Creation vs Invention

God created all things from nothing, which is often called ex-nihilo, a Latin phrase literally meaning out of nothing. In the beginning, before anything existed, God created all things by the power of His Word. He said “Let there be…,” and there was, and it was good. In fact, everything he created was very good (Genesis 1:31). It is enough for us to look up to the skies to see the amazing stars and the solar system or to the beauty of nature and the variety of animals, or even to observe our own bodies to recognize that indeed, all He created was very good. It is amazing to see the wisdom, power, and goodness of God in all that we see around us. In all things, we can see, or at least ought to see, the loving touch of God’s hand. God is the amazing creator.

This ability and characteristic of God is one that we human beings don’t have, even though he created us in his image. We cannot create things out of nothing, but we can invent things by using material that is available. And this is, indeed, a characteristic that we have inherited from God when he created us in his image. It is part of our DNA. We have a limited, but extraordinary ability to invent things. Life has become far better, and to a certain extent easier, thanks to the uncounted inventions of man. We are surrounded by so many objects that have been invented by the creativity and ingenuity of mankind that too often we don’t even think about it. I am sitting at my desk typing this blog, not inscribing it on a stone. Erasing a mistake is just click away, and my software automatically corrects my many spelling mistakes. Some of us might still remember the days of typewriters when you paid heavily for every wrong letter that you typed! I travel to many countries for teaching and preaching purposes. The fact that I get on a plane and within a few hours am in Europe, Asia or America, is amazing. Soon, we will be able to fly to the moon and back on a regular basis. There are already companies that sell tickets to the moon for the bargain price of only 100 million dollars. Last night, our middle daughter, Hadas, had to go to the emergency room due to a severe rash. The family doctor immediately sends us to the hospital, as she was concerned about Hadas’ respiratory system. Within a few hours the medicine they gave her via the I.V., cleared the rash. The field of medicine has made humongous advances, enabling medical staff to save the lives of people through various medicines, procedures and organ transplants. And we can add land and sea transportation, smartphones, social media platforms, architectural monuments and high-rises that are being built, and on and on. All of these are the inventions of man.

 So, we may not be able to create things out of nothing, but God has granted us the ability to invent amazing objects that make our lives simpler, less painful and deadly, and even more pleasant. But unfortunately, sin has corrupted even this aspect of our character. With the same creativity and ingenuity and enthusiasm that we invent wonderful things, we also build weapons of mass destruction, narcotic drugs, and many other evils that make our lives miserable and unbearable.

May God grant us the grace and the wisdom to use our abilities to make the world a better place to live in, rather than a dangerous and scary one.