Ex Nihilo (Creation Out of Nothing)
Referenced in: Creative Acts as Evidence of Personhood
Latin for “out of nothing.” The Christian doctrine that God created the universe not from pre-existing material, but by a free act of His will, bringing into existence everything that exists apart from Himself. This is distinct from Greek creation myths (where gods shape eternal matter) and from pantheism (where the universe is an emanation of God’s own being). Creation ex nihilo means the universe is not God, not eternal, and not necessary; it is contingent, dependent, and finite. It exists because God chose to create it. This is the foundation of the distinction between Creator and creature (see: Creatureliness), and it grounds both the intelligibility of the universe (it reflects the mind of a rational Creator) and the dignity of the creature (we are not accidents of matter but willed into existence by a personal God).