The Hall of Faith | The Universe and The Word of God – Hebrews 11:3
“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.”
At the beginning of time, the universe had no form and no remained completely void. Then, God spoke creation into existence. Nothing existed before God and nothing will exist without God. Genesis 1:1-2 sets the stage for all existence. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Before all things existed, God exists overing over the expanse of nothingness while containing life within Himself in abundance. Out of the invisibleness of nothingness, God brought forth the glory of creation to reveal Himself to the world.
Faith in God regarding the creation of the world goes beyond simply engaging in discussions about creation of the world. While the debates of Old Earth/Young Earth and how the mechanics of creation occurred, these do not consitute the faith in God. The more important component of faith comes in our understanding of the sovereignty of God in all creation to speak life into nothingness and create for His glory. Hebrews 11 details faith throughout the fullness of the biblical narrative but first starts by describing where we stand in this narrative. Our faith is linked to the faith of the forefathers through the nature of creation. It reveals that sovereignty of God and that we serve a God who desires to bring life to His people through the proclamation of His word.
Sovereignty of God Over All Creation
From the beginning of Genesis 1, we see the hand of God in every aspect of creation. When nothing existed, God IS. By His words even the concept of time and every aspect of creation was brought into being by a Holy and Perfect God with a Divine and Good plan for all of creation. He is the God on the throne who does not share that authority with any other. While the naturist seeks to worship an anthropomorphic Mother Earth, the Christian’s stance should always be it is God who reigns over all creation from the beginning of existence until its end and beyond (though we should still be good stewards of the world entrusted to us). God, as the creator of all things, reigns sovereign of every aspect. While some may take this as the works of an oppressive God looking to only vindictively assert His rule. Yet, in faith, we know this is not the character of God. Rather than look at God as the grumpy dictator of creation, He instead seeks the well-being of His people and those He came to save. He orders creation for the benefit of mankind, according to His ways, so that we might fully delight in God forever.
We cannot overlook that the whole of creation sought to proclaim the glory of God and reflect His nature. Just as a painting reflects the heart of the painter, the whole of creation, in its perfect seeks to reflect the nature of God. While sin may have marred the image of God, everything submits to the glory and will of God. The rules we feel restrict us, instead free us to live according to the divine plan that God set forth at the beginning of creation. Living, in faith, according to the rules and order of God is not a suppression of our being but rather frees us to live according to the way creation has always been intended to go. If God is the creator and sustainer of all life, then it would naturally follow that we willingly follow the one who designed everything in perfection lest we think that we can do better than an all knowing and infinite God.
Faith in God Who Speaks Life
The writer of Hebrew does not look to affirm that nature of creation as having faith as will happen with every other account. Rather, the author of Hebrews affirms the faith in the God of creation. We spend a fair amount of time debating the nature of creation while seemingly missing the main point, it is God who serves as the creator of all things, however He chose to do so. This is the belief we take in faith. Many other theories of creation arise but if they don’t bear witness to the truth of God, then they will fall flat. Our faith rests in God who speaks and out of His sovereignty life is formed. The word of God springs forth life.
Even for us today, the word of God continues to spring forth life for those who truly hear it. It restores the soul and points to the glory of God out of the abundance of His grace and mercy. Creation show us that God desires to give life to people and be a blessing to them so that we might delight in Him. Hence, faith in the God of creation becomes absolutely essential. It bows and submits to the will of God in creation as the one who orders and sustains the intended way of life. Furthermore, it reveals that God desires to reveal Himself to us. The work of the artist reveals His nature and the work of God reveals Himself to His creation, making the seen out of the unseen as the physical world takes form from nothing. God desires relationship with His people and we put our faith in this same God. We trust and hope in God who rules and reigns over every event in history, every place of the universe, yet still seeks our personal relationship with Him.
About The Author
Daniel Burton is the founder of The Gospel Outpost. He is passionate about discipleship and seeing people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. To find out more about him, check out his Author Page.
