³ By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

“Ex nihilo” is the phrase theologians use for the creation of the universe. “Out of nothing.” God created all that can be seen out of nothing that previously existed. The modern scientific mind recoils at this. Holding to a closed-state perspective on the universe, some cry out, “That is impossible.” There can be neither new energy nor new matter. One is derived from the other. The only way something can be added is that it would have to come from outside the universe. But that would mean the universe is not a closed system. But, by their definition, this is not the case. That is a point of faith, something that cannot be empirically proved. It can only be asserted on a philosophical (or meta-physical) basis.

[Note: The word for “worlds” in the original language has a fairly wide field of meaning. It can be used for “the ages” or for the universe, something similar to the Greek work “cosmos.”]

Belief in God as the personal creator of the universe is axiomatic to the Christian faith. It cannot be proved scientifically. In fact, science itself is severely limited because of the limitations on human capacity, the least of which is our inability to travel back in time to observe the “beginning.” We simply cannot do it, unless one was able to figure out a way to travel back in time, which itself is an inherently self-defeating proposition.

In the Christian worldview we simply believe in a personal Creator that has revealed Himself in the Bible, which is His word. And that kind of faith is integral to all of our Christian life. It is not just that God has created everything we can see without use of previously existing material. He also has created things which we can’t see. Not only can we not observe the creation taking place in the past, we also cannot now observe the future. We cannot “see” God. But as Jesus told Nicodemus, we can observe the unmistakable effect of God, just like we see the effects of wind, though we don’t see the wind itself.

Is this not what Paul meant when he wrote, ^“…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” (2 Cor 4:18). Faith is the means to “see,” to “understand” things that we cannot visibly observe. Faith is essential to living the Christian life!

Lord, “I believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). I believe You are the Maker of the heavens and the earth, all that is, or was or ever will be. Nothing exists unless You created it. Thank You for giving me this understanding.