avoid many “unforced errors.” We sidestep the various forms of addiction. We do not fall into the ditch of dishonest conduct. We cross over the abyss of immorality and infidelity. We bypass the people and things that, even if popular, would jeopardize our physical and spiritual well-being. We avoid the choices that harm or disadvantage others and instead acquire the habits of self-discipline and service.

 

The covenants God offers to His children do more than guide us. They bind us to Him, and, bound to Him, we can overcome all things."

Keeping in mind this great quote and looking more deeply into the baptismal covenant from the sacrament prayer, "that they do always remember Him, that they may have thy spirit to be with them."  We can surmise that if we do not keep this or other covenants, we will not have His spirit to be with us.  In this state, we are more susceptible to temptation.  Keeping all our covenants keeps us in a safe zone, so to speak.

We are given hints in scripture as to how God uses His power to rule and I think this may be helpful to better understand as well.  We know it is not by the priesthood as we are told in D & C 121.  In other words, not by demand, not by physical strength, not by anger, but, “by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned.  By kindness and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile.”  He admonishes us to, “Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God… The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.”

 

The, “without compulsory means” part is telling here to me.  In other words, He does not force us or any element in the universe to obey Him.  His word is followed out of love.  To me this is power in its most divine sense.

Our father in heaven loves to grant blessings whenever possible. But to randomly do so, especially with no offering on our part may be received with less meaning or gratitude. With a covenant, as we keep it, we are blessed with the promise of that covenant, and we increase as a person. We grow and learn and appreciate to a greater extent than we would without that covenant.  As Elder Robert M. Daines has taught, "Covenants are the shape of God's embrace."

The same joy that the Father has He wants for His children.  He has given us the gift of covenants, the keeping of which allows the power of God to enter our lives and fill us with love as we work side by side our Father to become godly ourselves.

*Please see The Power of Covenants by Darrel Zeltner here

 See a video on an alternate side of covenants here