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Pastor's Blog April 22, 2021
"View of God in Romans VII"
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The claim is often made that God created the universe "out of nothing." This claim states that God did not create the present universe out of material that already existed (which would actually be an act of fabrication instead of creation), but instead created everything from nothing. What this means is that there was a time when there was nothing except the eternal God, and then in place of nothing the eternal God created something - and he didn't need any help in doing this, he did it all on his own and miraculously created all things "from nothingness."
However, saying this is easier than imagining it. Many people struggle to understand how God created out of nothing, so those people reject creation as the way in which the universe came into existence. But did you know God shows us WHY we can trust his claim to create out of nothing? Romans 4:17 says, "(as it is written, 'A father of many nations have I made you') in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist" (NASB). The person Paul is referring to here is Abraham. Abraham's faith is what everyone who turns to God must have, because the kind of faith Abraham had in God was the kind that comes from grace: it is not something Abraham produced or created in himself, it was something he gained from having a long, trusting relationship with God (verse 16). Further, Abraham demonstrated his faith in God by believing in God's power and willingness to create a nation from his descendants and make him the founding ancestor of a multitude of people (verse 18).
But verse 17 gives us the reason why Abraham could have faith in God: because God made a promise to Abraham. God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many descendants and that those descendants would become a great nation. Before Israel even existed, Abraham knew God "calls into being that which does not [yet] exist," because God confirms his ability to do this by promising to create something out of nothing - and then actually does it!
Friends, what new creation or promise has God made in your life as proof that you can trust in his creative ability?
God bless,
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
