A Biblical-Theological View of Creation and New Creation
The doctrine of creation stands at the beginning of the Bible’s story and continues throughout the Old and New Testaments. Genesis 1–3 provide the concentrated teaching, yet the entire canon returns repeatedly to creation to explain God, the world, humanity, sin, judgment, redemption, and the hope of a renewed cosmos. Creation and new creation form one continuous storyline: what begins in Genesis reaches its fulfillment in the new heavens and new earth of Revelation 21–22.
1. Creation in the Old Testament
The Old Testament’s teaching on creation stretches far beyond Genesis. It shapes Israel’s worship (Psalms 8; 19; 104; 148), frames wisdom (Job 38–41), and anchors prophetic hope (Isaiah 40–55; Jeremiah 33). Creation theology assures God’s people that the One who formed the world can also restore it.
1.1 Creation by the Word
Genesis 1 emphasizes divine speech eight times: “And God said…” (Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26). Key features stand out:
God creates without conflict. There is no cosmic struggle; God speaks and reality obeys.
Creation is rational and ordered. Speech implies thought, meaning, and intention.
God is sovereign. He does not craft the universe as an artisan under constraint; he commands like a king.
1.2 Creation from Nothing?
Though the Old Testament does not explicitly use the phrase creatio ex nihilo, Genesis 1:1—“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”—uniquely ascribes the whole universe to God alone. While Genesis 1:2 may describe unformed material, the theological point is clear: no rival deity, preexistent matter, or cosmic accident stands behind creation. The entire cosmos depends on God’s free will.
2. Creation, Time, and History
Genesis links creation to time. Light and darkness structure days, and the seven-day pattern signals completeness rather than strict chronology. Interpreters from Augustine onward have recognized its literary and symbolic nature. Time becomes:
The arena of creation, not an illusion.
The stage of history, where God’s purposes unfold.
A pointer toward a goal, since God creates within time and leads creation through time.
Unlike ancient Near Eastern myths, the biblical account is historical rather than timeless. Creation becomes the opening act of a story that moves toward redemption and renewal.
3. Creation, Order, and Goodness
Genesis presents creation as ordered differentiation—light from darkness, waters from waters, land from sea. Seven times God declares creation “good” (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). That goodness is:
Relational — creation stands rightly ordered before God.
Sustained — God preserves creation by his continual judgment that it is good.
Comprehensive — all creatures, human and non-human, share the blessing of order.
The Psalms and prophets use creation imagery to ground social and moral stability (Psalms 74; 89; Isaiah 40–55). If God established the cosmic order, he can restore Israel and ultimately renew the world.
4. Humanity’s Role Within Creation
Genesis distinguishes humanity but never isolates it. Several realities appear:
Humans and land animals share the sixth day (Genesis 1:24–31).
Humans receive a vocation: to work and keep the garden (Genesis 2:15).
Dominion (Genesis 1:28) is a kingship-like responsibility, not exploitation.
The blessing “be fruitful and multiply” is also given to animals (Genesis 1:22).
A helpful way to summarize humanity’s place:
Kinship with the land and its creatures.
Responsibility to cultivate and guard creation.
Vocation to reflect God’s character through stewardship, not domination.
5. The Sons of God and Angelic Participation in Creation
Though the Bible does not portray angels as co-creators, the Old Testament and New Testament do suggest their presence, witness, and participation in the praise of creation.
5.1 Witnesses to Creation
Job 38:4–7 depicts “the morning stars” and “sons of God” shouting for joy as God laid earth’s foundations. This shows:
Angelic beings existed before the completion of the created world.
They respond to creation with worship, not rivalry.
Creation is a cosmic event, observed by both heaven and earth.
5.2 Ministers Within Creation
While God alone creates, angels:
Guard (Genesis 3:24).
Deliver messages that direct human vocation (Genesis 16; Daniel 9).
Execute judgment that mirrors creation reversal (Genesis 19; 2 Samuel 24; Revelation 8–9).
Appear before God as part of a heavenly council (Psalm 82; Psalm 89:5–7; Job 1–2).
These roles show that the created cosmos includes both visible and invisible realms. Human dominion and angelic ministry both belong under God’s ultimate sovereignty and serve God’s purposes within creation.
6. Judgment and the Reversal of Creation
Sin disrupts creation. Genesis 3 portrays alienation between humans, God, and the ground. Thorns, pain, toil, and death arise. The flood reveals the cosmic consequence of human violence (Genesis 6–9):
Waters return the world to a Genesis 1:2-like state.
Judgment mirrors creation in reverse.
God preserves a remnant and representative creatures through Noah.
Prophets employ similar imagery to describe judgment (Isaiah 24:1–13; Hosea 4:1–3; Jeremiah 4:23–26). Disharmony among humans produces ecological disorder; the moral and natural orders are intertwined.
7. Continuation and Renewal of Creation
The covenant with Noah (Genesis 9:8–17) includes “every living creature,” signaling that creation’s future is tied to God’s faithfulness. Prophets echo this theme:
Hosea foresees a covenant with animals (Hosea 2:18).
Jeremiah sees the stability of nature as evidence of God’s unbreakable promise (Jeremiah 33:20–25).
Isaiah envisions deserts flowering and creation joining the joy of redemption (Isaiah 35; 55:12–13).
The Old Testament cannot imagine salvation apart from creation’s renewal.
8. Creation in the New Testament
The New Testament affirms the Old Testament’s teaching and intensifies it in light of Christ.
God creates and sustains through his word (Romans 4:17; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 11:3).
Jesus appeals to God’s care for creation—birds, lilies, sparrows—to teach trust (Matthew 6:25–34; Luke 12:6).
Creation frames both Jesus’s miracles and his redemptive mission.
9. Christ and Creation
New Testament writers present creation as deeply Christ-centered.
Key texts include:
John 1:1–4 — Christ is the Word through whom all things were made.
Colossians 1:15–17 — all things were created in, through, and for Christ.
1 Corinthians 8:6 — one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things.
Hebrews 1:2–3 — the Son upholds the universe by his powerful word.
Christ is:
Origin — the agent of creation.
Sustainer — the one in whom all things hold together.
Goal — all things were created for him.
He restores the image of God in humanity, transforming dominion into servant-kingship modeled after his own.
10. Creation and New Creation
Christ’s resurrection inaugurates new creation. Believers become “new creation” in him (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). Yet Paul insists that the entire cosmos shares this hope:
Creation groans under frustration (Romans 8:19–22).
It awaits the revealing of God’s sons.
Its liberation is tied to human glorification.
God subjected creation “in hope,” not despair.
The New Testament ends not with escape from creation but with its transformation. Revelation 21–22 describes:
A new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1).
A garden-city where God dwells with humanity.
The tree of life restored.
Nations walking in the Lamb’s light.
The curse removed.
New creation is the fulfillment of the world God originally called good.
Conclusion
A biblical-theological view of creation and new creation reveals one continuous story. God forms the world by his Word, fills it with life, entrusts humanity with stewardship, judges human sin as a violation of creation’s goodness, and preserves the world through covenant faithfulness. Through Christ—the Word through whom all things were made and the firstborn from the dead—creation itself will be renewed. The story that begins with “In the beginning” moves forward to “Behold, I am making all things new.”
Bible verses about creation
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).
“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made” (Psalm 33:6).
“O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all” (Psalm 104:24).
“I made the earth and created man on it” (Isaiah 45:12).
“Thus says the Lord… I stretch out the heavens with my hands” (Isaiah 51:13).
“All things were made through him” (John 1:3).
“In him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).
“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God” (Hebrews 11:3).
“You created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:11).
