How and When Was the Universe Created? | 4 Views

Type of Doctrine: Typically Tertiary

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

-Genesis 1:1 ESV

Why Does It Matter?

Who created the universe? How was it created? When was it created? These questions will be addressed in the article below.

While it would be a primary issue to deny that God created the universe, one's view (among the views presented below) is typically thought of as a tertiary issue (i.e., meaning it probably will not affect the church one chooses to attend).

What Is It?

The opening verse in Scripture states: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). This is a simple yet profound statement. The entire universe was created by God. Each member of the Trinity was involved in creation (Gen. 1:1-2; Col. 1:16). Everything, except God, was created, including time itself.

The ESV Study Bible commentator gives two views while interpreting Genesis 1:1,

This opening verse can be taken as a summary, introducing the whole passage; or it can be read as the first event, the origin of the heavens and the earth (sometime before the first day), including the creation of matter, space, and time. This second view (the origin of the heavens and the earth) is confirmed by the NT writers' affirmation that creation was from nothing (Heb. 11:3; Rev. 4:11).[1]

Thus, God created ex nihilo ("out of nothing"). He didn't take prior material and work with it. He spoke things that did not exist into existence. That is the main point that Moses is making in the opening pages of Scripture.

And Moses does this with great artistry. It can be easy to miss, but note how the days in Genesis 1 correspond with each other based on when God created these things:[2]

Day 1: Light and dark --> Day 4: Lights of day and night

Day 2: Sea and sky --> Day 5: Fish and birds

Day 3: Fertile earth --> Day 6: Land animals (including humans)

Day 7: Rest and enjoyment

Therefore, God created the environment and then, subsequently, he filled the environment. Ultimately, he made humans in his image and gave them the role as vice-regents (to God the King) to take dominion and rule the earth.

Now, the following will cover some of the debates which have come up over the centuries which often obscure the main emphasis in Scripture:[3]

1. The time-scale of creation

   1. Augustine suggested that creation in Genesis 1 could have happened over a long period of time.

   2. Christians have held different views on the time-scale of Genesis 1. These are the five most common:

      1. Some preliminary considerations:

         1. Genesis was written thousands of years ago, long before the modern scientific theories. Therefore, while Moses gives a truthful, accurate account, he doesn't have the scientific theories in mind.

         2. Twenty-four hour days seems like the natural reading of Genesis 1. The word "day" usually means a 24 hour day.

         3. Genesis 1 contrasted with Genesis 2-3 shows that they seem to have different literary forms. Perhaps Genesis 1 is literal history. On the other hand, if it is not literal history, maybe it is intended as a historical yet symbolic account that doesn't cover a specific time.

         4. Does the word "day" mean 24 hours before the creation of the sun and moon?

         5. None of the following views automatically mean that Genesis 1 is not historical.

      2. Literal/Calendar Day View: creation took place in six 24 hour ordinary calendar days; views Genesis 1 like modern history; interprets "day" as actual 24 hour day

      3. Day-Age View: creation took place over the course of six geological ages

      4. Analogical Days View: creation took place over six workdays for God, which is similar to a human workweek

      5. Literary Framework View: creation is depicted as a week, but it is used as a literary device and is not concerned with the actual timeframe

      6. Gap Theory View: some have suggested that Genesis 1:2 describes a condition of creation which was a result of Satan's rebellion which came before the creation week (Thus, is there a gap in time?)

2. Creation and process

   1. Based on other places in Scripture where the words "created" and "made" are employed, "there is no clear distinction in the Bible between creation by a process and creation without process."[4]

   2. Thus, whether God created instantaneously or over time through a process (perhaps as some scientists suggest), he is still the sovereign creator either way.

3. Evolution

   1. Evolutionary ideas originate with Charles Darwin in the mid-1800s, but (shall we say) they have "evolved" over time into neo-Darwinian views. Some recent views have merged into philosophy viewpoints (some with very weak scientific evidence). Nevertheless, the view that various plants and animals have descended from one ancestor can be called "macro-evolution". This takes place through natural selection. The small-scale changes that occur may be referred to as "micro-evolution".[5]

   2. Christians (including Christian scientists) disagree on these theories. Some accept them while others reject them. A couple of things must be said:

      1. Evolution is a theory (among others). It is sometimes referred to as a fact, but it is a theory.

      2. Also, all Christians agree that God created the universe. While Christians may differ on their view regarding how, they cannot accept that there was no creator (something came from nothing).

With this being said, here are the four main views on creation. This chart below is adapted from the excellent book titled, Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design.[6]

4 Main Views on Creation

View	Description
Young Earth Creationism	A Christian view which argues that God created the universe. Proponents reject the claims from physical and life sciences, and they argue that the earth is young (even if it may sometimes appear old). Many claim the earth is 6,000 to 10,000 years old.
Old Earth (Progressive) Creationism	A Christian view which argues that God created the universe. Proponents accept the claims from physical sciences on the age of the Earth and universe, but they reject the claim from life sciences that evolution took place through a common ancestor. Many claim the earth is at least 4.5 billion years old.
Evolutionary Creation / Theistic Evolution	A Christian view which argues that God created the universe. Proponents also accept some of the central conclusions from both the physical sciences and life sciences. Thus, they believe that God created the universe ("Theistic") and used evolutionary processes ("Evolution).
Intelligent Design	This view does not fit neatly into the other categories. Various adherents may have views that span across the other three categories. Instead, it is best described by the central claim that scientific evidence can be used to demonstrate that a designer has created the universe. That designer is identified by Christians as the God of the Bible.

Application

As remarkable as it is that God has created everything out of nothing, it is important to keep the purpose in mind. That is, God created through Christ and for Christ. Christ is the purpose of creation. He wants to lift up Jesus above it all. This means that when we interact with the world with our senses we can wonder: how is God pointing to Jesus through this created thing? Listen to Paul eloquently talking about this,

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him.

-Colossians 1:13-16 ESV

Let that stoke the fire of worship in your heart today!

Where Can I Learn More?

End Notes:

[1] ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008), 49.

[2] Ibid., 50.

[3] This section is adapted from two main sources: (1) Sinclair B. Ferguson, David F. Wright, and J. I. Packer, eds., New Dictionary of Theology: A Concise and Authoritative Resource (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1988), 177-179 and (2) ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008), 39-52.

[4] Sinclair B. Ferguson, David F. Wright, and J. I. Packer, eds., New Dictionary of Theology: A Concise and Authoritative Resource (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1988), 178.

[5] Ibid.

[6] J. B. Stump, gen. ed., Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2017), 13.