The First Article.
Of Creation.
Which is the First Article of the Creed?
_I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth._
What does this mean?
_I believe that God has made me and all creatures._
1. _"I believe in God,"_ thus the First Article begins. Every Christian
should confess and every true Christian does confess: _I, I myself,_
believe in God. It is of no avail to us that anybody else believes, we
ourselves must believe in God. _We believe in God the Father Almighty._
We believe that God is the Father Almighty, or the almighty Father. And
why do we believe that God is the almighty Father? Because He is _the
Maker of heaven and earth._ That is God's first great, saving work for
us. He has made heaven and earth. We call this work the _creation._
2. _God is the Maker of heaven and earth._ Our Catechism explains these
words thus: _"I believe that God has made me and all creatures."_ God
has made _me;_ it is due to Him that I came into existence, that I am
living. He gave me life and everything that I have. God, however, did
not only make me, but me _and all creatures._ Creatures are all things
that God has made. Heaven and earth, all the angels, the sun, the moon,
the glittering stars, all things on earth, the mountain and the mighty
oceans, all animals, large and small, all the plants on land and in the
water, man himself; all things that we see, yes, even those we do not
see, all things, visible and invisible, are His creatures. God has made
them all, they are the work of His almighty power. "In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth." Gen. 1,1. "By Him were all things
created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and
invisible." Col. 1,16.
3. In Bible History you have already learned _how_ God made or created
heaven and earth. Before God began to create the world, nothing was
there except God alone, the Creator. God always was, is, and in all
eternity will be. _"From everlasting to everlasting Thou art God."_ Ps.
90,2.--God did not have any material out of which to make this world.
_Out of nothing_ He created heaven and earth. God simply said, "Let
there be light," and there was light. He simply said, Let there be the
sun and the moon and the stars, and, behold, there they were, shining in
all their splendor. In this manner, by speaking, by His word, God made
all things, visible and invisible, heaven and earth. God has created
everything without any means; _God has made heaven and earth and all
creatures out of nothing, by His word._ We do not understand how this is
possible; but we believe it because God Himself has revealed it to us in
His Word. _"Through faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by
the word of God."_ Heb. 11,3. God made all things by His word, with the
exception of His foremost creature, man. It pleased Him to form the
first man in a different manner. Do you know how God made Adam? Read
Gen. 1,26-28 and 2,7.--God could have made heaven and earth, as we see
them now, in one instant, but it has pleased Him to do it in _six days._
In six days _"the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of
them."_ Gen. 2,1. And when all this was finished, _"God saw everything
that He had made, and, behold, it was very good."_ Gen. 1,31.
4. When we consider this great work of our Lord, consider that He has
made the whole world, the heavens and all the host of them, the mighty
sun, the countless stars, the earth with all its treasures, with its
millions of living creatures, must we not say that God, who created all
these things by His word alone, is a _mighty_ and _powerful_ God, more
powerful and mighty than all other things which He has made? And it is
true indeed, God is more powerful than His creatures. He is _almighty._
We believe in God, _the Father Almighty. "With God nothing shall be
impossible,"_ Holy Scripture tells us. Luke 1,37. _"He hath done
whatsoever He hath pleased."_ Ps. 115,3. God is an almighty Father. In
Him we can trust. He can and will be our help. No one and nothing can
resist His mighty power.
5. When we consider how wonderful this world is made, when we consider
that everything that came from the hand of God was very good, that
everything was made as it should be to serve its end, must we not say
that God is a very wise God, being able to plan such a wonderful and
good work? Yea, _our God is the all-wise God._ What He does is always
good and wise, even if we do not understand it.--And remember,
moreover, that God has created this beautiful world for us, His
children. This great and wonderful earth is to be our dwelling-place;
sun, moon, and the stars are to serve us. Is not our God a loving, a
good, a merciful God? Truly, _"the Lord is good to all; and His tender
mercies are over all His works."_ Ps. 145,9. _"God is Love."_ 1 John
4,8. In Him, our loving, merciful God, will we trust; He _will_ surely
help us.