Creation

Definition and Meaning

Creation is the Christian teaching that God made the world and everything in it. The church confesses that God did not fashion the world from preexisting material but made it out of nothing. This is called creation out of nothing (Latin creatio ex nihilo). Creation is not limited to a single event; it is closely connected to the doctrine of providence, which holds that God continues to uphold and govern the world He has made. The first article of the Apostles' Creed, "God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth," expresses this faith.

Biblical and Historical Background

The principal texts are Genesis 1–2. These chapters describe creation in six days and rest on the seventh day, and they teach that humanity was made in the image of God. The New Testament states that the Son also took part in creation (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). Hebrews 11:3 records that "the worlds were framed by the word of God."

In the early church, Gnosticism and Marcionism regarded the material world as evil or treated the Creator of the Old Testament as a lesser god. In response, the church taught that the Creator and the Redeemer are one and the same God and that the created world is good by its original nature.

Practice in the Korean Church

Korean Protestant denominations broadly agree in confessing God as Creator. They differ, however, on how to interpret the "days" of Genesis and on how creation relates to scientific theories of evolution.

• Young-earth creationism: Takes the days of Genesis as 24-hour periods and holds the age of the earth to be between several thousand and about ten thousand years. It became widely known in the Korean church through the creation science movement and is reported to enjoy relatively strong support among members of conservative denominations.
• Old-earth creationism: Accepts the scientific age of the earth, for example by reading the "days" as long ages, while emphasizing God's special acts of creation.
• Theistic evolution (evolutionary creationism): Holds that God created life through the process of evolution. It is advocated by some theologians and Christian scientists. Opponents criticize this view as conflicting with the historicity of Adam and the doctrine of the Fall.

A variety of positions coexist even within the same denomination. The debate is treated in detail in the article Creation and Evolution.

Some denominations, such as the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, observe a Season of Creation in the church calendar, commemorating faith in creation together with care for the environment. Many churches also understand human beings as stewards who care for the world God has entrusted to them, and they apply this teaching to ecological issues.