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Theological Significance of Creatio Ex Nihilo

Becca Hamilton

Christian Thought
Dr. Lee
October 14, 2015

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As the seasons begin to change from the happy, hot days of summer to the cool, crisp days

of autumn, one is prompted to notice the majesty of creation. All of the complexities that go into
the leaves changing color and the blowing of the wind that changes the weather are reminders of
Gods handiwork. In times like these, discussion of the doctrine of creation seem particularly

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appropriate. One specific aspect of the creation doctrine that lends itself to special attention is that
of creatio ex nihilo, or creation from nothing. Creatio ex nihilo deserves this special attention because
it reveals the ultimate power of God, the aseity of God, and the goodness of creation itself.
The concept of creatio ex nihilo at its core demonstrates the ultimate power and authority of

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God as Creator. A being great enough to create anything at all out of absolutely nothing is quite

Comment [GL1]: This sounds a bit funny, as if there


could be multiple potential beings with this power.

mind-boggling, let alone to create something so complex as creation itself. By understanding creatio

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ex nihilo one gets closer to grasping the majesty and grandness of God. Gerhard May conveys this
point in Creatio Ex Nihilo by writing, Gods power is shown precisely in that he creates out of
nothing what he wills, just as he alone confers life and movement It also reflects his superior
power that he creates and did create being out of nothing and that he creates what and how he

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wills. 1 God created straight from His very will, which sets Him above any other being. This
superior power as May describes can be clearly seen through this act of creation from nothing, and
should act as a reference point for believers when doubting Gods authority. Beth Jones in Practicing
Christian Doctrine also speaks to how creatio ex nihilo should be revered as theologically significant by
stating, The phrase invokes the unchallenged majesty of the creator God, without whom nothing
exists or ever has existed. The phrase also points, then, to the truth that all that exists, the totality of
creation, is Gods work and belongs to God.2 Creatio ex nihilo helps to fully comprehend Gods

Comment [GL2]: Though we can never fully


comprehend Gods power.

ultimate control over creation. This ultimate control allows God the ability to revert His creation

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1
Gerhard May, Creatio Ex Nihilo: The Doctrine of 'Creation out of Nothing' in Early Christian Thought
(Berlin: T&T Clark, 1994), 161.
2
Beth Jones, Practicing Christian Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2014), 80.

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back to nothingness, which demands creations uninhibited respect. Jones goes on to say, The

Comment [GL3]: This idea feels a bit undeveloped here


what does Gods ability to destroy the world indicate?

claim that God created, not out of something, but ex nihilo is a claim that nothing has status
alongside God.3 Creatio ex nihilo reveals Gods unmatchable authority. When one is able to grasp
the grand scale to which Gods power and authority expands, God becomes both more knowable
and more unknowable. Though this point is widely accepted in todays culture, Athanasius mentions

Comment [GL4]: How so?

in On the Incarnation that Plato countered this argument. He writes, He[Plato] said that God had
made all things out of pre-existent and uncreated matter, just as the carpenter makes things only out
of wood that already exists. But those who hold this view do not realize that to deny that God
Himself the Cause of matter is impute limitation to Him.4 Athanasius refutes Platos argument by
revealing that to say God created from pre-existing matter is to strip Him of His ultimate power and
authority, in which case He would no longer be God. He calls out his opponents by bringing back

Comment [GL5]: A bit colloquial.

the truth that at the heart of creatio ex nihilo is the foundation that God has ultimate power. To
deny Him of creatio ex nihilo is to deny that He is ultimately God. Creatio ex nihilo does the
important work of pointing someone towards the truth of Gods grand power and authority through
a tangible and more graspable doctrine, and so is why it is so theologically significant.
The study of creatio ex nihilo is also theologically significant because it reveals the aseity of
God. By Grenz, Guretzki, and Nordlings definition in the Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, aseity
means, a divine attribute, referring to Gods self-existence. In other words, God is not dependent
upon anything else for existence but has eternally existed without any external or prior cause.5 The
Triune God worked as one to create from nothing not because He was bored or lonely, but as an


3
Ibid. 81.
4
Athanasius, On the Incarnation (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1977), 27.
5
Grena, Guretzki, and Norling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, Illinois:
InterVaristy Press, 1999), 16.

Comment [GL6]: Do you mean creatio ex nihilo? This is


somewhat confusing.

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external, physical overflow of Trinitarian love.6 This creation from nothing out of the overflow of
Gods love demonstrates just how self-sufficient and self-existing God truly is. God existed before
without creation just as He exists with it now. God did not need creation for anything; He does not
even need our love or worship, though He is fully deserving. Because God created ex nihilo, He
leaves no other reason except the outpouring of love for His motivation to create. Jonathan R.
Wilson in his book Gods Good World expands on this concept, Because of Gods Trinitarian life,
God creates not out of a need for life or relationship but simply as the gift of life and relationship.
In other words, creation as the work of God is a gift because that work gives to the cosmos the
overflowing joy of being alive and in relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.7 By
creating everything from nothing, God establishes His love for creation. Out of literal outpouring of

Comment [GL7]: Nicely put.

love, God make the heavens and the earth to be a gift as Wilson describes. Instead of creating from
a pre-existing material that could bias or influence the creation that was made, God lets His
overflow of love dictate what is created. In Revelations of Divine Love, Julian of Norwich comments on
this concept, It [creation] exists, both now and forever, because God loves it. In short, everything
owes its existence to the love of God.8 Julian is saying that God can exist without our love but we
cannot exist without His love. Humans utter dependence on God put us on our place. A God who

Comment [GL8]: What do you mean by this?

can form creation out of nothing as it originates from God the Father, through the Son, and reach
its completion by the Holy Spirit can be no other than completely self-sufficient.9 The Triune God,
who is able to exist as self-sustained and without eternal cause created from absolutely nothing as an
overflow of love, and should be recognized with praise as such. The deep foundational significance

6
Dr. Gregory Lee, "Creation and the Imago Dei." (Lecture, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL,
September 15, 2015).
7
Jonathan Wilson, Gods Good World (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013), 99.
8
Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love, trans. Clifton Wolters (London: Penguin, 1966), 68.
9
Gregory of Nyssa. An Answer to Ablabius (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Westminster John Knox
Press), 262.

Comment [GL9]: Be careful w/parallel structures.

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to this truth is why studying creatio ex nihilo is so important. Without creatio ex nihilo, one cannot
fully understand the aseity of God and the implications of this truth.
Lastly, the study of creatio ex nihilo is important because by knowing that creation was made
from nothing one can then infer that creation was not begotten. If creation were begotten being

Comment [GL10]: This sounds a bit different from how


you articulated this point in your thesis.

made of the same substance as God - then humans could not have corrupted the goodness of
creation with sin because God cannot be corrupted. By God creating ex nihilo, He made creation to

Comment [GL11]: Augustine makes precisely this point


in City of God.

be originally good, while also with the ability to be redeemed from the corruption of sin. Athansius

Comment [GL12]: And, of course, to sin in the first


place.

was one of the first to comment on this notion by writing, God had not only made them out of
nothing, but had also graciously bestowed on them His own life by the grace of the Word
Though they were by nature subject to corruption, the grace of their union with the Word made

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them capable of escaping from the natural law, provided that they retained the beauty of innocence
with which they were created.10 With the understanding that God created ex nihilo and did not
beget creation, one can grasp creations deep goodness as it is constantly redeemed by Christ. With
creatio ex nihilo, creation cannot be good on its own because but with the redeeming work of Christ
it can be returned its former glory in the garden as described in the beginning chapters of Genesis.
The goodness of creation then points to the importance of respecting it. Whether this be through
creation care or treating our follow humans with respect and dignity, the goodness of Gods
redeemed creation should be the motivation for how one interacts with it. Alan J. Torrance writes in
his essay found in The Doctrine of Creation, Every particular person in the vast complexity of the
created order requires, therefore, to be interpreted[] specifically and particularly created ex nihilo
and demanding, therefore, to be interpreted and to be understood in the person of Logos who
locates himself in the midst of the spatio-temporal continuum as the one through whom and for


10
Athanasius, On the Incarnation, 30.

Comment [GL13]: And even better. Think of Augustines


distinction between posse peccare, our original condition,
and non posse peccare, our heavenly condition.

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whom all things were created.11 One can see Gods handy work in every aspect of creation, and so
should treat it as such. To treat the earth and all of its inhabitants with decency and consideration is

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to have the mindset that each is deemed as good by God. Though this concept has valuable
application, some want to take it too far. Many counter this argument by claiming that creation or
humans could be so good that they could be considered divine. Religions all over the world worship
nature and turn human beings to revered deities. Jones refutes this argument by saying, This is
another way in which affirmation of the biblical proscription against idolatry[] The doctrine of
creation affirms the goodness of what God has made, but it makes no allowance for nature cults and
zero room for worshiping human beings and pursuing selfish human ends.12 Though God has
redeemed His good creation, it is still living under the consequence of its corruption until He returns
to complete His good work. An idol is made when creations goodness is perceived as equal with the
one who brought it into being from nothing. By grasping creatio ex nihilo one can avoid the
dangerous thoughts that something is made of the same substance as our good God. Creation is
good but corrupted and redeemed by God, while God is wholly, unattainably good. The doctrine of
creatio ex nihilo is essential to theological study because it balances concept of the goodness of
creation with barriers around the goodness to avoid idolatry.
Overall, the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo works to reveal the ultimate power and authority of
God, the aseity of God, and the goodness of Gods creation. Creatio ex nihilos ability to touch and
inform many other doctrines described is why its study is so essential, as this umbrella effect points
to the complexities and deepness of Christ. Not only does this study consider the intricacies of how
God works, but it also inspires awe and praise. Creation fully lives when it fulfills its ultimate
purpose of pursuing and praising its Creator. Wilson writes, Thus, creation lives as it gives itself

11
Alan Torrance, The Doctrine of Creation: Essays in Dogmatics, History and Philosophy (London: T&T
Clark, 2004), 101.
12
Jones, Practicing Christian Doctrine, 82.

Comment [GL14]: Well put.

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fully to the one Creator Father, Son, and Spirit. Creation does this through praise. This praise is
simply the outpouring of created life toward I AM in adoration and obedience.13 As Wilson
suggests, the study of creatio ex nihilo, or any doctrine for that matter, is ultimately an act of praise.
To dig into their meanings and significances is to worship God with full minds and full hearts, and
in doing so recognizes Marks words to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind,
and strength.14
5 Exceptional
4 Above average
3 Satisfactory
2 Below average
1 Unacceptable
Thesis
1. Presents engaging and insightful thesis. 3/5
2. Structures arguments and evidence around thesis. 3.5/5
3. Defends thesis persuasively. 3.5/5
Reading comprehension
1. Demonstrates close attention to textual detail. 3.5/5
2. Highlights noteworthy features in course material. 3.5/5
3. Draws thoughtfully and constructively on course material. 3.5/5
Theological analysis
1. Articulates concepts with precision and sophistication. 3.5/5
2. Addresses potential challenges to arguments. 3/5
3. Demonstrates creativity and original thought. 3/5
Research
1. References important secondary scholarship. 3.5/5
2. Uses secondary scholarship skillfully to develop argument. 3.5/5
Writing
1. Avoids errors of grammar and style. 3.5/5
2. Expresses ideas clearly and concisely. 3.5/5
3. Embodies elegant mode of presentation. 3.5/5
Becca,
This is an overall solid paper. You articulate creatio ex nihilo accurately, you develop your arguments coherently
and in dialogue with helpful secondary sources, you write clearly and effectively, and you demonstrate


13
Wilson, Gods Good World, 84.
14
NIV Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton), 2007.

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refreshing attention to proper style. I think the paper would have been stronger if you had advanced a more
innovative thesis and engaged these issues at a deeper level, perhaps by responding to the toughest potential
challenges to the doctrine. There are some, for instance, who argue that creatio ex nihilo is not found in the
Bible, or that it reflects the concerns of an outdated (Platonist) worldview. How might you address these
criticisms? Overall, then, all the basic elements required of this paper are here, but you did not really push
your analysis to a higher level.
Dr. Lee
91 (A-)

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Work Cited
Athanasius. On the Incarnation. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1977.

Gregory of Nyssa. An Answer to Ablabius. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Westminster John Knox Press.
Grenz, Stanley J., David Guretzki, and Cherith Nordling. Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms.
Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVaristy Press, 1999.
Gunton, Colin E., and Alan Torrance. "Creatio Ex Nihilo and the Spatio-temporal Dimensions,
with Special Reference to Jurgen Moltmann." In The Doctrine of Creation: Essays in Dogmatics,
History and Philosophy. London: T&T Clark, 2004.
Jones, Beth. Practicing Christian Doctrine. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2014.
Lee, Dr. Gregory. "Creation and the Imago Dei." Lecture, Wheaton, September 15, 2015.
NIV Bible. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2007.
"The Church Doctrine of Creatio Ex Nihilo." In Creatio Ex Nihilo: The Doctrine of 'Creation out of
Nothing' in Early Christian Thought, edited by Gerhard May. Berlin: T&T Clark, 1994.
Wilson, Jonathan R. God's Good World: Reclaiming the Doctrine of Creation. Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Baker Academic, 2013.
Julian of Norwich. Revelations of Divine Love. trans. Clifton Wolters London: Penguin, 1966.

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