St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology (Nov 2022)
Creation
Abstract
Popular understandings of the Christian doctrine of creation are subject to two common misconceptions. Firstly, it is often viewed as a scientific hypothesis or historical claim about the origin of the world. Secondly, it tends for this reason to be treated as less a matter of faith (and thus as carrying greater apologetic potential) than seemingly more Christian-specific doctrines like the Trinity or original sin. However, contradicting these positions, it is important to stress that the Christian doctrine of creation is a matter of faith (see Heb 11:3) and therefore not a claim that is open to empirical testing by reference to scientific accounts of the world’s origin or structure. For while it is indeed part of the Christian belief that the world is not eternal, the doctrine of creation is primarily a claim about God’s relation to the world (i.e. to all that is other than God), rather than about natural history. In its classic form, it claims that God created the world from nothing (ex nihilo), meaning that God is the only antecedent condition of the world’s existence, such that every creature exists at every moment and in every respect only because God wills that it should exist. While this teaching has been subject to significant criticism in the modern period, careful attention to the meaning and implications of the doctrine can answer these critiques. Moreover, while creation from nothing does raise significant theological questions (especially with respect to the origin of evil), its prominence in the Christian tradition arguably derives from its coherence with fundamental Christian convictions regarding faith, grace, and salvation.
