The question of our origins is fundamental to how we see the world and ourselves. If the universe has a Creator, then purpose is intertwined with that truth. But is that Creator the God of the Bible? And if so, why should it matter?
Check out how God reveals Himself as the ultimate source of order and meaning in the cosmos, in history, and in your life. Unlike competing explanations—whether scientific, philosophical, or religious—the Bible doesn’t just describe a Creator; it reveals One who speaks, commands, and sustains all things with intentionality and grace. And if that’s true, then His design for creation includes you.
Why does it matter if the Creator is the God of the Bible?
Is there one all-powerful God who created the cosmos, the earth, and all of humankind? And if so, is that god the God of the Bible? Everyone has contemplated our origins and purpose in life at one time or another. It may have been at home with your family, in the classroom at school, or in personal reflections on a lonely, dark, starry night. Maybe, you’re like me, and you’ve struggled with the question, “Why am I here?” Then of course, we can’t answer that question without answering a more preliminary question, “How did I get here?”
To make things even more complicated, there’s no shortage of opinions. Different world religions, science, and philosophy have all contributed to the confusion. And these aren’t just friendly disagreements, either. You’ve probably seen examples yourself of people becoming hostile and demeaning toward others who share a different viewpoint. But not only that, when we take a step back and really listen through all that noise, the arguments themselves seem inconsistent, and the answers are incomplete.
So, how can we know that the God of the Bible is that one true explanation? In this lesson, we’ll explore what the Bible reveals about God as Creator. We’ll see why the Bible provides the best explanation for our origins and our purpose. While there are countless ways to argue that point, what we’ll focus on for this study, is how the Creator of the Bible has relevance and significance to your life. That’s something noticeably lacking in other explanations for our origin. If there really is one Almighty Creator, then we should see His consistent power, purpose, and order in all of His Creation — in the cosmos and in nature, in His revelation to humans, and even in your own life. And that’s exactly what the Bible teaches. Specifically, we’ll look at four key teachings from the Bible that, if tested and reasoned through, will verify that the God of the Bible is not only the One true Creator, but also the One who gives everything purpose, including your own life.
Series Intro
Hi there, I’m Scott Ihle. We’ve developed this Bible study series, “God Revealed: From Creation to Christ”, to help people all over the world, like you, see what God reveals about Himself in the pages of Christian Scripture. Sometimes, it’s easy to lose sight of who God really is and to develop a shallow view of His amazing glory and perfect holiness. That’s why we want to show you Yahweh, the God of the Bible, exalted and unfiltered. The Bible gives us many colorful illustrations to help us understand Yahweh, and in each lesson, we’ll examine a particular aspect of His character, while also bearing in mind His revelation to us in three distinct personalities — the Father in heaven, His Son, Jesus Christ our Savior, and the Holy Spirit of promise.
God alone created all things
The Bible teaches that God created ALL things, ENTIRELY ON HIS OWN. That’s one truth which rings clear and consistent throughout Scripture. There’s one all-powerful God who created it all, and His name is Yahweh.
Let’s look at a few examples that highlight this idea:
Exodus 20:11 says,
“For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.”
Isaiah 44:24 says,
“Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, ‘I, Yahweh, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone.’”
Jeremiah 32:17 says,
“Ah Lord Yahweh! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You.”
Nehemiah 9:6 says,
“You alone are Yahweh. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down to You.”
Acts 17:24–28 says,
“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to inhabit all the face of the earth… though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist.”
Consider this. If the Bible is correct, God is all-powerful and all-imaginative to have been able to create everything we know in this material world. He created the heavens — the planets, galaxies and stars. He created the earth — seas, dry land, and atmosphere. He made all living creatures — from the microscopic to the magnificent. From infinitesimal particles to primeval behemoths. And He created you and I — all of humanity. He even created our invisible parts, our immortal souls. He didn’t require billions of years. He didn’t require technology. He didn’t require the help of another. He wasn’t created by another, and He didn’t need to overthrow some other ancient deity. Yahweh is unlike any other. He has no equal, no competition, and no precedence.
But maybe you’re thinking, “Sure, that’s what the Bible says. But isn’t the Bible just another myth? How can we believe in a Creator when so many people claim it’s unscientific?” Well, it’s actually the most rational and scientific option. Because we know that something cannot come from nothing, regardless of how much time is imagined. For example, electrical components don’t spontaneously appear out of thin air, explode, and randomly arrange themselves into a meticulously assembled smart phone. That would be irrational and unscientific. Similarly, the universe, with all its order and complexity, couldn’t have just exploded into existence without an intelligent cause and deliberate fine-tuning.
In fact, the Bible encourages us to observe the natural world.
Romans 1:18–20 says,
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
Science, when defined as the study of the natural world through observation, fits perfectly with what the Bible teaches. The average person, even without a PhD, can look at the cosmos, observe nature, and reason that they’re too orderly to have happened by chance. And whoever created it all was unimaginably powerful. Still, the sciences, from cosmology to molecular biology all testify to an Originator, a Designer, and a Providential hand. And when we step outside and marvel at the beauty and majesty of nature, isn’t natural to wonder about the One who made it all?
But if we acknowledge the possibility of a Creator, then our journey has only just begun! Why? Because if there is One who created it all, one all-powerful, all-imaginative Creator, then it also means that He’s all-sovereign. All-sovereign means He has the right to rule, govern, and direct His creation. He owns and controls everything. Perhaps that’s why some people resist the idea of a Creator — because acknowledging Him also means acknowledging His authority over our lives. But let’s see where the Bible takes this thought. Because an all-powerful, all-sovereign Creator could be chaotic and evil, after all, or He could even be capricious and indifferent. But not so with Yahweh.
God assigned order and purpose to His Creation
The second unique truth we see from the Bible is that when God created all things, He assigned order and purpose. There was no chaotic and cosmic battle of the gods. There was no random chance. God knew what He wanted. He imagined a design and a purpose, like a brilliant architect, engineer, and designer. He created it all in a controlled and orderly manner, instantly and without exertion. And so, the God of All-Power is also the God of All-Wisdom (Proverbs 8:22–31).
The beginning of creation is described this way in Genesis 1:1–5,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.”
Notice how everything is a dark, empty mess before God begins to put everything in order. But even then, He’s in complete control. His Spirit is hovering over the primordial waters. Next, God spoke, and it happened. There wasn’t an epic struggle, no accidents, and no process of trial and error. He spoke, and it happened, plain and simple. That’s the power of Yahweh. And after He created it, He saw that it was good! It was free from defect, and it met the purpose for which He had intended. Then it says that He separated the light from the dark, which means He assigned it a function. Similarly, when God calls the light, “day”, He isn’t just establishing vocabulary. Because when God names something, He’s identifying its destiny, its purpose. Just like today, we might say, “I was called for this purpose.” So, all together, we see clear indications in God’s creation that He makes things to be orderly and purposeful. And that’s a pattern that repeats itself throughout the narrative of God’s creation in Genesis 1.
For example, this is illustrated in God’s creation of humanity. Genesis 1:27–31 says,
“And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion...’ And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”
Genesis 5:1–2 says,
“In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.”
Do you see? God demonstrates the same order and purpose in the creation of man and woman. First, they were made in the image and likeness of God. That means that they’re created for the purpose of being God’s representatives on earth. They’re to reflect His glory and character in their lives. Then, when God commands them to do certain things — Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion — He’s assigning humankind a purpose through His commands. Again, we see all that God has made was “good,” except this time it’s described as “very good.” Everything was complete and orderly, just as God had intended it. Finally, God blesses them and names them. When God blesses something, it’s like naming it, He’s commissioning it for a purpose. God commissioned man and woman for a life governed by order and purpose.
So, we see that from the very beginning, God didn’t create haphazardly. It all had order, function, and purpose. Creation then, is a reflection of God’s wisdom and intentional design.
God creates order and purpose by His Word
Having seen that God creates with order and purpose, let’s consider HOW he does it. The answer has significance for the rest of God’s story in the Bible and for our lives as well. How did God create everything with order and purpose? Was it with His hands? Did He use tools or technology? No, He created everything with order and purpose by His Words. In the Creation account in Genesis 1, it says 10 times, “And God said…” Then the phrase, “and God saw… that it was good,” is repeated 7 times. So, God was able to make everything by His commands. The elements obeyed. Then God saw that it was good. Now, that’s amazing! God, the all-powerful and all-imaginative Creator of all things only has to say the words, and voila! There it is!
We see this idea emphasized at other points in the Biblical story, as well. For example, Psalm 33:6 says,
“By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.”
Hebrews 11:3 says,
“By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”
If all things were prepared by the word of God, shouldn’t that have implications for His revealed, written word, what we know as the Bible? Well, yeah, exactly. It’s only reasonable to assume that the Creator who gives order and purpose to all things could also give us a well-ordered revelation and set of instructions. In fact, if we can observe order and purpose in the teachings of Scripture, and we can observe that they’re true, then we should conclude that the Bible can be trusted as authoritative. It’s the Word of God. It proves consistent with what we know about God’s desire for order and purpose in His Creation. On top of that, if the Bible is the Word of God, then it should also inherently contain God’s creative power to bless and give us a better life.
In Psalm 19, we see a beautiful connection between God’s creative power in nature and the power of His teachings. The psalmist begins by praising the way Creation testifies to the knowledge of God.
“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And the expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge...”
Then the writer goes on to describe the value and usefulness of God’s teachings,
“The law of Yahweh is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of Yahweh is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of Yahweh are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of Yahweh is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of Yahweh are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, even more than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”
God’s teachings aren’t arbitrary. They’re not useless, and they’re not burdensome. They’re for our own benefit. And the God who created us should know better. His Words, as revealed in the Bible, demonstrate order and purpose.
But actually, we run into a slight problem. We see right away in God’s story of the Bible, that humanity failed to fulfill their purpose. We disobeyed God (Gen 3). And we would continually disobey God. Even after God revealed more of His teachings to one select group of people, through the Law of Moses, humanity disobeyed God all the more. While it was helpful for us to understand more about the Creator and His will for us, through the context of one particular nation, Israel, the more we understand right and wrong, the more accountable we become for choosing wrong. This conundrum shows us why God’s plan for Creation must include some other way to bring order to our lives beyond laws and commands. Those alone aren’t enough to fix a deeper problem — our selfish hearts.
In fact, Moses foreshadowed the potential for further creative work by Yahweh. Speaking to the nation of Israel, who received God’s complete set of instructions and failed to follow them repeatedly, he said that they should look forward to a time when Yahweh would operate on their heart and the hearts of their children, so that they would love Yahweh their God with all their heart and with all their soul, so that they may live (Deuteronomy 30:6).
What this means is that God’s creative work doesn’t stop at His Word, as revealed in laws and commands, as important and valuable as they are. God’s creative purposes are ultimately completed by the revelation of His Word in the person of Jesus Christ.
John 1:1–4 says,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”
This all sounds familiar from what we’ve already covered. God created all things by His word. Except here, His Word seems to be personified. John 1 continues by saying,
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth… For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
Here we see what was lacking in the Word of God given to Moses — grace. The Law pointed out right and wrong, and so, it uncovered sin. However, we need something more than just condemnation. We need a new heart. And God’s grace can soften our hearts, leading the way to personal transformation. That’s why God’s creative plan all along was to embody His Word by sending His only Son to the world, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh. He’s the Light of the World because He more perfectly explains to us who God is — gracious, compassionate, and merciful.
The God of the Bible stands apart as the One True Creator. He’s the only one who offers us true and perfect moral direction, who gives meaning and purpose to our lives, and most significantly, despite how difficult it is to live up to God’s standards, He supplements His powerful Word with grace. Grace is the blessing we need for God to operate on our hearts and to make us live anew, as Moses said (see also Titus 2:11–12). And God built all of this into His Creation plan by His Word — the revelation and teachings of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:15–17 says,
“[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, And in Him all things hold together.”
So, through both His written Word and His personified Word, Jesus Christ, God creates order and purpose in the world, and in our own lives.
God creates order and purpose in our lives
God’s creative power extends to order and purpose in the lives of His people. That happens through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. You may be someone who’s wandering, “Will I ever get my life under control? Everything feels chaotic, and I’m overwhelmed with unhealthy desires. How can I possibly do this on my own?” The truth is, you don’t have to. The same Spirit who brought everything into existence, can also turn your life into a new creation (Romans 8:10–13; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Let’s read what God’s Word has to say to some Christians whose lives were once out of control, in Ephesians 2:1–10,
“And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world… doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ… For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Living a life in denial of God and His Creative power is, well, to live a life of disorder and insignificance. We weren’t meant to live that way. Instead, you need to have faith in God and His grace, offered through Jesus, to be made new. You need to be born again into the image and likeness of God. Only then can you live the life you were created for, for the good works that God prepared for you, even before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4–6). Because God names you, calls you, blesses you for a particular purpose – to live a holy life. Now, this transformation doesn’t happen instantly and without effort on your part. You still need to strive and make sacrifices. But in the process of attempting to live according to God’s standards, you’ll increasingly find the grace, peace, and strength you need to press forward.
All along, our Creator offers the grace of Christ and empowers us spiritually to live the life He designed us to live (2 Thessalonians 1:10–11; 2:13–17). This leads to a life of “surpassing riches.” What are surpassing riches? Well, it includes the joy and fulfillment of living a holy life. There are surpassing riches in being forgiven of our mistakes and shortcomings, and being restored to an intimate relationship with God. And the ultimate surpassing riches? The hope of a resurrection and an eternal home in God’s new creation, after this life is over. To put it more simply, God’s creative power actively creates a better life for you — an eternal life.
All considered, we see why we should want the God of the Bible to be true. He’s the only almighty Creator who assigns order and purpose to His creation. He does so through His Word, and ultimately through His revelation to the world as Jesus Christ. And He promises to make us a new, holy and blameless, eternal person. This is the God of the Bible, and He’s consistent in every aspect of His Creation. That’s why He stands apart as the One true Creator.
Summary and Conclusion
Consistency of order and purpose is just one unique aspect of God, as described in the Bible. We don’t see this kind of consistency in other explanations for our origins. But, that’s not the only way the God of the Bible stands apart. Perhaps a more unique and unprecedented quality of Yahweh is His desire to have a personal and intimate relationship with His Creation. That’s why, in our next lesson, we’ll be discussing, “God as Father: The One Who Cares.” If you’ve found this lesson fascinating and challenging, I encourage you to check it out.
In the meantime, ask yourself this question, “Do I have enough faith to let God create something new in my life?” And if not, why not? Examine the Bible for yourself. Examine the alternatives. But make a choice. Don't sit out on the sidelines any longer. Because if the Bible is right about God, then you're missing out on the wonderful potential God has in mind for your life.
Why does it matter if the Creator is the God of the Bible? Because Yahweh is the only explanation for how all things came into existence, and for how all things have order and purpose. His power and design are evident in His creation, in His Word, and most fully in His grace through Jesus Christ. And finally, it matters for your life, because the Creator of all things wants to create a new orderly life for you that lasts into all of eternity.